Denver Hawk Here...
(August 5, 1999)

Things are really grinding to a halt in the dog days of summer as it pertains to Iowa Athletics. But that hasn't stopped the hot stove league of speculation and opinions from dying down, quite the contrary. It seems that every message board you turn to, the debate on Hawkeye Football and Basketball rages on.

One thing that has become obvious is that the optimism surrounding the Iowa Basketball program far outpaces that which surround the Football program. That is probably with reason, since a teams basketball recruits are much more visible and have a more immediate impact than a football recruit has. With Basketball, one recruit can really set the tone and create and instant identity for an incoming coach.

Some of the main questions being pondered relate to Sean Sonderleiter and Brody Boyd. Many fans of the feather have publicly expressed their opinions on these two recruits. Some say Sean and Brody are reaches, that a Big Ten University such as Iowa shouldn't have to offer the likes of those two scholarships unless they were the last of the picking's. Some say Steve doesn't know what he is doing, and try and remind him that he isn't at Southwest Missouri State anymore. I think that they are wrong, respectfully.

For one thing, not a one of us that follows the Hawkeye's and visits the various Hawkeye websites has any idea as to what kind of fire burns in the hearts of these two kids. Yes, they both play for small school teams. Yes, Brody is 5'11", maybe, and 145 pounds soaking wet. But let me tell you that desire can be as important as an other factor that makes up a player.

Steve Alford has seen something in these kids, otherwise he wouldn't have offered them a scholarship in his first major recruiting class. A basketball team is made up of 13 scholarships, and Sean and Brody make up two of them. Steve has also gotten a verbal commitment from Glen Worley, who will be on some pre-season All-American teams and is a National top 40 player. He has gotten a transfer from Ryan Hogan, who was an All-American before going to the University of Kentucky, where he didn't see as much playing time as he would like. But that can happen when you play for the team that wins the national championship in your freshman year and you play for one of the strongest teams in the nation year in and year out.

Steve also landed JUCO All-American Rob Griffen. Joe Fermino, another Alford recruit, played on one of the best JUCO teams in the nation last year. We also have a verbal commitment from Jeff Horner, a soon to be high school Super Sophomore.

Individually, these names do not turn the heads of most people. But collectively, which is what a team game is all about, these kids are forming a nucleus. They are the ingredients to a grand recipe. Every recipe has to have a few secrets to it for it to be good. And there are some ingredients that are just flat out necessary. I think that with the remaining 3 scholarships, we are going to get some of those 'basic' ingredients. We need a spoonful of center, a dash of a power forward, and a pinch of a combo guard. Then we can put the ingredients together for a year and let them simmer. Then next year, when Steve has a full year of recruiting involvement under his belt and 3 more scholarships, he can add the icing on the cake and bring this whole mix together. The end product could be our first Big Ten Title since 1978. Who knows?

So when you are looking at the names of the kids we either have or are going after, remember one thing: Give the coach some time to put together HIS team and HIS style and get HIS own players. And if in 5 years when his contract is up he hasn't gotten the job done, then fire away. But for now, let's just keep the speculation more light-hearted and not attack some 17 year old that you have never seen play just because you or no other recruiting guru's think he is top 100 caliber.

By the way, what makes a guy 75th or 76th? Is it because of the shoes? It's gotta be the shoes.

With Apologies to Mars Blackmon,

Jon Miller