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Unfortunately, Iowa basketball has not produced many Big 10 scoring leaders or first team All Big 10 selections. From the limited records I can find, only 2 Hawkeyes have led the conference in scoring in the past 30 years. My team has both of them. My team also has 3 guys who were first team all-conference, and 3 of Iowas top 9 all-time scoring leaders, even though 2 of them only played 3 years. 5 of my 6 players scored over 1,000 career points, and all of them can be found sprinkled amidst all-time leaders for categories like assists, steals, rebounds, and blocks.
The lineup:
Guard - Andre Woolridge, 6'0 Senior. With my hoops-following days beginning in the early '80s, Dre is the best Iowa basketball player I have seen. He was the first player to lead the Big 10 in both scoring (20.2 ppg) and assists (6 apg). He was a 2 time first team All Big 10 selection and a 1st Team All-American by the Basketball Times. Despite only playing 3 years, he is one of the top 10 scorers in Iowa history and first in assists per game. During his senior year, he also ranked in the top 10 in the conference in both steals and 3 point FGs (with 58 ), while pulling down 3 rebounds per game.
Dre was an exceptionally strong point guard who will give other teams fits. He led a depleted 1996-97 (minus Settles, Kingsbury, Millard, Murray, etc.) to a 2nd place Big 10 finish (to the cheating Gophers). He can lead this talented team to the top.
Guard - Adam Haluska 6'5 Senior. First team All Big 10. Led Big 10 in scoring as a senior at 20.5 ppg. Also contributed 4.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.4 steals. 8th in conference in steals and 2nd in 3 pointers made (93). 87% free throw shooter and shot the 2nd most FTs in the conference. 7th all time in scoring at Iowa despite only playing 3 years. 2007 MVP. Hon Mention All-American by the AP, and 1st team Academic All-American.
In addition to Haluska being a prolific scorer and shooter, few players in this tourney will have more athleticism. He has excellent size and strength for a guard, and as such can play the 3 as well. With great speed and quickness, he can also effectively defend several positions. Not many players can keep up with him.
Guard/Forward Bill Jones 67 Senior. Iowa co-MVP in 1988. With great size and versatility, he can contribute at 3 different positions. He was an elite defender who set then-records at Iowa for steals in a game (with 8 ) and steals in a season (72). He also was an 80% free throw shooter.
Jones will be this teams lock-down defender, typically drawing the oppositions best player since he can defend several positions. His size and versatility also allows him to contribute as a rebounder and be effective both inside and out on offense.
Forward Jess Settles, 67 pre-injury. Jess had nearly identical stats from his freshman thru junior seasons, averaging 15-16 ppg and 7-8 rebounds per game. Big 10 Freshman of the Year. 1st Team All Big 10. 3 time team MVP. Led Iowa in rebounding 3 times. 6th all time at Iowa in scoring and top 10 in career steals. Made 113 career 3 pointers. 80% free throw shooter. Academic All-American.
Settles was a dynamic and relentless forward who could effectively play the 3 or the 4. His career stats speak for themselves, and on this team he will provide inside scoring punch while also giving defenses fits with his ability to step outside and hit the 3 or beat larger defenders off the dribble. Settles was an excellent rebounder, and his strength and tenacity will allow him to body up with just about anyone in this league.
Center Michael Payne, 611 Freshman. Payne averaged 11.4 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. 69% free throw shooter and nearly 50% from the field. Scored over 1,100 career points. Iowas 4th all-time leading rebounder, and 5th all-time in blocks.
Payne will be the man in the middle on this team, with rebounding and interior defense being his main focus. The outstanding guards will set him up to finish, and putting up his average of 11 points would be a perfect contribution to this squad.
6th Man Val Barnes 62 Senior G. Barnes averaged 14.7 ppg and 3.2 rph, making 111 career 3 pointers (3 year career). He shot 76% from the foul line his senior year, and 86% his junior year. Barnes was a gifted scorer who could heat up and pour in points in bunches (see game at MSU in 93). He gives this team yet another lethal perimeter threat with quickness and shooting ability.
Coaching: I have several pages of notes from Coach Noodles and his expertise will be invaluable. I will be teaching this team to really guard and do things the right way. In our league, you need to have a certain toughness, which I bring. There isnt much Iowa history to speak of, so I will teach these guys about my great history, and that of Noodles, including admiring my rings and my gold medal. (They will also get to taste the salsa named after me.) I will make these guys tougher and teach them the intricacies of the Noodles motion offense. Oh, and I am removing the names from their jerseys.
