By Cyote Williams | Times Vedette
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. No, not Christmas, but March Madness — a paradise for college basketball fans. Whether your favorite team made it or not — and if you’re an Iowan, it’s likely your team did — the 68-team tournament takes the basketball world by storm at the end of March to crown both the men’s and women’s national champions.
The talent level and overall interest in basketball in Iowa have been increasing in recent years, and that’s reflected in the talent coming out of the state, even from private universities. During my high school years, you would expect a handful of basketball players to earn Division I offers. And if they did, it was rarely to a Power Five — or these days, Power Four — school. After watching the Iowa high school basketball state championship playoffs, there were dozens of D-I players for both boys and girls across multiple classes. Some teams, like Waukee Northwest, had as many as three players with major D-I offers, and they didn’t even make the semifinals. It just goes to show the level of basketball talent the state possesses.
Part of that comes from the success of various university basketball programs. There is the obvious firestorm that Caitlin Clark caused in her record-breaking years at Iowa, which surely inspired a generation of girls to hit the hardwood. The Iowa men also have a solid basketball team. Sure, they can’t seem to make it to the Sweet 16, but they are consistently one of the better teams in the Big Ten. With Ben McCollum at the helm, they could break that curse sooner rather than later.
Fred Hoiberg brought the Iowa State men’s team back into the national spotlight for several years, and T.J. Otzelberger elevated that success during his five-year tenure. Bill Fennelly has led the ISU women’s team for 30 years and is one of the winningest women’s basketball coaches in sports history. He currently has one of the game’s top talents in Audi Crooks.
At UNI, Ben Jacobsen has led the men for 20 years, producing several tournament teams during his tenure. That’s no small feat coming from Cedar Falls. Even Drake has a well-respected basketball program that consistently produces successful men’s and women’s seasons.
With five programs in total making it to the national tournament, there is plenty to root for if you call the Hawkeye State home. Even if your allegiance doesn’t tie to any of those programs, Iowa natives are spread across the country on various teams. Bound Iowa put together a graphic highlighting homegrown talent on some of the nation’s best basketball teams.
So kick back, relax, throw some games on, look for an Iowan, and enjoy the fun.
Reach out with comments, suggestions, story ideas and more to cyote@dmcityview.com.