ADVERTISEMENT

Big Week for Iowa Basketball

I'd rather compete against Syracuse 2022 than Duke. Losing Filipowski last year was a heartbreaker. I feel good about Estrella, but also acknowledge Syracuse has a HOF coach, and one of the best venues.

I don't think it's an accident we are competing for some of the same players as Syracuse. In their heyday they always had long players on the floor, and Fran seems to gravitate to those type of players. Fran also has connections to the East.

Does location matter? Unless Estrella is from New Hampshire, he left home for a BBall opportunity. Where is he originally from, and will that impact his choice?

I don't know if it's the entire family, but I've read his mom is a big Garza fan.

Estrella is from Maine, prepped at South Portland until this year.

His mom was Miss Maine Basketball and played collegiately at Boston College as a 6'4" post
 
Estrella is from Maine, prepped at South Portland until this year.

His mom was Miss Maine Basketball and played collegiately at Boston College as a 6'4" post
Thanks Fran and 2432. Coming out of Maine he's a recruiting underdog, just like Iowa.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Franisdaman
Looks like it might come down to Iowa & Syracuse.

As previously mentioned, next weekend will be JP's second visit to the Syracuse campus. He took part in Syracuse’s Elite Camp last year. After the camp, Syracuse offered him (it was his first offer from a Division I school).


These discussions are from today.


Check them out & Watch:











From his first visit to Syracuse:


FYWaUEyWQAAikb1
 
Last edited:
Looks like it might come down to Iowa & Syracuse.

As previously mentioned, next weekend will be JP's second visit to the Syracuse campus. He took part in Syracuse’s Elite Camp last year. After the camp, Syracuse offered him (it was his first offer from a Division I school).


These discussions are from today.


Check them out & Watch:











From his first visit to Syracuse:
At least Boeheim is protecting his neck and throat from Covid. Did no one explain the purpose of the mask to him? He won’t be there very much longer.
 
At least Boeheim is protecting his neck and throat from Covid. Did no one explain the purpose of the mask to him? He won’t be there very much longer.

I wonder if age will come into play.

Jim will be 78 on November 17

Fran turned 63 on May 23. I am guessing Fran coaches at Iowa until at least 2029, which is when Jack's 4 years at Iowa would be up
 
Listened to Syracuse's "Locked On" podcast from yesterday which was entirely devoted to JP Estrella. The guest on their had a lot of very nice things to say about Iowa basketball and how Luka Garza's development could be a major factor in the recruitment. There were a few minor gripes I had (such as Iowa basketball games not being televised often which is obviously a clueless statement), but overall I thought it was a fairly honest assessment of what each program had going for it. The SI contributor guest basically said he expects it to come down to our 2 programs.
 
Listened to Syracuse's "Locked On" podcast from yesterday which was entirely devoted to JP Estrella. The guest on their had a lot of very nice things to say about Iowa basketball and how Luka Garza's development could be a major factor in the recruitment. There were a few minor gripes I had (such as Iowa basketball games not being televised often which is obviously a clueless statement) T, but overall I thought it was a fairly honest assessment of what each program had going for it. The SI contributor guest basically said he expects it to come down to our 2 programs.
It's true, if there are talking about pre-conference games against opponents rated above 300, when we don't start the season ranked.😋
 
Here's hoping J.P. has a great visit this weekend and cancels his Syracuse visit. I know wishful thinking. Haven't read anything about Sandfort's visit. While I'm making wishes, his commitment would be great. For my third wish, why not throw in Powers after a 2nd visit in August. One can dream, can't they.

I'm creeping up on 67, would love to see one more final four team before I take a permanent dirt nap.

Go Hawks!
 
Here's hoping J.P. has a great visit this weekend and cancels his Syracuse visit. I know wishful thinking. Haven't read anything about Sandfort's visit. While I'm making wishes, his commitment would be great. For my third wish, why not throw in Powers after a 2nd visit in August. One can dream, can't they.

I'm creeping up on 67, would love to see one more final four team before I take a permanent dirt nap.

Go Hawks!
You have a lot of life ahead of you! Here's to a national championship in several sports for Iowa before that happens. Heck, the Cubs won the World Series, didn't they?
😉
 
  • Like
Reactions: skydog0784
You have a lot of life ahead of you! Here's to a national championship in several sports for Iowa before that happens. Heck, the Cubs won the World Series, didn't they?
😉
I was giving them a fairly big window, but you never know. Only the good Lord knows.

As my Dad always said, I am still kicking up my heels, just not as high!
 
I was giving them a fairly big window, but you never know. Only the good Lord knows.

As my Dad always said, I am still kicking up my heels, just not as high!
I also would love to see a national championship, but I'll gladly settle for a little lower dream. I would just like to see Iowa make some deep runs in the dance under Fran. Post season failure is really what keeps many from saying that he is a good coach. The run to the final four under Lute changed many minds about him as a coach. As a huge bonus, deep runs will make recruiting more successful, just as Luka and Keegan's acccomplishments are making Iowa a more attractive alternative to some top recruits.
 
I feel weirdly confident. Which maybe I shouldn't?

Mrw GIF

Patrick was his host.

Luka was in town for this. His mom loves Luka, of course. JP loves how Fran develops bigs.

I think we have a great shot.

My only worries are:

* Syracuse was his first D-1 offer
* New York is closer to home
* He's always lived on the East coast
 
Patrick was his host.

