Before the start of college football season, and Iowa's opener against Maine! I just can't wait. Black and gold thoughts consume every fabric of my brain, and basically all I do with my life is monotonously pour over every update and new nugget of information with vigor, watchin old youtube and scothawk videos to get myself ready for the season. As if I needed anymore motivation. Right now my only big concerns are the Moeaki and Stross injury rumors...I guess if you're a glass half full guy you could say this is a good time to have injuries, but we cannot afford to have these guys hurt again. Moeaki's really concerns me, because they are saying it's a broken foot and those can potentially keep you out for awhile. Hopefully it's not that and if it is, it's a minor break, but we shall find out all of this info at the big 2-hour open scrimmage today, where the media and fans will swarm upon Kinnick. At least we can thank the heavens for giving us good tight end depth and a proven stud in Brandon Myers, but Moeaki has Dallas Clark-level potential. Enough said. Stross's injury is supposedly the hamstring that bugged him for most of last year, so it's not good if it's still giving him problems. Stross is a great deep threat and had impressive rapport with Christensen, so we need him on the field. Luckily our 1st two games are glorified scrimmages and should give these guys a chance to recover and get ready for more relevant, competitive contests. As far as the running back situation, it's still fairly unclear, with a bevy of guys looking pretty good. Shonn Greene has looked huge and impressive ever since he's been getting good reps in practice, and I would expect him to be the starter from day 1 thanks mainly to his experience. A running back by committe approach is the most likely, however. Paki O'meara has still looked good, bringing experience and an impressive work ethic as well, while freshman Jewel Hampton has ran hard/hungry, looking like the best bet as far as frosh go to get some time. Nate Guillory is fast as lighting, but he's got such skinny legs I don't know how he's going to be able to block. And at Iowa, running backs have to block. Finally, we have special teams menace Jayme Murphy, too white to be taken seriously, and freshman Jeff Brinson, who's been fairly quiet in practice, looking like he just spent his entire summer at Hardees. I still see Shonn starting, with Paki, Nate, and Jewel all getting some carries at 1st to sort out some sort of a rhythm or rotation. Jake Christensen is still barely holding onto the QB spot, as it has been his to lose since last year, but Stanzi sure is looking good and he's definitely challenging jake and giving him good competition. Like I've been saying since last year, I think Jake will be much improved and will have a good/great year, but if he struggles early Ferentz won't cut him so much slack like last season and will put Stanzi in. The wideouts look strong and deep, but I'd breathe much easier if Stross was healthy. The secondary looks young, but like it could be one our most athletic ever. You won't see any more Shadas struggling to keep up back there. The experienced and much improved Bradley Fletcher has one corner spot locked down, with super-athlete Jordan Bernstein likley taking the other. Jordan was the best athlete in Iowa two years ago, coming from Des Moines, and he looks ripped and ready to go. Young playmaker Brett Greenwood still has free safety locked down, but word out of camp is that heavy-hitter Harold Dalton is being pushed hard by relative unknown Lance Tillison for the starting strong safety spot. Always love some good competition. The D-line is set, and for the linebackers it looks like Jacody Coleman and Jeff Tarpinian are both the likely candidates to take over for Humpal and Klinkenborg and start alongside AJ Edds. The offensive line should be much improved with the tough trial by fire they experienced last season, with less shuffling around and more consistency and stability. Lots of good competition and lots of hype all over the line, and they should basically be better this year by default. One more position of concern is placekicking...Kirk sounds very unimpressed every time he talks about Daniel Murray, who showed good flashes last season but then baffled with botched extra points and a weak leg. Look for freshman Trent Mossbrucker, from Indiana, to get a serious look at placekicking duties, especially if Murray struggles early. Field goals really could have made all the difference last year, and Kirk knows it. Here's to a happy and healthy national championship for my Hawkeyes this year!!

In my green 17 years of existence, I have already felt the pain of loss in rooting for my favorite team, the Iowa Hawkeyes. The ups and downs have been more like deep valleys and tiny hills, with brief periods of hope before the darkness wipes out my little candle of fandom again. Older sports fans, like those of the Cubs, Cleveland, or Philadelphia for example, might scoff at my apparent suffering with indifference, showing me the scars of a century's worth of losing. I still feel like I know what this pain feels like, that I experienced the swirling emotional whirlpool of rooting for MY team with a fervent passion and knowledge of my team that rivals even the ultimate fan. This losing has had some positive effects on me; it's caused me to meticulously pour over every detail of my teams, making sure I know the scoop on every player, every coach, every signing and every new recruit. I'm there for every single game, pushing homework and friends to the side so I can focus my energies on the game at end. The least my team can do for me is win a few right?? I begin to think, and find hope that every team has to win and have a great season once in awhile. But then my mind wonders to those Cubs fans, those victory-starved bleacher-creatures, and I think of all the other suffering fans in their 60s and 70s and 80s, and suddenly that long life of fandom waiting ahead of me doesn't sound so joyous.

Anyone familar with the Iowa Hawkeyes knows they have had as inconsistent a history and tradition as any program in the nation. They have been around forever, one of the oldest football playing schools in the country, but they sure haven't always been good. But the depression definitely started early for my Hawkeyes, who have the disadvantage of playing in the smallest state in the Big Ten, with a fairly small recruiting base to work with, crappy weather, nothing but boring farmlands outside Iowa City, and a pretty average athletic budget to work with. Iowa City does have its share of unique perks and charms, a quaint little college town that is just quintessential Midwest, a great/fun place to be with incredible people who live there. The Iowa people are some of the most kind, honest, and down-to-earth that you are going to meet anywhere in the world, and they are known for supporting the Hawkeyes through thick and thin. Kinnick is always full, even in those losing decades of the 60s and 70s, and it just is a great feeling to see these great people of Iowa rewarded for their loyalty with some success. But I'm digressing talking about the place I love so much. Iowa's depression started early, where after churning out some fantastic championship teams in the early 1920s, our coach left for USC, where he turned them into a power and made a name for himself. We weren't very good for awhile after that, until the legendary Ironmen team of 1939 came along. This team led the people of Iowa out of the Great Depression (how ironic), inspiring them with their tough play and huge upsets over Knute Rockne's famous Notre Dame team and Big Ten powerhouse Minnesota. We were led by a fearsome offensive line and our do-it-all Heisman winner, Nile Kinnick himself, our stadium's namesake. Kinnick scored touchdowns with his passing and running, along with playing some defense, kicking our field goals and extra points, and even punting. A lot of punting in fact, including 8 beauties in the win over Notre Dame. Other Hawkeyes have gotten close, but Kinnick is still the only Heisman winner in school history. Soon after graduating, Kinnick enlisted in the Air Force. His plane crashed into the ocean on a training mission, a great man lost but a great legend just beginning. Keep in mind I wasn't born until 1991, so we have a ways to go here before we can fully appreciate my depression; we are merely tracing the roots. The 1950s were a fabulous time for the Iowa Hawkeyes, perhaps the best decade ever next to the 1980s, but of course with these highs would come the stunning lows of the next 2 decades. In the 50s, we would have two Rose Bowl winning teams under Forest Evashevski, including one national championship in 1956, the only Hawkeye coach to garner such an honor even though the only way of deciding it back then was the vote of a magazine. Evashevski departed in stunning fashion at the end of the decade, choosing instead to take the AD position. This changed Iowa's fortunes for 20 years, and everyone wonders what could have happened or how different Iowa's tradition would have been if Evashevski had remained coach while he was on top of the world. It might have even affected Iowa's tradition to this day. It just seems like throughout Hawkeye history, as soon as taste the top, we are cruelly brought back down to earth. Two decades and no winning seasons, with Iowa becoming one of the worst programs in the nation and a coaching graveyard. People questioned whether it was even possible to win at Iowa. But then a smooth-talking Texan from football-crazed Odessa came wondering in from North Texas, wondering how a team with such crappy performance on the field could grab such loyal fan support. Fry fell in love with the program, the state, and the people, and vowed to rebuild the program back up to elite levels. He sure did that, and then some. The 1980s were a golden time in all of Hawkeye athletics, with Fry taking over, the wrestling team winning championship after championship under the iconic Dan Gable, and the basketball team a resident national power under Lute Olson , George Raveling, and then Tom Davis. A Final Four, Elite 8, and other deep runs into the tournament were all dreams realized in this incredible Hawkeye heaven. But back to football. It didn't take long for Fry to live up to his promises and re-establish Iowa, taking them to an unprecedented Rose Bowl in 1981 and not slowing down after that. Fry turned Iowa into a top 25 and top 10 team every year, getting them into bowl game after bowl game and back to another Rose Bowl in 1985, where we were even ranked number 1 for a long period of time and had our QB, CHuck Long, finish runner-up in the Heisman running to Bo Jackson in the closest race ever. Bowl game after bowl game, year after year, including a 55-10 butt-kicking of Texas in the Freedom Bowl and a victory over Tennessee in the Peach Bowl. Under Fry, we could do no long. Only one bowl-less season in the entire decade. 1990 came, and another Rose Bowl in the books. Keep in mind, Fry didn't win any of these Rose Bowls, laying more foundation for my depression. 1991 was anothr amazing season, with ten wins and one loss that was enough to keep the Big Ten title out of our paws. There was a tiny stretch where it appeared Fry lost it, and Iowa had a string of average losing or .500 win seasons, but then in the mid-90s (1995-97) Fry got some fantastic players such as running backs Sedrick Shaw and Tavian Banks, defensive lineman Jared DeVries, offensive lineman Mike Goff, and of course, legendary speedster Tim Dwight, and the team got back to national prominence and playing in important bowl games once again. This is when I really started going to games as a kid, and following the Iowa Hawkeyes as much as I could. I had posters and Tim Dwight trading cards, jerseys and leftover programs scattered throughout. I loved watching Dwight take back all those punts for touchdowns, even if I couldn't fully appreciate it at those times. The sad thing is though, we never fully took advantage of Dwight and put together the great seasons experts thought we would have during this brief era of success for Coach Fry. A few puzzling losses would always place us firmly in average territory or take us out of championship contention, a trend that has plagued Iowa for a long time. Recruiting got tougher for Fry, and he couldn't get the players that he used to, as Iowa was slipping out of the ranks of the elite and other programs were rising to the top as national powerhouses. Fry eventually retired gracefully at the end of the 1998 season, a bittersweet day for all Hawkeye fans as we were ready to move on but we didn't know if we could ever get a coach as amazing as Hayden Fry. It is fitting to my depression in this story to tell you that Fry's last game was a loss to Minnesota. There were a lot of potential replacements for Fry, as he left behind him a tree of top-notch assistants that makes up a large portion of the elite coaches at the D1 level today. Most Hawkeye fans wanted Bob Stoops, a former player in the 1980s and assistant as well. Instead we hired Kirk Ferentz; most fans were disappointed with the hire even before Stoops led Oklahoma to the 2000 national championship while Ferentz went 1-10 and 3-9 in his 1st two years on the job. To be fair, the cupboard was left totally bare from Fry's lazy last few recruiting years at the University, and Ferentz had almost nothing to work with. Those who really payed attention could see the signs of improvement in 2000, as the Hawks pulled out upset victories over Michigan State and Big Ten champion Northwestern. But that was still pretty weak in comparison to the big shiny championship being won over in Norman. Iowa continued to show steady signs of progress, however, and went 7-5 in 2001 with an exciting Alamo Bowl victory over Texas Tech. This was my 1st bowl game to go to, and I was excited to be a Hawkeye. I guess that's in my black and gold blood to get excited over a 7-5 season. Nothing could prepare Hawkeye fans for the amazing 3-year run about to begin, starting with the shocking 2002 undefeated Big Ten championship. After an early loss to Iowa State (again) after being up big, Hawkeye fans got mentally prepared for another average year. What nobody expected was an 8-0 Big Ten campaign with thrilling victory after thrilling victory, fueled by fantastic offensive/defensive balance. We had a mammoth offensive line, a speedy running threat in Fred Russell, and Heisman runner-up Brad Banks throwing to John Mackey Award winner Dallas Clark, perhaps the best tight end ever at the school. The defense was full of legends as well, everyone from Bob Sanders to Matt Roth to that linebacking corp of Chad Greenway, Abdul Hodge, and Howard Hodges. And there was that kicker too, Lou Groza award winner Nate Kaeding, who didn't miss a kick all season. Just a phenomenally talented team, and gave me some of my greatest Hawkeye memories. Of course, it had to end in a 38-17 drubbing at the hands of USC, even after we took the opening kick back for a touchdown, but that still couldn;t take the shine off the season. Next year we went 10-3 with a big play offense and near-flawless defense/special teams, destroying a favored Florida team in the Outback Bowl. And the next year we lost all of our running backs to injury and had a brand new, scrawny little QB from Texas named Drew Tate to lead us. Nobody expected great or even good things, but thanks to a lot of heart along with a little defense and Tate magic thrown in there we ended up getting exactly what we didn't expect. We started the year at 2-2 with a blowout loss to Arizona State and a tough defeat at the hands of Michgian, but rebounded to win 7 in a row, making us Big Ten champs again and getting us a trip to Florida for the Capital One Bowl to play LSU. A back and forth game, it looked like we were going to end up on the losing side as the Hawks looked confused and distraught with the ball at midfield and only seconds to play. Then Tate made perhaps the biggest play in Hawkeye history, a 50-yard bomb of a Hail Mary pass to little used senior wideout Warren Holloway for the game-winning touchdown, the 1st of his career. This vaulted Tate to superstardom and Iowa to another top 8 season at 10-2. Most old sports suffering curdmudgeons would scoff at me in disbelief, wondering how I could be depressed after witnessing the best 3 year stretch in Hawkeye history. Unfortunately I didn't even fully appreciate this time; I was a young kid and thought that this would go on forever, that this was the way things were in Iowa City. Oh, how I was mistaken. When something this good is ripped away from you so fast, it makes it harder than never having it at all.

