Raveling recruiting

[Lumas Etima]

I got to thinking today about the recruiting of George Raveling, which we all know was phenomenal. But I wanted to dive a little deeper, to take a look at each of his recruiting classes individually. My memory is pretty hazy, and the Internet did not exist in the mid-80s, so information is hard to come by. But below is what I came up with. I welcome any corrections.

1983 Class
(Raveling was hired in spring of '83, so many (most?) of these guys were likely inherited recruits from Lute Olsen. Few lasted with the team, so information is sketchy.)
- Dave Snedeker
- Kenny Fullard (Juco)
- Kent Hill
- Robert "Spider" Ursery
- Johnny Fort

1984 Class
- Jeff Moe
- Bill Jones
- Al Lorenzen
- Gerry Wright (transfer from USC)
- Michael Morgan
- Michael Reaves

1985 Class (wow!)
- BJ Armstrong
- Kevin Gamble (juco)
- Roy Marble
- Ed Horton
- Les Jepsen

1986 Class
(These players never played for Raveling at Iowa, but were signed when he left in the spring of '86)
- Mark Jewell
- Anthony Pendleton (followed Raveling to USC)

Am I missing anyone? Do I have anyone assigned to the wrong year?

 

[Douglas C. Neidermeyer]

Side notes:
Ursery wound up transferring to UConn.
Jewell transferred to Evansville.

 

[SingaporeHawk]

Side notes:
Ursery wound up transferring to UConn.
Jewell transferred to Evansville.

Why did Raveling leave? I was living outside the US at that time, and I cannot remember the circumstances. Fired or did he leave on his own? Thanks

 

[Scott559]

He left on his own, I believe he wanted to live in a more urban environment was the main reason given, at least publicly. Don't know if the Iowa "fishbowl" got to him like it did Lute.

 

[DodgerHawki]

Why did Raveling leave? I was living outside the US at that time, and I cannot remember the circumstances. Fired or did he leave on his own? Thanks

Not fired. Left on his own. Some displeasure with George when he missed the NCAA tournament in his first year. Some folks didn't like it that he wore track/sweat suit on sideline rather than a coat and tie. May have felt uncomfortable in the fish bowl of Iowa City. Would have been interesting to see what happened had he stayed.

 

[SDHawkDoc]

Wow is right for that '85 class.
All time leading scorer.
Four of the 5 spent significant time in the NBA.
And, not to leave out Easy Ed, who was one of the all time great power forwards at Iowa.
I'll venture to say that's the best recruiting class in the history of Iowa basketball.

 

[dmoore27]

That was the class i grew up watching! Loved watching that team play. With our freshman now and if Cook stays the whole 4 years to get his degree I think this team can be just as special.

 

[SingaporeHawk]

Not fired. Left on his own. Some displeasure with George when he missed the NCAA tournament in his first year. Some folks didn't like it that he wore track/sweat suit on sideline rather than a coat and tie. May have felt uncomfortable in the fish bowl of Iowa City. Would have been interesting to see what happened had he stayed.

Thanks for the information. It seems like I heard or read that there was some connection between him and Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream" speech. Raveling was on the platform for the speech or something. Again, thanks for the information. Cheers

 

[DodgerHawki]

Thanks for the information. It seems like I heard or read that there was some connection between him and Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream" speech. Raveling was on the platform for the speech or something. Again, thanks for the information. Cheers

That is true. He was there on the platform. This story on Raveling from SI has a picture (have to scroll down to see it) of Raveling at the speech.

SI story

 

[DodgerHawki]

Wow is right for that '85 class.
All time leading scorer.
Four of the 5 spent significant time in the NBA.
And, not to leave out Easy Ed, who was one of the all time great power forwards at Iowa.
I'll venture to say that's the best recruiting class in the history of Iowa basketball.

All 5 spent at least some time in the NBA. That is staggering. We are super excited now when Marble and Uthoff get cups of coffee in the league. Shows how good you have to be to make it in the NBA.

 

[dekhawk]

He left on his own, I believe he wanted to live in a more urban environment was the main reason given, at least publicly. Don't know if the Iowa "fishbowl" got to him like it did Lute.

This. I remember seeing George at a grocery store in Iowa City. people were asking the guy for autographs while he was buying groceries. Same thing that chased Lute away, no privacy.

 

[SSG T]

All 5 spent at least some time in the NBA. That is staggering. We are super excited now when Marble and Uthoff get cups of coffee in the league. Shows how good you have to be to make it in the NBA.

Not only was that one class staggering, think about the era and where we are now. Olsen, Raveling and Davis, during my formative to adult years, went to 16 tournaments in 21 seasons (78-99), 5 of those (consecutive) before the expansion to 64 teams. 3 losing seasons and 17 seasons of 20 or more wins. Raveling had a winning % of .591 and was the lowest of the 3 coaches during that span.

And current college students don't remember any of it.

