By Brendan Stiles

HawkeyeDrive.com

In 2010, I created HawkeyeDrive.com with the vision of devoting reliable and responsible coverage of both the Iowa football and men’s basketball programs to Hawkeye fans all over. The last four years have been memorable for me and I hope they have been for all of you.

Today, I have unfortunate news to share. I am discontinuing HawkeyeDrive.com.

Is my career as a sports writer done? I hope not. I’d like to think it isn’t. Maybe a new opportunity presents itself. But it won’t be with this site any longer and whether it’s covering the Hawkeyes again someday for a well-established medium or even still working in the state of Iowa remains to be seen.

This site, HawkeyeDrive.com, was my full-time job for four years. The business goals I envisioned at the start never materialized like I hoped and this day became inevitable. Obviously, I would’ve preferred coming to this reality at a time that wasn’t the first week of college football season and I would’ve preferred the reason being that I have a new endeavor already lined up. But with the best interests of all affected parties in mind, including my own, this was a decision that needed to be made.

There are a lot of people I need to thank. Obviously, I have to start with my family for their support throughout these last four years. I need to thank those of you out there who were paid subscribers to this site. Your loyalty as customers meant a lot these past four years and I sincerely hope I gave you your money’s worth over this time. I need to thank my friends for all their support they’ve provided over the last few years as well.

Others I need to acknowledge: My friend Amber Capps for her help designing the HawkeyeDrive.com logo back in 2010 when this journey started, my friend and former Daily Iowan colleague Nate Whitney for being one of the first people who openly encouraged me to pursue HawkeyeDrive.com when it was still an idea, the guy those of you on Twitter know as @hawkeyegamefilm for the wealth of football knowledge he shared with me through our interactions the last 2-3 years and Randy Larson for all of his help ensuring I provided timely PTL coverage over the past five summers.

As for those in the industry, the first person I need to thank is Dave Schwartz. During HawkeyeDrive.com’s infancy stages, Dave was someone I could turn to for advice and he gave me the best advice I ever received — “Do everything.” In other words, anywhere you could be, anywhere a story could develop, be there. Write about it. This is why I covered every Hawkeye football game and every Hawkeye men’s basketball game on U.S. mainland I possibly could.

This is why I went to Johnston, Iowa back in 2011 when Iowa Corn held that press conference acknowledging its Cy-Hawk Trophy was an abomination. This is why I went to North Liberty every summer night there was PTL, even if the story lines started getting stale. This is why I spent my Tuesday afternoons in the autumn attending Kirk Ferentz’s press conferences. This is why every time Fran McCaffery had a teleconference with the local media, I called in no matter where I happened to be and made sure to ask him questions. This is why I covered events like the “Heart of Gold Gala” that honored Brett Greenwood in 2013, Norm Parker’s “Celebration of Life” ceremony and Dick Vitale’s fundraiser fighting pediatric cancer at Riverside Casino and Golf Resort. The first event I ever covered for HawkeyeDrive.com was an I-Club function in the Amana Colonies where Reese Morgan raved about this true freshman named Brandon Scherff arriving on campus. “Do everything.” Dave, thank you.

I need to thank Bill Casey and everyone else I ever worked with at The Daily Iowan during my five years there. I wouldn’t have been in a position to start up a site like HawkeyeDrive.com if not for the values and skills I learned working there. If I’m able to remain in sports writing, I hope to continue applying everything I learned there toward my craft. The Daily Iowan and the Adler Journalism Building will always be dear to me. So will all the working relationships I developed with everyone there.

I need to thank the guys at Black Heart Gold Pants for regularly linking to my work. Whether it was Planned Sick Days linking my work, Ross anointing me as a “Friend of the Pants,” or Patrick Vint being someone who appreciated early on how I operated this site, you guys will always have my respect and your site is one I’ll continue visiting frequently no matter what my future entails.

One person from BHGP in particular I need to thank is Adam Jacobi, who was a colleague of mine when I spent roughly 10 months between 2011-2012 contributing additional Iowa football coverage for CBS Sports and its RapidReports network. It was Adam who convinced me to apply and after less than one calendar year running HawkeyeDrive.com, my body of work was enough for Tony Moss to offer me a position. Tony, Jon Gallo and all of my other RapidReports editors taught me how to become a more concise writer. Because of that experience, I’d like to believe I’m a better writer today than I was when I first started HawkeyeDrive.com. Adam, thank you.

To Jon Miller and Justin VanLaere (a.k.a. “Stormin’ Spank”), thank you both. Like the guys at BHGP, you two never hesitated linking to my work on your Hawkeye Nation message boards. Both of you also encouraged me along the way these past four years and I’ll always appreciate that. This past spring, I was given the opportunity to contribute to the Iowa preview published by Dave Bartoo for CFB Matrix. It was Jon who made that possible. Jon, thank you for always thinking as highly of my reporting as you have.

To all my colleagues in the Iowa media, thank you. I said this when I left the DI and will say it again now, four years later — Hawkeye fans have it made. They really do. There’s not a single person on either the football or basketball beats (print, online, TV, radio, past or present) I don’t have the utmost respect for. Not one. The respect you all gave me as a fellow Iowa reporter through the years is something I always did and always will appreciate. I won’t list every single one of you here for fear of omitting someone. But just know I truly respect each and every one of you and I can only hope the feeling is and remains mutual.

There are also plenty of other college football and basketball reporters (both local and national) I need to acknowledge. Whether it was because you gave me the time of day as a guest on “Talkin’ Hawks” or because I shared worthwhile conversations with you during events we covered or just because of interactions we’ve shared on social media, the relationships I’ve established with reporters outside the state of Iowa — especially those covering other Big Ten schools — is something I appreciate as much as the relationships I made with those here in Iowa.

I need to thank Marty Tirrell and Trent Condon for all the opportunities they gave me to appear as a guest on “Mouth of the Midwest” and for helping me promote HawkeyeDrive.com any time I joined them. Trent even asked me once a few years back to help him co-host the show’s first hour while Marty was on assignment and I had a blast doing that. I always enjoyed my encounters with them on “Mouth of the Midwest” and wish them both, as well as 1490 The Jock, continued success in the future.