2005 began with monstrously high expectations, with almost all our players coming back from the Big Ten championship team of a year ago. We were a consensus top 8 squad, with Athlon magazine even predicting a national championship. It seemed as if the Hawkeyes were legit contenders for the 1st time in a very long time, and the fans sure deserved it. Unfortunately, we didn't get what we expected. After Tate was knocked out of the game with a head-rocking concussion, we lost a horribly played offensive game to our in-state rivals, Iowa State, and then got absolutely crushed at The Horseshoe by Ohio State, exacting a large measure of revenge for our historic victory over them at Kinnick the year before. The fans accepted the fact that our championship dreams were probably out of the picture at this point, but there was still hope that if Tate could stay healthy than a Big Ten title wasn't out of the question. Close losses to Michigan and Northwestern made sure it was. Both games were fairly well played by our guys, we just got incredibly unlucky and each defeat was equally painful for its own reasons. We lost to Michigan at Kinnick, our 1st loss there in more than 3 years, in overtime with a raucous Blackout crowd behind us, and then lost to Northwestern after having a two touchdown lead with barely 2-minutes left, thanks to a stunning onside kick recovery. We ended the year at 7-4, 3rd place in the Big Ten, with the taste still lingering for much more. No one in Hawkeye land was panicking just yet, however, as half of our losses were close and things could have turned out much differently. The program was still in the great hands of Kirk Ferentz. Keep in mind the summer of 2005, before the season began, Ferentz had signed an extremly lucrative extension all the way into 2012, so expectations were championship worthy for the old coach, as NFL teams came knocking for him every offseason and the university wanted to make sure he stuck around. That year we played in the Outback Bowl again, a rematch against Florida. This one turned out much differently. Florida got a big lead on us early, but Tate played brilliantly and led the comeback charge, getting us back in the game down by only a touchdown. After an onside kick attempt was recovered by Chad Greenway, we controlled the momentum and it looked like we had a chance to win this thing. Not so fast, according to the stunningly incompetent fuck-up of a referee who called offsides on Greenway after the recovery. Multiple viewings of the replay since then have occured, and still I can't find any semblance of offsides from Greenway. Not even close. This was a complete phantom call and one seemingly made for dubious reasons; I have no other explanation for how such a call could be made when it wasn't even close to being offsides. We shouldn't have put ourselves in such a situation in the 1st place, but then again we shouldn't have these horrible refs participating in any sport either. Hopefully he's been fired and relegated to YMCA by now. Of course we lost the game, finishing the year at a disappointing 7-5. Well 2006 began with renewed hope, as Tate was back for his senior season, the offensive line looked tough and senior laden, Albert Young was coming back after a fabulous Big Ten campaign, and finally our young defensive line that had shown so much progress as the 2005 season wore on returned fully intact, led by All-Big Ten performer Kenny Iwebema. The year started off just as Hawkeye fans had hoped, 4-0 with victories over Montana, Syracuse, Iowa State, and Illinois. A somewhat disturbing trend in all these wins though was how none of these teams were good at all and we all struggled at some point to pull out the victory. Tate was banged up again, sitting out the Syracuse game and struggling with an abdominal tear. Either way, we were undefeated heading into that legendary College Gameday showdown at Kinnick against Ohio State, with perhaps the best crowd ever to witness a game instead the historic stadium. Unfortunately our performance didn't live up to the hype, even with Lee Corso picking Iowa, as boneheaded plays on both sides of the ball sparked any chance of competitiveness and we lost 38-17. It just seems fitting that one of the best moments in Iowa history has to be destroyed by such poor play. But the next week we came out and just throttled Purdue for Homecoming, and it looked like we were back on track to an above-average season. Nothing could prepare Hawkeye fans for the epic collapse we were about to witness. It started with the shocking loss at Indiana, after being up 21-7. Notorious Iowa-killer James Hardy pulled down numerous clutch grabs, and Hawkeye fans were shocked. The next week was Michigan at the Big House, a defensive battle where our man Drew got knocked around like a rag doll before Mike Hart sealed the Wolverines win with some tough yardage/touchdowns. Tate sat out the next week, a home contest against Northern Illinois, and we didn't play very well once again but backup QB Jake Christensen did a nice job managing the game to lead us to the much-closer-than-the-score 24-14 victory. A brief glimpse of hope, only to be shattered by a brutal trifecta of season-ending losses. 1st we get absolutely crushed and embarassed by a below-average Northwestern team 21-7 at Kinnick, then lose on Senior Day thanks to a mistake-filled performance by Tate and the wideouts to Wisconsin 24-21. Perhaps we could get a victory at the Metrodome over a bowl-less, hapless Minnesota squad to reclaim the Floyd of Rosedale for the 5th year in a row? Nope. Tate totally lost control in this one, trying to do it all himself but instead just making himself look bad with interceptions and outbursts at whoever could take his wrath, smacking incompetent wideout Herb Grigsby on the head after a brutal drop. He was even briefly benched so that he could cool down. Tate did make some Tate-worthy plays in this one, but it wasn't enough to overcome the early mistakes and the Gophers took us out. We were lucky even to get invited to a bowl game, let alone the pretty decent Alamo Bowl for an exciting matchup against Texas. Attendance and viewer records were broken at the Alamodome and on ESPN, and the Hawks did give us something to be proud of. We jumped out to a 14 point lead thanks to stunning touchdowns by Albert Young and Andy Brodell, who juked future NFL cornerback Aaron Ross out of his shoes on a screen pass for the long score. A questionable illegal shift call took back a Scott Chandler touchdown that would have made it 21-0, and on the next play Tate threw a pick. It was all downhill from there. Texas found new energy and started playing like they should have been from the start, dominating both sides of the ball. The amazing Brodell scored again to keep us in the game, but we just ran out of gas and the 1st losing season since 2000 was upon Kirk Ferentz and the Iowa program. This year was a tough one to take, because at 1st glance we had the talent and should have been able to compete and win more games than we did, as we all showed against Texas in the Alamo Bowl when we took one of the most talented squads in the country to the brink of defeat. It was a complete mental collapse, and Tate's injuries affected him more than he let on. The whole team became a mess, a sign of things to come as Iowa would arrive at the lowest nadir of my brief time rooting for them. This is how we got to the point Iowa football is at now; 18 players arrested since April '07, that nationally top-10 ranked draft class of '05 becoming a total bust with players leaving or getting put in jail, a 6-6 season and the 1st bowl-less year since 2000. The shine has rubbed off the program, and with allegations of a cover-up being out there on this sexual assault PR nightmare, questions are all over the place about the integrity and credibility of the whole athletic department. We are no longer the bully of the Big Ten, and Kirk Ferentz is going to have a tough time still riding the coattails of that amazing 3-year stretch. I don't know what the future holds for Iowa, not even the immediate one, but there is nothing I can do but show up at my familar seat every Saturday and cheer my black and gold boys on, no matter what else is happening. Sometimes, even when you know there's going to be an immovable obstacle in the way, you just have to keep going on and perservering for something you love. And that's just Iowa football! But those brief little snippets of joy I get keep me coming back each time, even if the depression mounts and often threatens to overtake those little good times. Now, on to my favorite, the Steve Alford era of Iowa basketball (cries passionately)!!

