JonDMiller
Publisher/Founder
The 'Let's Get Mad Again' again marketing slogan surrounding Iowa basketball has had its share of detractors.
The meaning behind it was 'let's get the Iowa basketball program back to March MADNESS', or 'Let's Get Mad Again' for short, or the hipsters.
While I had never heard of March Madness referred to as a 'Mad' situation (Alford called it a 'March Situation', but that's another kind of mad), I get where the Iowa Marketing folks were headed, and I certainly appreciate the effort.
So in the vein of getting 'Mad Again', the Iowa basketball program just went all sorts of madness on Wednesday evening when 7-foot-1 center Adam Woodbury chose Iowa over North Carolina, Ohio State, Stanford and a host of other programs.
Really, it came down to Iowa and North Carolina.
That's right, it's no typo; a college basketball player chose the Iowa Basketball program over Roy Williams and the Tar Heels.
This is sort of the recruiting equivalent of Buster Douglas knocking out Mike Tyson right about now. *I hate typing that, but the facts are the facts.
Iowa has been to 22 NCAA tournaments all time; not a bad figure. *North Carolina has been to 18...Final Fours. *Iowa has won 27 NCAA tournament games...North Carolina has played in 30 Final Four games. *Iowa has been to one NCAA tourney since 2005...North Carolina has won two of them.
I am not a masochist, just underscoring how big of a deal this is, how big it is not only for Iowa to go head to head with North Carolina in a recruiting battle and win, but add in that fact Fran McCaffery 'beat' Roy Williams for an Iowa recruit.
Time was when kids grew up in this state dreaming of playing for the Hawkeyes. *That's how it was in my youth...that's how it was until 1993.
That is the year Roy Williams planted his flag in this state when Raef LaFrentz signed to play for Williams in Kansas. *LaFrentz enrolled at KU in 1994 and went on to have one of the most prolific college careers in Kansas history. *LaFrentz went on to earn more money as a professional athlete than any native Iowan in history in any sport.
Just four years after luring LaFrentz, Iowa Athletics Director Bob Bowlsby chose to make a coaching change in his basketball program and Tom Davis had a final, lame duck year. *Williams swooped in to sign Nick Collison of Iowa Falls, a life-long Iowa fan but a person who could not commit to an unknown future in Iowa City. *Iowa State also lost Tim Floyd to the NBA, so Williams was able to pluck Kirk Hinrich out of the state as well.
Yeah, those two did pretty good at KU as well.
Forward the clock ten more years and Williams landed arguably the most decorated high school basketball player in the state's history to join him at North Carolina in the form of Harrison Barnes.
By that time, the Iowa basketball program had been gutted and it's shiny reputation as a Top 20 program was tarnished beyond recognition; Harrison never seriously considered Iowa.
Last year, Williams came back to Iowa and gained the verbal commitment of Cedar Rapids point guard Marcus Paige, who cannot sign a letter of intent until this coming November.
I don't know about you, but I'm sick of Roy Williams. *I mean, Blackbeard called and thinks Roy Williams needs to show a little mercy.
Adam Woodbury is a Top 50 player, nationally. *He's one of the best big men in the nation; Rivals.com rates him as the 7th best center prospect in all the land. *With the right pieces around him, he can help turn around a program.
He was <a href="http://www.timesrepublican.com/page/blogs.detail/display/1124/Woodbury-garners-MVP-honors-at-NBPA-Top-100-camp.html">the MVP at this summer's</a> prestigious National Basketball Association Players Top 100 camp.
Dave Telep of ESPN, someone I have known for nearly a decade, wrote this about Woodbury following that performance:
"<em>He is a fundamentally sound big man who knows his role and plays it to the fullest. The lefty can score in the low post when given time and space, is an excellent passer and maybe the best ball mover in the class. Woodbury does not wow you, he just makes plays and wins. He can face up and shoot to 17 feet, but he is best on the low block when scoring over his right shoulder.</em>"
Several months back, I wrote that Woodbury was not a make or break player for Fran McCaffery. *Had Iowa not gotten him, it would not have spelled McCaffery's doom at Iowa, however I felt if McCaffery could pull the upset and keep Woodbury 'home', the rebuilding process could be accelerated...perhaps by a great deal.
Woodbury bought was McCaffery was selling. *Woodbury wants to be a piece in the foundation of the Iowa basketball program, not just another brick in the wall at North Carolina. *Woodbury turned down the Ohio State program and the recent tradition they have of turning elite center prospects into NBA millionaires, too.
