Has talent in the state of Iowa gone down?

[LongBall42]

And the fact that UNI has the most in-state players on it might be a reason for the partial demise?

(not saying it, just asking)

Drake has 2 or 3 and only Korver contributes anything meaningful.

Iowa only has 1 Iowa kid on it, and Bohall was hardly near the top of his class

Iowa State has 6 Iowa kids on its squad, most of them aren't contributers.

UNI has 9.

Compare the current states and futures of all 4 programs.

If someone wants to give a run down of the kids that have gone and are going out of state, this would be the time to list them.

[Matt Trump]

Re: Has talent in the state of Iowa gone down?

I think more kids in Iowa choose to focus on football and basketball is something they do in the winter to stay in comptetition. There aren't a lot of pure basketball players in the state and thats been the case for awhile.

[SteinPizza]

Re: Has talent in the state of Iowa gone down?

I think more kids in Iowa choose to focus on football and basketball is something they do in the winter to stay in comptetition. There aren't a lot of pure basketball players in the state and thats been the case for awhile.

Trump, while what you say might be true, I don't think relative success bears out your point. The State of Iowa seems to produce far more D1 level basketball talent than football. I don't mean just making a roster, but being as good or better than players produced by other states. That's evident by the relatively few number of Iowans playing in the NFL, particularly skill players. I realize this is unscientific, but I can think of far more basketball players who've gotten national, highest level recruiting attention than in football.

Now, is the talent level going down? I don't know enough to answer that, but I'd guess no. We don't have the success we've had the last few years if that's the case.

[clenz]

Re: Has talent in the state of Iowa gone down?

Iowa doesn't have the one or two HUGE names every year, like we did a couple years ago. However, the classes that come out every year are just as good on the whole as other years.

[NEIOWABB]

Re: Has talent in the state of Iowa gone down?

It goes in cycles. Iowa is down right now, but it will come back. There will be more players like Nick Collison, Fred Hoiberg, Kirk Hinrich, Raef Lafrenz, and Ricky Davis. All who play or played in the NBA.

[06panther10]

Re: Has talent in the state of Iowa gone down?

Is the talent gone down? Maybe. But just remember we have been losing a few good recruits out of state in the last few years as well. Harriman and Korver to Creighton, Bohannon to Wisconsin, and Gibbs to Gonzaga.

[LongBall42]

Re: Has talent in the state of Iowa gone down?

I often wonder what UNI would be like if Roman Gentry had continued his education there.

[06panther10]

Re: Has talent in the state of Iowa gone down?

Roman Gentry also reminds me of Dylan Grimsley. Another player from Sioux City who actually was on the team here at UNI. He was one of the best players in the state when he left high school too. He came here and ended up transfering to South Dakota. I believe that he is doing very well there too. He would fit in nicely now with the guard situation that we currently have.

[Khan4Cats]

Re: Has talent in the state of Iowa gone down?

Not sure if Gentry would have fit in here or not. Committed, then decommitted wanting to go to a "big school". Ended up at Wisconsin-Milwaukee played sparingly as freshman and a little early this year before quitting the team before Christmas. Doesn't exactly sound like a player who is always wanting what is best for the team.

As for Iowa talent, have we ever really had "huge" names? I can remember Collison being a McDonald's All-American, anybody else? I don't think Bohanon was, or even Korver.

What we get in Iowa for talent is just like what we get for football: some players with skills and a good work ethic who can bust their butts and make themselves into pro athletes, but usually just turn out as good, hard-working, quality college athletes.

[UNI_12]

Re: Has talent in the state of Iowa gone down?

This year's high school sophomore class is a loaded one...Jordan Dykstra from Rock Valley and A.J. Derby from Iowa City are bothed ranked as top 50 recruits nationally. Dykstra is heading to Iowa State, and Derby hasn't decided yet...Harrison Barnes from Ames is in that class too, and may end out being the best out of the group...he has offers from ISU and Iowa already, and Kansas and Wisconsin are very interested. It appears ISU is the leader for him so far but time will tell....time will tell how these kids pan out but it definately looks like the best class since at least Brunner, Horner, Jacobson, and Haluska.

[9YRPLAN]

Re: Has talent in the state of Iowa gone down?

this is true, the junior and soph classes are stacked.

it wasnt that long ago that a single iowa HS class produced haluska, horner, brunner, funk, and jacobson. i would hardly say that iowa HS hoops is "down"

[NoPlaceLikeDome]

Re: Has talent in the state of Iowa gone down?

I graduated from Linn-Mar High School, so I can tell you first hand watching Jason Bohannon, Grant Gibbs, Jordan Printy and Nate Hucheson that Iowa has plenty of talent. Maybe more than ever.

The problem is they are not staying in Iowa. Bohannon is in Wisconsin. Gibbs is headed to Gonzaga. Other Linn-Mar alums have gone to play Indiana State, Wyoming, among other places.

Also, the Mississppi Valley is EXCEPTIONALLY tough this year with Linn-Mar, Iowa City High, and Cedar Rapids Kennedy fighting for the state's top 3 along with Cedar Rapids Jefferson, Waterloo East, Iowa City West, Cedar Falls, and Dubuque Wahlert as tough teams.

[SteinPizza]

Re: Has talent in the state of Iowa gone down?

Also, the Mississppi Valley is EXCEPTIONALLY tough this year with Linn-Mar, Iowa City High, and Cedar Rapids Kennedy fighting for the state's top 3 along with Cedar Rapids Jefferson, Waterloo East, Iowa City West, Cedar Falls, and Dubuque Wahlert as tough teams.

You're making the mistake of assuming that one high school or conference can carry an entire state worth of talent. Last I checked, North Carolina, Duke, etc. are not flocking to the western shores of the Mississippi River looking for players. Linn-Mar seems like they've had a nice thing going for the last couple of years, give them credit for that. The conference as a whole, however, might seem good because they're playing each other. If each of those schools have players good enough to play at a competitive D1 level, I'm sure Jake, Keno, Lickliter, Altman, etc. will find them.

[Matt Trump]

Re: Has talent in the state of Iowa gone down?

Trump, while what you say might be true, I don't think relative success bears out your point. The State of Iowa seems to produce far more D1 level basketball talent than football. I don't mean just making a roster, but being as good or better than players produced by other states. That's evident by the relatively few number of Iowans playing in the NFL, particularly skill players. I realize this is unscientific, but I can think of far more basketball players who've gotten national, highest level recruiting attention than in football.

Now, is the talent level going down? I don't know enough to answer that, but I'd guess no. We don't have the success we've had the last few years if that's the case.

First off, you don't live in the state and haven't for several years. Its a very different mentality among preps here. Its not like Chicago where kids have to focus on 1 sport in order just to play. Most choose to play in multiple sports, including baseball in the summer, when most elite basketball players are making headway at camps. During the summer is also training time for football. Most who have made it in basketball have stuck to 1 thing all year long and the last thing they will play is football.


Another thing is that the few pure talent basketball players in this state have stuck to basketball and had success on the national and pro levels. There might be more success stories playing basketball if the kids choose to focus on it rather than football. Just because kids don't make the NFL doesn't mean there aren't more kids trying.

[D Panther]

Re: Has talent in the state of Iowa gone down?

The overall level for most sports has improved greatly over the years in the state. You need to look beyond D I. There are seveal Iowa players that have had good careers at the D II and D III. With that said you are not going to get the number of blue chip players that larger metro areas have.