I started semi-following Iowa basketball in the last years of the Tom Davis era, and I remember my dad sharing the sentiment of a lot of spoiled Hawkeye fans and encouraging the ousting of Davis and his full-court pressure, substitution-heavy style of coaching. Davis had led Iowa to consistent success, leading us to an Elite 8 in 1987 with George Raveling's talent before getting us into the tournament basically every season, but hardly ever advancing past the 2nd round or the Sweet 16. This was great, stable success, but fans wanted that elusive Big Ten championship that only Lute Olson had given us back in 1979-80, and a Final Four run. But the era of college basketball was changing, and Iowa was having a tougher time recruiting and keeping up with the big powers. Davis's last year was a brilliant Sweet 16 send off, but Hawkeye fans were ready for the Alford era to begin. Alford was a young hot-shot with slicked-back hair and a swagger earned from three point heroics and a national championship at Indiana under the legendary Bob Knight. Alford was fresh off a Sweet 16 of his own at Southwest Missouri, a shocker for the Cinderella squad, and he was considered to be one of the most sought after young coaches in the country. Iowa fans would soon discover Alford's obnoxious, pompous arrogance, and it seemed apparent that he was only using the Iowa job to step up the ladder to his dream position of Indiana. A lot of promise and hope was given, and Iowa fans thought they had the right guy at 1st, but it didn't take long to figure out that this was a bad deal. Attendance steadily declined as the team's became more average and more fans were turned off by Alford's very un-Iowa attitude and air of superiority. Carver was not a consistent bastion of sell-outs that it used to be. The Alford era ended at the end of the 2007 season with a total of 3 NCAA appearances, 2 Big Ten tournament titles, and 1 NCAA tournament win, not quite basement-worthy but definitely not the numbers fans expected and Alford contributed heavily in driving the program and fan's interest in basketball into the ground. Alford's lack of any real system and reliance on his star players contributed to some stunningly bad losses, with the occasional big win to generate hope. It was just a tough time, because hardly any of the fans respected Alford but he would give us such a glimpse of hope that it was hard to let him go. Take the 2005-06 season for example. This is one of the most beloved teams in Iowa history, filled with hometown seniors such as Greg Brunner and Jeff Horner, finishing 2nd in the Big Ten regular season and winning the conference tournament in fantastic fashion. They were hardworking and they all seemed to genuinely like each other, and there was honestly a lot of talent, even if they didn't wow you athletically. They ended up getting a 3 seed in the tournament, only to lose to Northwestern State in one of the biggest Cinderella upsets of all time. The team was up big most of the contest, before giving up a huge run at the end, missing a potentially game-sealing free throw (Brunner none the less), and letting those devils from Louisiana hit an absurd game-winning three pointer and send Hawkeye fans home from the bars literally soaked in their own tears that day. It is one of the most depressing days I can remember in my entire life, just because so much was expected of this team, and because Alford was so close to being absolved. This game in itself just proved how poor of a coach Alford was, as if the evidence wasn't already there. That team of Reggie Evans and Luke Recker from 2001 relied way too much on those two stars, but luckily the amazing hardwork of Reggie Evans led us to an improbable Big Ten tourney title and a tournament win over Creighton, amazingly the only one in Alford's tenure. That's back when Alford's teams had promise, when people still expected greatness, before all those NITs and inconsistent performances, poor nonconferences barely saved by some miracle tourney run to get us into a March Madness party we really didn't deserve to be in. Now we have arrived to this, the Lickliter era, where we only had 2 sellouts all season, barely 9,000 showing up for conference contests!! 13-19, 6-12 in the conference, worst overall record in school history. Struggling to score 50 points, star players leaving, coaches speaking of the Butler Way instead of what should be the Iowa Way. I believe in Lickliter to rebuild things more than anyone else, and I really think he can do it and win big at this level, especially with the extremly promising recruiting class he just hauled in. I didn't like his negative body language on the sidelines, his forcing out of Tony Freeman just because he didn't fit the system, his obnoxious references to this system and the Butler Way of doing things; it is time to realize that what he did at Butler is relevant to what he did at Butler, and to focus his entire energy into defining an Iowa Way. Next year is only phase two of the rebuilding process, but if improvement isn't shown, Iowa basketball may be entering another dark period under an overmatched mid-major coach. I want to believe in Lickliter, I really do, but I'm like a used up prostitute who just doesn't know who I can trust anymore. I think he's the right man for the job, but I thought Alford was too, and look where he left us. Basketball is my sport, a sport where the thumping beat of that orange globe follows the same beat of my heart. I want us to succeed to badly, and I want butts back in those seats! The time is coming for me to get out of this depression; taking off these black and gold shades might help, but I'm just not willing to do it. I love them too damn much

Atlanta Hawks-Atlanta didn't have a pick in this year's draft thanks to the Joe Johnson trade, and that's worked out pretty darn well for them so I doubt they are regretting it. Atlanta is coming off one of their best seasons in years, making the playoffs and pushing the eventual NBA champion Boston Celtics to seven games in the 1st round. They are a young and athletic team full of slashers and deadly swingmen, and all of their inexperienced players are emerging and starting to come into their own. Josh Smith is developing into an all-around star if he can keep playing hard and improving, while Johnson is the established leader and main scorer. Bibby seems to have solidified the point guard spot with his scoring ability and proven clutch leadership, while Josh Childress and Marvin Williams also provide some explosive scoring threats. They need to play more disciplined, with more consistency, and better overall defense, but the talent is there and these are all things they can work on.

Boston Celtics-The NBA's most legendary franchise and 2008 world champs had the last picks in the 1st and 2nd rounds, tough spots to get immediate contributors. THey definitely landed a hit or miss player in New Mexico's JR Giddens, an incredible athlete and scorer with a bevy of off-the-court issues that he managed to put behind him last year, when he had a great season. A stabbing incident caused him to leave Kansas, but hey, maybe he can fit right in with Paul Pierce. In all seriousness, maybe all the great character vets and leaders on this Celtics team will have a positive influence on Giddens and he can become a valuable bench scorer/shooter, sort of like an Eddie House role. This would be the best case scenario for Boston. They already have their veteran superstar core and the right number of role players, but an explosive offensive player off the bench would be nice and Giddens could be that guy if he gets his act together. If he doesn't, it's definitely not going to be the end of the world for Beantown. They picked up some Turkish guy with the last pick of the draft, but apparently he has some of the most polished skills of any second-round Euro and he could potentially take over Brian Scalabrine's role as 12th man!!

Charlotte Bobcats-The new Larry Brown-coached Bobcats made some questionable picks in this draft, but these are picks that have the potential to pay off down the road. SOmetimes I just wonder about Micheal Jordan's competence as a general manager; his draft picks just have never been good ones since he's been running teams, starting with Kwame Brown in Washington. That just happened to be the worst number 1 pick in NBA lore. But Larry Brown is one of the most proven coaches in league history, and also one of the biggest mercenaries. If he succeeds in rebuilding Charlotte, I'm sure he will bolt, and while it may be tough to construct a championship team out of this squad it is not a huge stretch to say they can make the playoffs in the generally weak East. With their top pick the Bobcats selected DJ Augustin, point guard from Texas. Augustin has phenomenal talent, with a Steve Nash-like control of the court and similar moves and style of play, but there questions about his size and how he will fare on defense. I have no question his playmaking and scoring are up to NBA levels however, and I think they have found a good one here. This might mean the end of the Raymond Felton era in Charlotte as well, which is kind of puzzling because I thought he showed some promise in running the fast pace that Charlotte wants. Larry Brown must have wanted a new point to run HIS team though, and it looks like he got it. Also in the 1st round, they got Alexis Ajinca, a super-tall Frenchman who reminds too many people of the guy Vince Carter dunked on in the 2000 Olympics. Not a good thing. He has a lot of versatile skills and a lot of teams see potential with his size and overall game, but he hasn't put up the numbers on the court yet in his French league and he may not have it all together just yet. Charlotte got themselves a big man project, but they do need more depth and size in the paint. I like their second round pickup of Kyle Weaver, a long and athletic guard from Washington State. Not much of a shooter, but a smart player and a great athlete who will able to provide some depth and brains for this fast paced team. A less beastly Gerald Wallace.