 

[NI hawk]

Not only was that one class staggering, think about the era and where we are now. Olsen, Raveling and Davis, during my formative to adult years, went to 16 tournaments in 21 seasons (78-99), 5 of those (consecutive) before the expansion to 64 teams. 3 losing seasons and 17 seasons of 20 or more wins. Raveling had a winning % of .591 and was the lowest of the 3 coaches during that span.

And current college students don't remember any of it.

10 NCAAs in 11 years. 1979-1989. 4 sweet 16s. The Hawks were competitive in every ncaa tourney loss. Lots of fun and lots of heartbreaking losses.
I think Raveling commented later in life that he regretted leaving iowa and Bump Elliott was the best boss he ever had. I believe he made a comment when he left Iowa that he could color his hair orange in LA and nobody would care, but if he had a date to a movie in Iowa it was a story.

 

[lucky5]

If it had been an option, would Marble have been a "1 and done"? Horton & Armstrong came on their sophomore years if my memory is correct. BJ was not the starter until Reeves got injured

 

[EpenesaEpenesa]

This. I remember seeing George at a grocery store in Iowa City. people were asking the guy for autographs while he was buying groceries. Same thing that chased Lute away, no privacy.

That's not unique to Iowa

 

[NI hawk]

If it had been an option, would Marble have been a "1 and done"? Horton & Armstrong came on their sophomore years if my memory is correct. BJ was not the starter until Reeves got injured

Marble was not a 1 and done player. BJ came strong his sophomore year and I do not ever remember him playing behind Reeves. Horton did not start his sophomore year.

 

[SigMaintHawk]

Raveling developed some ties with Ed Martin...that "helped" Iowa gain a few players...

 

[bagdropper]

If my memory is good, it is indeed correct George stated he wanted to get back to a more urban area, and he did meet "fan resistance" to his style - I don't believe he was ever "accepted" by the locals.

George, quite simply, wasn't Lute.

Granted, the fishbowl affected the decisions of both (Lute stated as such), but they were complimentary, not deciding IMHO.

Lute...he did have a upper midwest background, but he moved to SoCal while a HS coach, and I believe he simply liked warmer weather as a result. I know in interviews after he moved he always glowed about how he and his family loved the climate.

Words cannot properly describe how Lute was revered in Iowa after the final 4 run. It was a tough act to follow. I think to a degree the program has been chasing that giant shadow ever since he left.

 

[2432Hawk]

Raveling was single. Iowa City did not offer him the urban setting he sought.

 

[Legend12]

Raveling developed some ties with Ed Martin...that "helped" Iowa gain a few players...

As Marble, JR once said...."I came here (Iowa) because of Ed, not because of Raveling."

 

[Quintana]

besides his coaching here (and the sweatsuit), the only other thing i remember about george raveling was him doing the color commentary for an iowa/virginia (??) game in the tournament... woolridge was our pg, he kept calling him woodridge. still laugh at that one.

 

[kceasthawk]

This. I remember seeing George at a grocery store in Iowa City. people were asking the guy for autographs while he was buying groceries. Same thing that chased Lute away, no privacy.

The fishbowl was only part of. As was posted, George himself made comments about not being a good fit in Iowa City and a lack of eligible African American females as I remember. I remember as well people not all that happy, with the sweat suit thing. George was a solid recruiter, with his ties to Nike, but was a pretty average game coach.

 

[BubsFinn]

Why did Raveling leave? I was living outside the US at that time, and I cannot remember the circumstances. Fired or did he leave on his own? Thanks

He didn't like the selection of track suits at JC Penny.

 

[yippitiyiyo]

The fact that he has the MLK speech is amazing too me. One of greatest pieces of memorabilia

 

[SingaporeHawk]

He didn't like the selection of track suits at JC Penny.

Ah, yes, the mature response.

 

[K OKeefe]

10 NCAAs in 11 years. 1979-1989. 4 sweet 16s. The Hawks were competitive in every ncaa tourney loss. Lots of fun and lots of heartbreaking losses.
I think Raveling commented later in life that he regretted leaving iowa and Bump Elliott was the best boss he ever had. I believe he made a comment when he left Iowa that he could color his hair orange in LA and nobody would care, but if he had a date to a movie in Iowa it was a story.

Plenty of evidence that the right coach can have huge success @ Iowa. Lute's Final Four team was possibly a re-injured Ronnie Lester knee away from playing in the Championship game. In addition, Dr. Tom's team with Raveling recruits was an eyelash away from the Final Four and they were certainly good enough to win it all had they beat UNLV in the Elite Eight.

 

[FairfIowafan1984]

besides his coaching here (and the sweatsuit), the only other thing i remember about george raveling was him doing the color commentary for an iowa/virginia (??) game in the tournament... woolridge was our pg, he kept calling him woodridge. still laugh at that one.

I remember every commentator not familiar with the Big Ten calling him Woodridge I didn't understand what was so hard between the words wood and wool. Interesting thread though Raveling was before my time always wondered why he only coached a few years.

