Iowa

Monday Musings: Resetting Iowa State’s 2025 recruiting board, thoughts on Huggins

Published

1 year ago

June 19, 2023

Monday Musings: Resetting Iowa State’s 2025 recruiting board, thoughts on Huggins

Iowa State’s 2025 recruiting plan is starting to come into view.

Through this past weekend’s live period, the Cyclones have extended four scholarship offers in the 2025 class, and all four players appear poised to become priority recruits for the Cyclones in the coming months.

This feels like a good time to reset the board with the list of targets Iowa State is focused on in the 2025 recruiting cycle.

Curtis Stinson, Jr., Guard, West Des Moines

It shouldn’t be hard to figure out who is at or near the top of Iowa State’s board at this point in the cycle, and he comes with legacy connections to the program.

Stinson, the 6-foot-4 son of former Iowa State star Curtis Stinson, is considered one of the top point guards in the 2025 class and is one of the top players regardless of class in the state of Iowa at this point.

247Sports currently rates him as the No. 49 player in the class overall, No. 6 point guard and No. 1 player in Iowa’s 2025 class.

As a sophomore this past season for Valley, Stinson averaged 13.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game while leading the Tigers to a Class 4A state title.

Kai Rogers, Center, Milwaukee

T.J. Otzelberger is falling back into his home state and a lucrative area for the Cyclones in recent years by pursuing one of the top centers in the 2025 class.

Rogers, a 6-foot-10 Wauwatosa West prep, is considered the No. 58 player in the class overall, No. 11 center and No. 2 player in Wisconsin by 247Sports.

Iowa State offered on May 10 and he has 10 other offers to his name, including Florida State, Marquette, Georgetown, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Ole Miss, St. John’s, Texas and Wisconsin.

Amare Bynum, Forward, Omaha

One of two recent additions to Iowa State’s offer list, the 6-foot-8 forward out of Omaha Bryan also has legacy connections to the program as his dad, Omar, played for Iowa State in the early 2000s.

The younger Bynum has emerged as one of the top players in Nebraska and recently stood out during the Nike Elite 100 camp several weeks ago. He unofficially visited Iowa State last Wednesday and picked up an offer from Otzelberger and Co. while he was on campus.

Kyle Green has been the lead recruiter here, and you can expect competition to be stiff for Bynum. He also holds reported offers from Nebraska and Tennessee.

Braden Frager, Forward, Lincoln

Another top player in Nebraska’s 2025 class is Iowa State’s most recent addition to the offer board. Frager, a 6-foot-6 forward out of Lincoln Southwest, landed an Iowa State offer on Sunday.

Otzelberger and other members of Iowa State staff were in Kansas City to watch Frager over the weekend and came away impressed enough to extend the offer. That followed Frager taking an unofficial visit to Ames last Thursday.

Green is the lead recruiter here again, but Otzelberger has become closely involved in the communication over the last week. Frager also holds offers from Creighton, Nebraska and Northwestern at this point early in the cycle.

More Musings

*** There isn’t anything funny to say about the way Bob Huggins’ career at West Virginia came to a close over the weekend. The longtime Mountaineer head coach resigned after being arrested for a DUI early Saturday morning, just weeks after twice using a homophobic slur during a live radio interview in Cincinnati.

There was no other conclusion for this to come to. Huggins was already on thin ice with the West Virginia administration, and this isn’t his first strike as his tenure at Cincinnati ended under similar circumstances nearly 20 years ago.

The sad fact of the matter is many people likely knew there was a bigger problem at hand here than anybody ever let on. It was a long-running joke that you could spot Huggins at a West Ames establishment anytime the Mountaineers were in town.

Now, Huggins’ time as West Virginia’s head coach is over, and a long Hall of Fame career is likely over as well.

*** It will be interesting to follow the coaching search that takes place in Morgantown as they try to nail down Huggins’ successor. This is awfully late in the process to be finding a new coach, especially when you have a highly touted class of transfers that appeared poised to flip the script on West Virginia’s recent success.

