Iowa
Iowa basketball has plenty of time to get back on track, or for season to get much worse
Video: Iowa coach Fran McCaffery talks 94-70 loss to UCLA
Head coach Fran McCaffery discusses Iowa’s blowout loss to UCLA on Friday.
How much can the narrative surrounding a team change in less than one week?
Just last Saturday, Iowa basketball was riding high after a 25-point win over Indiana. This marked back-to-back home victories and inspired some optimism about what the Hawkeyes are capable of this season.
Two games later, those feelings have shifted dramatically.
Saying Iowa’s West Coast trip was a disappointment is an understatement. The Hawkeyes suffered a pair of double-digit losses, the latest of which was a 94-70 blowout to UCLA on Friday. Iowa never led for a single second throughout those two games.
Understandably, there is mounting frustration from the fan base.
But as ugly as these two games were, Iowa’s season does not end here. The Hawkeyes still have 13 regular season games remaining, plus at least one more in the Big Ten Tournament, assuming Iowa makes the 15-team field.
For better or worse, the season’s fate is still in the balance. With so many games remaining, there is plenty of time for the Hawkeyes to get back on track. But there is also plenty of time for it to get much worse.
“I think we have a really good group with guys with character,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said Friday. “We’ve got some veteran guys. We will try to move on from what has not been a good trip and learn from some of the mistakes we made. Will remain positive. I want them to remain positive with each other.”
Iowa (12-6, 3-4) got jumped on early in Friday’s contest and never recovered.
Remarkably, UCLA made its first nine shots from the field. To make matters worse, Payton Sandfort got banged up in the first half and sat out the majority of the game. The Bruins led by 33 points at halftime, making the rest of the game a mere formality.
In what has been a theme this season — and even more broadly, in McCaffery’s Hawkeye tenure — the Iowa defense folded. UCLA shot 62% from the field and 35% from deep. During the West Coast trip, Iowa allowed its opponents to shoot a combined 63% from the field.
“They were really aggressive and shot it well not only inside but from the perimeter,” McCaffery said of UCLA. “I thought we worked really hard in practice the last couple of days. I thought we would be better. Got to give them credit for it. We got better as the game went on. But we’ve got to be better at the start.”
Iowa is now 0-4 in true road games, with losses to Michigan, Wisconsin, USC and UCLA. Only one of those four came by single digits. The Hawkeyes have allowed an average of 98.5 points during that span.
Allowing 116 points in a road loss to Wisconsin should’ve been enough of a wake-up call. And to its credit, Iowa responded with consecutive wins following that loss. But then, a similar failure happened again. And again.
The Hawkeyes’ season is now on the verge of spiraling.
At the same time, a season is not supposed to be defined by adversity. But rather how one responds to it. If every team that dealt with challenges quit, no one would be left standing.
Take UCLA for example. The Bruins entered Friday having lost five of their last six games, including four straight. The sky was falling until Friday when suddenly it wasn’t anymore.
Rutgers was in a similar situation. The Scarlet Knights started 1-4 in Big Ten play but have now won their last two, including a road victory over Nebraska. Things are looking up for them.
There is nothing that says Iowa can’t do the same. The Hawkeyes will have plenty of opportunities.
At Carver-Hawkeye Arena alone, Iowa is still set to face Michigan State, Purdue, Oregon and Wisconsin, among others, all of which should present resume-building opportunities. The Hawkeyes have lost just one game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena this season, against No. 2 Iowa State.
McCaffery’s team will have plenty of chances away from home too, though it will need to overcome its road woes to remain competitive.
“I didn’t see a lack of effort,” McCaffery said Friday. “I saw a lack of execution to some of the things that we prepared for and that’s disappointing because that leads to falling behind. Of all the teams that I’ve coached, it’s one that I’m really proud of, any team that I’ve ever had, even before I came here, our guys stay locked into the game plan and they compete. And they compete in terms of how they think.”
Clearly, Iowa needs to get better to make the NCAA Tournament. The Hawkeyes’ performances in California were inexcusably poor.
