Seth Davis hearts Stevo

Posted on February 27, 2012 by hawkeyegrant


So if you haven’t heard, last week Seth Davis, of CBS and Sports Illustrated fame, wrote a little something for SI defending his buddy Steve Alford’s Iowa years. Not only did he defend Alford as “one of the finest coaches in America,” but he also ripped Iowa fans and the university. If you haven’t seen it and would like your blood pressure to rise, click here and read away. My blood pressure is already redder than this ass-clown’s jacket, so brace yourselves.

Seth Davis can fuck off. Really. Just get the fuck out. The fact that someone can have this much national prominence in the realm of college basketball and be this big of an uninformed jack-wagon is mindboggling. I’m going to break down some of what Seth had to say and explained why this article is complete and utter horseshit. I know, most of this won’t need explaining. But I’m fired up and need to get some things off my chest. You will notice Seth’s nonsense from the boldface type, and the complete idiocy.

Okay, so this is Seth’s mail bag column apparently, so he’s responding to Travis from Ypsilanti, Michigan. Travis wants to know:

I am curious about Steve Alford. How is it he can coach so well at New Mexico after having been so inept at Iowa? Has the Iowa experience improved his ability to coach or did he just give up and get out when he could? Seems like he should have been able to parlay the Big Ten tourney championships into something better.

Uh oh, Travis. You called down the thunder on Seth’s buddy Stevo? Well now you got it…

Frankly, it doesn’t take a whole lot of guts to rip someone from the safety of your cubicle in Ypsilanti, especially if you’re not going to provide your last name. You want to show some guts? Voice that opinion to Alford directly.

Yeah, okay Seth. I’m sure Travis is going to drive his ass straight down to New Mexico just to show Stevo he thinks he didn’t get it done at Iowa. Hey Seth, he’s not trying to be a tough guy. He’s asking a simple question on whether YOU think Stevo learned anything from his less than satisfactory Iowa years. But what did this inspire you to do, Seth? We can’t wait to hear!

I’m not sure if it showed guts or foolishness, but I decided to reach out to Alford myself on Tuesday and read him Travis’ e-mail, word for word.

Word for word? Oh my, you do have balls of steel don’t you? What ever did Stevo do to punish you for your insolence?!

Steve accepted the backhanded compliment with typical good cheer — winning tends to put a guy in a good mood — before offering up a feisty defense of his eight-year tenure at Iowa.

Yep, winning does ten to put a guy in a good mood, especially when it’s winning at a mid-major like Stevo is used to. But uh oh! Stevo’s about to get feisty! I’m shitting my pants!

“We had seven winning seasons and we won two Big Ten [tournament] titles,” he said. “If you look at the history of Iowa basketball, I think they’ve won four or five Big Ten titles of any kind. Yet, the perception is we weren’t successful there.”

This shit is exactly why Iowa fans hated Alford and his bullshit. Why can’t you just admit that you didn’t get the job done? You know it. We know it. Apparently Seth didn’t get the memo. Instead, you have to give the “Aw shucks” routine and act like you don’t understand why those Iowa folks were so upset. The correct answer would have been to just say, “I didn’t live up to my own expectations or those of the fans in Iowa. I wish we could have done better there.” That’s all you had to say. Instead, you keep acting like you’re the victim. And Seth is slurping it up.

Notice how Stevo didn’t actually say “tournament” and Seth had to throw that in there? That’s because Stevo never actually won a regular season Big Ten title. And we haven’t won four or five of any kind, but actually EIGHT regular season titles. The fact Stevo didn’t know that shows the disregard he showed for Iowa’s basketball history and how big of a tool Seth Davis is for not bothering to check.

But let’s get back to Seth…

All you have to do is look at Alford’s record before and after his Iowa tenure, not to mention Iowa’s record before and after Alford coached there.

Good, yes let’s do that. But wait a minute. Seth only goes on to talk about Lickliter and Coach Fran…

After Alford left, he was replaced by Todd Lickliter, who had just been named National Coach of the Year after taking Butler to the Sweet 16. Lickliter won 38 games in three years and never finished higher than eighth in the Big Ten. He got fired and was replaced by Fran McCaffrey, who had just gone to three straight NCAA tournaments at Siena. In his nearly two years at Iowa, McCaffrey’s teams have gone 10-22 in Big Ten play.

Lickliter was terrible, and is doing nothing since. And why rip on Fran’s start after inheriting Toddo’s mess? Fran so far is 10-22 in Big Ten play, eh? Well, he was 4-14 in his first year due to a mess. Now shit’s rolling and fans are excited. But what was Stevo’s Big Ten record during his first two years Seth? Didn’t mention that did you? Well, it was 12-20. That’s only 12 wins and 20 LOSSES. AND that’s coming off of Tom Davis having a Sweet 16 run and the cupboard not even being close to as bare as poor Toddo or Coach Fran have had to deal with. Facts are a bitch aren’t they?

