Less than 24 hours after the Iowa Men’s Basketball team found themselves celebrating a historic March Madness victory over the #1 seed Florida Gators, the women were on the receiving end of a crushing March defeat. An 83-75 loss to the #10 seed Virginia Cavaliers in double overtime.

Alvaro Folguerias’ clutch three pointer won the game for the men. The women lost because they couldn’t get one for themselves.

The basketball gods work in mysterious ways. Maybe that’s the price of a miracle.

The struggles that doomed the women’s team against Virginia were the same ones that nearly ended their season on Saturday against the #15 seed Fairleigh Dickinson Knights: three point shooting.

Iowa went 1-for-13 from deep against FDU. They closed out the first half against Virginia with an eerily similar mark of 1-for-12.

“When I briefly looked at the box score, I didn’t believe we deserved to win it,” head coach Jan Jensen said after the game.

Iowa finished 5-for-29 from downtown against Virginia, but it would be a mistake to reduce their season to their three point struggles down the stretch. This year was a resounding success. 

They went from being picked to finish outside the top five in the Big Ten to being conference tournament runner ups and a March Madness #2 seed. They suffered an injury to a key senior in Taylor McCabe and seemed to get even better with breakout sophomore Taylor Stremlow starting in her place. Two of their best players were sophomore center Ava Heiden and guard Chit-Chat Wright. Those two made 1st and 3rd Team All-Big Ten respectively.

But the loss also marks the end of Hannah Stuelke, Kylie Feuerbach, Jada Gyafmi, and McCabe’s storied careers. The last key contributors from Iowa’s national championship bids in 2023 and 2024.

“Spending time with these girls has been such a blessing to me,” Stuelke said.

“It’s just really hard to process those emotions, and it’s really hard to know that I won’t be able to play again,” Feuerbach said.

When the clock hit zero in Iowa City, Stuelke tearfully embraced her mother as a swarm of photographers descended upon the scene. The same thing played out in Tampa Bay when Folguerias found his mother in the stands. Their emotions could not have been more different.

Grief and glee. The dichotomy of college sports.

The post The Price of a Miracle, Women’s Basketball Iowa v. Virginia appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Much of what lay inside was familiar. The smells of pizza, pretzels, and popcorn wafted through the air. A spread of gameday programs sat fanned out on a folding table. Concession workers and security stood in position.

But looking from the ledge of the concourse down at the court below, so much was different, too. A remodelled student section with expanded floor seating. Hundreds of yellow ties packaged in crinkly plastic bags glistening under the lights. 12 new players on a roster of 14 warming up on the court.

All this at the discretion of the Hawkeyes’ new coach, Ben McCollum.

For McCollum, this offseason has been focused on the fans. Righting the wrongs of the past. 

“Our goal is to get Carver-Hawkeye Arena filled back up,” he said during his introductory press conference.

The bleachers were emptier than normal last year, as fans grew tired of Fran McCaffery and the mediocrity consuming the Iowa Men’s Basketball Team. 

Attendance dwindled. Losses stacked. Opinions soured.

McCaffery’s final minutes on the court concluded with a pair of technical fouls in quick succession, an ejection, and a solemn walk into the tunnel. His team played out the final 13 minutes of their season without him, ultimately losing 106-94 to Illinois in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament. McCaffery was fired less than 24 hours later.

And then came McCollum. 

Born and raised a Hawkeye fan, he developed a reputation as a fiery head coach and a serial winner over 15 seasons and four Division II national championships at Northwest Missouri State. 

And in his lone season at Drake, he led the Bulldogs to a 31-4 record, a Missouri Valley Conference championship, and a March Madness win. 

But now at Iowa, beyond recruiting players, McCollum had to recruit fans back to a program that turned its back on them.

When he walked into Carver-Hawkeye Arena for the first time back in March, McCollum passed through a gathering of students and fans sporting plain white dress shirts and yellow ties, emulating his signature look. He posed for pictures and signed apparel before heading up to the podium.

Then he spent the summer going to fan events and doing interviews, continuously stressing the need for fans to come out to games.

“It makes the environment so much more fun,” he said.

And after averaging just over 5000 fans a game last season, 9232 showed out last night against Robert Morris. That would have been the second most at any game last year.

“It was great. Energy was great.” point guard Bennett Stirtz said.