Chicago Bulls-You definitely can't get mad at the Bulls for taking advantage of their number 1 pick and selecting point guard Derrick Rose out of Memphis, the most NBA-ready point guard in the draft and someone with the game/maturity to step up and lead a team right now. Chicago has always had a need for more post scoring, so Beasley might have been a great choice here as well, but Rose gives the franchise stability and a big name to lead the new charge with Vinny Del Negro at the head coaching spot. The Bulls already had a nice point guard with Kirk Hinrich, but apparently the Bulls management didn't think he had control of this team or the ability to lead them to that next level. That, and the Bulls had a crappy season last year. Rose has incredible speed and athleticism, along with a body/size built for driving in the NBA and playmaking ability in all areas of the court that rival any point guard in the NBA. Some people question his shooting ability, but they did the same with Chris Paul and look where he is at. The Bulls needed organazational stability and a face of the franchise, and they got it in this hometown boy. Rose should be able to be the point guard here for a long time. Their second rounder, Omar Asik, apparently is a high-energy, tough-nosed big man in the same vein as Anderson Varejao, but contract issues will make it hard for him to get over here and play in America. There's little risk with a pick like that in the 2nd round though.

Cleveland Cavaliers-This one man army got some fairly nice help for Lebron, especially in the post providing replacements for Joe Smith and more big men depth. None of their selections really stood out, and I doubt anybody is going to be proclaiming that Lebron's supporting cast is exemplary or anything like that, but they got some potentially impact players. JJ Hickson, an athletic power forward from NC State, was their 1st round selection. Hickson has a lot of raw athleticism and finishing ability around the rim, with the potential to be a long-term power forward to take over for Smith. Darnell Jackson, power forward from Kansas, is a potential second round sleeper as well. He is big strong body who can finish around the rim, rebound, and do the dirty work to help the team win. He could be a very valuable role player. Sasha Kaun, center from Kansas,is a high energy banger at best who would be able to spell Big Z occasionally, but he will probably be playing in Europe.

Dallas Mavericks-Dallas may be cleaning up their team a little bit, giving them a new look after a couple years of hitting the wall in the playoffs. Can Dirk lead this team back to championship level like they were a few years ago before the collapse against the Heat?? I'm not sure this team has the mental toughness or chemistry to get back to that level, and the 2nd round selection of Shan Foster isn't going to change anything. Foster is a fantastic shooter from Vanderbilt, but Dallas has a wealth of guards and athletic swingmen type of players and he isn't even likely to make the team. Dallas still has plenty of talent but it will be interesting to see if they keep their whole team intact.

Denver Nuggets-The Nuggets are full of talented athletes and explosive one-on-one scorers, but they've hit the 1st round wall of the playoffs for a couple of years in a row now and their inability to play as a team or play any semblance of defense has been their Waterloo. It's amazing a team with Melo and AI can't get out of the 1st round, but stockpiling scorers apparently isn't a formula for success. The Nuggets didn't see any immediate impact player left on the board, so they waited until the 2nd round to fulfill their selection of Sonny Weems, another explosive athlete from Arkansas who should fit right in the Nuggets' high octane offense. I doubt his impact will be felt much though

Detroit Pistons-Detroit had 3 second round picks, so at best they are building up their bench with future depth. The savvy veteran Detroit core has been there for awhile, and after winning their championship they have been on a slow decline and it seems as if they have maximized their potential for success with the current group and it may be time to rebuild in a different direction. Walter Sharpe, out of UAB, is a great athlete who could be a great contributor and high energy scorer off the bench or a total bust who never sees the court. Detroit picked him pretty high in the 2nd round so I guess they thought it was worth the risk. Trent Plaisted, center out of BYU, is a pretty solid, unflashy pick. This guy will probably play in the D-league or something like that, but then again Detroit needs more big bodies with Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyss playing center. Their last pick was Deron Washington out of Virginia Tech, an incredible leaper who is one of the most "Youtubed" athletes of all time. He has thrown down some crazy dunks and plays with a lot of energy, but his game may be too raw for the NBA.

Golden State Warriors-Not sure about their pick of Anthony Randolph, the super-skinny power forward with a Chris Bosh-like skill set out of LSU. Randolph has loads of potential to be a superstar-caliber player with his length, athleticism, and all-around game but it is going to take him a year or 2 of development and the Warriors already got a similar player/project in Brandan Wright last year. If one of them pans out Golden State will have a perfect big man for their run and gun system. I really like their pick of Richard Hendrix in the second round, a power forward out of Alabama who could be a great role player with his athleticism and defensive ability.

Houston Rockets-My hometown team's major needs were an athletic backup slasher for T-Mac and a big strapping post-up player in case the injury-prone Yao Ming has foot problems again. THey pulled off a mind-numbing series of trades to nab Donte Greene out of Syracuse, Joey DOrsey from Memphis, and Marty Leunen out of Oregon. I actually really like their draft, I just don't understand why they didn't draft Greene right away, unless they thought they couldn't get Dorsey without a possible trade. Greene averaged about 18 points a game as a freshman last season, heaving up threes at a stunning rate but showing off his range and his wide yet undeveloped skill set along with his 6 foot 9 size. Greene could develop into a perfect backup for McGrady because he is athletic, he has the size, and he can shoot, but he just must develop better decision-making for his game and not shoot so many threes, working on other areas of his talent. Dorsey might play right away; he has intimidating size and athletic ability, and he is the quinessential dirty work player. He grabs boards, blocks shots, and can finish easily around the rim. If he can get his act together he will make either Chuck Hayes or Carl Landry expendable. Leunen is a good shooting big man but there is probably no room for him on this roster.

Indiana Pacers-Larry Bird and the Pacers took a big step in their re-building process and in defining the identity of their team right before the draft, when they traded away Jermaine O'Neal's corpse for ultra-fast point guard TJ Ford and Rasho Nesterovic, along with another pick and a European player. They also traded away oft-injured post scorer Ike Diogu for a backup point guard, the very solid Jarrett Jack, and former Duke star Josh McRoberts. To top it all off, they ended up landing Kansas star swingman Brandon Rush (his sharpshooting brother Kareem already plays for Indiana) and Georgetown 7-footer Roy Hibbert. Indiana looks like they have a team built for versatility and fast-breaking, playing a breakneck pace reminiscent of Nellie-ball. The addition of Ford essentially makes the injury-prone zombie of Jamaal Tinsley expendable, and Ford will be the key to Indiana's fast tempo with his electric speed and playmaking ability. Jack played very well for Portland last season and has the body and decision-making to spell Ford without making many mistakes, but neither guy is much of a shooter or offensive juggernaut. McRoberts might get some burn because of his athleticism and ability to run the floor for easy buckets, while Rasho is a plodding big man who provides a rare big body down low. Brandon Rush has all the athleticism and versatile talent of a superstar player, but he was often too unselfish in college during his career and he deferred to his teammates instead of taking over games. Rush can play multiple positions and with his skill set he should be able to find a great fit here. Hibbert is big and strong and he can score in a variety of ways all around the rim, but he can be slow in his moves and getting up the court and I'm not sure how he fits the up-tempo system. They need more post players in Indiana though and I thought Hibbert was really underrated in college, not getting the ball enough from his teammates. Overall I thought a really good, refreshing draft/makeover for Indiana.

Los Angeles Clippers-The poor Clips will always be looked upon as a second-tier team not only in their own city but in the NBA. Even when I thought they were going places with guys like Elton Brand and Shaun Livingston and Corey Maggette a few years ago, Livingston ends up tearing his knee into a gazillion pieces, Elton Brand gets hurt, Maggette wants out, and the Clippers are right back where they were before. They did have a very solid draft, however, that can do nothing but help this apparently cursed franchise for the future. They could have really used a point guard in case Livingston's career is over, but instead they took Indiana shooting guard Eric Gordon. This is the only real gripe I have with their draft, even though Gordon is a phenomenally talented player. He has a beautiful stroke, athletic ability, and perimeter scoring skills out the wazoo but his mental game really got flipped upside down last season when the coach resigned and they had all that mess at Indiana. That really hurt his development and messed up the great year he was having, but he has all the offensive skills to be a talented guard in this league. It would be even nicer if he could grab some point guard skills as well, since he will more than likely be labeled as a tweener if he sticks at the 2. L.A. picked the best player available, but DJ Augustin might have fit a more pressing need. In the second round they landed Texas A&M big man DeAndre Jordan and former Iowa State guard Mike Taylor, who played with the Idaho Stampede last year. Jordan is a 7-footer with crazy length, quickness, and leaping ability for his size, but he didn't play consistently hard or good besides the occasional jaw-dropping dunk and in turn his minutes were reduced significantly as the year wore on, to the point where he only played 5-6 minutes in some contests. It has to raise some concerns when a guy plays that little, but Jordan has a lot of potential to be scary-good player and taking him in the second round is good because there is no risk for his talent. Taylor was a talented combo guard back in college who could shoot and fill it up in a hurry, but take away the athleticism and the scoring ability and there were a lot of off-the-court issues that got him kicked out of Iowa State. He also had some questionable decision making and three point heaving on the court as well. It appears as if he tuned up his game and attitude in the D-league last year though and if he can keep it up this guy could be a serious sleeper pick and factor at one of the guard spots for the Clippers next season.

