Freeman and Harding Alert !
- Thread starter IllQChawk
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Why, has he slept with 10,000 women?
I'm a loss for words right now, I started posting about Moline's mission to win the State Tournament back in November on the Rivals board and just wanted the Iowa fans to come along with me for Moline's quest for a State Title. If there is any doubt that Iowa has truly 2 gifted athlete coming in next year, those 2 leading Moline to a State Title should remove all doubt. Brock Harding was spectacular again tonight and Owen Freeman played an all around great game dishing out assists, rebounding, blocking shots, altering shots, leading on a fast break and guiding a lob to the basket with surgical deafness.
Owen only scored 6 points but scoring tonight was deferred to Brock who had a game high 28 points and showed those in the know that he is one of the best point guards in the State of Illinois. Thanks for everyone that followed along with me on this journey. Can't wait until Iowa basketball next season...
Owen only scored 6 points but scoring tonight was deferred to Brock who had a game high 28 points and showed those in the know that he is one of the best point guards in the State of Illinois. Thanks for everyone that followed along with me on this journey. Can't wait until Iowa basketball next season...
Harding’s 28 in a 4A championship is second most to Jalen Brunson’s 30.
A couple of thoughts on Brock.
One, he easily has the best handle and intelligence I’ve seen from a high school kid. He’s also confident and cocky SOB. The kind of kid that you love on your team but hate to play against. He’s a lot quicker than maybe you’d expect, he’s not JBo. He looks to get his teammates involved but doesn’t shy away from taking over a game either. He looks to push the ball immediately but knows when to pull it back if it’s not there.
The biggest faults are his size and strength which aren’t ideal but he’s appeared to put on strength since even the season began. I don’t recall him getting posted up or blown by off the dribble but he’s not a true lock down defender even at the high school level.
I can’t stress enough though the kid’s basketball IQ is well beyond his years. He’s going to make everyone around him better and just competes.
I really can’t come up with a single comp from an Iowa player of the past. I really don’t want to get hyperbolic but his game most reminds me of Steve Nash.
A couple of thoughts on Brock.
One, he easily has the best handle and intelligence I’ve seen from a high school kid. He’s also confident and cocky SOB. The kind of kid that you love on your team but hate to play against. He’s a lot quicker than maybe you’d expect, he’s not JBo. He looks to get his teammates involved but doesn’t shy away from taking over a game either. He looks to push the ball immediately but knows when to pull it back if it’s not there.
The biggest faults are his size and strength which aren’t ideal but he’s appeared to put on strength since even the season began. I don’t recall him getting posted up or blown by off the dribble but he’s not a true lock down defender even at the high school level.
I can’t stress enough though the kid’s basketball IQ is well beyond his years. He’s going to make everyone around him better and just competes.
I really can’t come up with a single comp from an Iowa player of the past. I really don’t want to get hyperbolic but his game most reminds me of Steve Nash.
Wow the Douglas boys from Quincy. That was Michael Paynes team correct? That was a heck of a team as well, with several D1 players......
I had to google it.
In Michael Payne's senior season (1980-1981), with Payne at the point of the Quincy press and flanked by Bruce and Dennis Douglas, the Devils rolled to 33 straight wins and a State Title, the program's first since 1934. For Payne, who averaged 16.7 points and 9.5 rebounds per game, the honors were numerous. He was selected as an All-American by both Street & Smith and Parade Magazines and would later represent Quincy in the prestigious McDonald's All-Star game. Payne's name was on every All-State team in Illinois.
During Michael's 4 years at Quincy, the Devils won 91 games and lost 4.
Wasn't Bruce Douglas the superstar kid from that family who starred for the Illini?
Yep. Still lived in the QC back then, and remember watching those Illinois state tourney games. Quincy was awesome, as was watching Springfield Lamphier a couple of years later when they had Eddy Horton and I believe Kevin Gamble on that team. Another team with a lot of D1 talent.
When Payne was a freshman he looked to be the bigger star, but I think you'd have to say that Greg Stokes (who came in with him) certainly eclipsed him. I was working at Jumers Castle Lodge in Bettendorf at the time, and Payne was working in the summer for one of the beer distributors. (I know funny that they actually had to work in the summer for some $ right, lol). I remember he had to bend over when he came in the door downstairs. He was a tall lanky dude.....
Fran and staff can fix that.🙃
You got things exactly correct. Maybe it's just me, but I think Michael could have scored a bunch of extra points if he just didn't miss so many bunnies. Still, he and Stokes were a great combination for us.
Having these two coming in next season, along with the four stars Sandfort and Dembele, gives me some hope that the transition from this year's somewhat disappointing team to an infusion of new talent might not be such a bad thing.
Busting out the HAWKEYE shirt in post game.
Bad a$$. Congratulations to those guys. MEMORIES that will last a lifetime....AND that have many more to make for the HAWKS!
Bad a$$. Congratulations to those guys. MEMORIES that will last a lifetime....AND that have many more to make for the HAWKS!
Payne was a back to basket player and was a center at Quincy and in his first year at Iowa. That was one reason he averaged over 10 points a game as a freshman.
Then the next year Lute installed Stokes in the middle because he had a bit more girth then Michael and Payne was moved to the wing. Payne never got comfortable facing the basket and his scoring and rebounding was never the same.
This sounds exactly how people describe a current Iowa player. Dare I say Glue Guy?
Brock got Sports Center's attention.
From this afternoon:
From this afternoon:
I wonder if it makes Carter Kingsbury nervous. 😆
That said, I am always interested to see what numbers incoming freshman will wear. Freeman was #32 at Moline, and that’s open at Iowa, so that seems like a good bet for his Hawkeye number. (Was Reggie Evans our last #32?)
Harding was #2 at Moline, but that number is currently assigned to Amarion Nimmers on the Hawkeye roster. Can a scholarship player steal a number from a walk-on? If not, I could see Harding as a #3. He seems like a single-digit kind-of guy.
Yep the twin towers. A little more talent then the Steve's, (Krafcisin and Waite back 79-80), but never quite got that same special season......
Yes, Payne really couldn't score much facing the basket. He had put up fantastic numbers as Freshman playing center, but even there he didn't have much of a low post game. Stoke on other hand was good for 19ppg from low post.
When Lute had Ronnie Lester, it was a team with a PG that at any time in game could take over and get a basekt. The Lute teams after that never had that top notch PG. If Lute had gotten Isaiah Thomas, it would have beenn different.
These two Moline kids seem like pretty good offensive talents. I just hope they can play defense.
Agree, except his senior year he did bulk up a bit and develop a nice shot. Always thought him and Stokes senior year was tragically wasted by Raveling. But in fairness, there wasn’t much depth.
In addition to being a McDonalds All American, Payne was named to Parade Magazines 2nd team All American. Also, Greg Stokes was a Parade Magazine 3rd team All American. Pretty amazing that Lute brought in two elite big men in the same class. Ronnie Lester was the greatest point guard in Iowa basketball history, but I would argue that Kenny Arnold was still a top notch point guard when he took over that position when Ronnie graduated.
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