Recruiting: Who are Hawkeye hoops targets for spring and summer?
The open evaluation period should be more intriguing than any of Iowa’s open roster spots.
But after a few busy weeks of spring and with men’s basketball recruiting entering its silly season, the Hawkeyes have one precious 2016 scholarship still available.
Does coach Fran McCaffery’s staff need a point guard right now?
“That’s an area that if we can solidify with a graduate transfer or a high-end combo guard, that’s something we’ll evaluate and look at,” Iowa assistant coach Andrew Francis said.
“But outside of that, our 2016 is class is set and solid and we’re looking forward to 2017, 2018 and after.”
Here’s an overview of Iowa’s recruiting to-do list for next season’s prospects and beyond, with help from Tom Kakert, of the Rivals.com site Hawkeye Report.
Still searching for a point guard
Charlie Moore was a big name last summer, and he’s back as a 2016 Iowa target after decommitting from Memphis on April 8. The 5-foot-11 floor general was Mr. Basketball in Illinois last season, averaging 28 points, seven assists, five rebounds and five steals per game at Morgan Park.
He’s coveted as a top 100 guard available late in the recruiting process, but Kakert doesn’t think all of Iowa’s hopes rest on landing him or 6-2 guard Christian Vital from Connecticut prep school St. Thomas More.
“With what Fran and the some of the other coaches have said, I think they’re pretty comfortable just holding the scholarship open for 2017 and moving on,” Kakert said.
“Unless it’s the right guy with the right fit that can come in and help them. I know everybody gets excited with transfers, but it just isn’t that great for point guards.”
The graduate transfer market — good for a one-year fix — included more than 80 players, according to ESPN’s Jeff Goodman, and drew plenty of interest from Hawkeye fans. But Big Ten-ready point guards are in short supply, and Michigan transfer Spike Albrecht isn’t considering Iowa City.
The future at point guard is a little more fixed up. Linn-Mar guard Jordan Bohannon was Iowa’s Mr. Basketball and could learn with early playing time, and McCaffery’s oldest son, Connor, is a point guard prospect in 2017. He’s also 6-foot-5, the same height as likely starter Christian Williams.
“We don’t have a pure point guard, but we do have someone that’s very capable of handling the ball, who understands how to play and make a play for someone else in Christian,” Francis said.
Much further down the line, the Hawkeyes are among dozens of programs chasing 2019 point guard Tyger Campbell. They offered the heavily-hyped prospect last week, hoping his Iowa ties — Campbell lived in Cedar Rapids before moving to Tennessee for eighth-grade hoops and Indiana for prep school — might factor in to the process.
“I think he’s going to end up being really highly recruited,” Kakert said. “Iowa has offered him, but I think they just hope they can stay in the running and see what happens. It would be quite a get.”
Stacking up creative scorers
Whether Peter Jok plans to return to Iowa City or not, Iowa will need natural shooters and scorers to work into an increasingly versatile lineup.
Jordan Goodwin, a 2017 four-star prospect from Belleville, Ill., would fit the bill.
“Jordan played in AAU with Tyler Cook, so he has some familiarity with the program,” Kakert said. “He’s a stronger kid that can finish around the rim. A decent but not great shooter. Most of the Big Ten has offered him, but he’s also got an Iowa football offer.”
Five-star wings Michael Porter and Gary Trent picked up high-profile Hawkeye offers early on but won’t be burning up nets daily at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Another more likely option is 6-6 wing Christian Negron, an athletic slasher from Elgin, Ill.
“Illinois is in on him as well, and he’s a pretty talented kid,” Kakert said.
And they might just be holding the torch until Muscatine super sophomore Joe Wieskamp arrives in 2018. The 6-6 early commit has been the top scoring freshman and sophomore in Iowa the last two seasons and played in the Underclassman All-American Game in Indianapolis earlier this month.
Bringing in another big post
A balanced lineup of utility players lacks a logical replacement for 7-foot-1 stalwart Adam Woodbury. Gigantic recruits that can lock down the post can be challenging to reel in but usually have a role in Big Ten play.
“There’s a clear need for size in the 2017 class, and that’s something we’re looking at,” Francis said. “We want to make sure we get the best talent possible in the 2018 and 2019 classes.”
The options in 2017 aren’t 7-footers, but they’re quality big men. Four-star prospects Derek Culver and Malik Williams are 6-10 with offers and rising interest, and thin 6-9 three-stars Luka Garza and Jack Nunge have seen the Hawkeye staff during April’s open period.
“They were in visiting Jack Nunge this week, and the interesting story with him is that he lived in Iowa City because his dad is a doctor and was working with the university,” Kakert said.
“Malik is close to being a five-star kid, but he just had an in-home (visit) with Tom Izzo this week. The big boys are knocking on the door.
“They really want to get a big in this class.”
Interest is out down the line for young centers Connor Vanover (7-3, Class of 2018) and Chol Mariol (7-2, 2019), but the spot is more flexible than finding the next Hawkeye point guard.
“It’s recruiting. Things can change,” Francis said. “You don’t know how some guys are going to develop and the direction they’re going to take.
“With transfers and guys’ development, you have to flexible in your recruiting format.”