But wait, where’s the stuff about BEFORE Stevo got to Iowa? Aww shit, Seth left it out. That must be convenient, considering that Stevo went to 3 NCAA tourney’s in 7 years, and his predecessor, Dr. Tom Davis, went to 5 NCAA tourney’s in the previous 8 seasons, and he won every damn first round game he coached. Stevo won exactly one. Seth left all that out.

And of course, Seth has to rip the lowly Iowa basketball program…

If Alford were the coach at his alma mater, Indiana, and he took the team to the NCAA tournament three times in eight years and failed to reach the Sweet 16, that could rightly be characterized as a disappointment. At Iowa, however, that was very impressive.

Ummm, no. As noted above, we were doing quite well before that. And go farther back and you’ll find #1 ranked teams, Final Four runs, and hall of fame coaches. In fact, check this link out to see how ESPN’s all-time Saggarin rankings have Iowa ranked #10. ALL-TIME. Yeah, we’re such a lowly basketball school, aren’t we Seth?

But tell us more!

In the first place, he was undercut by his then-athletic director, Bob Bowlsby, who refused to stand up to the message-board crowd in Alford’s defense.

Yeah, no. Bowlsby was gone already. Gary Barta was AD during Alford’s last year. Way to just flat out make shit up. I suggest hiring a secretary. Or do what I do, and use the fucking internet, prick!

But wait, Seth has more slurping to do…

During his five years at New Mexico, Alford’s teams have never won fewer than 22 games.

Because nothing says coaching genius like cutting tail and running away from playing with the big boys in the Big Ten to go beat up on the coaching wasteland that is the Mountain West Conference. Oh, he’s still never reached the sweet 16 since the year before he came to Iowa. But yeah, he’s one of the finest and all.

Also notice how Seth fails to mention anything regarding Pierre Pierce and the hatred that whole situation brought on. Never happened, I guess.

You wanna know what kept Alford at Iowa so long? Two guys named Horner and Brunner. Two guys that grew up Hawkeye fans and were coming to Iowa no matter who the coach was, yet they turned out to be Alford’s body armor and protected his ass from getting canned much sooner.

And you wanna know why Seth wrote this piece? Not just because he’s buddies with Stevo and likes to give him wiener hugs. But because he’s an asshole. I’ve always known it from watching him spout nonsense during the NCAA tournament, but this really just confirms it. He’s a straight up asshole. No decent human being would attack a fan base without doing any research. So congrats Seth Davis, you win the Hawk Guys’ first annual, “I’m a Complete Douchebag Award.” We know you’ll wear the honor proudly.

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The Hawkeyes’ Tourney Chances

Posted on February 24, 2012 by hawkeyegrant


Well, here I am writing another peace on hope and your Iowa Hawkeyes. Hope is back in town after Matt Gatens absolutely went off during the last two games. Before I move on to Iowa’s tourney chances, I have to say something about Mr. Gatens.

What Matt Gatens has done the last two games is nothing short of miraculous. I know this won’t go down as one of the most memorable seasons in Iowa Basketball history, but his last two games will. This will be one of those things we talk about years from now, hopefully after Iowa has turned the corner and become a perennial tournament team again. Gatens wasn’t just good, he was outstanding. He not only hit tough shots, he hit nearly every shot. He wasn’t exactly taking layups either, as almost every shot attempt has been from the elbow or outside. Badgers were practically in his jersey, and he kept hitting nothing but net. His 12 consecutive 3’s are an Iowa record, and one that we likely won’t see again. It was truly great to see someone who has been so loyal have such special performances in front of raucous crowds at Carver. Matt deserved that. And earned it, too.

But back to the team and the tournament. Let’s talk the Hawks’ chances.

I gotta admit, they aren’t good. Iowa’s RPI is currently 126, which is not good considering only 68 teams get to dance. The worst RPI ever to get an at-large bid was 99, done by New Mexico in 1999. I should also say I think this is not going to happen. We’ll take a look because we don’t have shit else to do, but really Iowa dug their own grave in the non-conference schedule. But it’s not depressing news I’m selling today, it’s hope. So here we go.

Let’s start with the RPI. The RPI is some lunacy that has been used for years to help judge teams and their worthiness of getting in tournament. RPI stands for Rating Percentage Index, but it might as well be called the Rarely Pertinent Index if you ask me. It’s calculated by valuing the teams’ winning percentage as 25%, the opponents’ winning percentage as 50%, and the opponents’ opponents’ winning percentage as the remaining 25%. See a problem? Me too. You only really need to play great teams in good conferences to get a good RPI, since 75% of your rating is based on what others do, and not how you do against them. Makes perfect sense, right? No? Okay, we’re on the same page then.

The other BS thing about the RPI is that margin of victory doesn’t matter. So if you play Duke and get housed by 40, that’s actually way way better than beating NIU by 33. Because of this, Iowa’s non-conference schedule is killing them, as Creighton and ISU are the only RPI top 50 teams they played.

But for any chance of Iowa making the tourney, they have to win out. Have to. Can’t go lose at Illinois and then win the next two. You have to win them all. Doing that would make you 18-13 overall and 10-8 in the Big Ten, which is widely considered the best conference this year. You’ll also need some help in the form of Purdue getting beat, which they should. Purdue still has to play at Michigan and at Indiana, and losing those would drop them below Iowa. That means the Hawks would finish 7th in the Big Ten (Possibly 6th if Indiana can lose two more; not likely but possible).