I heard Lute left because he hated the local media, sure their were other factors too.

 

[NevadaHawk]

George most definitely did not like the "fishbowl" existence that is Iowa City and on call in shows he got very upset when fans made suggestions about the team. He was a great recruiter but I never thought he was a great in game coach. George was just not a good fit at Iowa.

 

[cleotishaywood]

George was also a consultant during filming of the movie "Blue Chips" starring Nick Nolte.

 

[mtdew_fever]

Raveling had some outstanding recruiting classes, but based on his W/L record as a head coach, he was average at best.

Lute might have had his issues with Iowa City in general, but he knew what he was doing when he took the job at Arizona. That program had some pretty good teams in the 1970's. Tuscon had been growing the in the 1960's and 1970's as was the Phoenix metro. Add in the recruiting lines to California and it was really a better job that at Iowa if the salary was in line....which I would have to believe it was.

 

[IamHawkeye]

He didn't like the selection of track suits at JC Penny.

Very funny, but the truth he had them made by a young couple from CR who were trying to get into the sports clothing business.

 

[IamHawkeye]

Marble was not a 1 and done player. BJ came strong his sophomore year and I do not ever remember him playing behind Reeves. Horton did not start his sophomore year.

The story was Reeves was slated to be the starter, got hurt before any games were played and then BJ started and stayed.

 

[IamHawkeye]

.

Wow is right for that '85 class.
All time leading scorer.
Four of the 5 spent significant time in the NBA.
And, not to leave out Easy Ed, who was one of the all time great power forwards at Iowa.
I'll venture to say that's the best recruiting class in the history of Iowa basketball.

Different era, I know, but the starters on the 1956 team that went to 2 final fours were all srs.

 

[iowa surfer]

Raveling developed some ties with Ed Martin...that "helped" Iowa gain a few players...

Please clarify the connection.Have heard bits and pieces.Grew up in LosAngeles.Being usc bb coach a graveyard.Didn't George play for celtics?

 

[DodgerHawki]

Raveling had some outstanding recruiting classes, but based on his W/L record as a head coach, he was average at best.

Lute might have had his issues with Iowa City in general, but he knew what he was doing when he took the job at Arizona. That program had some pretty good teams in the 1970's. Tuscon had been growing the in the 1960's and 1970's as was the Phoenix metro. Add in the recruiting lines to California and it was really a better job that at Iowa if the salary was in line....which I would have to believe it was.

Raveling's record as a coach at Iowa would have likely taken off had he stayed around to coach the talent he had assembled. We won't every know the answer to that.

Lute moved into a great situation at Arizona, or at least turned it into one.

 

[General Tso]

Wow, most of my earliest memories of iowa basketball we're from that '85 class. Such good times. Tough time to anchor your expectations to.

 

[BGHAWK]

Not fired. Left on his own. Some displeasure with George when he missed the NCAA tournament in his first year. Some folks didn't like it that he wore track/sweat suit on sideline rather than a coat and tie. May have felt uncomfortable in the fish bowl of Iowa City. Would have been interesting to see what happened had he stayed.

George was always defending his wearing the track/sweat suits as being comfortable. I noticed the next year at USC he was back to wearing suits and ties.

That Mark Jewell was a head scratcher. I remember George saying that Bob Knight recommended him to George. Gee, I wonder why Knight didn't find room for him.

 

[LuteHawk]

There is no question that the gold standard for college
basketball is making it to the Final Four. Bucky O'Conner
did it twice with the Hawkeyes and Lute Olson did it once.

George Raveling wore sweats on the sideline. He could
never compare to the classy dresser Lute Olson who
preceded him.The wardrobe of Olson was off the charts.
His sartorial splendor was inspiring and awesome.

 

[DodgerHawki]

If my memory is good, it is indeed correct George stated he wanted to get back to a more urban area, and he did meet "fan resistance" to his style - I don't believe he was ever "accepted" by the locals.

George, quite simply, wasn't Lute.

Granted, the fishbowl affected the decisions of both (Lute stated as such), but they were complimentary, not deciding IMHO.

Lute...he did have a upper midwest background, but he moved to SoCal while a HS coach, and I believe he simply liked warmer weather as a result. I know in interviews after he moved he always glowed about how he and his family loved the climate.

Words cannot properly describe how Lute was revered in Iowa after the final 4 run. It was a tough act to follow. I think to a degree the program has been chasing that giant shadow ever since he left.

Olson coached at Long Beach State, as well as Long Beach CC and I believe high school basketball in California. He was at Long Beach State right after Tark the Shark, who had left LBS on probation.

The Silver Fox could recruit and was an underrated game coach as well. His record speaks for itself.

 

[mtdew_fever]

That is true at Iowa, but his record at Washington St and USC were spotty at best.

Raveling's record as a coach at Iowa would have likely taken off had he stayed around to coach the talent he had assembled. We won't every know the answer to that.

Lute moved into a great situation at Arizona, or at least turned it into one.