In my mind, the top priority needs to be hiring someone who is capable of keeping all of that talent together and on the roster in Morgantown. Perhaps that means hiring an interim coach for one year then diving head on into a coaching search after next season.

All we know for sure is the clock is ticking. Players from West Virginia’s roster are eligibile to enter the transfer portal again for the next 30 days, and two of the top transfers, Kerr Kriisa and Jesse Edwards, were first time transfers who would not need a waiver if they chose to go elsewhere.

Jared Stansbury

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Jared a native of Clarinda, Iowa, started as the Cyclone Fanatic intern in August 2013, primarily working as a videographer until starting on the women’s basketball beat prior to the 2014-15 season. Upon earning his Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from Iowa State in May 2016, Jared was hired as the site’s full-time staff writer, taking over as the primary day-to-day reporter on football and men’s basketball. He was elevated to the position of managing editor in January 2020. He is a regular contributor on 1460 KXNO in Des Moines and makes regular guest appearances on radio stations across the Midwest. Jared resides in Ankeny with his four-year-old puggle, Lolo.

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Iowa

Kirk Ferentz’s Reputation On The Line In Iowa vs Washington

Published

5 hours ago

October 11, 2024

Press Room

Kirk Ferentz’s Reputation On The Line In Iowa vs Washington

The Iowa Hawkeyes are coming off of a 35-7 thumping at the hands of the Ohio State Buckeyes, and while a loss to Ohio State was expected, it was how Iowa lost that has Hawkeyes fans livid.

Iowa’s offense was absolutely lifeless, Cade McNamara looked lost and head coach Kirk Ferentz did not seem to have any answers.

Not only that, but Ferentz doubled down on McNamara remaining the starter after the game, saying that the quarterback actually showed improvement.

That’s why Ferentz’s reputation may actually be on the line when the Hawkeyes face the Washington Huskies this Saturday.

Iowa is just 3-2 on the season, as it also lost to the Iowa State Cyclones back in Week 2. A loss to Washington would drop the Hawkeyes to .500, and it would add more fuel to the “fire Ferentz” discussion that has been smoldering.

The Huskies are a new addition to the Big Ten and just beat the Michigan Wolverines, and while Michigan has not been as good as expected, Washington is no joke.

However, make no mistake: Iowa needs to beat these guys.

Here is the thing: barring a catastrophic remainder of the 2024 campaign at Iowa City, the Hawkeyes aren’t canning Ferentz. The man is under contract through 2029 on a hefty salary. It isn’t happening.

But Ferentz’s reputation is a different story.

The 69-year-old has been at the helm for Iowa since 1999 and is highly respected by the fans, but patience is running thin.

Last year, the Hawkeyes played three ranked opponents and lost by a total score of 92-0. They also just got destroyed by Ohio State. The Iowa fan base is tired with being second-best, and at this point, that is all Ferentz has offered them.

Sure, Iowa does not have the cachet or prestige of schools like Ohio State, Michigan or Alabama. It typically won’t land the very best recruits as a result. But the Hawkeyes’ inability to even put together respectable offenses over the years does reflect poorly on Ferentz, who is the longest-tenured coach in the country.

And Iowa fans are sick of it.

The Hawkeyes absolutely need to beat the Huskies this Saturday. Iowa should be better than Washington, and at some point, the Hawkeyes are going to have to display that they can consistently beat good teams.

Is all of the Ferentz criticism deserved? No, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that all of it is completely unfounded.

Ferentz can provide some nice pushback to all of the naysayers with a Week 7 win over Washington. Or, he can give fans more reason to complain with a loss.

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Iowa

Who the ranked Iowa high school football teams face in Week 7

Published

16 hours ago

October 11, 2024

Press Room

Who the ranked Iowa high school football teams face in Week 7

Williamsburg’s Grant Hocker looks to throw for a 2-point conversion against Cedar Rapids Xavier earlier this season. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

The Gazette offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.