But who are we comparing Iowa’s resume to? ESPN’s Joe Linardi is an expert on all of this, and he has the following teams as his last four in: Xavier, Texas, Northwestern, and Colorado State.

Xavier is 17-10 and 8-5 in the Atlantic 10, and they are 53rd in the RPI. They’ve only played 1 ranked team all year, and they beat them; that was on the road at Vandy. But they do have some other pretty impressive wins, beating Purdue, Cincinnati, and Georgia all at home. But they’re the fourth place team in the A10, and I don’t get how 4 bids go to that league. Or maybe UMASS gets left out.

Texas is 55 in the RPI and stands at 17-11 and 7-8 in the Big 12. They haven’t beaten a ranked team all year. Their best wins are home victories over Temple and Kansas State. Their worst loss is Oregon State, and they just lost a bad one to Okie State. Other than that, all their losses are pretty respectable. They’ve lost their last two games, and close the year at Kansas.

Northwestern is 16-11 and 6-9 in the Big Ten. I don’t see what’s so special about their resume, yet they have an RPI of 47. They’ve defeated exactly 1 ranked team all year (Michigan State). They won a tourney early in the year, beating LSU, Tulsa, and Seton Hall on a neutral site, but they haven’t beaten anyone on the road other than Georgia Tech and Illinois, who are both terrible. Seton Hall and MSU are the only Tourney teams they’ve beaten. But they don’t have any terrible losses, as the worst ones are losing at home to Illinois and getting housed at Minnesota.

Colorado State is remarkably 25th in the RPI behind a 17-9 record and 6-5 conference run. They are 4th in the Mountain West, but they just came off a huge win over Stevo’s New Mexico team. I really don’t understand how their RPI is so high; oh wait, they played good teams but got housed. They got stomped by Duke, Stanford, and Southern Miss, and they lost to an average UNI team. But I guess if you beat ranked teams like San Diego State and NM then you get rewarded. But those are their only two quality wins. Their schedule gets tougher also with a road trip to revisit the Aztecs, then playing UNLV, and closing out at Air Force.

Then Linardi has his first four out as UCF (beat UCONN; that’s it), South Florida (no wins over ranked opponents, and lots of bad losses), NC State (can’t beat a good team, but they did beat Campbell), and Miami (beat Duke and that’s about it; a weak ACC hurts them).

Then the next four out are Oregon (the Pac 12 sucks and their best win was Nebraska; I’m not kidding), St. Joe’s (below and worse than Xavier; no chance), VCU (they are 24-6, but have literally played and beaten no one), and Minnesota (Iowa beat you twice suckers!).

Again, Iowa killed themselves early. Losing to Campbell and getting absolutely destroyed by Clemson, Creighton, and ISU are all things that would normally keep you out easily. But Iowa has gotten better as the season has progressed, and beating 4 ranked teams should count for something. But the other selection criteria used is your last 10 games. Should Iowa win out they would be 7-3 in their last 10 (which would stay the same if they won one and lost one in the Big Ten tourney). They would also get to the 7 seed and likely play Illinois, Penn State, or Nebraska. Then you’d get the #2 seed and likely lose, but you can’t get torched! Winning a tourney game would be huge; winning two would get you in for sure.

So there you have it. I think the chances are slim to none, but where there’s a chance, we’ll talk about it here. And remember, Penn State went 16-13 last year and 9-9 in the Big Ten and got in! Now after spending all this time, watch us lose to flaming out Illinois and crush our hopes and dreams once more. Here’s to hoping that doesn’t happen, and we get to sing In Heaven There Is No Beer at about 7:00 PM Sunday evening.

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Introducing your new coordinators…Outrage and Acceptance

Posted on February 8, 2012 by hawkeyegrant


It’s official, and your Iowa Hawkeyes a have a new defensive coordinator. Kirk chose to keep it in house and went with defensive backs coach Phil Parker. This has already elicited quite the response from Hawk fans and media.

If you want some quality perspective, read this article from Marc Morehouse on Parker.

Then if you want crazy, check this shit out. I decided to track The Twitter and gauge the response of the Hawkeye World. Here’s some of the best and worst. I’ve broken them down into categories for your reading pleasure. The tweets are in italics with my comments below.

The Displeased:
-@SteaveDeaceShow: Coaching moves by Hawkeyes today strike me as Kirk Ferentz closing ranks in preparation for the final stage of his career.
News alert: Steve Deace is an Iowa State fan. What does this even mean? Kirk ain’t that old and has about 87 years left on his deal.

-@poundHASSEL: By promoting Phil Parker, Ferentz misses opportunity to breathe new life into stale program.
Stale? Really? Chris Hassel is a dude that pretends to be an impartial journalist, but really resembles the enraged Hawkeye fans that feel they should be in the national title game every year.