Los Angeles Lakers-This year's Finals runner-ups didn't land any impact players in the draft because they traded their 1st round selection to get Pau Gasol; he admittedly played like a complete pussy in the Finals but his offensive skills down low played a huge role in LA even getting there, so I have to give the Lakers credit for that one. In the 2nd round they picked up Joe Crawford, the leader and top scorer from last year's average Kentucky Wildcats squad. He could probably make a good NBA role player with his shooting ability and unselfishness but there is really no place for him on this team right now so he is D-League/Europe bound.

Memphis Grizzlies-These dudes are in serious rebuilding mode, just clearing out as much as possible in order to create cap space and build around some young stars. They have absolutely no fanbase and a ridiculously incompetent GM running things, but they did land some damn good players in this year's draft who should go a long way to making the Grizzlies a relevant team again. They needed a big man so trading away Kevin Love maybe wasn't the smartest move ever, but I'm still not so sure he is going to make a good pro anyway. I am sure that OJ Mayo, guard from USC, is a certified stud and that he can do all the things NBA guards are expected to do. He has crazy athletic ability, he plays tough defense, and he has all the offensive skills. Along with Rudy Gay, these two form quite the star scoring duo, and with Gay already here Mayo can be more of a complimentary player, which I think is perfect for his skill set. They also landed Darell Arthur, power forward from Kansas, fairly late in the draft and after a brutal series of trades thanks to concerns about his kidneys. Arthur has lottery-type talent, with great athleticism and scoring ability down low, along with clutch theatrics and an unselfish winners attitude that he displayed as Kansas went on to win the NCAA championship last year. It's amazing he fell this far and he is going to have to play right away in the post for Memphis. The Grizz also got ride of sharpshooter Mike Miller and the abysmal contract of perenially bald Brian Cardinal just to get Mayo, but they also landed the equally abysmal contract of Marco Jaric in the process. Jaric was a serious bust who hasn't done anything since his contract year, but Memphis is so overloaded at the guard spots right now that I would be shocked to ever see this guy play in a Memphis uniform. Still don't know why they accepted another bad contract when their whole goal is purifying themselves of those. That's Chris Wallace for you.

Miami Heat-The Miami Heat also had a fantastic draft, and much of that thanks can go to Micheal Beasley, Kansas State phenom, at number 2. The Heat aren't as far out of the Eastern title picture as people believe, especially if second round pick Mario Chalmers out of Kansas can develop into the point guard they want him to be so they can finally get rid of White Chocolate and Smush Parker. Miami's roster of D-leaguers and washed up vets at the end of last season was laughable, an NBA version of The Replacements. They were playing their asses off just to score 60 a night. But if you look at who they have coming back and factor in the injuries from last season, these guys still have a top-5 player in Dwayne Wade, who just 3 years ago put up one of the best Finals performances ever, Shawn Marion, and now Beasley, three superstar players. They need the ultra-clutch, hard-nosed Chalmers to develop into the point guard of the future fast and they could really use a big man and some more depth, but star talent is here for the Heat to win right now and at least get back in the Eastern playoffs if everyone can stay healthy. The only concerns everyone keeps harping on with Beasley is his off the court lifestyle, and if he's going to lose focus and just party his ass off on South Beach. The guy has done nothing wrong except go to one too many high schools, and his talent level and versatility is off the charts. His stats are so unbelieveable from last year that he actually put Durant to shame. He is so smooth for a guy his size, can score in so many ways, rebound, shoot the three, and when he decides to play defense, which he doesn't always like to do, he can be a deadly defender as well. Just an all-around superduperstar and if he can keep his head on straight he will be a serious player for Miami and a great inside complement to Dwayne Wade. This could be a really fun team to watch next year, and they went a long way to getting back on the road to contending.

Milwaukee Bucks-These guys obviously have a win-now approach with the big trade they made before the draft, getting rid of the average Bobby Simmons and fresh Chinese swingman Yi Jianlian for veteran Richard Jefferson, a great athlete and do-it-all player who should be able to score 15-20 a game here and provide another consistent offensive force opposite Micheal Redd. But then they go and draft Joe Alexander from West Virginia, who plays the exact same position. Alexander is a fantastic player with crazy athleticism, a sweet shot, and competitive juices that just flow through his veins and should make him a hungry NBA player. Too bad he'll probably have to start the year off wowing crowds with his workouts and playing off the bench to back up Jefferson unless the Bucks want to go with an undersized lineup, which is a possibility. Love the player, not sure how it all fits in with the new trade. Then they go and draft another small forward in the second round with Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, from UCLA, a great athlete with lockdown defensive skills and a raw offensive game whom some are comparing to Bruce Bowen. That's great and all, but how much is he going to see the floor?? A definite logjam at the position, and it's hard to tell if the Bucks are thinking about the present or the future here.

Minnesota Timberwolves-I really like this draft for them; Al Jefferson was an absolute beast last year and showed that he can carry this team as a star, and the Wolves really went a long way toward getting the right players to plug the right holes and rebuild this team in the new KG-less era. They ended up drafting OJ Mayo and then trading him away for essentially Kevin Love, big man from UCLA, and MIke Miller from the Grizzlies. Miller is definitely an underrated pickup here, a fantastic shooter who will complement the other Wolves' players well and put up points right away. Love gives Jefferson a partner down low, a big body to draw double teams, knocking down open shots and finishing strong around the rim while also grabbing plenty of boards. I don't know if Love has the speed or athleticism to be an NBA star but he has quite the inside partner in Jefferson so he doesn't have to be relied on for everything in the paint and can just focus on all of his skills and the things he does well, like starting all those fast breaks with his fearsome outlet passes. Love/Jefferson is an undersized frontcourt, but one with a lot of toughness and size so I don't think Wolves fans should be worried. If Randy Foye and Rashad McCants can keep improving than this could be a sleeper team in the near future. In the 2nd round the Wolves grabbed Nikola Pekovic, apparently one of the best/toughest players in Europe. He is locked up in a messy contract with his Euro team though and he won't be making any impact over here for a long time.

New Jersey Nets-The Nets really made some good moves in the draft as well (really a great common sense draft for everyone), along with making the big trade of Richard Jefferson to clear cap room for the big Lebron sweepstakes in two years. There is a ton of speculation that with the Lebron-Jay-z friendship and the big media market in Brooklyn that Lebron will come here in 2010, and New Jersey is making no secret of their lust for him with this big cap-clearing trade. Let's just if they don't land Lebron when the time comes, they are gonna be kicking themselves in the head in Brooklyn. They ended up landing Bobby Simmons, a good defender and average body off the bench, and granting Yi Jianlian his wish to play in a bigger market and chance to play right away at small forward. They drafted Brook Lopez (the good one) out of Stanford, and he should definitely fit their everlasting need for a big man. He is obviously tall at over 7 feet, and he can score down low with the best of them. Should be able to step in right away and play, and they're really hoping that this big Walt Disney obsessed goofball can put his nerdy hobbies aside and become a star basketball player in the NBA. I think he has the size and talent to do it. In the 1st round the Nets also took Ryan Anderson out of Cal, one of the most underrated players in the draft and a deadly scorer who can fill it up. The only problem is Anderson plays the same position and style of basketball as Jianlian, so he may have to wait his turn for a little while off the bench. I really love their second round pick of Chris Douglas-Roberts, the star slasher from Memphis with all the quirky crossovers and stutter-steps. CDR has an array of funky moves to get his buckets, but he can fill it up with his scoring and should provide an athletic option in the high-octane offense the Nets are going to want to run. He should be a great option off the bench.

New Orleans Hornets-The Hornets sold their pick for cash in this draft, with most speculation turning towards them signing a big time free agent guard to come off the bench like Ben Gordon. The Hornets are young and talented, already set with their corp and not really in need of any more young talent that needs time to flourish on the bench. They honestly have what they need and just need another bench scoring option or two to push them to that championship contender level.

New York Knicks-Much to the chagrin of the crowd, the Knicks took Italian product Danilo Gallinari, whose dad played with coach Mike D'Antoni, but if everything the scouts say about this guy is true he has the chance to be a big time stud. He fills a position of need on the Knicks, a versatile froncourt star/small forward, and he brings a lot of toughness and experience from playing in one of the toughest Euroleagues. None of the good point guards in the draft were available for New York, so this was the best option they had in my opinion. If he can put on more strength he easily has the tools to be the next Euro star.

Orlando Magic-Great selection of Western Kentucky star Courtney Lee. May not be the flashiest pick or a real household name, but the Magic are in desperate need of a two (JJ Redick is essentially done and Keith Bogans is simply a bench player) and Lee has a lot of skills and he can stroke the three, which appears to be a must for the Magic these days. Not a star player by any means and probably not the best player left, but if he shows the same talent that he did in college than he will solidify a definite point of need on the Magic.

Philadelphia 76ers-With news of the Elton Brand signing just recently breaking on ESPN, the 76ers selection of Marreese Speights from Florida is a tad bit less exciting. Speights was selected to provide a wide body down low to give the team some post scoring, something they severely lacked with shot-blocker Samuel Dalembert and rebounding machine Reggie Evans down low. Now that 20-10 wizard Brand is with the team, all the questions about Speights' conditioning and work ethic can be put to rest, as Brand is essentially the pinnacle of what poor Marreese can hope to be. The high-energy Evans is sure to still get his minutes as well, so I'm not sure where this leaves Speights, but Philadelphia definitely settled their need for a halfcourt, offensive post presence with Brand and this draft did nothing to hurt their cause.