Overview: This team has a ton of scoring and is loaded at the guard and wing spots. It will be an up-tempo team that presents many matchup problems for opponents. This is possibly the quickest/fastest team in the league, with 5 guys who can beat defenders off the dribble and 4-5 guys who are serious threats from the perimeter. Dre will break down any defense and provide lots of great looks for his scorers. Any team foolish enough to try to press my team would pay dearly. This team will also work to get to the foul line, as it boasts several exceptional foul shooters who get to the line often.
Defensively, this team can press, play suffocating man, or go zone if size is too much of a problem. 2 guys are elite athletic defenders with good size and can lock up most guards or forwards. Settles and Payne will be asked to defend the interior and patrol the boards. Obviously, this team will be disadvantaged at times to teams with interior size, but the advantages greatly outweigh the disadvantages, and we only need to hold our own in the post and in rebounding. Rebounding will be more spread out with this team, with Haluska & Jones helping out Settles and Payne on the boards, contributing 4-5 rebounds each.
Many teams will be simply incapable of keeping up with this team in a full court game. This team can run and run and score on offense, and apply extended pressure D on defense. In order for the bigger, more plodding teams to match up, they are going to have to go small, which negates any size advantage that opponent might have had. ChicagoHawk says it above: great guards are what you need to win in college basketball.
tidrow
I got the best pure point guard in the draft and surrounded him with 5 exceptional athletes who were good at all facets of the game. Here are the basics:
Ronnie Lester: Doesnt need much description. The best player in the league, and a pure point guard. He is among Iowas all-time leaders in assists and scoring average.
Bobby Hansen: Averaged 15.4 PPG and 5.4 RPG in his team MVP season as a senior. A career 49.3% shooter. A 66 shooting guard who was a high energy guy and tenacious defender.
Gerry Wright: He led a 20-win team in FG% (nearly 60%), rebounds, and blocked shots, and was second (by a narrow margin) in scoring.
James Winters: In his senior team MVP season, he led the team in scoring at 18 PPG and in blocked shots. He was a ferocious rebounder with a sweet mid-range jumper.
Kevin Boyle: He did everything. He is ninth in career assists at Iowa and did it as a forward. He was first team all-Big Ten and honorable mention All-American. He averaged12 PPG and 7 RPG as a sophomore. He led the team in steals twice, assists once, and has the third highest rebounding total for a freshman in Iowa history. He was a career 48.6% shooter. All that and hes best known for his exceptional defense.
Chris Street: Another high energy guy. He led his team in rebounds (8.2 PG), field goal percent (.564), and set a freshman record for blocked shot. When his sophomore season was cut short, he was averaging 11 points and 8 rebounds per game.
I believe that I clearly have the best team in the following categories: defense, athleticism, and rebounding:
Defense: I dont know much about Lesters defense, although Lute says it was very good. Everyone else is a stud on defense. Boyles defense was legendary. He was 66, and Ill put him on anyone. Lute says he was the best defender in the country in the final four season. Magic Johnson used to say that Bob Hansens defense prepared him for the rigors of facing tough defense every night in the playoffs. Wright and Winters led their teams in blocked shots. Street holds Iowas freshman record (as of 2005) for blocked shots (ahead of Earl or Rucker).
Athleticism: Ive got Ronnie Lester, the quickest player in the league, Kevin The Bionic Man Boyle, Gerry Sir Jamalot Wright, and James Skywalker Winters. Chris Street was all energy, and he was a multi-sport star in high school. 4 of my 6 players were sole team MVP at Iowa at least once.
Rebounding: My whole team will rebound. Wright, Winters, and Street all led Iowa teams in rebounding. Hansen averaged 5.4 RPG as a senior shooting guard, which is higher than Settles led the team with in 1999. Boyles best season was 6.6 RPG, which would have led the team in rebounding in several seasons post-1970.
Although there is stiff competition, I also have an exceptionally good shooting team:
Lester shot better than 47% from the field in his career. I believe that Hansen has the highest career field goal % (49.3) of any guards in the league who played post-1970. Boyle was a career 48.6% shooter. Street and Wright led their teams in field goal %. I cant find Winterss field goal % numbers, but I remember that he had a great mid-range jumper that will fit perfectly on my team. And theyll make their foul shots: Street made an Iowa record 34 in a row (which may have been active when he died), Lester led the team in FT% three times, and Hansen and Boyle both shot over 70% for their careers.
The entire team is between 62 and 68, but they play big, and they will definitely play fast. If theres a weakness, it will be post defense, but any team that runs out a Les Jepsen, Acie Earl, or Jared Reiner is going to run into a lot more problems than it creates. Can you imagine this team running with the athletes it has and Lester creating? On the other hand, if a game goes half court, this team will play stifling defense. I think the team is going to be very difficult to beat. I know I would absolutely love to see them play.