To my good friend Chris Rowell, thank you. Chris signed on to be my weekly co-host on the “Talkin’ Hawks” podcast in 2011 after I spent 2010 recording the podcast solo. Last year was a little more challenging because Chris moved back to Ohio, so we couldn’t meet up and record it together in person like we had when he lived in Iowa City. But with respect to every other former Iowa football player I know, there’s no one else I would’ve rather had as my co-host. Recording “Talkin’ Hawks” with Chris was by far the one thing I always looked most forward to every week during football season and his contributions helped make Wednesday my favorite day of the week whenever we got together to record them. Chris, your loyalty to the podcast meant a lot. Your continued friendship means even more.

There are two well-known, well-established Hawkeyes I need to thank and those gentlemen are Bob Brooks and John Streif. From Day One on the football beat back in 2007, Bob always acknowledged me, treated me with the utmost respect and made me feel like I belonged. Knowing I earned Brooksie’s respect was the highest of compliments and getting to know him these last seven years has provided so many memories. I’ll still never forget the smile he cracked when I told him in 2010 I was starting this site. John is the nicest human being I’ve ever met. From a work perspective, he was always helpful and always gracious to me whenever I needed assistance. On a personal level, there’s not a single time I can remember seeing John where he didn’t greet me with a smile, wanting to shake my hand. The day these two men aren’t regularly around Kinnick Stadium or Carver-Hawkeye Arena is the day Iowa will never be the same.

I need to thank Gary Dolphin. During the 2010 football season, I met Gary at Carlos O’Kelly’s every Wednesday night after he taped “Hawk Talk” and conducted weekly one-on-one audio segments with him that I posted on HawkeyeDrive.com for subscribers. Gary, thank you for giving me that opportunity. I enjoyed all those conversations we shared.

I need to thank Kirk Ferentz and Fran McCaffery. I’m sure there were instances where they probably didn’t feel like talking to me, but did so anyway and treated me fairly in the process. Fairness is a journalistic value I believe to be extremely important and whether something I wrote was positive or negative, I hope both of them feel I was as fair with my coverage of their programs as they were with me.

I need to thank everyone in the Iowa Sports Information Department for giving me the opportunity to establish HawkeyeDrive.com as a credible news outlet. I specifically need to thank Phil Haddy. I know he retired two years ago, but HawkeyeDrive.com never would’ve been possible without his approval back in 2010 and I will always be grateful to Phil for opening that door. The same can be said for both Steve Roe and Matt Weitzel. Just like the two coaches, I’m sure there were times we didn’t always see eye-to-eye, but Steve and Matt were always available to answer any questions I had and I want both of them to know I respect what they do and appreciate everything they’ve ever done for me.

Along these same lines, I need to thank Scott Chipman and his staff at the Big Ten for their assistance through the years. Whether it was answering an email about Big Ten Spring Meetings or making sure the Wi-Fi worked at either Big Ten Media Days or the Big Ten Tournament, Scott has always been helpful and I appreciate that he and the conference acknowledged HawkeyeDrive.com as an accredited outlet these last four years.

Lastly, I need to thank each and every one of you reading this because chances are most of you came to this link via Twitter. I’ll get asked on occasion, “Why do you tweet so much and follow so many people?” When I first started tweeting in 2009, one of our editors at the DI suggested following back those who follow you and interact with them. I’ve enjoyed many of my interactions with Hawkeye fans on Twitter these past five years and hope to continue communicating with those who choose to continue following me. You’re the ones that inspired me to pursue HawkeyeDrive.com in the first place.

In closing, I just want to say it was a privilege to serve all of you who did subscribe to HawkeyeDrive.com, and even those of you who never subscribed, but frequently visited and read, watched or listened to any of my content on HawkeyeDrive.com. It was a privilege to cover Iowa football and write a story like this one about James and Greg Morris and everything else featured in the “24 Heisman Road” archive. It was a privilege to cover Iowa men’s basketball and write a story like this one about Chris Street and everything else featured in the “40 Street” archive. It was a privilege putting together all the videos I posted after games and various events I covered for HawkeyeDrive.com.

I hope I earned your respect as an Iowa football and men’s basketball reporter because that’s all I could have asked for. I hope in one way or another that I made a difference in how these two programs are covered by others going forward while also maintaining the core values and ethics I believe every accredited reporter should possess, no matter the medium. I hope the next ambitious sports writer that starts an independent site covering college sports gets the same opportunities I had in terms of access and being able to build connections on both a local and national level.

Thanks for reading.

By Brendan Stiles

HawkeyeDrive.com

In conjuncture with the Big Ten releasing its entire conference schedule for the 2014-15 college basketball season, the Iowa Hawkeyes revealed the entirety of their 2014-15 slate Thursday afternoon.

Following an exhibition game against Northwood (Mich.) on Nov. 2, the Hawkeyes’ first two games will be at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Nov. 14 and Nov. 17 as part of the 2K Classic. Opponents for these two games are still to be determined. From there, Iowa will play in the 2K Classic at New York City’s Madison Square Garden against Texas on Nov. 20 and then either Syracuse or California on Nov. 21. The month of November ends with the Hawkeyes playing three home games over Thanksgiving break against Pepperdine (Nov. 24), Northern Illinois (Nov. 26) and Longwood (Nov. 29).

December starts with Iowa’s highly anticipated Big Ten/ACC Challenge contest at North Carolina on Dec. 3, then the Hawkeyes play three straight at home against Maryland-Baltimore County (Dec. 6), Alcorn State (Dec. 9) and Iowa State (Dec. 12) before taking part in the third annual Big Four Classic against Northern Iowa on Dec. 20 at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines. The non-conference slate concludes with North Florida visiting Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Dec. 22.

Shifting into Big Ten play, the front of Iowa’s schedule is a gauntlet featuring seven games against NCAA Tournament teams from last season. It begins with the Hawkeyes visiting Value City Arena for the first of two contests against Ohio State on Dec. 30. Iowa’s first game of 2015 then comes on Monday, Jan. 5 against Nebraska and then Michigan State visits Carver-Hawkeye Arena three nights later. The Hawkeyes then play four of their next six on the road, starting with a trip to Williams Arena to play Minnesota on Jan. 13. Following the second contest against Ohio State on Jan. 17 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa plays Wisconsin (Jan. 20) and Purdue (Jan. 24) in back-to-back road games. The month of January ends with the Badgers and Hawkeyes meeting in Iowa City on Jan. 31.

