NOV 15 UPDATE:
Ordinarily, with a very experienced corps of seven or eight veteran players, McCaffery would redshirt at least a few of his five incoming freshmen.
The NCAA has taken that one off his plate. With all the uncertainty surrounding this season, it ruled that this will not count as a year of eligibility for any players. Everyone gets a do-over.
“We wouldn't redshirt anybody this year because everybody has a free year."
And note the high praise for the Murray twins. @PHawkKenyon , I love the comments regarding how the twins love to rebound. Reminds me of your playing days/the Tom Davis era.
The FULL Story from the QC Times:
McCaffery says freshmen are ready to contribute
Even the coronavirus pandemic, which has diminished and disrupted the life of almost every person on the globe, can have a silver lining.
Iowa coach Fran McCaffery found one: It spared him from having to make what was going to be one of his most difficult decisions in the weeks leading up to the college basketball season.
Ordinarily, with a very experienced corps of seven or eight veteran players, McCaffery would redshirt at least a few of his five incoming freshmen. He would need to tell some 19-year-old kid who has worked his butt off that they were going to have him sit out the season in order to preserve a year of eligibility.
The NCAA has taken that one off his plate. With all the uncertainty surrounding this season, it ruled that this will not count as a year of eligibility for any players. Everyone gets a do-over.
“We wouldn't redshirt anybody this year because everybody has a free year,’’ McCaffery said. “It's kind of a non-factor. We were thinking about it. I think it would have made sense.’’
The irony of the situation is that pretty much all of the new kids have shown McCaffery in practice that they’re ready to play.
He may only need them for a minute or two here and there. In some games, he may not need them at all. But if one or more of those seven players with starting experience tests positive for COVID-19, he may need some of the youngsters to play a lot.
“Sometimes injury will dictate more opportunity or less opportunity for a particular individual, but now it's all hands on deck because at any point in time somebody could be pulled out for 21 days,’’ McCaffery said.
If McCaffery needs a guard who can handle the ball, direct the offense, play solid defense and provide some scoring, he’s comfortable turning to 6-foot-3 Ahron Ulis. If he needs a perimeter player who can provide energy and athleticism, 6-4 Tony Perkins is ready. If the situation calls for a forward with length and versatility, he can summon either Keegan or Kris Murray.
McCaffery said the only one of the five freshmen who might be lagging behind a bit is 6-foot-10, 285-pound Josh Ogundele. He wasn’t able to get into the U.S. from his native England until late in the summer and he has battled injuries and illnesses.
McCaffery said Ogundele is still working to get into shape.
“The other four guys were here in the beginning, and all four of them, the Murray twins, Ahron and Tony, they've been tremendous,’’ he said. “All those guys are ready to play. It's not going to be easy to find minutes for them if everybody else stays healthy, but we'll see where it ends up because we're going to need everybody at some point.’’
McCaffery declined in a preseason news conference last week to single out any of those four as being the most pleasant surprise but you can tell he really likes the Murrays.
Iowa didn’t even recruit the 6-8 twin sons for former Hawkeye Kenyon Murray when they came out of Cedar Rapids Prairie in 2019 but the coaches saw enough development in one year at DME Sports Academy in Daytona Beach, Fla., to give each of them a scholarship.
“They've been good, both of them,’’ McCaffery said. “Keegan is a phenomenal rebounder. Phenomenal. Every day. His length and his tenacity to go to the glass is what separates him.
“But both of those guys do the same things. They keep balls alive. They can dribble and pass so they can play as guards. They can both make 3s. They can stretch the defense, they can make a play off the dribble. They're just low-maintenance guys. No issues off the floor. ‘Yes sir, no sir.’ They just want to compete. They're thankful for the opportunity.’’
Knowing Kenyon Murray from his days playing for Tom Davis in the 1990s, it’s not surprising that his sons have exemplary attitudes. Kenyon was the same way.
McCaffery said the only problem he has with the twins sometimes is determining which is which.
“Most of the time I can tell them apart,’’ he said. “Occasionally like when you're looking at film, it's hard. But one is left-handed, one is right-handed … One is a different number than the other one so we can all figure it out. But they just grind, both of them.’’
qctimes.com
The story on the NCAA considering bubbling the NCAA Tournament:
21 day quarantine for B1G players. 14 day quarantine for everybody else.
Ordinarily, with a very experienced corps of seven or eight veteran players, McCaffery would redshirt at least a few of his five incoming freshmen.