Woodbury joins fellow Sioux City area player and AAU teammate Mike Gesell in Iowa's class of 2011-2012, along with 6-11 forward Kyle Meyer of Georgia and shooting guard Patrick Ingram of Indianapolis.
Woodbury and Gesell played AAU ball for the All-Iowa Attack this summer along with Cedar Rapids prep point guard Marcus Paige.
The three formed a friendship...and they stay in touch.
Gesell said immediately after he committed to Iowa that he was going to go to work on Woodbury. *My hunch is the two of them may now go to work on Marcus Paige.
Again, Paige is not a signed commit to UNC; you can't sign a binding letter of intent until November. *That means that he and everyone else in this class is fair game.
I am not saying I think Paige will end up as a Hawkeye; Iowa has a lot of work to do and Paige must be willing to listen. *Roy Williams has been in his life now for more than a year and he has spent countless hours imagining himself as a North Carolina Tar Heel. *Those are strong bonds.
So are the bonds of friendship forged on long bus rides crisscrossing the nation during these past summer months. *My guess is Paige will imagine playing along side his AAU teammates in Iowa City, a short trip from his Cedar Rapids home, if only for a few fleeting moments. *It will be interesting to see if those thoughts develop roots, or if they are easily dismissed by Roy Williams whispering sweet nothings into his ears.
Paige can go to North Carolina and join a great tradition, there is no doubt in that. *But for some, becoming a part of something that already exists and being just another face in a crowd isn't enough.
Some people like to blaze trails. *Some people like to be a part of something in perhaps a more meaningful way.
Some people are builders.
Adam Woodbury showed on Wednesday night that he is a builder and that he is comfortable taking the road less traveled...at least it's been less traveled as of late. *Both he and Gesell turned down a free Stanford education and the doors that diploma opens. *Both he and Gesell feel like they can be a part of something special in Iowa City, because they think they can help make it special again.
None of this is to besmirch Marcus Paige if he chooses to follow through on his verbal commitment to North Carolina, which is the most likely conclusion. *By all accounts, he is a great young man and each of us has to follow the path we feel is best.
Regardless of what Paige does, Iowa has to be estatic with how this recruiting class is shaping up. *Landing one of the best centers in the nation is going to turn a few heads in the college basketball world. *It will turn a few heads on the recruiting trails, too. *It will make Fran McCaffery and his coaching staff's job a little bit easier the next time they go into the living room of a point guard.
This is exactly the kind of momentum this basketball program needs...it builds off of the season ending win at home against Top 5 Purdue...it builds off the momentum created by the facilities upgrades to Carver-Hawkeye Arena and the new practice facility.
It will create excitement at the ticket window as well as some national buzz amongst the college hoops scribes.
Woodbury's decision reminds me of the decision Blake Larsen made in December of 2000. *Larsen was rated as the best offensive linemen in America by some, and one of the best by everyone. *Iowa was coming off of a 3-9 season which had followed up a 1-10 campaign. *It also followed Hayden Fry's final season that was another three-win affair.
There wasn't a lot Iowa could sell other than hope and opportunity. *Larsen bought in and came on board. *He was also instrumental in Iowa landing Matt Roth, and a few other players. *While Larsen didn't make much of an on field contribution, he was such a well known player, his commitment to Iowa helped create some momentum.
Whether or not Woodbury ever lives up to the recruiting hype, I can see a similar effect for Iowa's basketball program.
While Iowa has a long way to go before it gets 'Mad Again', Hawkeye fans are smiling around the world tonight because another highly rated basketball prospect has chosen to become a part of something that will not be easy, but a chance to be a legend in these parts if they can be a part of a rebuilding process come into fruition.
If you lose something you barely had, the pain is not so great. *If you lose something you had for a long time, something you loved and became attached to, the pain of the loss can be staggering.
The Iowa Men's basketball program was one of the 20 best in America for most of my life, dating back to the late 1970's through Mr. Davis Davis' final team in 1999, when the Hawks made the Sweet 16.
In the 21 years before Steve Alford was hired, Iowa went to 16 NCAA tournaments; they've been to three in 12 years since then. *For most of that time, Iowa was in the Top 25 in attendance. *Carver-Hawkeye Arena roared...
Some of you *reading this may not remember those times, therefore you have not suffered the sort of loss others have felt as the basketball program has*withered*on the vine.
Perhaps you'll soon experience those joys the older Hawkeye fans used to take for granted...then everyone can 'Get Mad' together...and wouldn't that be some kind of party.
