Hawkeyes taking time with top targets early in live hoops period

Fran McCaffery was promptly sitting front and center when Wednesday’s live period began.

Nike’s Peach Jam is no place to waste recruiting time.

With the Hawkeye men’s basketball coaching staff spread out at shoe company-sponsored events, McCaffery made sure he was ready for Minnesota-based Howard Pulley to open the week in North Augusta, S.C.

Howard Pulley boasts two Iowa-offered 2017 prospects: elite wing and long-shot Gary Trent Jr. and post target Theo John. The 6-foot-10, 230-pound John got early attention from Iowa’s head coach in an offseason with just one scholarship opening and the focus likely on big men.

Trent has taken most of the AAU team’s scoring, but John offered rebounding and some of Peach Jam’s top blocks for a growing crowd of coaches.

There’s rising interest in Iowa basketball and football prospect Jordan Goodwin, too. The 6-4 wing is averaging nearly 20 points per Peach Jam outing with freshman-to-be Tyler Cook’s old AAU team, the St. Louis Eagles.

The Tigerhawk logo showed some in-state love on Friday morning as McCaffery watched the outstanding Iowa Barnstormer U-16s at the Adidas Uprising Gauntlet Finale in Spartanburg, S.C.

The squad boasts 2018 commit Joe Wieskamp, as well as heralded target Joey Hauser and other Iowa prep standouts A.J. Green (Cedar Falls) and Sam Ingoli (Dowling Catholic).

The Barnstormers qualified for the event’s final four by the afternoon.

McCaffery is expected to focus on the top-rated center on Iowa’s board later this weekend. Nearly 7-foot Fort Wayne, Ind., star Malik Williams is a top-50 player nationally, and he's expected to be in Philadelphia for the Elevated Summer Showdown on Sunday.

Williams has already visited Iowa City and counts the Hawkeyes among a slew of other Big Ten and high-major offers.

The first live period of July ends at 5 p.m. on Sunday and reboots at 5 p.m. Wednesday.

Recruiting planner: Iowa gets to think big, pick spots in live period