Here’s who all 71 Iowa high school football teams ranked in this week’s Gazette poll face in Week 7 games Friday night.

Class 3A gets the spotlight this week as its top two teams face top-seven opponents. No. 1 Algona visits No. 7 Humboldt, while second-ranked Williamsburg hosts a Solon team eager to bounce back from last week’s loss to Benton Community that dropped it from the top spot.

There is intrigue in the 8-Player top five as well, where three of the top five teams face fellow unbeaten foes. That includes No. 1 Remsen St. Mary’s taking on No. 10 Woodbine and No. 2 Algona Garrigan hosting Ruthven GTRA.

Class 5A

No. 1 West Des Moines Valley (5-1) vs. Waterloo West (5-1)

No. 2 West Des Moines Dowling (5-1) at Urbandale (3-3)

No. 3 Bettendorf (6-0) at Davenport Central (2-4)

No. 4 Pleasant Valley (5-1) vs. Muscatine (2-4)

No. 5 Ankeny Centennial (4-2) vs. Des Moines Roosevelt (1-5)

No. 6 Linn-Mar (5-1) vs. Davenport West (0-6)

No. 7 Johnston (4-2) vs. Council Bluffs Lincoln (4-2)

No. 8 Iowa City Liberty (5-1) vs. Ankeny (3-3)

No. 9 Waukee (4-2) at Southeast Polk (3-3)

No. 10 Sioux City East (4-2) vs. Des Moines Lincoln (1-5)

Class 4A

No. 1 Lewis Central (6-0) at Winterset (4-2)

No. 2 Pella (6-0) at Des Moines Hoover (0-6), Thursday

No. 3 North Polk (6-0) at No. 10 Indianola (4-2)

No. 4 Gilbert (6-0) vs. Bondurant-Farrar (1-5)

No. 5 Decorah (6-0) at Marion (2-4)

No. 6 Adel ADM (5-1) at Ballard (3-3)

No. 7 Cedar Rapids Xavier (4-2) at Oskaloosa (1-5)

No. 8 North Scott (4-2) at Clear Creek Amana (4-2)

No. 9 Newton (4-2) vs. Carlisle (0-6)

No. 10 Indianola (4-2) vs. No. 3 North Polk (6-0)

No. 10 Western Dubuque (4-2) at Waterloo East (2-4)

Class 3A

No. 1 Algona (6-0) at No. 7 Humboldt (5-1)

No. 2 Williamsburg (5-1) vs. No. 5 Solon (5-1)

No. 3 Dubuque Wahlert (6-0) at West Delaware (4-2)

No. 4 Sergeant Bluff-Luton (6-0) vs. Carroll (4-2)

No. 5 Mount Vernon (5-1) vs. Fort Madison (0-6)

No. 5 Solon (5-1) at No. 2 Williamsburg (5-1)

No. 7 Humboldt (5-1) vs. No. 1 Algona (6-0)

No. 8 Sioux City Heelan (4-2) at Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley (1-5)

No. 9 Independence (4-2) at Maquoketa (1-5)

No. 10 Nevada (5-1) at Harlan (3-3)

Class 2A

No. 1 West Lyon (6-0) at Sheldon (2-4)

No. 2 Monroe PCM (6-0) at West Marshall (5-1)

No. 3 Spirit Lake (5-1) at Garner GHV (1-5)

No. 4 Van Meter (5-1) vs. Centerville (4-2)

No. 5 Carroll Kuemper (5-1) vs. Saydel (1-5)

No. 6 North Fayette Valley (5-1) vs. Oelwein (0-6) — canceled, Oelwein to forfeit

No. 7 Northeast (6-0) at Tipton (2-4)

No. 8 Central Lyon/George-Little Rock (4-2) vs. No. 10 Western Christian (4-2)

No. 9 Roland-Story (4-2) vs. Des Moines Christian (4-2)

No. 10 Western Christian (4-2) at No. 8 Central Lyon/George-Little Rock (4-2)