Those that came saw high flying alley-oops, long three pointers, and a relentless hunger on defense not seen in Iowa City for a long time. A 17-2 lead built up in the first five minutes blossomed into a 101-69 win. A true team effort, with six players reaching double figures.

All six were transfers, with four: Bennett Stirtz, Tavion Banks, Cam Manyawu, and Isaia Howard, following McCollum from Drake.

As he went through the postgame handshake line, McCollum loosened his tie and ran over to the student section with his players, working his way around the perimeter of the court, high fiving, fist bumping, and handshaking everyone he could in the process.

“You gotta show them you appreciate them. I really, truly believe they need to be in it with us,” he said.

And he asked for one thing in return.

“Keep coming through the goods and the bads. It’s not gonna be perfect. It’s not gonna be like this every night, but it can be really special if we have them on our side.”

One down, 30 to go. A new era of Hawkeye basketball is underway.

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Bringin’ In Brazil:

It’s not uncommon for a WNBA team to host a national team in the preseason. In fact it happens quite a bit. Today’s game pit the Indiana Fever against the Brazilian Women’s National Team. Highly anticipated, but not a close match. In the 108-44 beatdown, the Fever slaughtered Brazil. But this game wasn’t played in Indianapolis, where the Fever normally reside. It was played in Iowa, the same state where Caitlin grew up, and in the same arena she knows so well. When Fever president Kelly Krauskopf called her with the idea months ago, she couldn’t wait to come back. 

“I did not expect it to happen this year,” Clark said during the pre-game press conference, “I was so excited, and I knew Iowa and Fever fans would be thrilled.”

Both fanbases certainly were. The WNBA rookie of the year in 2024 had 16 points, adding six rebounds and five assists to her scoresheet for the day. In typical Clark fashion, she wasn’t satisfied.

“I did alright,” Clark said in an interview with ESPN following the game. “We’ll clean up some stuff.”

If the shoes fit:

Caitlin packed three pairs of shoes for this trip. She made sure all of them had a little yellow. But the ones she slipped on this morning felt familiar. 

“They’re kind of like my magic shoes,” she said, smiling. “I’ve worn these for literally every big game of my career. There was no other option.”

In November of 2020, Nike released a Bruce Lee collaboration with the Kobe 5 Protros. Not only are they black and yellow, but the shoes also feature a small hint of Fever red. When they first dropped, sneakerheads snagged them for just under 200 dollars. Now? They resell for an average price of 582 big ones, not far off from the cost of admission for today’s game. 

“They were pretty hard to come by,” she said, laughing. 
Both the shoes, and the tickets. 

Woodn’t have it any other way:

A small piece of Carver’s wooden court will always belong to Caitlin. Just beside the infamous Mediacom logo, a black “22” marks the spot on the court, about 35 feet from the hoop. Beneath it, one name: Clark. It commemorates her record-breaking shot on Feb. 15, 2024, the night she became college basketball’s all-time leading scorer. That historic three-pointer against Michigan was one of many, but unforgettable.

Coming into this game, fans couldn’t help but think about it. And with 25 seconds left in the third quarter, it happened again–kind of. Catching an inbound from Bree Hall, Clark pushed up across the floor. In a near carbon copy of her iconic moment, she pulled up. Only this time, it was a single step farther out.

“36 feet…that’s far,” Clark said, smiling as laughter filled the media room. “I knew I was coming out, so I figured, why not?”

It wasn’t scripted. It rarely is. Knowing she’d be subbed out, Clark did what she always does. She let it fly.

As her coach Stephanie White put it, “Nobody tells Steph Curry not to take good shots.”

For one more look back:

Hats, jerseys, and shoes flail over the railing of Carver’s tunnel. Miniature hands dangle Sharpies, posters, and dreams—hoping to meet the sweaty fingers of Caitlin Clark. Fans press against the barrier, shrieking her name.

One parent holds a sign that reads, “Adults can have role models too.”

Even Brazil’s National Team, after a 64-point loss, waited their turn. When Clark asked if this was the biggest crowd they’d ever played in front of, a resounding “yes” echoed at center court. They posed for photos with her one by one, as if she were a golden monument. Above them, high in the rafters, hung the banner bearing the number she made iconic. No. 22. Still stitched in black and gold, still watching over the court she once ruled—and the one she returned to, if only for a day.

“I don’t know if it’ll be next year,” she said. “But I would love to come back.”

She’s not Iowa’s anymore. But she always will be.