-@DaveZABC5: So much for “new blood” in IC. All defensive promotions come from inside the program.
This “new blood” concept is idiotic and imaginary. Who created it? Did Kirk ever come out and say he was going to bring in some new blood? No? Then who gives a shit. You made it up. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. His defenses have been more than fine. Go check a stat book.

The Rumor Lovers:
-@GarmanSports: So now … does Brian Ferentz come in to coach Iowa’s OL?
Yes please. And let us begin the Brian as the next coach in 2020 rumors!

-@marcmorehouse: By my count, this leaves OC, O-line and LB open. I would say everyone should welcome Brian Ferentz back to Iowa City.
See above.

The Level Headed:
-@MurphyKeith: Kirk Ferentz is intensely loyal guy, so a promotion from within should never surprise. I do think many fans hoped for new blood.
Agree with this statement and understand. Keith is almost always spot on.

-@HawkeyeNation: For anyone who thought Iowa was going to change much of its Def Philosophy after Parker, you were setting yourself up for disappointment
Again, spot on. Please remember this same line of thinking for the offense, as well.

The Mostly Sensible:
-@shadasrevenge: So the guy everybody thought was gonna get the job gets the job, and twitter shakes in furious anger?
Yep, because that’s how we roll! Rage and disappointment are the only emotions that can be felt in the Twitterverse.

The Psychic:
-@PatHarty: My hunch is that Eric Campbell will be named Iowa’s offensive coordinator/receivers coach; David Raih qb coach and Brian Ferentz OL coach.
Agree on all counts. And truly hope so, too.

The Optimist:
-@PlannedSickDays: this ought to be an interesting recruiting year. Lots of young energy coaches hitting the trail
If he’s being sarcastic, I will admit to being a dumbass for calling him an optimist. But really, I think this has merit.

The Humorous:
-@Hlas: 3 openings yet to fill on Iowa’s football staff, but it’s possible the only outsider who will be brought in is named “Ferentz.”

-@bucketochicken: DELAY OF GAME, KIRK. DELAY. OF. GAME.

The Braggart:
-@martytirrell: Brian Ferentz tells Patriots “he’s going home” to join Hawkeyes coaching staff. Trent Condon nailed in on mouthofthemidwest on 1700 Champ!
What a douchebag. Showing his true colors of throwing shit at the wall and hoping it sticks. Yes, Brian Ferentz is obviously the common rumor the second the OL coach was opened up, and saying so would be fine. But to claim that he told the Patriots we was out to go to Iowa with ZERO sources makes you an ass. If you’re right, you can say you had it first; if wrong, no one will remember because you’ll never bring it up on the air. Again… douchebag.

The Rage:
-@hawkize: That’s fucking it. I fucking hate you, Kirk. Two months and we got a fucking social promotion. Fuck. You.
See numerous Hawkeye fan tweets for similar responses. To these people I say, Wow. Just… wow.

The Former Players:
-@BBulaga: To fill for whoever steps into that role. I am excited for the future of @HawkeyeFootball
Speaking of O line opening here obviously, and he should have given a shout out to young Ferentz just to fire things up even more.

-@MattBowen41: Love seeing Phil Parker named the new Defensive Coordinator at #Iowa. Excellent teacher, tough and will bring some new looks to the D.
Matt Bowen was a stud safety that was there at the beinning of the Ferentz era. If you’re an Iowa fan, his opinion should matter a lot.

-@Bmyers83: Soup Soup Soup #hawkeyes
Brandon Myers throws in his favorite for the Iowa Offensive Coordinator slot after Phil got announced for the defense. I agree.

-@TSash: Congrats to My position coach at Iowa- Phil
Parker on getting named Defensive Coordinator. Very much deserved.
You wanna know why his opinion matters? Because he’s wearing a super bowl ring!

The bottom line is this: if you’re all pissed off, you need to take your pills and calm down. Notice how all of the former players are publicly voicing their approval? And these are the guys that are the best of the best Iowa guys in the NFL. Kirk promoted a guy from within the program for the defense; a defense that has never been terrible and actually pretty damn good over the years. If you want to bitch, go look at the numbers and complain about the offense. There is nothing wrong with this promotion. Call me when the Offensive Coordinator is selected and we can have a real argument.

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2/1 theHawkGuys.com Humpday Huddle

Posted on February 1, 2012 by hawkeyegrant

So today is national signing day and recruiting has dominated the news today. We tried the recruiting angle last year, but it’s just not our thing here at theHawkGuys.com. There are plenty of good sites out there that do all the leg work and could provide way more insight than us. Go to Hawkeyeinsider.com and get yourself a free 7-day trial and read up until your heart’s content. Or go to the official Iowa site and get your totally unbiased Iowa perspective. Personally, I don’t see the need to get all worked up when half these guys will likely fail to pan out, some will leave school, and some will hopefully turnout pretty good. See me in three years.


Grapplers beat the Gophers
The Iowa wrestling program got back on track with a big home win over #3 Minnesota. Credit must go to the usual trio of McDonough, Ramos, and Marion, but a huge reason this meet was won was due to the pin by Mike Evans at 165. Without that fall, the Hawks probably would have lost their fourth straight. But, shoulda woulda coulda Gophers!

