They were #1 in the nation in points per game.
They were #184 in the nation in points allowed per game.
Every starter shot 50% or better from the field.
And then...........
Ronnie Lester
- Thread starter Sukes21
- Start date
They were #1 in the nation in points per game.
They were #184 in the nation in points allowed per game.
Every starter shot 50% or better from the field.
And then...........
They were #1 in the nation in points per game.
They were #184 in the nation in points allowed per game.
Every starter shot 50% or better from the field.
And then...........
Ugh. Pembrook Burrows III. A name that will haunt me until I die. Kinda like Ronnie Harmon.
They were #1 in the nation in points per game.
They were #184 in the nation in points allowed per game.
Every starter shot 50% or better from the field.
And then...........
Jensen was the 5th starter .. shot less than 40% from the field..granted did not take alot of shots & he didnt need to.
Played a great defensive game against the guy you so kindly posted a picture of.
Super sub Ben McGilmer was the 5th guy who shot over 50%.
Iowa scored quickly & often which in turn gave the opponent more offensive possessions (thus scoring opportunity)...while Iowa's defense wasnt anywhere near as good as their offense they still had a point differential of over 12 pts per game.
He was special in every way both on and off the court. My favorite Hawkeye by a mile.
As for Iowa's defense in 1970- I posted elsewhere we shot 52-54% and held opponents to 46% I think. So defense wasn't that bad.
And I remember Ralph Miller (coach) say Mount can shoot all he wants to as long as it was under 50% (Mount scored like 50 or 60 against us if my memory is right).
And I remember Ralph Miller (coach) say Mount can shoot all he wants to as long as it was under 50% (Mount scored like 50 or 60 against us if my memory is right).
It would be fun to see a shot chart for Rick Mount against Iowa. Probably would have had at least 15 3's.
Ronnie Lester, as others have pointed out, is the best point guard EVER at Iowa.
If not injured he would have enjoyed 10 plus years in the NBA including multiple All Star years.
Unfortunately Iowa BB has had some bad luck over the years.
Bill Russell and the Dons.
The Connie Hawkins fiasco.
James Speed.
6 fouls for Artis Gilmore? (or was it Penbrook Burroughs?)
Ronnie and knee injuries before modern medical scope technology.
The UNLV collapse of 1987.
The passing of Chris Street.
Northwestern State last second 3 point shot from Looosiana
Hope is still alive in IOWA
Time to make our own luck.
GO HAWKS.
If not injured he would have enjoyed 10 plus years in the NBA including multiple All Star years.
Unfortunately Iowa BB has had some bad luck over the years.
Bill Russell and the Dons.
The Connie Hawkins fiasco.
James Speed.
6 fouls for Artis Gilmore? (or was it Penbrook Burroughs?)
Ronnie and knee injuries before modern medical scope technology.
The UNLV collapse of 1987.
The passing of Chris Street.
Northwestern State last second 3 point shot from Looosiana
Hope is still alive in IOWA
Time to make our own luck.
GO HAWKS.
This comment summarizes many Hawk fan's feelings of Ronnie Lester. Man alive, he really was so great on the court. One of the advantages to late middle age, I was able to see him play.
Led the last Final Four IA team on one leg to something we haven't been able to do since. Think about that for a second. A team that was basically a .500 W-L percentage w/out him to nearly an undefeated team w/ him.
And from what I can tell as an outsider; a down to earth, humble, team first team mate. Will always be my favorite IA Hawk ever. Highly unlikely anybody will ever take his place.
And by the way, Jordon Bohannon is perhaps second - albeit, a distance second. What he did last year regarding the Chris Street FT record and the way he conducts himself should get a lot more love than he does IMO.
Last edited:
Ronnie Lesters knee might be the biggest "what if" in Hawkeye sports history.
I'm convinced we would have won the National Championship with a healthy Ronnie Lester.
I'm convinced we would have won the National Championship with a healthy Ronnie Lester.
so was I...Jacksonville as well...old St. Johns Arena in Columbus. ...saw & heard first hand what Kentucky fans were..when they played Jacksonville in the regional finals.
I think it is pretty clear that Iowa was one of the two best teams, if Ronnie was healthy. The Louisville-Iowa game could have been one of the greatest team and individual shoot outs in the history of college BB, but just a "could have" unfortunately. It is even worse that Ronnie never really got to show how he stacked up against the best PGs ever, both in college and the NBA.
I wish tOSU play 1 game a year there...I love old places like that.
Last edited:
Interesting place to watch a game, especially from the nose-bleed sections, where you were looking straight down on the court.
Year ago someone told me about the tip in. I decided to read about this guy, came across this image that sort of stuck in my mind.They were #1 in the nation in points per game.
They were #184 in the nation in points allowed per game.
Every starter shot 50% or better from the field.
And then...........
I was fortunate when I was a kid to see Magic play against Lester, the year they won it all. The score ended up being like 71-70 St. One of those moments that as a kid you never forget. i also was able to get into the locker room while Lester was getting his taped removed and was able to get his autograph. Still have it to this day.
Do you think some Iowa fan or coaching staff ever went back to all these game tapes and estimated how many points Iowa would have averaged if they would have had the three point run back in the day????
I was at that game it was crazy. It was MSU that came out in the permanent 4 corners stall, not Iowa. I’ve never seen a first half like it or since.
I was there. Basically, Heathcoate was undermanned and knew it, so he decided that his chances were better playing one half. Lute didn't do anything to force the action, and I think would have trailed 6-4, but MSU made a couple of mistakes late in the half. The second half was more normal. Iowa ended up winning a very close game.
The stall game was after Magic. I believe Jay Vincent was the star of that team. I do seem to remember that in the game with Magic and Ronnie in the Fieldhouse, Lester was called for two quick fouls early in the game, which, of course pleased Lute to no end.
I happen to have several full Lester games on VHS going back to the February 1979 team against Wisconsin, plus dozens of tapes full of Iowa Basketball and Football games (and coaches shows, as well). Not sure what to do with them at this point.
Yeah, Vincent was about all that was left for Heathcoate from the championship team. Everyone always talks about the championship team being Magic's team, but I really think that Greg Kelser was their best overall player that year. He was a great college player.
I was also at the game in the field house against Magic, Kelser, Vincent, Charles... I remember it was a low scoring game and near the end of a very close, tense game, Ronnie was called for one of the few charges ever called against him (almost impossible to draw a charge against his quickness and awareness). The small white guard for MSU (Donnelly?) stepped in front of Ronnie in their zone, on a very questionable call. Probably the deciding call, which I and just about everyone disagreed with.
Or the all time leading scorer Pete Maravich. Set that record in 3 years, 83 games. Yowser!
B.J. Armstrong was the second best PG ever at Iowa IMHO.
Here is Iowa's Final Four appearence in 1980 featuring the best backcourt Iowa has ever had IMHO with Lester and Kenny Arnold. Keep in mind that Lester was already injured in this piece.
Thanks for sharing. You only get a hint of how good Ronnie was, because of the injury. Louisville, which was an outstanding team, still couldn't press with Ronnie bringing the ball up, even though he was maybe 80%...
..would have been interesting to see what the assists' totals were had they been recorded back then.
So many great memories here (my being 69, I go back to the Sharm Shurman (sp?) days as both a player and coach). This chain ought to be preserved as a permanent topic on the basketball forum...please; the films themselves warrant such treatment!