Phoenix Suns-The Suns are a team in transition, basically losing their championship window and not sure where they are going or what they want to do. They still have a seriously talented squad that shouldn't be taken lightly however, and in a shocking, unprecedented move they actually didn't trade their picks away for cash like usual and selected Robin Lopez (the average one) out of Stanford. Lopez fills their need for a defensive-minded, athletic big man who can run the floor and get transition buckets off the bench...he can spell Shaq, and is obviously in much better fast-breaking shape than the Diesel. Good value pick. In the second round they picked up European Goran Dragic, supposedly a nice pick. Dragic could be a good role player someday here, but like most cats from overseas the Suns are going to have to wait a little while before they reap the benefits.

Portland Trail Blazers-Portland once again made an array of brilliant, dizzying trades to land two players they wanted, Jerryd Bayless from Arizona and Nicolas Batum from France, getting rid of point guard Jarrett Jack in the process seeing as Bayless makes him expendable. Portland has built themselves quite a talented young team, one that should be competing game in and game out for many years to come. Bayless is a very strong, talented combo guard in the Chauncey Billups mold who can score in bunches, shoot the triple, and take over the point guard duties from Jack. He should be able to focus less on his scoring with guys like Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldrige to pass the ball to, easing his transition into full time point. Batum is a player with a ton of potential to be star, with great length, athletic ability, and flashes of scoring supremacy. But he didn't score a ton of points in Europe and his talent is still very unproven, thus making him a slight gamble, but the tantalizing snippets of skill seen on tape and the fact that Portland is already stocked with young talent makes this pick a lot less risky.

Sacremento Kings-The Kings made the big surprise move of the draft, taking the ultimate sleeper with the 12th pick in Jason Thompson out of tiny Rider. I know it must be an adrenaline rush to play the rebel and take the workout wonder from a small college, but I really wonder how this is going to pay off. From what I've seen Thompson is a big man with loads of talent and an inconsistent work ethic, and the Kings have a lot of young, improving talent that could just use another vet alongside Ron Artest to make them playoff regulars again. Thompson could be a nice surprise and step in and play well right away, but I just think there are better players they could have gotten here. In the second round the Kings picked up Sean Singletary of Virginia and Patrick Ewing Jr. from Georgetown. Singletary is tiny guy but he did huge things for Virginia, scoring loads of buckets while playing with a ton of heart. He has the skills and drive to earn minutes for an NBA team, especially one with the small amount of guard depth that Sac-town does, but with his size he is going to have a tough time guarding anyone in the league. Ewing is a great athlete who can do a lot of things well, but not one thing well enough to really be considered a legit NBA player. If anything he could provide some defensive energy off the bench, grabbing a few steals here or tipping a pass there.

San Antonio Spurs-The wily veterans made some smart, outside-the-box moves once again, keeping opponents on their toes while maintaining their image of the crafty think-tank that they are. They took IUPUI guard George Hill in the 1st round, a talented player who did it all for his team with lots of talent. I'm not sure he gives them the point guard depth that Mario Chalmers would have though, and this is one of those that makes it look like the Spurs were outthinking themselves. Still a good young player who should find a nice role on this crusty old team. In the second round the Spurs took Malik Hairston out of Oregon and James Gist from Maryland. Hairston could be a nice spot-up shooter and offensive force off the bench for San Antonio, who lacks in both the youth and bench scoring category, while Gist is a high-energy athlete who will have a tough time seeing the floor behind the rash of talented big guys SA employs.

Seattle (or Oklahoma City) Supersonics-The poor team in transition, much more literal than figurative, has a strong need for big men who can play NOW instead of these skinny projects they keep landing, and a point guard that they can commit to instead of having to jumble between Luke Ridnour and Earl Watson. They addressed their guard needs right away with the 4th pick, Russell Westbrook from UCLA. This may be a little high for talent level, but he is the player they wanted and the player they needed the most. Westbrook is an awesome athlete with loads of speed and tenacious defensive ability. He was one of the top 3 defenders in college hoops last season and the energy he will bring to the Sonics on that side of the ball is worth this high of a selection in itself. He is quick (as I've stated) and can push the ball in transition; he proved he can handle point guard duties as well when Darren Collison was out with an injury at UCLA last year. It looks like they found their guard of the future here, but he still needs to improve his shooting and overall offensive skills. The Sonics also picked up Serge Ibaka, one of 17 brothers and sisters from the Congo, DJ White from Indiana, and DeVon Hardin from California. Ibaka is a great athlete and defender, like seemingly every other African product, but didn't they get the same type of dude in Mohammed Saer Sene last year? They don't need another big man project!! Don't know how many times you have to say this. White gives them someone who could play right away, a tough and scrappy post player who competes with a reckless energy and should be able to grab boards and get some buckets down low. Hardin has defensive-stopper potential with his size and athleticism...God knows the Sonics need all the defense they can get.

Toronto Raptors-Toronto made a big decision (and also the right one) in getting rid of injury prone TJ Ford and finally committing to fan favorite Jose Calderon, the skilled Spainard, at point guard and also landing the half-dead Jermaine O'Neal in the trade. If O'Neal can re-discover his game and his passion for it, than he is one of the most talented low post players in the game and would be a fantastic inside complement to the slippery midrange game of Chris Bosh. That is a big if, however, and I don't know if Jermaine still has it in him. If he he does Toronto will have one seriously unguardable frontcourt. They still needed inside beef, however, and for immediate depth they grabbed Nathan Jawai out of Austrailia, a big strong player (quite a contrast to Andrew Bogut) who should provide some muscle off the bench right away.

Utah Jazz-The Jazz fulfilled their traditon of taking big stiff white guys by drafting Kosta Koufos of Ohio State, a pretty offensively skilled (and slow) big guy in the same vein as Mehmet Okur. He has the talent to play right away and back up Okur with similar skills, so this was actually a good selection if you can look past the laughable predictability of it. Ante Tomic of Croatia is a skilled yet thin Euro they took in the 2nd round, another young man from overseas who needs seasoning and American food in his belly before we can really judge him, and Tadija Dragicevic, the MVP of a smaller Euroleague who seems to have the talent, but like most Europeans, he is unproven. So no real risk in the second round for Utah, just some Euros who may or may not develop down the road.

Washington Wizards-The last team on my list is the Wizards, and since they couldn't hire a hitman to kill Lebron they took Javale Mcgee from Nevada instead. McGee has the potential to be a scoring star but he will likely ride the pine in Washington with all the superstars stars they have, which can only hurt his development. He showed flashes of star ability in college but he probably came out too early and I'm not sure if Washington has a place for this guy just yet.

The Big Ten is known for having the most tradition and the most loyal fans in college athletics, having been around the longest. The stadiums are the biggest, and the fans really take their sports seriously. I have a serious bias to my hometeam's old haunts of Kinnick Stadium and Carver-Hawkeye Arena, but I will do my best to judge the conference's best fairly.