Luka was in town for this. His mom loves Luka, of course. JP loves how Fran develops bigs.

I think we have a great shot.

My only worries are:

* Syracuse was his first D-1 offer
* New York is closer to home
* He's always lived on the East coast
Patrick is a closer 😉
 
Looks like Payton is 1 or 2 inches taller, so maybe the report of 6'8 is correct!

From the tweet (from what I am seeing), their heads get cut off.

Here are the pics again. I agree with you; Payton seems roughly 1 1/2 inches taller.

On June 16, Payton said he had grown an inch since last season and currently stood at 6 feet, 7.75 inches. So that would put Pryce at roughly 6'6.5" Rivals has Pryce listed at 6'7, 190.



FY7bIdDWQAIDpvQ



FY7bIdBXwAA4MST


 
This is a free story from Sports Illustrated on JP's visit. Patrick McCaffery played host to Estrella; Payton Sandfort served as Pryce's host. All 4 hung out together. And Luka Garza's success continues to pay dividends.

Some excerpts:

JP Estrella held a mental picture of what he expected when he arrived in Iowa City....The actual trip exceeded his vision, on and off the court.

"I feel really good about the program after the visit,"

"Coach (Fran) McCaffery has done a great job and Iowa City is great. You can tell the fans love the Hawkeyes with all of them wearing gear around town. And there weren't as many corn fields as I was expecting. I really like the town."

"The visit went great. I got to see everything Iowa has to offer and got to hang out with the guys a ton. I really enjoyed everything about it and got to meet some great people," he said.

He's scheduled to officially visit Syracuse Aug. 4-6. He's considering a Kansas visit.

"After this next visit (to Syracuse), I should have a good idea of where I'm at. I'll take some time to think and talk things over with my family and coaches," Estrella said.

Patrick McCaffery played host to Estrella. They spent time around the whole team, but hung out the most with sophomore Payton Sandfort and his younger brother, Pryce Sandfort

"Pat was a super bubbly guy and super funny. I enjoyed being around him, Payton and Pryce. The whole crew was awesome to be around. I had a blast being around them and fit in well," Estrella said.

Estrella and his parents spent about two hours watching game film with Fran McCaffery. The coach showed JP how he planned on using him in the system.

"He showed me that I can do everything that I want. We watched film of a ton of different players, but we saw a lot of Luka Garza because he could shoot the rock well, pick and roll, pick and pop, seal in the post, all those things I like to do," Estrella said.

Estrella watched two Iowa practices and a weight-lifting session while he was in town.

"I got a good feel for how they do things and how they run the program," he said.

During the second day of the visit, Estrella saw the academic side of Iowa.

"The people there were great and really helpful. The staff showed me the great resources available for students in Business," he said. Estrella expects to major in Sports Management.



 
Last edited:
This is a free story from Sports Illustrated on Pryce's visit. As you will see, Iowa is still at the top of his list. And Pryce & JP Estrella really connected. Package deal? ;)

Some excerpts:


Pryce Sandfort knows Iowa Basketball having visited the program periodically throughout the last few years.

He received a different perspective of Iowa this week when he visited officially. It proved much more intimate.

"This visit was different than the others, for sure. I got to tour everything they had to offer, from the business school to the cafeterias. Me and JP (Estrella) also got to be with the coaches and players the whole visit, which was really fun. I liked everything a lot, but hanging with the coaches and players and just being around them was my favorite."

Estrella and Pryce Sandfort connected.

"Me and JP got along really well. It was cool getting to know him and his family. I think it was good we were on it at the same time because I got to see the type of guys Iowa wants to bring in, and it really showed me they are high on character, which is intriguing for me. It was also good because we got to bounce our thoughts off each other the whole time, too," Sandfort said.

Junior forward Patrick McCaffery played host to Estrella. Payton served as Pryce's host.

"It was fun having Payton as a host. It made it a pretty comfortable visit for me the whole time. His pitch is he just loves it there and knows I would as well," Pryce said.

Despite the family connection at Iowa, Pryce (6-7, 175) is going through the recruiting process deliberately, searching for his best fit. It's called a process for a reason.

"I'm really high on Iowa still, and they are still at the top of my board. I'm going to discuss other visits with my family in the next couple days," Pryce said.

The younger Sandfort also officially visited Nebraska and Drake this summer. He's picked up new offers from Seton Hall, Clemson and Davidson recently as well.

"I feel like (the recruiting process is) starting to come to an end, as I have my top schools in my head and it's now just about who I want to go visit before making a decision," he said.

Pryce Sandfort averaged 26.6 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.9 blocks, 2.8 assists and 1.4 steals as a junior last season. He shot 52.6 percent from the floor, including 40.5 on threes, and 89.2 from the foul line.




 
Weezy got married today. We knew Luka was in Iowa City and around for JP's visit; hopefully Keegan was, too. Luka & Keegan could explain how Fran turned them into NBA players and hopefully JP can envision the same thing for himself.

 
Rock visiting today, I believe. Versatile seven footer.

Sanford comes in on Friday and Estrella on Saturday.

A lot of talent in those three. With our current commits, last year's guard duo and if we could get these three - the future would be bright.
So what you're saying is those 3 guys could help Iowa win a national championship???........

:D :D :D
 
  • Like
Reactions: HawkHoops80
ADVERTISEMENT