Thursdays and Sundays are the theme of February, with six straight games falling on a Thursday, followed by a Sunday. This starts Feb. 5 when Iowa plays Michigan at Crisler Arena. The Hawkeyes’ first Big Ten meeting with Maryland takes place Feb. 8 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, then Minnesota visits Feb. 12. A road trip to Northwestern on Feb. 15 is then followed by Iowa’s first Big Ten game against Rutgers at home on Feb. 19. The month of February then ends with Iowa’s first trip to Nebraska’s Pinnacle Bank Arena (Feb. 22), a home date with Illinois (Feb. 25) and a road game at Penn State on Feb. 28. The season concludes in March with a “Super Tuesday” game at Indiana on March 3 and then with Iowa honoring seniors Aaron White, Josh Oglesby and Gabe Olaseni before playing Northwestern on March 7.

Iowa’s entire 2014-15 schedule can be viewed here.

By Brendan Stiles

HawkeyeDrive.com

The Iowa Hawkeyes will be featured twice on ESPN as part of its “Super Tuesday” slate for the 2014-15 college basketball season, which was released by the network Wednesday afternoon.

Both contests are away from Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The first appearance is at 8 p.m. Central on Jan. 20 when Iowa travels to the Kohl Center to face Wisconsin, who is coming off a Final Four appearance last season and will most likely be favorites to win the Big Ten in 2014-15. The Hawkeyes have lost each of their last two games in Madison and have lost three straight overall to the Badgers.

The other “Super Tuesday” contest is March 3 with the Hawkeyes traveling to Assembly Hall to face Indiana in a game set for 6 p.m. Central that evening. Last season, Iowa was scheduled to play at Indiana as part of ESPN’s “Super Tuesday,” but the game was pushed back nine days after a 50-pound piece of metal fell from the Assembly Hall ceiling.

It was also announced earlier in the week that the Hawkeyes’ Big Ten/ACC Challenge contest on Dec. 3 at North Carolina will be televised nationally by ESPN and start at 6:30 p.m. Central. In addition, Iowa will make at least one appearance on ESPN2 during the 2K Classic in November when the Hawkeyes play Texas at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Nov. 20.

The remainder of Iowa’s 2014-15 schedule is expected to be finalized later this month.

By Brendan Stiles

HawkeyeDrive.com

For months now, the Iowa Hawkeyes knew they would be playing in the 2K Classic. On Tuesday, they found out who exactly they’ll be facing when they arrive at Madison Square Garden.

The tourney revealed its bracket for the 2-day event in New York City and it shows Iowa playing Texas on Nov. 20. The Longhorns were a No. 7 seed in last year’s NCAA Tournament and reached the Round of 32, where they lost to Michigan. This match-up between the Hawkeyes and Longhorns will happen at 6 p.m. Central that evening and be televised nationally on ESPN2.

Iowa’s second game in the Big Apple then comes the following day, Nov. 21, where it will face either Syracuse or California. The Orange was a No. 3 seed in last year’s NCAA Tournament and was upset by 11th-seeded Dayton in the Round of 32. Meanwhile, the Golden Bears reached the NIT quarterfinals last season and are now coached by Cuonzo Martin, who was previously at Tennessee and actually coached against Iowa last March in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Hawkeyes’ second contest will either be at 4 p.m. Central on ESPNU or 6 p.m. Central on ESPN2, depending on the outcome of its game against Texas. Iowa also receives two home games that will be played prior to the Hawkeyes leaving for New York. No announcement has been made on who those games are against or regarding the rest of Iowa’s non-conference schedule.

By Brendan Stiles

HawkeyeDrive.com

With the 2014 Prime Time League officially a thing of the past, I’ve once again compiled statistics of each of Iowa’s scholarship players whom participated in the PTL this summer and will present those, along with a brief paragraph of observations I have about each player and how I feel they’ll fit into the Hawkeyes’ equation for the 2014-15 season.

Before going any further here, let me conduct my annual hammering home of the following: The Prime Time League is not a be-all, end-all, nor should any of this be viewed that way. I merely do this to give all of you an accurate portrayal of what I saw this summer and what I believe to be a realistic synopsis of the Iowa Hawkeyes going forward given what I’ve seen and what I’ve also heard throughout the summer.

One player I need to get out of the way here is the one who didn’t play at all this summer due to being injured and that’s incoming freshman guard Brady Ellingson. From what I’ve been told, the program is optimistic that Ellingson — who is listed at 6-4, 190 pounds — should be fully recovered by the time they start practice this fall. Assuming this is the case, don’t expect him to redshirt. Even if Iowa doesn’t end up going 10 or 11 players deep into its rotation like it did last season and his minutes are extremely limited, Iowa doesn’t have any intention of redshirting Ellingson. This could change between now and when November rolls around, but I highly doubt it does, especially if Iowa plays teams that frequently try to zone against it because the Hawkeyes are going to want shooters at their disposal.

Below are the stats for the other 10 Iowa players on scholarship to play in the PTL this summer, along with my observations on each of them:

Aaron White, Sr., 6-9, Forward

2014 PTL stats: 6 games, 22.0 PPG, 12.5 RPG, 3.7 APG, 49-of-117 FG (42 percent); 43-of-85 2P; 6-of-32 3P, 28-of-39 (72 percent)

Observations: Back in the spring, Fran McCaffery told White that this was now his team and for good reason. With Devyn Marble no longer around, expect White to be this team’s leading scorer in 2014-15 in addition to being its top rebounder yet again. In terms of how he fits, Iowa has established he will move back to the 4-spot this season after starting at the 3 all of last season. This is despite being named a good enough wing player to be invited to Kevin Durant’s camp last month in Washington, D.C. Honestly, this is a move I thought would’ve been done a year ago, but now it appears it will happen and I do think it’s to Iowa’s benefit.