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Filip Rebraca had a major bounceback game, scoring only seven against Rutgers on Sunday. Today, the Soaring Serbian had a double double, totaling 20 points and 10 rebounds, as well as two dunks. But the most electric moments came from #20, who put up 20 points himself. Payton Sandfort splashed in five of his seven three point shots, with his most spectacular one leading to a six point play. An and-one dagger, plus a Northwestern technical foul, and Sandfort made all three free throws to secure his six. Kris Murray, Tony Perkins, and Connor McCaffery also had double digit points, making it five Hawkeyes on the night to hit that mark. 

For the Wildcats, guard Boo Buie led the charge with 20. Buie was on fire from mid-range, with his trademark spin-fade accounting for half of his points. Buie also added three assists, and was perfect from the charity stripe shooting 7-7. Guard Chase Audige helped his team out with 14 as well, and led his team in minutes played with 37. Forward Nick Martinelli was third on the team, with nine points, going three for three from the field.

The Cats started strong on defense, but broke down trying to limit Murray, which opened up major opportunities for Sandfort and Rebraca, leading the Hawkeyes to a 16 point victory. There was a time where Northwestern looked to break it open, as Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery got a technical foul and led to two free points. But they were unable to capitalize much further as Iowa took a commanding lead due to a stretch of five consecutive made field goals. Northwestern drops to 15-6 with the loss, and goes to 6-4 in the Big 10. 

This much needed victory for Iowa snaps Northwestern’s three game winning streak, as the Hawkeyes move to 14-8 and break .500 in the Big 10. The Hawks also scored the second most points against the Wildcats since their loss to Pitt on Nov. 28, 87-58. Fran McCaffery and his team will face off next against the Fighting Illini on Saturday, Feb. 4 at 1:30pm.

This game will be Iowa’s third straight home game, featuring a black and gold spirit theme. And on the 30th anniversary of Chris Street’s passing, as his jersey number hangs high in the rafters, it’s clear that #40 was watching this “W” with an everlasting smile on his face.

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Clark finished the game with 33 points, 12 rebounds, and 9 assists, nearly making it a second consecutive triple-double. Alongside the star, center Monika Czinano tacked on 17 points, and freshman forward Hannah Stuelke added 12 more off the bench in the Hawkeye win. 

Nebraska had a glimmer of hope in the fourth quarter, pulling back within six points with only a couple minutes to play. But once again the Hawkeye defense remained stout. For the Cornhuskers, all five of their starters had 10 or more points. Shooting guard Sam Haiby led the charge with 16. Forward Isabelle Bourne was close behind with 14, and center Alexis Markowski had a double-double, finishing with 12 points and 11 rebounds. 

The big key coming into this game for the Huskers was to limit Clark’s scoring. That strategy worked at first, but once number 22 got hot, it was all over. Czinano started off slow as well, succedding later in the game with some bread and butter assists from Clark. Guard Gabbie Marshall also contributed with five aggressive boards, helping Iowa to extend their lead to 16 at one point.

With the win, the Hawkeyes jump to 17-4 on the season, and 9-1 in the Big 10 conference. The Cornhuskers still keep a winning record at 12-9, but take yet another Big 10 loss. Nebraska is now 4-6 in the conference. 

Last year after a win over Nebraska, Clark had piled up two consecutive games with 30 points and a triple double. The only other players at any level to do that since 2000? LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Luka Doncic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. One more assist today and Clark would have done it again for a second straight season. 

With March Madness less than two months away, the Hawkeyes look for vengeance after an early exit to Creighton in 2022. Up next, the Hawks take on Maryland on Feb. 2 in Iowa City at 7:30pm, on National Women and Girl’s in Sports Day. It will be another opportunity for Clark to display her leadership amongst younger generations of basketball players around the nation. 

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Iowa defeated the odds Tuesday night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, putting together their best complete game as a team in well over a month as they rolled over the Badgers, 85–67.

“We watched a lot of film of the Purdue game”, said Iowa center Luka Garza, “Seeing the lack of awareness, attention to detail … we saw that … and it was hard for a lot of our guys, and we locked into what we needed to do, and we did it.”

Garza stole the show on Tuesday, putting together one of his best games in what has been a miraculous freshman season for the big man. Garza tied for the team lead with 17 points, collected 16 rebounds and more than held his own on the defensive end against Badgers All-American Ethan Happ. Happ finished with 21 points but was kept in tune most of the first half and turned the ball over four times.