But there is still so much season left to play. Which means the best could still be yet to come. And so could the worst.
Follow Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15, contact via email at ttachman@gannett.com
Iowa
Chicago Cubs’ Matt Shaw expected to begin rehab assignment with Iowa
See inside Principal Park, home of the Iowa Cubs
See inside the batting cages, locker rooms and other spaces inside Principal Park, home of the Iowa Cubs baseball team.
When the Iowa Cubs return to Principal Park in Des Moines on June 2, the Triple-A team will likely be bringing back a familiar face.
Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsel told reporters in St. Louis, Mo., on May 29 that super utilityman Matt Shaw would likely join Iowa when the team opens a six-game series against Toledo that Tuesday.
“Matts doing super well,” Counsell said during a pregame meeting with scribes. “The plan kind of remains intact that we think he’s going to be able to start a rehab assignment on Tuesday in Iowa. So, assuming everything progresses like it progresses, he’s going to have basically a full weekend of kind of normal pregame stuff. He should be good to go on Tuesday in Iowa.”
Shaw was placed on the injured list back on May 22 with mild back tightness, retroactive to May 20. He was replaced on the big-league roster by prized Cubs prospect Pedro Ramrirez, who tore apart opposing pitching during his first stint in Triple-A in 2026.
Shaw, 24, was hitting .242 (23-for-95) with six doubles, three home runs, three stolen bases and a .291 on base percentage to go along with a .400 slugging percentage in 42 games with Chicago this season. He’s bounced around the field this season and provided an important option off the bench for the Cubs.
Shaw remains one of the organization’s top young players. The Cubs selected in the first round of the 2023 draft. Shaw rapidly rose through the minor leagues and made his big-league debut with Chicago in 2025. After some early-season struggles, Shaw was briefly demoted to Iowa in 2024 before eventually making a return to the big leagues.
While the hitting wasn’t great, the defense was exceptional. Shaw found a home at third base and played so well he became a Gold Glove finalist in 2025.
Iowa starts the series on Tuesday at 6:38 p.m.
Tommy Birch, the Register’s sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He’s the 2018, 2020, 2023 and 2025 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468.
Iowa
Iowa Supreme court affirms eviction order for Short’s Burger & Shine
Following a years-long legal saga, the Iowa Supreme Court recently upheld a decision to evict Short’s Burger and Shine from its South Clinton Street building.
The May 22 decision, delivered by Chief Justice Susan Christensen, agreed with the Johnson County District Court’s decision to evict the downtown burger restaurant after finding that it did not notify the building’s owner — a trust operated by Midwest One Bank — of its intent to extend the lease.
The decision concludes one part of the Short’s legal saga. The now-closed restaurant is also in litigation for a discrimination and retaliation lawsuit Short’s owner, Kevin Perez filed in 2024 against Midwest One Bank, the trust of late building owner Haywood Belle, Belle’s widow, a bank employee, and the City of Iowa City
Iowa City’s Short’s Burgers and Shine closed in 2024
Short’s closed in early 2024 after the court determined Perez hadn’t renewed the business’s lease on time.
Short’s opened at 18 S. Clinton Street in 2008 with the goal of honoring the legacy and story of former building owner H.D. Short, who shined shoes for 50 years, beginning in 1920. The original ownership group included Perez, Dan Ouverson, and former Hawkeye and NFL player Nate Kaeding, who now runs the Gold Cap Hospitality ownership group.
Eviction proceedings started when Short’s temporarily closed in April 2022 “to fix poor building conditions” without notifying Midwest One Bank, the executor of Belle’s trust.
The closure breached a part of the lease agreement that said the restaurant would default on its lease if it “failed to engage” in normal business for more than 15 consecutive business days, the court found. The renovations also violated a provision that forbade structural changes or improvements without prior written approval.
Midwest One Bank sent notice on May 10, 2022, that Short’s would default on its lease if it did not reopen for regular business and cease renovations within 10 days, according to court documents. Shorts responded, claiming it could not reopen for business until renovations were complete because the gas could not be turned back on until repairs were finished.