Adam Woodbury, Jr., 7-1, Center

2014 PTL stats: 6 games, 23.7 PPG, 13.8 RPG, 3.3 APG, 60-of-100 FG (60 percent); 59-of-97 2P; 1-of-3 3P, 21-of-31 FT (68 percent)

Observations: From the Iowa perspective, Woodbury was one of the two best players in the PTL this summer. He was a walking double-double every time he stepped on the floor. While this is going to be “White’s team” in 2014-15, Woodbury is without a doubt Iowa’s most important puzzle piece. How much Woodbury develops and is able to build off his 16-point, 8-rebound game against Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament might legitimately be the difference between Iowa contending for a Big Ten title and being a bubble team sweating it out on Selection Sunday. My belief is this — if Woodbury can average around 12 points and 7 rebounds per game for Iowa in 2014-15 (and this would be a major spike in his numbers from last year), he’s in the discussion of top Big Ten centers alongside Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky. Between that Tennessee game and what Woodbury did this summer, I believe a more concerted effort is going to be made to get the ball inside to him. That Tennessee game also validated something I’ve said about Woodbury for two years and counting now — the longer he’s able to stay on the floor for the Hawkeyes, the more productive he becomes and that’s where the 12-and-7 comes into play.

Jarrod Uthoff, Jr., 6-9, Forward

2014 PTL stats: 6 games, 25.0 PPG, 13.3 RPG, 3.5 APG, 61-of-124 FG (49 percent); 52-of-96 2P; 9-of-28 3P, 19-of-26 FT (73 percent)

Observations: Uthoff was named co-MVP of the PTL this summer alongside UNI’s Matt Bohannon and deservedly so. He averaged more points than any other Iowa player this summer and like Woodbury, was consistent every single night he took the floor. Last year, I thought for sure he would start from the get-go and was surprised to see him not start a single game. This time around, there’s no debate. Not only is Uthoff going to start for Iowa this season, but the reason why White’s moving back to the 4-spot is to make room for Uthoff out on the wing. The 3-spot is where Iowa wants to play Uthoff and Uthoff even said this summer it’s the position he’s most comfortable playing. Now this isn’t to say he won’t see some minutes at the 4 or even at the 2-guard (which he did once last season when Iowa played Northwestern in the Big Ten Tournament). But he sees himself as a 3, the coaching staff sees him as a 3 and yeah, he’s going to start at the 3.

Mike Gesell, Jr., 6-1, Guard

2014 PTL stats: 5 games, 21.4 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 4.6 APG, 44-of-92 FG (48 percent); 30-of-53 2P; 14-of-39 3P, 5-of-8 FT (63 percent)

Observations: When the season begins, expect Gesell to remain Iowa’s starting point guard. In fact, he could very easily start every game at point guard in 2014-15. However, Gesell could very well be looking at seeing more minutes playing the 2-guard this season and his showing in the PTL this summer sort of illustrates that. Last summer, he averaged 11 assists per game in the PTL and looked every bit like someone who should start at the point (which he ended up doing). Gesell made more of a concerted effort this summer on being aggressive offensively — which he showed glimpses of last season — and I think this is something he does more of now, especially now that Marble is no longer around. He’ll slide over to the 2 any time he’s playing alongside either Clemmons or Dickerson.

Josh Oglesby, Sr., 6-5, Guard

2014 PTL stats: 5 games, 16.4 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 4.4 APG, 28-of-70 FG (40 percent); 12-of-19 2P; 16-of-51 3P, 10-of-10 FT (100 percent)

Observations: The reason why Gesell will still be starting at point guard in 2014-15 is because Oglesby has pretty much earned the chance to start at the 2-spot. And even though neither Jok nor Dickerson has done much yet to truly stand out, Oglesby isn’t getting this by default. Among Iowa players, he was the only guy to make every single one of his free throws this summer. Oglesby also has starting experience to his name and some of Iowa’s best production with him on the floor last season came when he played alongside Gesell in the backcourt. I don’t know if Oglesby ends up starting the entire season, but it wouldn’t shock me if he did.

Gabe Olaseni, Sr., 6-10, Forward/Center

2014 PTL stats: 6 games, 23.8 PPG, 11.0 RPG, 1.7 APG, 60-of-110 FG (55 percent); 59-of-109 2P; 1-of-1 3P, 22-of-32 FT (69 percent)

Observations: Olaseni was the top pick in the PTL draft this summer and after bulking up into the 235-240 pound range, looked every bit the part. His scoring, shooting and free-throw percentage are all comparable to what Woodbury did. But with that being said, Olaseni is going to be the first guy off the bench for McCaffery this season. The question will be how much he plays at center versus how much he plays at the 4. Olaseni will be the first guy off the bench because of his versatility here. If Woodbury struggles early, he can go in at the 5. The other option is having him play at the 4 alongside Woodbury and then either keep Uthoff at the 3 if White needs a breather or move White over to the 3 if Uthoff needs a breather. There’s going to be a lot of options for McCaffery in terms of how the rest of the rotation works, but this is a good problem to have if you’re Iowa. I do expect this to be Olaseni’s best season yet and he’ll probably end up playing the equivalent of starter’s minutes when you factor in time at both the 4 and 5 spots.

Trey Dickerson, So., 6-1, Guard

2014 PTL stats: 4 games, 15.5 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 6.8 APG, 23-of-60 FG (38 percent); 17-of-34 2P; 6-of-26 3P, 10-of-12 (83 percent)

Observations: There’s a lot to like about Dickerson, with the biggest thing being his quickness. White described Dickerson as “his own fast break” and that quickness was clearly on display this summer. I also think Dickerson’s going to be the one player on this team that irritates his opponents more so than any other. Not in the physical altercation type of way, but more along the lines of playing head games. There were times where he looked like he was frustrating the heck out of whoever was guarding him. However, I would also caution Iowa fans to be patient and I’m going to be curious to see how long of a leash he gets because he’s going to make mistakes. He’s going to make the kind of mistakes that other players under McCaffery have immediately gotten benched for. His change of pace can be a difference-maker for this team, but he can’t be careless with the ball either.

Dominique Uhl, Fr., 6-9, Forward

2014 PTL stats: 5 games, 12.6 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 2.0 APG, 27-of-60 FG (45 percent); 21-of-37 2P; 6-of-23 3P, 4-of-6 FT (67 percent)

Observations: I liked what I saw from Uhl this summer. Even though he’ll mostly be playing at the 3 whenever he does see the floor, I do think Uhl will get some minutes playing the 4 this season and here’s why. When Iowa played Olaseni at the 5, its most production — by far — came with him playing alongside Zach McCabe in the frontcourt. In fact, the lineups where either Uthoff or White played at the 4 alongside Olaseni both proved to be quite unproductive. This is why I thought a guy like Kyle Meyer could be a difference maker this season had he not transferred. But with Meyer gone, someone has to fill this role and I think it’ll be Uhl. I’ll guarantee the majority of his minutes at the 4 will come with Olaseni at the center. I’m not expecting much from him as a true freshman, but Uhl’s going to be a nice piece for McCaffery down the road.