Class 1A

No. 1 Grundy Center (6-0) at Alburnett (4-2)

No. 2 Wilton (6-0) at West Branch (2-4)

No. 3 Dike-New Hartford (5-1) vs. Aplington-Parkersburg (2-4)

No. 4 Emmetsburg (6-0) vs. Eagle Grove (0-6)

No. 5 Iowa City Regina (6-0) at Dyersville Beckman (4-2)

No. 6 Ida Grove OABCIG (5-1) vs. No. 10 Hinton (5-1)

No. 7 South Hardin (5-1) at Hudson (5-1)

No. 8 Treynor (5-1) vs. Shenandoah (3-3)

No. 9 Sigourney-Keota (5-1) at Colfax-Mingo (1-5)

No. 10 Hinton (5-1) at No. 6 Ida Grove OABCIG (5-1)

Class A

No. 1 West Hancock (6-0) at Lake Mills (4-2)

No. 2 Guthrie Center ACGC (6-0) vs. Mount Ayr (5-1)

No. 3 Saint Ansgar (5-1) at West Fork (1-5)

No. 4 Lisbon (6-0) vs. Danville (4-2)

No. 5 Earlham (5-1) at Oakland Riverside (4-2)

No. 6 Tri-Center (5-1) vs. No. 8 Woodbury Central (5-1)

No. 7 Le Mars Gehlen (5-1) at South O’Brien (0-6)

No. 8 Woodbury Central (5-1) at No. 6 Tri-Center (5-1)

No. 9 North Linn (6-0) vs. Maquoketa Valley (5-1)

No. 10 Madrid (4-2) at North Mahaska (3-3)

8-Player

No. 1 Remsen St. Mary’s (6-0) vs. No. 10 Woodbine (6-0)

No. 2 Algona Garrigan (6-0) vs. Ruthven GTRA (6-0)

No. 3 Don Bosco (6-0) vs. Turkey Valley (3-3)

No. 4 Audubon (6-0) vs. Collins-Maxwell (4-2)

No. 5 Lenox (6-0) vs. Southeast Warren (6-0)

No. 6 Iowa Valley (6-0) vs. HLV (1-6)

No. 7 Gladbrook-Reinbeck (5-1) at Clarksville (5-2)

No. 8 Anita CAM (5-1) at Fremont-Mills (5-1)

No. 9 Bedford (5-1) vs. Lamoni (4-2)

No. 10 Woodbine (6-0) at No. 1 Remsen St. Mary’s (6-0)

Comments: nathan.ford@thegazette.com

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Iowa

Iowa State women’s basketball star Emily Ryan discusses eating disorder in video

Published

1 day ago

October 10, 2024

Press Room

Iowa State women’s basketball star Emily Ryan discusses eating disorder in video

Iowa State women’s basketball star Emily Ryan released a video Thursday in which she discusses her battle with an eating disorder.

Ryan, a senior from Claflin, Kansas, has been one of the Big 12 Conference’s best point guards for the past few seasons. She was a first-team all-conference pick in 2022, and a second-team selection in 2023.

“By sharing my story, I hope to build awareness and provide hope to everyone else fighting an invisible battle,” Ryan said in the video.

Ryan said her sense of self-worth was dependent on Iowa State’s success and her individual performance. That led to increased time spent in the weight room in an effort to get stronger and faster. When Ryan didn’t see the results that she desired, she began to focus on her diet.

Ryan said the Iowa State medical staff expressed their concern about Ryan’s eating habits and what it was doing to her body. Ryan said she was in “complete denial” about having an eating disorder, but her health continued to worsen.

Ryan missed the first nine games of the 2023-24 season due to the eating disorder. When she returned, she said, “off the court I was really struggling. By the end of the season, I was physically and mentally hanging on by a thread.”

During the offseason, Ryan spent 88 days at a treatment center in Denver.

“It took a long time but I finally came to the understanding that being sick wasn’t my fault, and eating disorders are real, complex illnesses,” she said.