The NCAA has taken that one off his plate. With all the uncertainty surrounding this season, it ruled that this will not count as a year of eligibility for any players. Everyone gets a do-over.
“We wouldn't redshirt anybody this year because everybody has a free year."
And note the high praise for the Murray twins. @PHawkKenyon , I love the comments regarding how the twins love to rebound. Reminds me of your playing days/the Tom Davis era.
The FULL Story from the QC Times:
McCaffery says freshmen are ready to contribute
- Don Doxsie
- Nov 15, 2020
Even the coronavirus pandemic, which has diminished and disrupted the life of almost every person on the globe, can have a silver lining.
Iowa coach Fran McCaffery found one: It spared him from having to make what was going to be one of his most difficult decisions in the weeks leading up to the college basketball season.
Ordinarily, with a very experienced corps of seven or eight veteran players, McCaffery would redshirt at least a few of his five incoming freshmen. He would need to tell some 19-year-old kid who has worked his butt off that they were going to have him sit out the season in order to preserve a year of eligibility.
The NCAA has taken that one off his plate. With all the uncertainty surrounding this season, it ruled that this will not count as a year of eligibility for any players. Everyone gets a do-over.
“We wouldn't redshirt anybody this year because everybody has a free year,’’ McCaffery said. “It's kind of a non-factor. We were thinking about it. I think it would have made sense.’’
The irony of the situation is that pretty much all of the new kids have shown McCaffery in practice that they’re ready to play.
He may only need them for a minute or two here and there. In some games, he may not need them at all. But if one or more of those seven players with starting experience tests positive for COVID-19, he may need some of the youngsters to play a lot.
“Sometimes injury will dictate more opportunity or less opportunity for a particular individual, but now it's all hands on deck because at any point in time somebody could be pulled out for 21 days,’’ McCaffery said.
If McCaffery needs a guard who can handle the ball, direct the offense, play solid defense and provide some scoring, he’s comfortable turning to 6-foot-3 Ahron Ulis. If he needs a perimeter player who can provide energy and athleticism, 6-4 Tony Perkins is ready. If the situation calls for a forward with length and versatility, he can summon either Keegan or Kris Murray.
McCaffery said the only one of the five freshmen who might be lagging behind a bit is 6-foot-10, 285-pound Josh Ogundele. He wasn’t able to get into the U.S. from his native England until late in the summer and he has battled injuries and illnesses.
McCaffery said Ogundele is still working to get into shape.
“The other four guys were here in the beginning, and all four of them, the Murray twins, Ahron and Tony, they've been tremendous,’’ he said. “All those guys are ready to play. It's not going to be easy to find minutes for them if everybody else stays healthy, but we'll see where it ends up because we're going to need everybody at some point.’’
McCaffery declined in a preseason news conference last week to single out any of those four as being the most pleasant surprise but you can tell he really likes the Murrays.
Iowa didn’t even recruit the 6-8 twin sons for former Hawkeye Kenyon Murray when they came out of Cedar Rapids Prairie in 2019 but the coaches saw enough development in one year at DME Sports Academy in Daytona Beach, Fla., to give each of them a scholarship.
“They've been good, both of them,’’ McCaffery said. “Keegan is a phenomenal rebounder. Phenomenal. Every day. His length and his tenacity to go to the glass is what separates him.
“But both of those guys do the same things. They keep balls alive. They can dribble and pass so they can play as guards. They can both make 3s. They can stretch the defense, they can make a play off the dribble. They're just low-maintenance guys. No issues off the floor. ‘Yes sir, no sir.’ They just want to compete. They're thankful for the opportunity.’’
Knowing Kenyon Murray from his days playing for Tom Davis in the 1990s, it’s not surprising that his sons have exemplary attitudes. Kenyon was the same way.
McCaffery said the only problem he has with the twins sometimes is determining which is which.
“Most of the time I can tell them apart,’’ he said. “Occasionally like when you're looking at film, it's hard. But one is left-handed, one is right-handed … One is a different number than the other one so we can all figure it out. But they just grind, both of them.’’
DOXSIE: McCaffery says freshmen are ready to contribute
Even the coronavirus pandemic, which has diminished and disrupted the life of almost every person on the globe, can have a silver lining.
The story on the NCAA considering bubbling the NCAA Tournament:
21 day quarantine for B1G players. 14 day quarantine for everybody else.
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