Anthony Clemmons, Jr., 6-1, Guard

2014 PTL stats: 5 games, 19.6 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 6.6 APG, 39-of-77 FG (51 percent); 26-of-47 2P; 13-of-30 3P, 7-of-12 (58 percent)

Observations: Clemmons looked like someone with a major chip on his shoulders this summer. Not because of anything McCaffery said or done, but because of Clemmons’ own accord. He acknowledged that he underachieved as a sophomore and looks motivated to have a much different junior season. I think you’re going to see a lot of him alongside Gesell in the backcourt early in the season and what will be interesting to me is how much of that Iowa shows over the course of the season. If/when Jok returns from his suspension, I also think there’s a chemistry between he and Clemmons that was evident last year and could be used at times in 2014-15.

Peter Jok, So., 6-6, Guard

2014 PTL stats: 4 games, 21.8 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 1.3 APG, 30-of-58 FG (52 percent); 9-of-19 2P; 21-of-39 3P, 6-of-7 FT (86 percent)

Observations: I’m going to go off the premise that whenever Jok’s indefinite suspension is up that he manages to avoid any further trouble going forward. On the court, I see a player that could provide a scoring boost whenever Iowa needs it, but I also see someone who is still limited in what he can do. Prior to his indefinite suspension, Jok played in four PTL games and he struggled scoring in the first two of those before catching fire shooting the ball in the last two games he played. But right now, he’s purely a scorer. The rebounding and assist numbers weren’t there this summer. When he starts adding more strengths to his entire repertoire, that’s when Jok will start seeing more minutes. Otherwise, don’t expect much right away when his suspension’s up.

Iowa also had two walk-ons participate in the PTL this summer — junior forward Okey Ukah and incoming freshman forward Nicholas Baer, who is a graduate of Bettendorf High School and will be joining the Iowa program this fall. Below are their final statistics:

Okey Ukah, Jr., 6-6, Forward

2014 PTL stats: 4 games, 6.5 PPG, 3.3 RPG, o.o APG, 12-of-24 FG (50 percent); 12-of-24 2P; 0-of-0 3P, 2-of-4 FT (50 percent)

Nicholas Baer, Fr., 6-7, Forward

2014 PTL stats: 5 games, 9.8 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 2.2 APG, 22-of-47 FG (47 percent); 20-of-35 2P; 2-of-12 3P; 3-of-6 FT (50 percent)

By Brendan Stiles

HawkeyeDrive.com

NORTH LIBERTY, Iowa — Winning the Prime Time League just doesn’t get old for Anthony Clemmons.

For the third straight summer, the Iowa junior point guard was part of a PTL championship squad and gets bragging rights in the Hawkeye locker room. Even despite the absence of junior center Adam Woodbury, who is currently participating at the Four Nations Cup in Estonia, Clemmons and his fourth-seeded Westport Touchless Autowash/IAHomesForSale squad staged a second-half rally and delivered in crunch time to defeat No. 2 Culver’s/McCurry’s 114-111 Thursday night at the North Liberty Community Center.

“I’ve been talking about this since I got on campus,” Clemmons said. “I’ve been talking junk to players in the locker room. Like I said, I love to win and I hate to lose more than I like winning. So I put that in my category.”

The game had a back-and-forth feel to it at the start before Culver’s/McCurry’s got going thanks to a pair of alley-oop dunks by senior forward Aaron White, both of which were assisted by incoming sophomore guard Trey Dickerson. The first alley-oop came from half-court, while the second one came shortly thereafter in transition.

“A couple of those, I didn’t even have to yell. It was just a feel and he’s just a good PG like that,” White said about the chemistry he built playing alongside Dickerson this summer. “That’s really going to help us. He’s great in transition. You saw a couple of times, he’s his own fast break. That’s how quick he is. I love playing with guys like that.”

These were two of the six assists Dickerson had on the evening to complement his 13 points on 5-of-15 shooting, while White finished with a monstrous double-double of 37 points on 15-of-27 shooting and 21 rebounds.

Culver’s/McCurry’s built a lead as big as 13 points late in the first half before Autowash/Homes managed to trim its halftime deficit down to seven points at 56-49. Then came the second half, which Autowash/Homes started in complete control of as that deficit quickly became a 62-61 lead three minutes in.

“They kind of got hot and then we had to start fouling,” Dickerson said. “Tonight, they pulled it out.”

After Autowash/Homes managed to climb ahead, the game once again had a back-and-forth feel and even began to slow down from the quick pace it was accelerating at. With 2:58 left, Autowash/Homes drained a 3-pointer to tie the game at 101-101, prompting Culver’s/McCurry’s to call timeout.

From there, Autowash/Homes permanently seized control of the game as UNI’s Klint Carlson scored five unanswered points out of that timeout to put it up 106-101. After a Culver’s/McCurry’s 3-pointer made it 106-104, Clemmons made his two biggest plays of the evening.

First came a drive to the bucket with White defending him that extended the lead back to two possessions. Then in the closing minutes, Clemmons nailed an open 3-pointer — a play he said his head coach Randy Larson called for him — to make the game 111-104. He finished with 26 points on 11-of-23 shooting, along with six rebounds and six assists.

“Randy called it for me,” Clemmons said. “He said, ‘seven seconds, Sapp,’ and called my number. What I was taught growing up, when you get your number called, you better get that basket.”

Culver’s/McCurry’s would get back within two points and even had two chances in the closing seconds to tie the game with a 3-pointer. But neither look it got from behind the arc fell and Autowash/Homes held on for the victory.

*Be sure to visit HawkeyeDrive.com on Friday for a complete statistical breakdown of every Iowa player competing in the Prime Time League this summer, as well as final thoughts on each player as the Hawkeyes prepare for their upcoming 2014-15 college basketball season.