Drew Tate resigns with Calgary
Not really much here in this link from Mike Hlas. Only tells you that Tate re-upped with Calgary for 3 years. Crazy, but he’s already five years gone from Iowa. Good for Drew. He may have been a maniac, but CATCH THE DAMN BALL YOU SONSA BITCHES!

Roy Marble Book
Marble is releasing a memoir that looks back on the 1986-87 basketball season. It goes on sale this Saturday and will be on sale at the Hawk Shop at Carver with many of the old team in attendance to sign autographs. And yes, Hawkeyegrant will be in attendance.

Ferentz took the artic plunge
So Kirk, Tom Brands, and some other assistance jumped in the frigid Iowa River on Saturday to raise money for the Hawkeye Wrestling Club. Click here for the Daily Iowan’s slide show with videos and Kirk’s post jump interview. Or check out the Gazette’s photo gallery here.

Coker Update
This story is still lingering and I doubt it’s going away anytime soon. And nor should it, as the University has serious questions it needs to answer on its handling of the investigation. But they are refusing to answer them and continue to site FERPA in the denial of release of records relating to the case. You’re a public university that makes a ton of money of your football program, and you played a player for several weeks that you knew was being investigated for sexual assault. Then you suspended him. You need to answer these questions, and the media better not give up on this. Oh, he also transferred to Stony Brook, but I couldn’t give a shit less.

Insight no more
Insight has decided not to sponsor the Insight Bowl any longer, so next year we’ll get to look forward to the potential of heading to the Manwich Bowl, or maybe the Chicken of the Sea Bowl. I’m still waiting for the day when one of these Presidential candidates sponsors a bowl game. The Romney Bowl!!! Mark my words, it’s gonna happen.

Doug McDermott POY chances
Not Iowa Hawkeye related, but he’s from Iowa. Here’s a nice take on Doug McDermott’s Player of the Year chances from Grantland.com. Did you know he’s shooting 62% from the field and 50% from 3? That’s fuckin’ nuts.

Super Bowl
There’s a Super Bowl this weekend. Crazy, I know. Football will be done. But check out this article on former Hawkeye Tyler Sash and the other Hawkeye ties to get primed for the game. And for the gambling degenerates out there, check out this article from Grantland.com on all of the sweet prop bets in Vegas, and a few interesting props from overseas.

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Advice for Fran

Posted on January 30, 2012 by hawkeyegrant


So the Hawks got absolutely housed by Indiana yesterday up in Bloomington. I can’t say I’m shocked after the lackluster defensive effort made in the home loss to Nebraska last Thursday night. Fran gets pissed a lot. At players, at refs, and at chairs. But he needs to be reminded about what he’s got, and what he needs to do with the remainder of the season. The Hawks are now 3-6 on conference, and need to do something in the next four games or all hell may break loose. Wednesday’s game against the Gophers in Iowa City is an absolute must-win game. The Hawks have that game, followed by PSU at home, then back to back roadies against NW and PSU. This four game stretch will define the season. So with that, here’s some advice for coach Fran and the Hawkeyes down the stretch.

• You’re not sneaking up on anyone anymore. Wisconsin probably didn’t take you seriously, because, come on, you’re Iowa and they were at home. And Minnesota probably didn’t think much of your win over the Badgers because it was a fluke and they had size on you. Well, now everyone knows you can play. And the Nebraska’s of the world look at you as a victory and are going to play you as if they were playing the #1 team in the land.

• Bail out on the man-to-man defense. I get it. I know it makes you crazy because you think your guys aren’t working hard enough in that zone. And you probably spent all of those eight days off working on your man-to-man and boxing out your man. Well, it didn’t work. You could stop absolutely nothing against the B1G bottom-feeding cornholers, and Indiana put on a dunk contest against you. You got your B1G wins by keeping things sucked in and inviting the opponent to jack 3’s. You don’t have the horses to play man against this competition, so play the zone and hope that flashing at guys will be enough to force misses. I can’t stand to watch another dunkfest again.

• Put Marble back at the point and Cartwright back on the bench. I thought Cartwright was going to be the key to the season, but I was wrong. He has regressed from last year. He is a liability on defense, he is not confident with his shot, and he has committed too many turnovers. Flip that and look at Marble. He’s greatly improved in almost every area, including getting to the rim, his mid-range jumper, and taking care of the basketball. Marble is your future. Even if he doesn’t start at the point next year, he will be a leader on this team and will fill in at point when Gesell sits. But again, his future is already here. He’s a good shooter, and his assist-to-turnover ratio is amongst the best in the league. You were winning with him at the point. Let’s go back to that.

• Keep starting Aaron White. I was against this for a while, but I think it’s finally time to let him start on a regular basis. I was against it because I thought it was a great spark of offense for White to come in off the bench and provide a lift. But the more I look at it, you need your best five on the court as much as possible, and right now he’s one of the best five. He’s a heads up player that can run the floor, play D, rebound, and shoot. If Basabe continues to be a liability, then sit him and give White 30 minutes. It’ll work better in the present and in the future.

