Hoops recruiting: A quick glance at the first evaluation period

The first spring evaluation period came and went this past weekend, and coaches from Iowa, Iowa State, Northern Iowa and Drake were all out scouting and recruiting.

Many left the state’s borders, while others stayed close to home. Some handed out offers and some simply viewed their top priorities for future recruiting classes. It was only one of two chances coaches are afforded to evaluate this spring — the second is this coming weekend.

It made for a busy few days around the country. Here’s a look at who Iowa, Iowa State, Northern Iowa and Drake all got their eyes on.

Iowa

Head coach Fran McCaffery made an appearance in Dallas at the Adidas Gauntlet Series, where the U-17 and U-16 Iowa Barnstormers squads competed.

On the U-17 squad, Muscatine’s Joe Wieskamp, already an Iowa commit, helped the Barnstormers go 3-1. His teammates, Joey Hauser and A.J. Green, have varying levels of interest from the Hawkeyes.

Hauser, a 6-foot-8 power forward from Stevens Point, Wis., holds an Iowa offer. He’s a five-star prospect by Scout and four stars by Rivals. He scored 35 points on 53.3 percent shooting in 46 game minutes over the weekend.

Green, a 6-foot-1 point guard from Cedar Falls, has steadily gained interest from the Hawkeyes. The three-star recruit shot 48.7 percent over the weekend and averaged 14.8 points per game for the Barnstormers.

McCaffery was not the only one in attendance watching theBarnstormers. He was joined by coaches from Minnesota, Boise State and Duke, as well as Wisconsin and Marquette, who are both recruiting Hauser hard (his brother, Sam, is currently a freshman for the Golden Eagles).

On the U-16 squad, Patrick McCaffery, Fran’s younger son, played well in leading the younger Barnstormers to a 3-1 record. In his final game, McCaffery filled the stat sheet with 19 points, five boards, three assists and two blocks. Rivals has the 6-foot-8 forward at No. 23 overall nationally.

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Iowa State

The Cyclones also made the trip to Dallas this past weekend, and ultimately extended an offer to Kyler Edwards, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard out of Arlington, Texas. Edwards, a member of the 2018 class, shot 43.5 percent from the floor and 42.9 percent from deep in four games over the weekend.

Edwards is one of many Iowa State saw in Dallas. Additionally, the Cyclones were able to watch Race Thompson and Torrence Watson, as well as Hauser, all of whom own offers from Iowa State.

Thompson, a 6-foot-8 forward and considered the Cyclones’ top priority for the 2018 class, averaged 13.3 points and seven boards in four games for D1 Minnesota, which went 1-3. Watson is a 6-foor-4 shooting guard from Creve Coeur, Mo., who averaged 14.5 points and four boards in four games.

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Northern Iowa

Coach Ben Jacobson was also in Dallas with assistant Kyle Green. Both were in attendance to watch A.J. Green with the U-17 Barnstormers. Kyle is A.J.’s father and has been a longtime assistant under Jacobson.

A.J. Green is not a sure thing for the Panthers, as he also holds offers from Iowa State, Nebraska and Minnesota, among others. The Cedar Falls junior has also picked up interest from Wisconsin, Ohio State, Purdue and Stanford, as well as Iowa.

Green is one of a handful that holds offers from Northern Iowa for the 2018 class. Additionally, the Panthers have also offered Hauser, Thompson and Shae Mitchell, a 6-foot-6 forward out of Minnesota. Mitchell posted eight points and 3.5 boards per game this weekend in Dallas.

Drake

Coach Niko Medved made an appearance in the Des Moines area for the Midwest Live event. He was in to watch a slew of prospects, including Des Moines North’s Tyreke Locure, who helped the MOKAN Elite U16 team go 5-0 and win the U17 championship.

Drake also extended an offer over the weekend to Michael Jones, a 6-foot-4 forward out of Woodbury, Minn. Considered one of the biggest up-and-coming prospects out of Minnesota for the 2018 class, Jones also received an offer from Northern Iowa on Monday.

Cody Goodwin covers high school sports, college basketball recruiting and Drake athletics for the Des Moines Register. Follow him on Twitter at @codygoodwin.