Top Football Stadiums:
1. Beaver Stadium (Penn State)-Located in Happy Valley, Pennsylvania with a capacity of around 105,000 (but probably more), Beaver Stadium has a slight edge over Ohio Stadium in my book. It is one of the most scenic campuses and places to play football around, and there are few things cooler than white out Saturdays. The student section is one of the best around, and this stadium generates a ton of noise, unlike some of the "other" massive stadiums around. The "We Are Penn State" chant is also one of the best in the country. The sheer size, noise, and the beauty of it all makes this the best stadium in the Big Ten.
2. Ohio Stadium, or the "Horseshoe" (Ohio State)-Another massive, historic stadium located in Columbus, Ohio with a capacity around 105-106,000. As obnoxious as OSU fans usually are, they support their dominate football team very well and fill up this hulk of a stadium every Saturday. The "Shoe" generates tons of noise, one of the most intense atmospheres in college sports, and the fans are pretty close to the field as well. You haven't lived until you've seen an OSU-Michigan game here. The scripting of O-H-I-O is one of the best traditions in sport, and they are known for spelling out those letters after touchdowns too. Could have easily been voted the top Big Ten stadium.
3. Camp Randall Stadium (Wisconsin)-Located in Madison, Wisconsin with a capacity of around 80,000, Camp Randall has one of the wildest and most raucous crowds in the nation. They make Camp Randall a sea of red every Saturday. This stadium is also the oldest in the Big Ten, filling every gameday with tradition. They are known for the "Jump Around" after the third quarter, when the famous party song blares out over the speakers and the entire stadium bounces around crazily like pogo sticks. Fans also stick around for the "5th" quarter, when the band plays more songs, win or lose, and keeps the fiesta atmosphere going well after the game.
4. Kinnick Stadium (Iowa)-My personal favorite, for obvious reasons, located in Iowa City, Iowa with a capacity of 70, 585. Kinnick has a unique, old school feel not found in any other stadium around the country. The brick structure gives it a very scenic appearance, and the way the Hawkeyes all roll up in the bus and touch the iconic Nile Kinnick statue on their way inside the stadium has become an amazing tradition. The Hawkeye fans are known for filling up Kinnick no matter if the team is winning or losing, but the atmosphere is one of the craziest around if the team is winning. The quintessential Midwest fall flavor is felt all around Kinnick, with fans tailgating on Melrose and the stadium just popping up along the street, like it has always been there since the beginning of time. Kinnick doesn't have the jaw-dropping capacity of other elite stadiums, but they generate just as much noise because the fans are packed in like animals and are sooo close to the field that they can basically reach out and touch the players on the sidelines. Gold-out and black-out games have become new traditions, intimidating mono-color seas of fans. The Hawkeyes are known for the "Swarm," when the whole team emerges from the locker room to the sound of the fight song holding hands. The "four corners" chant (the stadium is made up of four sections) is when the fans spell out I-O-W-A after every touchdown. Kinnick truly is a pageantry-filled legend every Saturday.
5. Michigan Stadium, or "The Big House" (Michigan)-The Big House, located in Ann Arbor, Michigan with an official capacity around 110,000, is intimidating and legendary for its incredible size alone. It is probably the most overrated stadium in the country, because while it's historic, huge, and well known in all circles of college football it doesn't generate much noise and the fans can be notoriously passive at times. Whenever they play Ohio State here it is an incredible atmosphere, and just to witness a stadium so huge is pretty amazing in itself, but The Big House is a fairly quiet 110,000.
6. Memorial Stadium (Illinois)-Located in Champiagn, Illinois with a capacity just under 70,000, Memorial Stadium, dedicated to the fallen heroes of WWI and WWII, hasn't always been the most intimidating atmosphere. The Illini have had an up and down history and haven't always had very full crowds, but as they showed last season when they went 9-3 and made it to the Rose Bowl, when Memorial Stadium is filled up it can be an insane atmosphere. The fans are loud and the student section raucous, and CHief Illiniwek used to be one of the cooler traditions in sports. But the fact that the team isn't always good and the fan support not always there makes it hard to put this place higher on the list.
7. Spartan Stadium (Michigan State)-Once described as a "snakepit" by Lee Corso, this 72,000-seat stadium in East Lansing, Michigan reminds me a lot of Memorial Stadium in the fact that the fans aren't always there or very into the games here, but when the team is winning, which isn't guaranteed, it can be a dangerous atmosphere. The fans are right on top of the action and the place is built to be loud, the team just has to return to consistent prominence and the fans will show up in full force. It looks like Mark Dantonio is doing a good job of doing just that.
8. Ross-Ade Stadium (Purdue)-Not a horrible stadium by any means, but this 65,00-seat stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana isn't very loud or very "big" for Big Ten standards. Last year when Purdue played Ohio State it seemed as if they were just as many Buckeye fans there as Boilermaker fans. Purdue has a pretty good fan base, and that annoying Boilermaker can sure create a lot of frustrating noise, but this stadium is just fairly boring and passive as far as Big Ten stadiums go.
9. Ryan Field (Northwestern)-Located in Evanston, Illinois, just outside Chicago, with a capacity of around 42,000, this is by far the smallest and most scenic stadium in the Big Ten. But in college football, scenic isn't what's important for the home team. Fans rarely show up in full force and the noise level is pretty pathetic; last year opposing teams' fans showed up with much more frequency than the actual Northwestern fans did, especially in the Iowa game. A nice little place to play but one of the least intimidating atmospheres in college sports.
10. Memorial Stadium, or "The Rock" (Indiana)-The late Terry Hoeppner really tried his best to make some traditions out of IU football, including the famous "Play 13" motto and re-naming Memorial Stadium "The Rock" while putting that famous rock just outside the field. The Hooisers returned the favor by making a bowl game last year, but they will be hard-pressed to do it again and this stadium is known for having some of the weakest fan support in the country. It is almost always half-full in this 50,000-seat stadium in the middle of Bloomington, Indiana, and the fans hardly ever make much noise. Even when the team is succeeding, fans rarely flood the gates to get tickets. Last year's IU-Purdue game was the 1st time I had ever seen it full. Hopefully that will change with last year's bowl game, but I don't see that happening with the lack of any real winning tradition here.
11. Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (Minnesota)-Even though Minnesota is moving to a fancy new outdoor stadium in 2009, they will still be playing one more year in the Metrodome, one of the worst atmospheres in college football. On a beautifully crisp fall Saturday, noone wants to go inside a stale dome and root on a crappy football team, but that's what Gopher fans have had to do for a while now. The Metrodome is useful for facillitating so many Minnesota pro teams as well as the college team, but a dome is just not a good place for college football, even if drinking is allowed inside. The only good memories I have of this place was in 2002 when the Hawkeyes won the Big Ten and students smuggled the goalposts out of here. Gopher fans, be glad you are moving out of this horrible stadium. Oh, by the way, it holds about 60,000 people (rarely ever that full) and is located in Minneappolis, Minnesota.

Top Basketball Arenas:
1. Kohl Center (Wisconsin)-One of the nicest and fanciest basketball arenas in the country, it is just such a beautiful place to play a basketball game. Really a borderline NBA arena. It's huge, the fans are rabid and they always show up, and it's a huge deal whenever the Badgers lose here. One of the best places to catch a game, and one of the toughest places to win.
2. Breslin Center (Michigan State)-No one wins here either!! I'm not even sure if Michigan State lost here last season, and I know Iowa hasn't beat them here since 1993!! One of the main reasons is the noise. The Breslin Center may be the loudest arena in the country, helped out by the swarming student section that surrounds the court and takes the "good" seats. Just a mind-numbingly loud place to play, and the Spartans are a different team here.
3. Assembly Hall (Illinois)-The large groups of "Orange Krush" students who clutter the arena push this one over the top; they are so loud and so close to the court that it's almost impossible to keep them out of your head and push the noise away. The swarms of orange that infest the arena on gamedays is one of the most intimidating things in college basketball, and when the Illini are winning there is really no better student section around.
4. Assembly Hall (Indiana)-Some of the best tradition of any arena in the country, with a definite old school "Hoosiers"-feel to it. The people here love basketball and fill the arena up every gameday, and the Hoosiers usually deliver with fantastic performances here.
5. Value City Arena (Ohio State)-Some of the loudest and best fans in the country, this is also one of the nicest arenas and best places to catch a game. Kind of a generic feel and not the most tradition felt here inside the arena, but a damn good one and one of the toughest to play in all over the country.
6. Mackey Arena (Purdue)-Another tradition rich arena in basketball-hungry Indiana, the fans here love their hoops and pack the arena every time the Boilermakers play. When the team is doing well it is one of the best homecourt advantages in college basketball.
7. Williams Arena, or "The Barn" (Minnesota)-They have a nickname for their rowdy student section, and they can be one of the loudest and craziest around when the team is doing well, but the team hasn't been very good lately so the impact of the great crowds haven't shown through as much.
8. Carver-Hawkeye Arena (Iowa)-The attendance has been declining steadily throughout the Steve Alford era as he pushed die-hard fans away, and culminated in last year's rebuilding mess, but when this place is full and the Hawkeyes are rolling it is one of the elite arenas in the country. There is a reason Iowa went undefeated here two years ago. Iowa fans are loud and rowdy when the basketball team is performing and I am confident Lickliter will get the team winning again and the fans back in their seats.
9. Crisler Arena (Michigan)-Michigan hasn't been relevant since the Fab Five days, but they have a large fanbase and a great recruiting area, plus with the new coach they will be back in action soon and fans should return to this arena, with one of the better student sections around, and make it one of the best arenas in the conference.
10. Welsh-Ryan Arena (Northwestern)-One of the cooler venues around, it has a definite high school feel to it with the low seating capacity and wooden bleachers. Fans rarely flock to the arena in full force, but it has a really cool, old school simplistic feel to it and is unique in the Big Ten.
11. Bryce Jordan Center (Penn State)-Definitely a dud of an arena, it is generic, boring in design, and rarely full. Basketball is not taken too seriously in Happy Valley, and this depressing venue reflects that.

Iowa's overall facilities are pretty solid, especially for football, and while we may not have the fanciest or shiniest new places for our athletes in the Big Ten, you have to consider that we are the smallest Big Ten state and have the smallest recruiting and alumni base, so for the size of state that we have, Iowa does a damn good job. Our football facilities are above average and are definitely up there with the elite teams in the nation. Along with the legendary Kinnick Stadium, we have the Kenyon Practice Fields, which is a bevy of different fields like grass or turf to practice on. They can do scrimmages, conditioning drills, and etc. They have all the practice room for any situation that they need to practice for. The "bubble" is a large indoor practice facility built by Hayden Fry in the 1980s to practice in when the temperatures get cold, and while it definitely still serves its purpose it is kind of an eyesore on the campus these days and too many sports use it in the offseason, so renovations to it are likely on the way. Football also has the large athletic hall that contains the weight room and all the legendary banners and trophys honoring Hawkeye acheivments such as bowl games and award winners. It's a great place for fans to visit and relive great Hawkeye moments and accomplishments, and a great training/film place for the players. A very fancy football-only facility. Carver is the arena where our men's and women's basketball teams play, and also where they share practices. A weight room is located here, along with the locker rooms and coaches' offices for basketball and wrestling. Wrestling has their own training area here. A practice facility is currently being built so men's and women's basketball don't have to share practice time or practice at inconvenient times, along with more weight room areas so wrestlers and ballers don't have to share the weights and better office areas for the coaches. Carver is being renovated as well with better seating and transportation around the arena, and more luxury seating to pay for the cost of these renovations. Duane Banks Field is our dump of a baseball field, one that could pass for an average high school field. You can tell baseball doesn't mean much in the Big Ten. Pearl Field is the softball area, a very nice facility and one of the best softball fields in the Big Ten. The old Fieldhouse has turned into a rec area, with a weight room, track, and plenty of courts to practice on for intramural teams or for the real players for pickup games. Track facilities, indoor and outdoor, are located near the softball field, along with an assortment of golf courses for the golf team to practice on and a large stock of tennis courts near Kinnick Stadium. Field hockey (Big Ten tournament champs) has their own field on the outskirts of campus, while soccer has their own playing field as well.