Midwest One Bank “terminated” the lease and started eviction proceedings in May 2022. Shorts was allowed to continue operating and occupying the building while the case was litigated.
Midwest One Bank filed two eviction claims and delivered notice that Short’s needed to vacate the building by the end of the lease on April 30. Short’s did not vacate, and Midwest One Bank pursued a third eviction claim, accusing the owners of failing to provide notice of renewal.
Short’s argued that because they continued renovations, disputed eviction, and secured insurance, it was evidence of their intent to renew.
The restaurant owners also argued that pending eviction proceedings prevented them from renewal. The court argued that Short’s simply did not declare intent to renew for “whatever reason.”
“Mere forgetfulness does not entitle a party to equitable relief,” the decision reads.
Liam Halawith covers Johnson County local government and public safety for the Press-Citizen. Reach him by email at lhalawith@registermedia.com. Follow him on X at @liam_halawith.
Iowa
Fired Iowa nurse aide wins jobless benefits after numerous resident-care complaints
WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (IOWA CAPITAL DISPATCH) – An Iowa nursing home worker fired after being accused of repeatedly neglecting residents’ needs is entitled to unemployment benefits, a judge has ruled.
State records indicate certified nurse aide Abigail Kromah worked for Pine Acres Rehabilitation and Care Center in West Des Moines from May 2024 through December 2025, when she was fired. She subsequently applied for unemployment benefits, which led to a recent hearing before an administrative law judge.
The hearing records indicate Kromah testified that when she was fired on Dec. 19, 2025, the employer informed her that the discharge was due to “numerous resident complaints” regarding the care she had been providing.
According to the judge’s findings in the case, Kromah had received multiple disciplinary warnings related to resident care. In August 2024, she allegedly received verbal and written warnings for failing to answer residents’ call-lights in a timely manner, failing to properly assist residents with their personal care, and for complaining about the residents in common areas of the workplace.
Her employer testified Kromah was also given warnings for refusing work instructions from the nursing staff, and for telling a resident who needed to be toileted to go the bathroom in their briefs.
In August 2025, it was alleged that Kromah failed to check on a resident throughout the entire night. During that shift, a nurse had neglected to unclamp a feeding tube, which caused the tube to leak. When another nurse checked on the resident at 5 a.m., the resident was “drenched in feeding solution from head to toe,” according to the judge’s findings.
‘I can’t live this way… She’s horrible.’
Days later, the home alleged, a resident of the facility entered the hallway in his wheelchair at about 6 a.m., loudly complaining, “I can’t do this anymore,” and, “I can’t live this way.” The man allegedly refused to go back to his room, explaining that Kromah was there and “she’s horrible.”
The man reportedly stated had had switched on his call-light to have his urinal emptied, but Kromah never came to assist him, which meant the urinal overflowed and spilled on him. When Kromah eventually came to the room, the man allegedly said, she changed him into dry clothing but did not clean him.
The home alleged Kromah was given additional warnings in October 2025 for reportedly failing to answer residents’ call lights and failing to complete her rounds every two hours. One resident of the home had allegedly became so frustrated by the lack of response to his call-light that he contacted the police on one occasion, according to the judge’s findings.
State inspection reports indicate Pine Acres Rehabilitation and Care Center was cited for insufficient staff in January 2026, with one resident complaining the issue with call-lights had been a longstanding problem. According to the inspectors, the man said that on one occasion, he couldn’t get help to clear his airway and was afraid he was going to die unless he managed to clear it himself, which he did.
In ruling that Kromah was entitled to jobless benefits, Administrative Law Judge Michael Lunn noted that while she had clearly been warned about deficiencies in resident care, she appeared to have been fired for a separate issue — attendance — for which she had received no such warnings.
A discharge for misconduct cannot be based on past acts such as the resident-care issues, Lunn ruled, but must instead be based on a current act. With no current act of disqualifying misconduct, Lunn stated, Kromah was entitled to collect unemployment benefits.
Iowa Capital Dispatch was unable to locate Kromah to seek comment for this article.
Copyright 2026 IOWA CAPITAL DISPATCH. All rights reserved.
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