2014 PTL Championship: Autowash/Homes (PURPLE) VS. Culver’s/McCurry’s (WHITE) (FIRST HALF VIDEO):

2014 PTL Championship: Autowash/Homes (PURPLE) VS. Culver’s/McCurry’s (WHITE) (SECOND HALF VIDEO):

INTERVIEWS:

ANTHONY CLEMMONS:

TREY DICKERSON:

AARON WHITE:

By Brendan Stiles

HawkeyeDrive.com

2014 Prime Time League Championship Game:

No. 4 Westport Touchless Autowash/IAHomesForSale (4-2) vs. No. 2 Culver’s/McCurry’s (3-2)

When: Thursday, July 31, 7 p.m. CT

Where: Roberts Gym, North Liberty Community Center

How Autowash/Homes got to this point: Autowash/Homes is currently riding a three-game winning streak, which includes a 100-96 first round victory over Vinton Merchants/Marion Iron Company on July 17 and more recently, a 99-96 win in the semifinals last week over top-seeded Jill Armstrong of Skogman Realty.

The biggest contributor for Autowash/Homes (both in size and production) has been junior center Adam Woodbury, who has easily been one of the two best Iowa players in the PTL this summer (the other being Jarrod Uthoff). Woodbury shot 60 percent from the floor in six PTL games and posted averages of 23.7 points and 13.8 rebounds per game. However, Woodbury will not be available for Autowash/Homes on Thursday as both he and Mike Gesell are playing in the Four Nations Cup, which is taking place in Estonia. The other commonality during Autowash/Homes’ current win streak has been the play of junior guard Anthony Clemmons. Following a 3-point showing in his first game of the summer back on July 3, Clemmons has averaged 23 points per game over the last three weeks and he’ll be seeking his third consecutive PTL championship when he takes the floor Thursday night.

How Culver’s/McCurry’s got to this point: Culver’s/McCurry’s earned a first round bye after winning a four-way tie for second place via coin flip back on July 10. Last week in the PTL semifinals, it cruised to an easy 101-74 victory over third-seeded L.L. Pelling/Comfort Care Medicare.

Leading the charge is senior forward Aaron White, who is currently averaging 19 points per contest this summer. Culver’s/McCurry’s also gained a spark earlier in the month when incoming sophomore guard Trey Dickerson joined the team upon his Iowa City arrival. In three games this summer, Dickerson has averaged 16.3 points and seven assists per contest. Last week against Pelling/Comfort Care, White finished with a double-double of 17 points and 14 rebounds while Dickerson had 15 points and eight assists.

How they’ve fared against each other: The only previous meeting between these two teams came on the league’s opening night, June 19. Since neither Clemmons nor Dickerson was on campus yet when this game happened, the only two Hawkeyes who played were White and Woodbury.

White’s squad ended up with the upper hand, 95-89, as he emerged with a double-double of 25 points and 10 rebounds. Woodbury came away one rebound shy of a double-double himself as he posted 27 points and nine boards that evening.

What to watch for: Seeing how both teams were missing their starting point guards when they met the first time, the match-up to watch Thursday night will be Clemmons going toe-to-toe with Dickerson. Both players have acknowledged being highly motivated to face the other and it’s a match-up that should be compelling to watch, especially if neither ends up cracking Iowa’s starting five when the 2014-15 season arrives.

The other thing to keep an eye on is how Autowash/Homes adjusts without having Woodbury. On one hand, his absence will likely lead to more outside shooting and mid-range jumpers. Defensively, Autowash/Homes will have to account for White, who will be looking to consistently drive to the basket and draw contact every chance he gets.

Possible X-factors: It seems somewhat crazy to call one of Iowa’s best players an X-factor, but in this particular case, White is definitely someone who will make the difference one way or the other for Culver’s/McCurry’s. Like Clemmons, White is also seeking his third PTL championship (his would be three in four years). He’s also the only Iowa player available for either team that played in the first meeting, meaning there’s already familiarity with the other personnel Autowash/Homes has. If White goes for another double-double and does so with pretty good shooting numbers, Culver’s/McCurry’s might win going away again like it did last week.

UNI’s Matt Bohannon will be the X-factor for Autowash/Homes in this game, especially if he’s shooting unconscious from behind the arc. But Clemmons is also worth keeping an eye on and not just because he’ll have the responsibility of guarding Dickerson. He faced a very similar situation last summer when he led his team to the PTL crown, as it was missing Uthoff for the very same reason Autowash/Homes will be without Woodbury on Thursday.

By Brendan Stiles

HawkeyeDrive.com

NORTH LIBERTY, Iowa — The Prime Time League semifinals had a little of everything Thursday night at the North Liberty Community Center. One game was an upset that featured the league’s top two players this summer and went down to the wire. The other contest was a complete rout from start to finish. When the night was over, it was fourth-seeded Westport Touchless Autowash/IAHomesForSale and second-seeded Culver’s/McCurry’s still standing and those two teams will meet next week for the PTL championship.

In terms of seeding, Autowash/Homes’ 99-96 win over top-seeded Jill Armstrong of Skogman Realty was an upset. But in all actuality, it was the second time this summer Autowash/Homes defeated the league’s best regular season squad.

Armstrong looked to be in control early on when it used a 20-4 run in the first half to go up 36-24 with about seven-and-a-half minutes remaining. From there though, Autowash/Homes staged a 26-12 rally of its own and actually went into halftime leading 50-48.

Autowash/Homes led throughout most of the second half, but Armstrong managed to tie the game at 86-86 apiece with 2:58 remaining thanks in large part to the play of junior forward Jarrod Uthoff, who has had as good a summer as any Iowa player. Uthoff shot 12-of-19 from the floor to finish with 28 points and also contributed 11 rebounds to complete the double-double.

“I’m just getting more comfortable,” Uthoff said. “I took way more shots than I ever had in games. I got to be more comfortable being in that position and being more aggressive.”

Northern Iowa’s Klint Carlson broke the tie with a one-handed dunk to put Autowash/Homes ahead before it received two of the biggest plays of the game from its pair of Hawkeyes. First came a 3-point play from junior center Adam Woodbury on the ensuing possession to extend the lead to 91-86. Then just as Armstrong got back within a field goal, junior guard Anthony Clemmons found himself open from behind the arc and drilled a 3-pointer to push it back up to 95-90, which ultimately allowed Autowash/Homes to preserve the victory.