In 2008-09, Coach Lickliter will be entering his second season as the man in charge of the Iowa Hawkeyes. Expectations are a little higher within the Iowa communiy thanks to the flood of talented freshmen entering the program, but with the departure of star senior guard Tony Freeman, the pre-season hype for next year is significantly lower. The Freeman departure will be sure to create all kinds of controversy and debate all across the state of Iowa, seeing as Tony basically came out and said Lickliter didn't want him on the team. As more facts and more stories have come out about the ordeal, Freeman's biased take on the events seem a little farther away from the real truth. Freeman did have loads of talent with a Big Ten body and the best shot on the team, one of the few players who could create his own shot, but his frenetic, fast-paced, shoot-1st ask questions later style clashed with the team-first, slow-pace that Lickliter wanted to play at. Freeman didn't want to change his game or adapt to Lickliter's ways, so he was told his playing time would be reduced because there would be more bodies coming in for depth next season. Freeman didn't like it, so he's leaving. It's a tough loss and I have a hard time wondering why Lickliter couldn't keep such a skilled player on the team for his senior year, and I do feel sorry for Tony and his admittedly big ego because he obviously had intentions of coming back, but this decision will be best for the team's future if not for next season. Like the move or not, Lickliter is putting his stamp on the program and letting it be known that he is doing things his way and not bowing down to the players. His system is a fun one to watch and effective as any when it is run correctly, but he is still getting the players he needs to build it. Getting rid of Freeman gets him one step closer to that goal. Last year was a tough rebuilding season expected of a 1st-year coach with a less-than-stellar crop of talent left; players left, and we had to rely on average bench players and freshman to carry the team. We kind of lived or died by Freeman and his shooting theatrics for most of the season as he recovered from an ankle injury in the nonconference, but as the year went on we found some options in hardworking post player Cyrus Tate and the smooth, skilled freshman Jake Kelly. Their continued development is key for next year's success. Our defense was pretty fantastic all year long in '07-'08, but scoring was the major problem. We never really ran any semblance of a consistent offense and moving without the ball appeared to be a foreign term to our boys. We never fed the ball inside enough and our best players took threes 70 percent of the time they had the ball. And most of the time, these weren't good threes. Tough to score more than 50 a game when that's all you shoot. We also just didn't have enough scorers or players who could take their man off the trouble, and Lickliter's 7-man rotation left him forced to play the same scrubs even when they messed up. The players got tired, and as the year wore on, disinterested with all the losing. The last few games were fairly uninspired efforts, and it was obvious they were ready to get next season on the road. Besides the painful loss of Freeman, we lose three seniors in Seth Gorney, Kurt Looby, and Justin Johnson along with walk-on junior Dan Bohall, who is also leaving the program. Gorney was a fairly soft big man with a pretty but inconsistent shot; he rarely played tough inside though, especially for a 7-footer, but his size will be missed. Looby was an athletic highlight reel, a long-armed jet back who would rise for crowd pleasing alley-oops and blocks. He never put on much strength or fine-tuned his raw game though, and Lickliter refused to play him consistently this season. Johnson could shoot threes; leave him open and I'd put my money on him any day of the week. But his role should have been spot-up shooter, not big-time scorer, which is what he was expected to be this past year. He never had much of a handle or couldn't take shots off the dribble, relied on for too much offense, but as a shooter he was great. Bohall played a lot in the nonconference with the injury to Freeman, but his shaky handle and D-2 speed left him more and more on the bench as the year wore on, especially after his public intoxication charge. He slowly got back into favor with Lickliter and played against Northwestern and Penn State, earning minutes with hard play and tough defense. He was going to be hard pressed for playing time with the new bodies coming in though, and leaving is probably a good choice for him.

Coming up soon, I will be going over all the players returning and coming in, and analyzing the things the Hawkeyes need to do better to win next year and what the players can do to provide it.

The most important player we have coming back is going to be Jeff Peterson, who will have to take over the point guard duties full time as a sophmore after a roller coaster last season where he started strong but finished the season barely getting any minutes. Jeff has a quick 1st step and does a fantastic job getting into the lane, but he struggled to find a balance between passing and creating his own shot, and he left his feet way too often. Towards the end of the season, turnovers became a huge problem as well, and he wasn't finishing with as much explosiveness as he was at the beginning of the year. Lickliter couldn't afford to keep him on the floor for long periods of time and it was obvious the freshman's confidence started on a steep decline...with Freeman's absence and the job of point guard thrust soley on Jeff's shoulders, I think he will get his mojo back, improving his decision making and outside shot to become the surprise Hawkeye star this year. We will need him to play major minutes, because there is really no depth at all for the point position besides an incoming freshman or two, so Peterson needs to be the man. Cyrus Tate and Jaryyd Cole will both be back as team captains to control the low post, and will be counted on for a lot of scoring and essentially all of our points in the paint and rebounding. Tate emerged as our best player towards the end of the Big Ten season last year, using his strength and crafty finishing around the rim to get a 20 and 10 almost every game; he was our hardest worker night in and night out, often the only Hawkeye on the floor playing with any semblance of energy. Cole started as a freshman, and Tate ironically didn't emerge until after Cole tore his ACL late in the nonconference. Now both will be playing together, and only good can come from that. Cole was a great athlete and powerful finisher who also played with a reckless energy on the floor, grabbing offensive boards and showing his toughness and Big Ten body. He needs to improve his free throw shooting and outside touch, but his inside skills and energy make him a valuable post player. Jake Kelly needs to get stronger and more confident with his driving and decision making, but his bevy of offensive skills, outside shot, and impressive length make him a versatile scorer and skilled player, often leading the Hawkeyes in scoring last season. J.R. Angle and David Palmer both return as well; neither of them got many minutes last season and that doesn't figure to change with 6 new bodies coming into the program for 2008-09. Angle is a good shooter and good passer, but he doesn't have the athleticism or the handle to get many minutes, while Palmer was never in great shape and apparently didn't impress Lickiter with his practice habits enough to get some burn in the post, where we were woefully thin last year. Both of these guys will probably ride the pine again.

The 6 incoming recruits are creating an immense amount of hype in and around the university. Three Mr. Basketballs for their respective states is usually quite the class in itself, but when you add two Juco transfers and an ever-improving 6 foot 10 big man that just creates the potential for this class to be special. The first guy that comes to mind for me is Matt Gatens, a 6 foot 5 guard from Iowa City High who has been generating hype for years and playing in the Prime Time League since he was an 8th grader. He recently was named Mr. Iowa Basketball, the highest honor a senior baller can acheive, and his team won the state championship. Gatens brings a lot of intangibles to the court, along with great size, unselfish play, and a great overall ability and knowledge of the game. He has been a Hawkeye since berth and his committment was never a question; I have no doubt in my mind that he will play the game the "Lickliter way" and be an immediate contributor. Anthony Tucker was named Mr. Basketball for the Minnesota Metro-Cities area, and his team also won the state championship. If Lickliter were still at Butler, Tucker would definitely be a player he would go after, and there was concern at the beginning of the recruiting process of whether Tucker was a big time player or not, but after his huge performance in the state tournament, there is no doubt in anybody's mind of whether or not he's capable of performing at the Big Ten level or not. Tucker is a similar player to Gatens, a 6 foot 5 combo guard who can play both the 1 and the 2. He's unselfish but can also take over a game with his shooting and scoring, and proved that he can be a leader and a star player with his high school team last season. Tubby Smith is going to be disappointed he let this guy slip out of his backyard. Aaron Fuller was Mr. Arizona Basketball this past year, leading Mesa High in just about every statistical category. Major schools didn't start recruiting him until late because they considered him a tweener, a 6 foot 7 post player who didn't excell on the wing as much. But Fuller put up monster scoring statistics and showed off his athleticism and versatility all year long, proving that he could play for any big program in the nation. Iowa jumped on him early, before Lute Olson and Arizona did, and many people are saying this guy is one of the biggest sleepers of the entire Big Ten recruiting class. The two junior college transfers, Jermain Davis from Kirkwood in Cedar Rapids and Devan Bawinkel from Illinois, will contribute immediately with outside shooting, a consistent problem overall last year, and with guard depth, which we need with the loss of Freeman. Bawinkel originally started at West Virginia before Bob Huggins got there, and proved that he has the outside touch to compete at this big time level. And finally, there is Andrew Brommer, a strong post man from Minnesota. Brommer was mostly an afterthought in this class, an average big man who needed to put on some strength and get more skills before he became a real contributor. But word on the street is that he's grown an inch or two and added some serious muscle, so if this is true Brommer could really come in and contribute right away seeing as we lack any semblance of post depth. John Lickliter, the coach's son, will also be coming to Iowa next year as a walk-on. John led City High to that Iowa state championship last year as the team's point guard, and while he looks like an underdeveloped 8th grader he makes up for that with his shooting, ball-handling, and passing.

So the main questions are, how much better will we be than last year and how will these guys help? I think a moderate improvement should be expected; at least a couple wins better and potentially an NIT berth, especially with the painfully easy nonconference schedule we have lined up. Besides the Las Vegas Invitational, where we will go up against the likes of Kansas State and Kentucky, and the typical in-state rivals, there are no opponents that seem too intimidating and double-digit wins before the Big Ten season is a realistic expectation. There are bound to be some growing pains with all the young players, and Jeff Peterson is going to have to step up and be a leader at the point guard spot, which is a question mark, but I think the players will definitely be more in tune to Coach Lickliter and his system so you will see the offense run with much more fluidity and precision. Not so much one and one play and poor shot selection, but unselfish passing and open looks from three. We have shooters than we did last season, along with established leaders in the post, so with more of a committment to get the ball inside and better outside shooters that, some of our offensive woes should be cured. It will be hard to get a grip on this team until the Big Ten season comes around with so much inexperience, but the influx of fresh and exciting new talent is already causing Hawkeye fans to get a little amped up.