ADVERTISEMENT

HONEST QUESTION: Will Iowa get a serviceable 5 in the transfer portal?

People are in for a shock, Omaha is growing like crazy and has always had good bones for becoming a major metro area. The real estate in the area was exploding even during the pandemic years and hasn't slowed down.
That’s over with the crash coming
 
  • Like
Reactions: BBHawk
Personally, I doubt it.

Josh Ogundele certainly isn't "it". He's a Hawk, so I love him. However, he will never be what we need him to be. 20-25 minutes, 8-10 ppg, 6-8 rpg, 2 bpg.

Mulvey reminds of a very poor man's version of Les Jepsen. Rebraca is undersized.

Iowa needs a 5.
But we are not gonna be a Pay for Play school. That's what NIL has become.
Should the question be, does Austin Ash comeback? Again.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: flynnhicks03
I am starting to think we are not going to get a true 5. I think we will get a true 4 that may need to play out of position. If Kris goes pro we are going to be very thin along the front line.


I think I am at that line of thinking right there with you. I'd expect to get a serviceable post player still--but may not be a true 5. Like this national writer is saying, the center position has been really weak this year compared to guards and wings. Iowa went after quite a few of the big fish that were out there and I am hopeful they can make a push for the Gueye kid from Wazzu or Tre Mitchell, but the most realistic option will likely be convincing a 4 to serve as the role that Kris played last year where he's in a 3 man rotation of Kris/Filip/Himself.
 
Guards win in the tourney.
You need good guards yes, but matchups and how your draws win or lose in your bracket matter just as much. Hot and cold shooting nights also dictate that aspect of how brackets play out. The tourney is equal parts good/bad play and good/bad luck. Recent years parity in college bball has meant a lot of upsets in the tourney. With NIL and free agent transfers… that could be fleeting.
 
This is kind of a silly argument. You can't win it all without very good play at all positions.
I agree. That was why I posted that. Iowa needs good guards, forwards and bigs. Iowa has decent guards in Dasonte, Tony, Ahron, and Josh D (as long as he recovers as expected). They have decent forwards, especially if Kris returns, in Kris, PMac, Filip, and Payton. The bigs are either undersized (Filip) or very inexperienced (Josh O and Riley) so a power forward/center is really where Iowa is weakest. Someone 6'10 or larger with experience and strength would fill Iowa's roster perfectly. They don't have to be the best shooter, just someone who can bang inside and rebound. Josh O may fill that gap but unless he's in better shape, he's not going to last >10 mpg.
 
What's the last team to win it all without a decent power forward or center?
The only recent examples of teams winning it all, that weren't primarily guard/wing dominated, would be Duke in 2015 with Okafor and Kentucky in 2012 with Davis. Those teams also had great guards/wings of course in Tyus Jones, Cook, Winslow, Teague, Lamb, Kidd-Gilchrist. Every other team that's won since the Florida teams has been all about the guards or wings. You can never have enough. Especially when losing both primary ball handlers from last season and replacing them with a true freshman and a guy who is very limited offensively. Those Florida teams were 15 years ago, the game has changed a ton since then. Time for Fran to adapt.
 
I agree. That was why I posted that. Iowa needs good guards, forwards and bigs. Iowa has decent guards in Dasonte, Tony, Ahron, and Josh D (as long as he recovers as expected). They have decent forwards, especially if Kris returns, in Kris, PMac, Filip, and Payton. The bigs are either undersized (Filip) or very inexperienced (Josh O and Riley) so a power forward/center is really where Iowa is weakest. Someone 6'10 or larger with experience and strength would fill Iowa's roster perfectly. They don't have to be the best shooter, just someone who can bang inside and rebound. Josh O may fill that gap but unless he's in better shape, he's not going to last >10 mpg.
If Iowa could land Pete Nance or Yaya Kieta and Kris comes back we would be in pretty good shape.
 
Couple of updates in case no one has seen them yet….

6’10” C Logan Landers from Kansas State is going to Grand Canyon U.

6’10” C Trey James from Iona is going to Robert Morris.

Both had Iowa offers out of high school. Not sure if they were contacted by Iowa in the transfer portal though.
 
Couple of updates in case no one has seen them yet….

6’10” C Logan Landers from Kansas State is going to Grand Canyon U.

6’10” C Trey James from Iona is going to Robert Morris.

Both had Iowa offers out of high school. Not sure if they were contacted by Iowa in the transfer portal though.
They aren't exactly going to meccas.
 
Iowa hasn't been connected to anyone since Ogundele came back.
This may be absolutely true. Fran has shown himself to be pretty guarded about who he's in contact with. The Mississippi big who was in town, nobody knew until after he left, didn't even know we were talking to him.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BBHawk
Maybe an unpopular opinion, but I am honestly thinking that if Ogundele can work himself back into shape and Mulvey takes a substantial step forward, that Iowa doesn’t necessarily need another 5 in addition to the two of them and Rebraca… and would be shocked if there is somebody out there still that will provide significant value beyond what we have. Maybe if somebody enters the portal later on then that could change

What could be more beneficial is somebody to backfill the 4 spot behind Kris (assuming he comes back)
 
  • Like
Reactions: amahawk and BBHawk
This may be absolutely true. Fran has shown himself to be pretty guarded about who he's in contact with. The Mississippi big who was in town, nobody knew until after he left, didn't even know we were talking to him.

There maybe a stealth recruiting strategy going on, but I highly doubt it. And it leads to the conclusion that Fran is Division 1's worst recruiter if one assumes Iowa has been active in the portal this whole time.
 
  • Like
Reactions: flynnhicks03
ADVERTISEMENT