The meaning behind it was 'let's get the Iowa basketball program back to March MADNESS', or 'Let's Get Mad Again' for short, or the hipsters.
While I had never heard of March Madness referred to as a 'Mad' situation (Alford called it a 'March Situation', but that's another kind of mad), I get where the Iowa Marketing folks were headed, and I certainly appreciate the effort.
So in the vein of getting 'Mad Again', the Iowa basketball program just went all sorts of madness on Wednesday evening when 7-foot-1 center Adam Woodbury chose Iowa over North Carolina, Ohio State, Stanford and a host of other programs.
Really, it came down to Iowa and North Carolina.
That's right, it's no typo; a college basketball player chose the Iowa Basketball program over Roy Williams and the Tar Heels.
This is sort of the recruiting equivalent of Buster Douglas knocking out Mike Tyson right about now. *I hate typing that, but the facts are the facts.
Iowa has been to 22 NCAA tournaments all time; not a bad figure. *North Carolina has been to 18...Final Fours. *Iowa has won 27 NCAA tournament games...North Carolina has played in 30 Final Four games. *Iowa has been to one NCAA tourney since 2005...North Carolina has won two of them.
I am not a masochist, just underscoring how big of a deal this is, how big it is not only for Iowa to go head to head with North Carolina in a recruiting battle and win, but add in that fact Fran McCaffery 'beat' Roy Williams for an Iowa recruit.
Time was when kids grew up in this state dreaming of playing for the Hawkeyes. *That's how it was in my youth...that's how it was until 1993.
That is the year Roy Williams planted his flag in this state when Raef LaFrentz signed to play for Williams in Kansas. *LaFrentz enrolled at KU in 1994 and went on to have one of the most prolific college careers in Kansas history. *LaFrentz went on to earn more money as a professional athlete than any native Iowan in history in any sport.
Just four years after luring LaFrentz, Iowa Athletics Director Bob Bowlsby chose to make a coaching change in his basketball program and Tom Davis had a final, lame duck year. *Williams swooped in to sign Nick Collison of Iowa Falls, a life-long Iowa fan but a person who could not commit to an unknown future in Iowa City. *Iowa State also lost Tim Floyd to the NBA, so Williams was able to pluck Kirk Hinrich out of the state as well.
Yeah, those two did pretty good at KU as well.
Forward the clock ten more years and Williams landed arguably the most decorated high school basketball player in the state's history to join him at North Carolina in the form of Harrison Barnes.
By that time, the Iowa basketball program had been gutted and it's shiny reputation as a Top 20 program was tarnished beyond recognition; Harrison never seriously considered Iowa.
Last year, Williams came back to Iowa and gained the verbal commitment of Cedar Rapids point guard Marcus Paige, who cannot sign a letter of intent until this coming November.
I don't know about you, but I'm sick of Roy Williams. *I mean, Blackbeard called and thinks Roy Williams needs to show a little mercy.
Adam Woodbury is a Top 50 player, nationally. *He's one of the best big men in the nation; Rivals.com rates him as the 7th best center prospect in all the land. *With the right pieces around him, he can help turn around a program.
He was <a href="http://www.timesrepublican.com/page/blogs.detail/display/1124/Woodbury-garners-MVP-honors-at-NBPA-Top-100-camp.html">the MVP at this summer's</a> prestigious National Basketball Association Players Top 100 camp.
Dave Telep of ESPN, someone I have known for nearly a decade, wrote this about Woodbury following that performance:
"<em>He is a fundamentally sound big man who knows his role and plays it to the fullest. The lefty can score in the low post when given time and space, is an excellent passer and maybe the best ball mover in the class. Woodbury does not wow you, he just makes plays and wins. He can face up and shoot to 17 feet, but he is best on the low block when scoring over his right shoulder.</em>"
Several months back, I wrote that Woodbury was not a make or break player for Fran McCaffery. *Had Iowa not gotten him, it would not have spelled McCaffery's doom at Iowa, however I felt if McCaffery could pull the upset and keep Woodbury 'home', the rebuilding process could be accelerated...perhaps by a great deal.
Woodbury bought was McCaffery was selling. *Woodbury wants to be a piece in the foundation of the Iowa basketball program, not just another brick in the wall at North Carolina. *Woodbury turned down the Ohio State program and the recent tradition they have of turning elite center prospects into NBA millionaires, too.