Both Iowa players had 24 points each for Autowash/Homes in the win. Clemmons shot 9-of-15 from the floor and also contributed with eight assists. Woodbury, who will not be available for next week’s title game due to a prior commitment playing for the USA East Coast squad at the Four Nations Cup in Estonia, ended his summer with his fifth consecutive double-double as he shot 8-of-13 from the floor for his 24 points and hauled down 17 rebounds.

“I gained a lot of confidence and played with a great group of guys,” Woodbury said. “I’m excited to get the season started. I’ve put in a lot of work and I think it’s kind of starting to show.”

As for the nightcap, it was a complete whitewash as Culver’s/McCurry’s easily disposed of third-seeded L.L. Pelling/Comfort Care Medicare, 101-74. It began as though it could be a compelling game with senior center Gabe Olaseni setting an early tone for Pelling/Comfort Care.

But then came the barrage from Culver’s/McCurry’s, who led by as many as 26 points (39-13) in the first half and as much as 40 points for the entire game. Even though Pelling/Comfort Care got within 17 points at halftime, Culver’s/McCurry’s was just too much.

In defeat, Olaseni finished with 31 points on 12-of-16 shooting and also tallied 10 rebounds to complete the double-double. However, Pelling/Comfort Care didn’t receive the best shooting night from senior guard Josh Oglesby on Thursday. After scoring 26 points in Pelling/Comfort Care’s first round win over BlendCard last week, Oglesby only finished with nine points on 4-of-11 shooting.

“It just happens,” Olaseni said. “We’re a good team. They just jumped on us early. I’m annoyed that we lost, but my teammates played well.”

Meanwhile, Culver’s/McCurry’s received a double-double of its own from senior forward Aaron White, who finished with 17 points on 8-of-23 shooting and 14 rebounds. It also received a strong performance from incoming sophomore guard Trey Dickerson, who made his first North Liberty PTL appearance on Thursday and came away with 15 points on 6-of-13 shooting and eight assists.

“There’s a lot of high expectations, but I always expect the most out of myself,” Dickerson said. “I’m just looking to come out there and find my role.”

So now the championship game is set — Culver’s/McCurry’s vs. Autowash/Homes. One intriguing storyline involves two of the players who will be participating. White and Clemmons have each been part of two PTL championship teams during their Hawkeye careers. White hit the game-winning shot in the 2011 game, then teamed up with Clemmons when they won in 2012. While White was overseas playing at the World University Games last year, Clemmons earned his second consecutive crown and did so without the services of his then-teammate Uthoff. Like Woodbury next week, Uthoff played in Estonia last year and missed the championship game.

Culver’s/McCurry’s won the only previous meeting between these two teams 95-89 back on June 19, the league’s opening night. Neither Clemmons nor Dickerson played in that previous contest. White had 25 points and 10 rebounds for Culver’s/McCurry’s, while Woodbury finished with 27 points and nine rebounds for Autowash/Homes. The 2014 PTL title game is set for 7 p.m. Central on July 31 and will take place inside the Roberts Gym at the North Liberty Community Center.

*Be sure to visit HawkeyeDrive.com on the night of July 31 for complete coverage of the 2014 Prime Time League Championship Game between No. 2 Culver’s/McCurry’s and No. 4 Westport Touchless Autowash/IAHomesForSale.

VIDEOS:

FIRST HALF: Autowash/Homes (PURPLE) VS. Armstrong (GRAY):

SECOND HALF: Autowash/Homes (PURPLE) VS. Armstrong (GRAY):

FIRST HALF: Culver’s/McCurry’s (WHITE) VS. Pelling/Comfort Care (LIGHT BLUE):

SECOND HALF: Culver’s/McCurry’s (WHITE) VS. Pelling/Comfort Care (LIGHT BLUE):

INTERVIEWS:

Adam Woodbury:

Jarrod Uthoff:

Trey Dickerson:

Gabe Olaseni:

By Brendan Stiles

HawkeyeDrive.com

Here’s a rundown of what Iowa basketball fans can expect Thursday evening as the Prime Time League semifinals are set to take place inside the Roberts Gym at the North Liberty Community Center. The winners of Thursday’s contest will meet July 31 in the PTL Championship Game:

No. 1 Jill Armstrong of Skogman Realty (3-1) vs. No. 4 Westport Touchless Autowash/IAHomesForSale (3-2), 6 p.m.

The first semifinal of the night will showcase a trio of Hawkeye players as junior forward Jarrod Uthoff and top-seeded Armstrong face fourth-seeded Autowash/Homes, which features the junior duo of Adam Woodbury and Anthony Clemmons.

While Armstrong earned a first-round bye after posting the league’s best regular season record this summer, Autowash/Homes reached this point by defeating No. 5 Vinton Merchants/Marion Iron Company 100-96 in its first round contest last week. In the win, Woodbury posted a double-double of 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting and 17 rebounds, while Clemmons also scored 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting and collected six assists and four rebounds.

Interestingly enough, Armstrong’s lone loss of the summer came at the hands of Autowash/Homes back on July 10 in Waterloo. Autowash/Homes won the game 98-76 thanks in large part to a 26-point performance from Clemmons, as well as a 22-point, 17-rebound outing from Woodbury. In defeat, Uthoff finished with 25 points and 19 rebounds.

For those seeking an intriguing storyline with this game, Uthoff and Woodbury rank first and second respectively among all Iowa players in the PTL this summer in total points scored and total rebounds. Uthoff is currently averaging 24.4 points and 13.8 rebounds per game, while Woodbury is averaging 23.6 points and 13.2 rebounds per contest.

No. 2 Culver’s/McCurry’s (2-2) vs. No. 3 L.L. Pelling/Comfort Care Medicare (3-2), 7:30 p.m.

Four Iowa players will take part in the nightcap between second-seeded Culver’s/McCurry’s and third-seeded Pelling/Comfort Care.

Suiting up for Pelling/Comfort Care are the senior duo of Gabe Olaseni and Josh Oglesby, which came up big last week in the team’s 113-99 first round victory over No. 6 BlendCard. Oglesby finished with a team-high 26 points on 9-of-18 shooting and also compiled six rebounds and six assists, while Olaseni put together a double-double consisting of 25 points and 12 rebounds.

