JonDMiller
Publisher/Founder
We all knew Fran McCaffery had a big rebuilding job in front of him when he was hired as Iowa's coach late last March.
Year one was all about construction and laying foundations...both inside the program as well as the very building the program is housed in. While the facilities upgrades and renovations are due to be completed this summer, the work on the basketball program is ongoing.
However, the key components to how the Fran McCaffery era may be defined will be put into place over the course of the next 12 to 13 months.
Let's take a look at Iowa's scholarship situation, with the news of Cully Payne's transfer. First, here are the players on Iowa's roster who are currently on scholarship. I will advance each player's 'eligibility clock' forward one year, as if the fall of 2011 had begun.
SENIORS
Matt Gatens
Devon Archie
Andrew Brommer
Bryce Cartwright
JUNIORS
Eric May
SOPHOMORES
Melsahn Basabe
Devyn Marble
Zach McCabe
FRESHMEN
Aaron White
Josh Oglesby
2011-2012 COMMIT
Kyle Meyer
Schools are allowed 13 scholarship players on their roster at any one point in time. If you add Iowa's senior through freshman totals listed above, that gives you 10 scholarship players, which means Iowa could sign as many as three players over the course of the next several weeks during the spring signing period. If they signed three, they would be at the maximum of 13 scholarship players for next year's roster. Iowa has several walk ons as a part of the program, but I do not expect any of them to earn a 'rest of their career' scholarship. If Iowa winds up having one open ride after this spring, meaning they could only land two players they were comfortable with, one of those players could receive that scholarship for next season.
The 2011-2012 early signing period is in November. Kyle Meyer has verbally committed to that class at this point in time. Start with him and then add the freshmen, sophomores and juniors and you have seven scholarship players, as the senior class scholarships can be awarded beginning in November.
This means when you count the three scholarships available to be awarded over the next several weeks as a part of the 2010-2011 recruiting class that Aaron White and Josh Oglesby are a part of, Iowa can add up to six new faces to the program between now and next spring, with many of those names likely being added between now and the middle of November, or the next seven months. If you want to call Kyle Meyer a new face, then that number is seven, but he is already a known verbal.
That's half the roster, and given the junior class has just one name in it right now (Eric May) many of those seven (including Meyer) names are likely going to be wearing an Iowa jersey for a good long time.
Of course, you'd expect the staff to add one or more Juco players this spring, for a few reasons. One, those players will be expected to come in and contribute right away, the way Bryce Cartwright did for Iowa this year and second, it helps to balance out the classes.
McCaffery and his staff have been on the job for a year and week...they have been hard at work helping to rebuild the program...we are entering the time frame where the foundation for that work is going to be put into place, and construction on the upper floors are going to be put into place.
By this time next year, the road map for the future of Iowa basketball will have been cast...and that may happen as quickly as this November.
Year one was all about construction and laying foundations...both inside the program as well as the very building the program is housed in. While the facilities upgrades and renovations are due to be completed this summer, the work on the basketball program is ongoing.
However, the key components to how the Fran McCaffery era may be defined will be put into place over the course of the next 12 to 13 months.
Let's take a look at Iowa's scholarship situation, with the news of Cully Payne's transfer. First, here are the players on Iowa's roster who are currently on scholarship. I will advance each player's 'eligibility clock' forward one year, as if the fall of 2011 had begun.
SENIORS
Matt Gatens
Devon Archie
Andrew Brommer
Bryce Cartwright
JUNIORS
Eric May
SOPHOMORES
Melsahn Basabe
Devyn Marble
Zach McCabe
FRESHMEN
Aaron White
Josh Oglesby
2011-2012 COMMIT
Kyle Meyer
Schools are allowed 13 scholarship players on their roster at any one point in time. If you add Iowa's senior through freshman totals listed above, that gives you 10 scholarship players, which means Iowa could sign as many as three players over the course of the next several weeks during the spring signing period. If they signed three, they would be at the maximum of 13 scholarship players for next year's roster. Iowa has several walk ons as a part of the program, but I do not expect any of them to earn a 'rest of their career' scholarship. If Iowa winds up having one open ride after this spring, meaning they could only land two players they were comfortable with, one of those players could receive that scholarship for next season.
The 2011-2012 early signing period is in November. Kyle Meyer has verbally committed to that class at this point in time. Start with him and then add the freshmen, sophomores and juniors and you have seven scholarship players, as the senior class scholarships can be awarded beginning in November.
This means when you count the three scholarships available to be awarded over the next several weeks as a part of the 2010-2011 recruiting class that Aaron White and Josh Oglesby are a part of, Iowa can add up to six new faces to the program between now and next spring, with many of those names likely being added between now and the middle of November, or the next seven months. If you want to call Kyle Meyer a new face, then that number is seven, but he is already a known verbal.
That's half the roster, and given the junior class has just one name in it right now (Eric May) many of those seven (including Meyer) names are likely going to be wearing an Iowa jersey for a good long time.
Of course, you'd expect the staff to add one or more Juco players this spring, for a few reasons. One, those players will be expected to come in and contribute right away, the way Bryce Cartwright did for Iowa this year and second, it helps to balance out the classes.
McCaffery and his staff have been on the job for a year and week...they have been hard at work helping to rebuild the program...we are entering the time frame where the foundation for that work is going to be put into place, and construction on the upper floors are going to be put into place.
By this time next year, the road map for the future of Iowa basketball will have been cast...and that may happen as quickly as this November.