Unfortunately, Iowa basketball has not produced many Big 10 scoring leaders or first team All Big 10 selections. From the limited records I can find, only 2 Hawkeyes have led the conference in scoring in the past 30 years. My team has both of them. My team also has 3 guys who were first team all-conference, and 3 of Iowas top 9 all-time scoring leaders, even though 2 of them only played 3 years. 5 of my 6 players scored over 1,000 career points, and all of them can be found sprinkled amidst all-time leaders for categories like assists, steals, rebounds, and blocks.
The lineup:
Guard - Andre Woolridge, 6'0 Senior. With my hoops-following days beginning in the early '80s, Dre is the best Iowa basketball player I have seen. He was the first player to lead the Big 10 in both scoring (20.2 ppg) and assists (6 apg). He was a 2 time first team All Big 10 selection and a 1st Team All-American by the Basketball Times. Despite only playing 3 years, he is one of the top 10 scorers in Iowa history and first in assists per game. During his senior year, he also ranked in the top 10 in the conference in both steals and 3 point FGs (with 58 ), while pulling down 3 rebounds per game.
Dre was an exceptionally strong point guard who will give other teams fits. He led a depleted 1996-97 (minus Settles, Kingsbury, Millard, Murray, etc.) to a 2nd place Big 10 finish (to the cheating Gophers). He can lead this talented team to the top.
Guard - Adam Haluska 6'5 Senior. First team All Big 10. Led Big 10 in scoring as a senior at 20.5 ppg. Also contributed 4.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.4 steals. 8th in conference in steals and 2nd in 3 pointers made (93). 87% free throw shooter and shot the 2nd most FTs in the conference. 7th all time in scoring at Iowa despite only playing 3 years. 2007 MVP. Hon Mention All-American by the AP, and 1st team Academic All-American.
In addition to Haluska being a prolific scorer and shooter, few players in this tourney will have more athleticism. He has excellent size and strength for a guard, and as such can play the 3 as well. With great speed and quickness, he can also effectively defend several positions. Not many players can keep up with him.
Guard/Forward Bill Jones 67 Senior. Iowa co-MVP in 1988. With great size and versatility, he can contribute at 3 different positions. He was an elite defender who set then-records at Iowa for steals in a game (with 8 ) and steals in a season (72). He also was an 80% free throw shooter.
Jones will be this teams lock-down defender, typically drawing the oppositions best player since he can defend several positions. His size and versatility also allows him to contribute as a rebounder and be effective both inside and out on offense.
Forward Jess Settles, 67 pre-injury. Jess had nearly identical stats from his freshman thru junior seasons, averaging 15-16 ppg and 7-8 rebounds per game. Big 10 Freshman of the Year. 1st Team All Big 10. 3 time team MVP. Led Iowa in rebounding 3 times. 6th all time at Iowa in scoring and top 10 in career steals. Made 113 career 3 pointers. 80% free throw shooter. Academic All-American.
Settles was a dynamic and relentless forward who could effectively play the 3 or the 4. His career stats speak for themselves, and on this team he will provide inside scoring punch while also giving defenses fits with his ability to step outside and hit the 3 or beat larger defenders off the dribble. Settles was an excellent rebounder, and his strength and tenacity will allow him to body up with just about anyone in this league.
Center Michael Payne, 611 Freshman. Payne averaged 11.4 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. 69% free throw shooter and nearly 50% from the field. Scored over 1,100 career points. Iowas 4th all-time leading rebounder, and 5th all-time in blocks.
Payne will be the man in the middle on this team, with rebounding and interior defense being his main focus. The outstanding guards will set him up to finish, and putting up his average of 11 points would be a perfect contribution to this squad.
6th Man Val Barnes 62 Senior G. Barnes averaged 14.7 ppg and 3.2 rph, making 111 career 3 pointers (3 year career). He shot 76% from the foul line his senior year, and 86% his junior year. Barnes was a gifted scorer who could heat up and pour in points in bunches (see game at MSU in 93). He gives this team yet another lethal perimeter threat with quickness and shooting ability.
Coaching: I have several pages of notes from Coach Noodles and his expertise will be invaluable. I will be teaching this team to really guard and do things the right way. In our league, you need to have a certain toughness, which I bring. There isnt much Iowa history to speak of, so I will teach these guys about my great history, and that of Noodles, including admiring my rings and my gold medal. (They will also get to taste the salsa named after me.) I will make these guys tougher and teach them the intricacies of the Noodles motion offense. Oh, and I am removing the names from their jerseys.