• Mix in more Josh Oglesby. Again, I’m going with the theme of playing younger guys more minutes. He’s your one shooter that you missed last year, and he compliments Gatens in giving defenses another guy they need to guard from behind the arch. He also has recently showed some flashes of ball-handling and getting the ball to the rim. Keep throwing him in there and giving him free range to do those sorts of things, and I think we will see his confidence blossom.

So there you have it, the keys to success of the rest of the way. Or at least, some keys to any chance of having a respectable finish and potential NIT berth. I think Fran is a pretty smart guy, and you’ll see some of these things happen right away. But after watching that Indiana game, Wednesday’s game against Minnesota can’t get here soon enough.

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Your Next D Coordinator…Me

Posted on January 29, 2012 by hawkeyegrant

That’s right, I’m throwing my hat in the ring for Iowa’s Defensive Coordinator position. The posting is still open, and the only requirement is a four-year college degree, so I qualify. And how hard can it be? I mean look at all of this experience I have displayed on my resume.


Admit it Hawkeye fans, you want me on that sideline! You need me on that sideline!

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1/25 theHawkGuys.com Humpday Huddle

Posted on January 25, 2012 by hawkeyegrant

You know what this is?
_____________________________________________
It’s a line. Not a link. A line. It’s not a link because the Iowa Basketball team hasn’t played in over a week. I annoy easily, and this has me pretty pissed. But that makes me happy. Because we care once again. I’m jonesing for the hoops, bitches!

D Coordinator update
_____________________________________________
You guessed it. That’s not a link either. You still don’t have a damn defensive coordinator. You can apply here.


Gary talks playoffs
Iowa AD Gary Barta, aka Gare, has weighed in on the possibility of a playoff. Apparently, Gare is down with it as long as it doesn’t get rid of the bowl system. Who are these people suggesting we have to get rid of all the bowls to have a playoff? And how do we kill them? It’s simple, simpletons. Have an 8 team playoff. Keep all the other bowls1. And if you get all the way to the end of the article, you don’t get a prize, but you do get Gare’s take on how the hiring process is going for the aforementioned D Coordinator position. I’ll translate what he said: “Kirk’s the boss around here. I do what he says. He’ll hire whoever he wants. When he wants.”

Cedar Falls’ star tailback drops the Clones for the Hawks
A nice article by Marc Morehouse on the latest Hawkeye commit. Pretty funny that he dropped his scholly offer from the Clones to come to the real football school in the state. This is good get with all the running back attrition. What’s the over/under on years he makes it? I think we’ll go 1.5 and rake in money on all the optimistic over bets.

Iowa Wrestling falls flat
Here’s an article from the Register’s Ryan Suchomel on the recent slide of the Iowa grapplers. The Hawks are scrambling after their one point loss to Okie State, followed by beatings at the hands of Ohio State and Penn State. Iowa wrestles Minnesota on Sunday, and if they lose I will likely vomit. Thank God the basketball team is good this year. Wait…what?

T Sash gets lit up
The Super Bowl is less than two weeks away and football will be over with. But we’ve got a couple Hawks to cheer for as Tyler Sash will be playing special teams for the Giants, and Brian Ferentz is the Tight Ends coach for the Patriots. Jeff Tarpinian is still listed on the Pats roster, but hasn’t made a tackle since week 10. Watch the above link to watch Tyler Sash get concussed in last week’s NFC championship game. Sorry Sash, but it’s kind of an epic hit.

Chris Street
And on a serious note, last Thursday was the 19th anniversary of the death of Chris Street. If you’re an Iowa basketball fan, if you’re an Iowa fan, if you’re an Iowan, you should read this article. I was in 8th grade at time of Chris’s death, and I still remember it like he was a family member. I saw it on the news that night, and I remember listening to the Michigan State win on the radio on our way home from my basketball game. This article is dead on. He was one of us. He was like family. Losing him still stings.

  1. Well, get rid of the Pizza Pizza, Go Daddy, and Taxslayer bowls. Meineke can probably live without theirs, too. [↩]
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1/18 theHawkGuys.com Humpday Huddle

Posted on January 18, 2012 by hawkeyegrant


We’re back! Football season is over, so it’s time to bring back the Humpday Huddle. Your one-stop shop for all the most interesting stories in the world of the Hawkeyes over the last week. And of course, we have to throw our smart-ass twist on things. So without further ado, let’s huddle up!

A.J. Derby leaves Iowa
Here’s a take on the matter from the Press Citizen’s Pat Harty. I think he is pretty much spot-on here in saying that Derby leaving makes more sense than his move to linebacker mid-season. He wants to play QB, and it apparently ain’t going to happen here. This, quite frankly, pisses me off. But I’m not pissed at Derby. You can’t blame the kid for pursuing his dream. I’m really irritated at the coaching staff for not finding a way to get him into the lineup. We just got schooled by Oklahoma and their oversized running QB, and you’re telling me we couldn’t come up with a short-yardage package for Derby to get in there and plow people while being a legit throwing threat? And I really think it was not a coincidence that this move was generated shortly after the public intox arrest. Nothing else really explains your second team QB switching to linebacker and special teams mid-season.