Woodbury joins fellow Sioux City area player and AAU teammate Mike Gesell in Iowa's class of 2011-2012, along with 6-11 forward Kyle Meyer of Georgia and shooting guard Patrick Ingram of Indianapolis.
Woodbury and Gesell played AAU ball for the All-Iowa Attack this summer along with Cedar Rapids prep point guard Marcus Paige.
The three formed a friendship...and they stay in touch.
Gesell said immediately after he committed to Iowa that he was going to go to work on Woodbury. *My hunch is the two of them may now go to work on Marcus Paige.
Again, Paige is not a signed commit to UNC; you can't sign a binding letter of intent until November. *That means that he and everyone else in this class is fair game.
I am not saying I think Paige will end up as a Hawkeye; Iowa has a lot of work to do and Paige must be willing to listen. *Roy Williams has been in his life now for more than a year and he has spent countless hours imagining himself as a North Carolina Tar Heel. *Those are strong bonds.
So are the bonds of friendship forged on long bus rides crisscrossing the nation during these past summer months. *My guess is Paige will imagine playing along side his AAU teammates in Iowa City, a short trip from his Cedar Rapids home, if only for a few fleeting moments. *It will be interesting to see if those thoughts develop roots, or if they are easily dismissed by Roy Williams whispering sweet nothings into his ears.
Paige can go to North Carolina and join a great tradition, there is no doubt in that. *But for some, becoming a part of something that already exists and being just another face in a crowd isn't enough.
Some people like to blaze trails. *Some people like to be a part of something in perhaps a more meaningful way.
Some people are builders.
Adam Woodbury showed on Wednesday night that he is a builder and that he is comfortable taking the road less traveled...at least it's been less traveled as of late. *Both he and Gesell turned down a free Stanford education and the doors that diploma opens. *Both he and Gesell feel like they can be a part of something special in Iowa City, because they think they can help make it special again.
None of this is to besmirch Marcus Paige if he chooses to follow through on his verbal commitment to North Carolina, which is the most likely conclusion. *By all accounts, he is a great young man and each of us has to follow the path we feel is best.
Regardless of what Paige does, Iowa has to be estatic with how this recruiting class is shaping up. *Landing one of the best centers in the nation is going to turn a few heads in the college basketball world. *It will turn a few heads on the recruiting trails, too. *It will make Fran McCaffery and his coaching staff's job a little bit easier the next time they go into the living room of a point guard.
This is exactly the kind of momentum this basketball program needs...it builds off of the season ending win at home against Top 5 Purdue...it builds off the momentum created by the facilities upgrades to Carver-Hawkeye Arena and the new practice facility.
It will create excitement at the ticket window as well as some national buzz amongst the college hoops scribes.
Woodbury's decision reminds me of the decision Blake Larsen made in December of 2000. *Larsen was rated as the best offensive linemen in America by some, and one of the best by everyone. *Iowa was coming off of a 3-9 season which had followed up a 1-10 campaign. *It also followed Hayden Fry's final season that was another three-win affair.
There wasn't a lot Iowa could sell other than hope and opportunity. *Larsen bought in and came on board. *He was also instrumental in Iowa landing Matt Roth, and a few other players. *While Larsen didn't make much of an on field contribution, he was such a well known player, his commitment to Iowa helped create some momentum.
Whether or not Woodbury ever lives up to the recruiting hype, I can see a similar effect for Iowa's basketball program.
While Iowa has a long way to go before it gets 'Mad Again', Hawkeye fans are smiling around the world tonight because another highly rated basketball prospect has chosen to become a part of something that will not be easy, but a chance to be a legend in these parts if they can be a part of a rebuilding process come into fruition.
If you lose something you barely had, the pain is not so great. *If you lose something you had for a long time, something you loved and became attached to, the pain of the loss can be staggering.
The Iowa Men's basketball program was one of the 20 best in America for most of my life, dating back to the late 1970's through Mr. Davis Davis' final team in 1999, when the Hawks made the Sweet 16.
In the 21 years before Steve Alford was hired, Iowa went to 16 NCAA tournaments; they've been to three in 12 years since then. *For most of that time, Iowa was in the Top 25 in attendance. *Carver-Hawkeye Arena roared...
Some of you *reading this may not remember those times, therefore you have not suffered the sort of loss others have felt as the basketball program has*withered*on the vine.
Perhaps you'll soon experience those joys the older Hawkeye fans used to take for granted...then everyone can 'Get Mad' together...and wouldn't that be some kind of party.