Overview: This team has a ton of scoring and is loaded at the guard and wing spots. It will be an up-tempo team that presents many matchup problems for opponents. This is possibly the quickest/fastest team in the league, with 5 guys who can beat defenders off the dribble and 4-5 guys who are serious threats from the perimeter. Dre will break down any defense and provide lots of great looks for his scorers. Any team foolish enough to try to press my team would pay dearly. This team will also work to get to the foul line, as it boasts several exceptional foul shooters who get to the line often.
Defensively, this team can press, play suffocating man, or go zone if size is too much of a problem. 2 guys are elite athletic defenders with good size and can lock up most guards or forwards. Settles and Payne will be asked to defend the interior and patrol the boards. Obviously, this team will be disadvantaged at times to teams with interior size, but the advantages greatly outweigh the disadvantages, and we only need to hold our own in the post and in rebounding. Rebounding will be more spread out with this team, with Haluska & Jones helping out Settles and Payne on the boards, contributing 4-5 rebounds each.
Many teams will be simply incapable of keeping up with this team in a full court game. This team can run and run and score on offense, and apply extended pressure D on defense. In order for the bigger, more plodding teams to match up, they are going to have to go small, which negates any size advantage that opponent might have had. ChicagoHawk says it above: great guards are what you need to win in college basketball.
tidrow
I got the best pure point guard in the draft and surrounded him with 5 exceptional athletes who were good at all facets of the game. Here are the basics:
Ronnie Lester: Doesnt need much description. The best player in the league, and a pure point guard. He is among Iowas all-time leaders in assists and scoring average.
Bobby Hansen: Averaged 15.4 PPG and 5.4 RPG in his team MVP season as a senior. A career 49.3% shooter. A 66 shooting guard who was a high energy guy and tenacious defender.
Gerry Wright: He led a 20-win team in FG% (nearly 60%), rebounds, and blocked shots, and was second (by a narrow margin) in scoring.
James Winters: In his senior team MVP season, he led the team in scoring at 18 PPG and in blocked shots. He was a ferocious rebounder with a sweet mid-range jumper.
Kevin Boyle: He did everything. He is ninth in career assists at Iowa and did it as a forward. He was first team all-Big Ten and honorable mention All-American. He averaged12 PPG and 7 RPG as a sophomore. He led the team in steals twice, assists once, and has the third highest rebounding total for a freshman in Iowa history. He was a career 48.6% shooter. All that and hes best known for his exceptional defense.
Chris Street: Another high energy guy. He led his team in rebounds (8.2 PG), field goal percent (.564), and set a freshman record for blocked shot. When his sophomore season was cut short, he was averaging 11 points and 8 rebounds per game.
I believe that I clearly have the best team in the following categories: defense, athleticism, and rebounding:
Defense: I dont know much about Lesters defense, although Lute says it was very good. Everyone else is a stud on defense. Boyles defense was legendary. He was 66, and Ill put him on anyone. Lute says he was the best defender in the country in the final four season. Magic Johnson used to say that Bob Hansens defense prepared him for the rigors of facing tough defense every night in the playoffs. Wright and Winters led their teams in blocked shots. Street holds Iowas freshman record (as of 2005) for blocked shots (ahead of Earl or Rucker).
Athleticism: Ive got Ronnie Lester, the quickest player in the league, Kevin The Bionic Man Boyle, Gerry Sir Jamalot Wright, and James Skywalker Winters. Chris Street was all energy, and he was a multi-sport star in high school. 4 of my 6 players were sole team MVP at Iowa at least once.
Rebounding: My whole team will rebound. Wright, Winters, and Street all led Iowa teams in rebounding. Hansen averaged 5.4 RPG as a senior shooting guard, which is higher than Settles led the team with in 1999. Boyles best season was 6.6 RPG, which would have led the team in rebounding in several seasons post-1970.
Although there is stiff competition, I also have an exceptionally good shooting team:
Lester shot better than 47% from the field in his career. I believe that Hansen has the highest career field goal % (49.3) of any guards in the league who played post-1970. Boyle was a career 48.6% shooter. Street and Wright led their teams in field goal %. I cant find Winterss field goal % numbers, but I remember that he had a great mid-range jumper that will fit perfectly on my team. And theyll make their foul shots: Street made an Iowa record 34 in a row (which may have been active when he died), Lester led the team in FT% three times, and Hansen and Boyle both shot over 70% for their careers.
The entire team is between 62 and 68, but they play big, and they will definitely play fast. If theres a weakness, it will be post defense, but any team that runs out a Les Jepsen, Acie Earl, or Jared Reiner is going to run into a lot more problems than it creates. Can you imagine this team running with the athletes it has and Lester creating? On the other hand, if a game goes half court, this team will play stifling defense. I think the team is going to be very difficult to beat. I know I would absolutely love to see them play.