The Chair Slam!
So Big Ten commish Jim Delany is scolding Coach Fran for slamming a chair down during a timeout in last week’s Michigan State game. Apparently Delany sent an email to Barta, who in turn had a talk with Fran and said he loved the passion but doesn’t want him to cross the line. This story is such a non-issue, it might as well be a Republican presidential debate. He threw down a folding chair! He didn’t throw it across the court like someone else we know from Big Ten lore. What if he threw down a clibboard? Or a towel? Honestly, who gives a shit? Call me when Fran choke slams Ed Hightower at mid-court. Then you’ll have a story.

And hey, it got Iowa on PTI for the first time in forever! Check this link courtesy of Mike Hlas, and you can see the video of Kornheiser and Wilbon grading the slam. And for shits and giggles, check out the hilarious Tebow peanut video at the end of the page. Awesome!

Coker no more
Just as soon as we were saying hello to a potential great running back, we’re waving goodbye to Marcus Coker. This story smells in so many ways that I won’t get started here. I’ve been waiting for more detail to come out before coming to judgement, but this Marc Hansen piece in the Register leads me to believe that I’m going to be waiting a long time. My brief thought is this: the university better have a hell of an excuse for letting him play during the ongoing sexual assault investigation.

Playoffs?!
This isn’t Hawkeye related, per say, but it does relate to my hatred for the BCS. It sounds that a playoff actually may be pretty close, and this gives credence to the idea of an NCAA run playoff. That, would be ideal in my mind. Get rid of the blood-sucking bowl games that fleece schools and hose the charities they claim to support. Let the NCAA run it and give the money back to the schools. And quit charging them outrageous amounts for tickets and charging the freaking band to get in the damn game! Please let this come true!


Hawks upset Michigan
Mike Hlas give his take on the growth the Iowa men have shown after getting schooled by OSU and MSU. He makes a good point in that the first six game stretch was way tougher than the next two. We will certainly take 3-3 with two top 15 victories.


Hawkeye men fall to Purdue
Unfortunately we got swept this year by the Boilermakers, but the good news is that both games were highly competitive and within the Hawks’ grasp. They’re just young and growing still, and it’s good to see they didn’t travel to West Lafayette and lay an egg. And the silver lining here is the rough stretch of the schedule is gone. We don’t have to see Purdue, Michigan State, Ohio State, or Michigan again. And we get to play the following teams twice: Penn State, Nebraska, Northwestern, and Indiana. It’s hopefully time to make a move.

Defensive Departures
Never too early to talk next year’s football team, right? If you want to see just how screwed we are on defense, look no further than this take from Black Heart Gold Pants. The losses on D are bad, and they look worse when you see them on paper. Then look at the replacements and prepare to reap the whirlwind!


Hawkeyes add former Madrid O-lineman
Okay, so this article by Marc Morehouse is over a week old. But the Huddle has been gone for over four months, so we’ll allow it. And not only does it give some background on this recruit, it also gives a complete list of the 18 verbal commitments the Hawks have nabbed so far.

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Hope springs eternal! For now…

Posted on January 15, 2012 by hawkeyegrant

The O stands for "Oh shit, we're back!"


The Hawkeyes are back to their winning ways, pulling out an upset victory over #13 Michigan 75-59. After two nearly unwatchable performances against Ohio State and Michigan State, Iowa totally redeemed themselves with a huge win over the Wolverines. Just like I said in my Big Ten preview, they’re up, they’re down, and now they’re back up again. And with any win over a top ranked team, hope is alive and well in Iowa once again.

In case you missed the game, shame on you! But here’s your brief recap: Iowa led wire to wire, and largest lead was 17. Gatens had an awesome game, scoring 19 and playing lock-down defense. Marble, McCabe, and White also scored in double digits, and Iowa basically beat Michigan to every loose ball the entire game. Basabe looked like he cared. Oglesby made some key jumpers. Iowa’s zone worked like a charm again, forcing Michigan into taking 31 three’s and only making 8 of them. The defensive effort was awesome, and the Wolverines’ half-court offense looked out of sorts all day.

One thing I got right was that this team will get your hopes up and then crush your soul. Wins over Wisconsin and Minnesota on the road: “Hell yeah, bitches! We’re back!” Blowout losses to OSU and MSU: “Oh no! We suck again!” And now a huge win over a top 15 opponent, and we’re all stoked once again.

The other thing I mentioned in that preview was that the opening schedule was going to be brutal. When referring to their first seven games I noted, “If they come out of that stretch 3-4 it’ll be a miracle” Well, apparently miracles happen, as the Hawks are 3-3 and ready for a road trip to Purdue. If the Hawks win that one, I say we nominate Fran for sainthood.

The best part of coming out of this seven game stretch in decent shape is that if murder’s row is in the past, that means it’s time to bring on the dregs! After the Purdue game, the Hawks will have eight days off before welcoming Nebraska to Carver and the key stretch of the season begins. Next is a road trip to Indiana, and that doesn’t seem as bad after they got beat at home by Minnesota the other night. Then back to back home games against Minnesota and Penn State, followed by back to back road games at Northwestern and at Penn State. After Purdue, that’s six games that the Hawks need to make their move if they have a move in them. 3-3 in that stretch will be, well…meh. But come out of that 4-2 or 5-1? A meltdown of hope may occur. We may run out of Hawkeye Kool-Aid.