Culver’s/McCurry’s earned the second seed and first-round bye after winning a four-way tiebreaker for second place via coin flip back on July 10. As a result of that, Thursday will mark incoming sophomore guard Trey Dickerson’s first PTL appearance at the North Liberty Community Center. Dickerson played in the two games Culver’s/McCurry’s had in Waterloo and to this point has averaged 17 points and 6.5 assists per contest. Culver’s/McCurry’s also features senior forward Aaron White, who is currently averaging 19.5 points and 10 rebounds through four PTL games.

Perhaps remarkably, Thursday marks the first meeting between these two teams this summer.

*Be sure to visit HawkeyeDrive.com following Thursday’s action at the North Liberty Community Center for ongoing coverage of the Prime Time League this summer.*

By Brendan Stiles

HawkeyeDrive.com

NORTH LIBERTY, Iowa — The first night of playoff action in the Prime Time League concluded Thursday night with the two first round favorites emerging and a semifinal field with the top four teams (in terms of seeding) being set.

No. 4 Westport Touchless Autowash/IAHomesForSale 100, No. 5 Vinton Merchants/Marion Iron Company 96

In the first semifinal of the evening, Autowash/Homes and Merchants/Iron played a game that was mostly back-and-forth throughout the first half. But a strong push by Autowash/Homes to extend a six-point halftime lead into double figures early in the second half proved to be just enough as it emerged with the 100-96 win, thus ending Merchants/Iron’s summer.

Autowash/Homes, who moved to 3-2 on the summer, was led in scoring by Northern Iowa’s Zach Bohannon, who had 28 points. It also received a pair of 19-point performances on Thursday from its Hawkeye duo of juniors Adam Woodbury and Anthony Clemmons. Woodbury shot 8-of-14 from the floor and also compiled 17 rebounds for his third straight double-double of the summer. Clemmons posted a team-high six assists and four rebounds to go along with 7-of-13 shooting effort.

“I just want to make the right plays and stay aggressive,” Clemmons said. “I feel like that’s when I’m at my weakest, when I’m not aggressive. I just got to be more aggressive on the court.”

As for Merchants/Iron, the summer concludes with a 2-3 record in this year’s PTL. Northern Iowa’s Wyatt Lohaus led the way with 28 points. Junior guard Mike Gesell tallied 16 points on 7-of-16 shooting and also had six assists and four rebounds.

Thursday also marked the best singular performance of the summer for incoming freshman forward Dominique Uhl, who emerged with a double-double of 12 points on 5-of-14 shooting and 11 rebounds.

Uhl said he is slowly getting accustomed to the style of play he’ll be expected to be part of at Iowa over these past few weeks and that the one area he still needs improvement at is getting over screens.

“I got to play against college freshmen for the first time and it was a fun experience,” Uhl said about being in the PTL this summer. “Now I’m just looking forward to the season.

Autowash/Homes moves on to the PTL semifinals, where it will face top-seeded Armstrong.

No. 3 L.L. Pelling/Comfort Care Medicare 113, No. 6 BlendCard 99

Two weeks after beating BlendCard by two points up in Waterloo, Pelling/Comfort Care did so again Thursday. It had a bit more ease to the victory this time around though as it led the majority of the game and held on to a 113-99 win to advance to the PTL semifinals.

BlendCard entered Thursday’s contest short-handed, which was expected after sophomore guard Peter Jok was suspended from all Iowa basketball-related activities earlier this week. Jok had 30 points against Pelling/Comfort Care the first time around and his scoring would be missed Thursday.

Playing one of his best PTL games of the entire summer for Pelling/Comfort Care was senior guard Josh Oglesby. The Cedar Rapids native shot 9-of-18 from the floor to finish with 26 points, along with six rebounds and six assists.

“It has just been a lot of hard work,” Oglesby said about how the summer — to this point — has gone for him. “I’ve been putting in a lot of extra shots in the gym, just knowing that I have one year left. I’m just trying to approach it like I do every year though.

“I think we have something special and the more we’re in the gym and the more we’re working out, the only better we’re going to be.”

In addition to Oglesby’s contributions, Pelling/Comfort Care got a 25-point, 12-rebound showing from senior center Gabe Olaseni and was led in scoring by former Iowa guard Jason Price, who had 30 points.

With Jok being out, former Iowa forward Melsahn Basabe took part in Thursday’s first round contest for BlendCard and finished with 20 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the floor. Junior forward Okey Ukah was the lone Hawkeye player to suit up and he had six points for BlendCard, who finished the summer with a 1-4 mark.

Pelling/Comfort Care, now 3-2 on the summer, will face second-seeded Culver’s/McCurry’s in the PTL semifinals next week.

Culver’s/McCurry’s 103, Jill Armstrong of Skogman Realty 96

Even though both top-seeded Armstrong and second-seeded Culver’s/McCurry’s had first round byes in the PTL playoffs, both teams took part in an exhibition game of sorts Thursday night with Culver’s/McCurry’s emerging victorious by a 103-96 margin.

Although Culver’s/McCurry’s didn’t have the services of incoming sophomore guard Trey Dickerson on Thursday, it did have senior forward Aaron White back after he spent last week participating at the LeBron James Skills Academy in Las Vegas, Nev. White had 18 points on 8-of-17 shooting, along with nine rebounds and six assists.

In defeat, junior forward Jarrod Uthoff finished with another double-double for Armstrong by going for 27 points on 10-of-20 shooting and 12 rebounds.

*Be sure to visit HawkeyeDrive.com throughout the summer for ongoing coverage of the 2014 Prime Time League.

Playoff schedule:

Thursday, July 24:

6 p.m. — No. 4 Westport Touchless Autowash/IAHomesForSale vs. No. 1 Jill Armstrong of Skogman Realty (3-1)

7:30 p.m. — No. 3 L.L. Pelling/Comfort Care Medicare vs. No. 2 Culver’s/McCurry’s (2-2)

Thursday, July 31:

7 p.m. — 2014 Prime Time League Championship Game: Autowash/Homes-Armstrong winner vs. Pelling/Comfort Care-Culver’s/McCurry’s winner

*All games will be played in the Roberts Gym at the North Liberty Community Center. All times listed are Central Standard.