But we’re more hopeful than ever due to the way they’ve played in those three conference wins, especially the most recent one against Michigan. This was a complete performance, as the Hawks were able to get solid contributions from all of their key players, and got great games out of their best players. To make some noise, they’ll need their best players to play like it in these big games, and Gatens and Marble were outstanding. Cartwright looked a little out of sorts in the first half, but bounced back in the second and was a huge spark in killing a Michigan run. White continues to be huge off the bench, and Oglesby was that extra shooter this team really missed last year. Basabe still needs to wake up, but the man had two assists today; two!

So here’s your chance Hawkeye basketball team! The fans are loving the effort and craving the wins, but you’ve got to keep the pedal to the metal. Don’t be happy with a couple victories over some ranked teams. Don’t settle for anything. But please keep in mind that anyone can beat anyone else in this conference. After housing you by 30, both OSU and MSU went on the road and got beat by weaker opponents.

Either way, us Hawk fans are happy just to be happy again right now. Last year, Iowa won only four conference games. Four! We’ve got three wins already with twelve to go. But we won’t really want to settle either. We’ve had a taste of success for the first time in a long time, and we’re not ready to give this up just yet. They just need to keep the letdowns to a minimum the rest of the way. We can only hope.

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Reality check, but step back from the ledge

Posted on January 7, 2012 by hawkeyegrant

Up and down, and now we’re back to being down. Coming off a two game road winning streak, the Hawkeyes welcomed the sixth-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes to Carver Hawkeye Arena. It was a near sellout with over 15,000 in attendance, and the crowd had reason to cheer in the first half, as the Hawks played hard and kept it close most of the way. Then the Buckeyes came out firing in the second half, and Iowa had absolutely no answer for the talent of OSU. They couldn’t stop them, and the Buckeye defense was smothering. In the end, the Hawks got humbled in a big way, falling 76-47.

The Hawks couldn’t throw the ball in the ocean to this game. Luckily, their aggressive play really kept them in it in the first half. On defense, they had some great hustle plays to get loose boards, fight on the boards, and several blocked shots despite being outsized. On offense, their aggressive play got a lot of whistles from the refs, and the Hawks made 8-10 free-throws, while the Buckeyes didn’t make any. But Ohio State has some athletes, and you can’t let up for a second. They built a lead in the first half and kept it. Iowa made some mini-runs, but OSU would always seem to answer with six or seven unanswered points.

Then the second half came and Iowa got demolished. Ohio State didn’t do the stupid thing and try to win it by shooting from the outside. They knew to stick to their guns and just keep pounding it away inside, and eventually their size would win out. You didn’t see them jack an absurd number of threes against Iowa, even though the Hawks stayed in that zone defense for most of the game trying to invite it. The Hawks baited the Badgers into taking 28 three’s, and Minnesota jacked up 23. But OSU only took eight three’s, and they happened to make half of them. They knew to stick to their bread and butter, and that would be Jared Sullinger. He was an absolute beast, scoring 28 points on 13 of 18 shooting. He had only four fewer field goals made than the entire Iowa team.

The thing is that the Hawks just don’t have the horses yet, and that became clear in this spot. But it’s not the end of the world. OSU is #6 in the country, and they were just #2 not too long ago, and will likely be back there or all the way to #1 before it’s said and done. They’ve got three of the best players in the country, and they’ve got a gritty point guard that can handle the rock and defend. They are a Final Four team. Losing to them is not something the Hawks should hang their heads about. Yes, losing by 30 sucks, but in the end it’s only a 1 in the loss column.

That being said, there are still some things the Hawks need to figure out. Number one would be to figure out what in the hell is going on with Melsahn Basabe. Basabe played only 14 minutes, and didn’t see the floor after the 18 minute mark when he missed a stupid jumper from 18 feet away from the basket. He has as many points as turnovers, with 2. If Fran has a doghouse, Basabe is in it, as that’s the second consecutive game where he sat the final 18 minutes. Another issue would be Bryce Cartwright needing to step up and play better. It appeared he was back after the Wiscy game, but he has regressed the last two and just can’t seem to penetrate or find his jumper. You expect a bad game out of anyone every now and then, but these two have been far too absent from things. If Iowa is going to make any noise in the Big Ten this year, they need these two to figure it out in a hurry.

So the Hawkeyes were beat down by a really good, if not great, team. It’s not the end of the world, and hopefully they won’t see it that way. It’s a long season, and there’s no time to pout. The Hawks will play at Michigan State on Tuesday, and then they welcome the Wolverines to Carver next Saturday. You’ve got no time to sit around and feel sorry for yourself. That’s one thing that we haven’t seen since Fran became the head coach, as the team has always seemed to keep fighting hard despite the losses. But for now, we’re just left with another let down. But being down just means you’ve got to get back up. Hopefully the Hawkeyes get up in a hurry.

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