Garza’s performance did not go unnoticed.

“He’s a gamer. He’s a warrior. He’s relentless,” said Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery. “He’s a worker,” said Tyler Cook, “He’s always in the gym, always working on his game … when you got a guy like that, even if you struggle, you never hit a wall.”

Garza’s 16 rebounds are the most by any Iowa player in almost two years. He’s improved almost all aspects of his game since a slow start to Big Ten play in the new year.

Cook added 17 points of his own while throwing down some ferocious dunks to open the second half.

“He had a monster game,” said McCaffery. “I thought he was a big reason why we got the lead we got.”

Iowa did not light up the scoreboard with three-pointers like they have tried to do in recent games, only nailing six threes, but their defense on that same end was steadily improved. After allowing a Big Ten record 20 three-pointers against Purdue on Saturday, Iowa held Wisconsin to just 4 of 18 shooting from beyond the arc.

“We weren’t happy with what we did this weekend,” said Garza. “We locked in, everyone was focused and ready to play with emotion, and when you do that, momentum comes your way.”

One of the key moments in the game came towards the very end of the first half, with the Hawkeyes leading by just four. Isaiah Moss took a corner three that looked to be too strong off the back rim, before bouncing around a bit and falling through the hoop. It put the Hawkeyes up seven, which they would stretch to nine (again via Moss) a few seconds later.

“Oh yeah,” said Moss, when asked if he knew that shot was going in. “The timeout before that, Tyler said he was going to pass it to me, so I was ready.”

The Hawkeyes had been lacking that sort of continuity and preparedness on offense in their last several Big Ten games. If the kinds of messages sent after the Purdue loss continue to resonate, the Hawkeyes could surprise some teams the last half of Big Ten play.

Iowa is back in action on Saturday when they visit Nebraska.

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All those adjectives can be used to describe the character and play of Chris Street, the former Hawkeye great who passed away 25 years ago in a car accident during his junior season. In situations like this, it’s important to seek the help of an experienced lawyer here to navigate the legal process and obtain justice for the victim and their loved ones. On Saturday, when the Iowa Hawkeyes hosted a top-3 ranked Purdue team and honored Street – with his family and dozens of former Hawkeye players and coaches in attendance – none of those adjectives could be used to describe the team’s play.

Iowa fell behind early and never were able to claw back, falling to the Boilermakers, 87–64. The Hawkeyes outscored Purdue in the second half, but a 31-point halftime deficit left Iowa in a hole they could not come out of.

For Purdue (19–2, 8–0 Big Ten), the win marks the end of a four game losing streak at Carver-Hawkeye Arena that dated back six years. The Boilermakers sank 11 three-pointers in the first half and nine in the second half to set a school record for made 3-point field goals in a single game. They shot 61% from deep.

Iowa (10–10, 1–7 Big Ten) took an early 3–0 lead just over two minutes into the game, but would never lead again. Four minutes later, the Boilermakers had hit four threes and held a 17–6 advantage. The Hawkeyes were never able to figure out a defensive plan to stop a staggering offensive attack from Purdue in the first half.

“They shoot it, they can throw it inside, and they can share it,” said Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery. “They have a special team.”

Purdue’s starting lineup, with four seniors and one sophomore, scored 70 of the team’s 87 points. The only time Purdue struggled to score was late in the second half, long after the team’s starters had departed.

Carsen Edwards, Purdue’s crafty young point guard, led the team with 22 points, including connecting on 6 of 9 three-point attempts. The Boilers’ 6-foot-8 power forward Vincent Edwards (of no relation) had 19 points, including 3 made threes. Dakota Mathias and P. J. Thompson also scored in double figures for Purdue.

For Iowa, Luka Garza led the team with 19 points on 8 of 10 shooting from the floor, much of which came during a complete takeover by the freshman big man in the second half.

“I got a couple shots from the outside, got shots from the inside,” said Garza on his second-half performance. “I was feeling it for a little bit there.”

Iowa got unusually unproductive play from Tyler Cook, who was 3 of 8 from the floor and failed to reach double figures in points for just the sixth time this season. Jordan Bohannon also scored just nine, and hit only one three-pointer after hitting five in each of his last three games.

Perhaps the best summation of Iowa’s performance came with just under three minutes left to play in the first half. With the Hawkeyes trailing by 29, a packed Carver-Hawkeye Arena let out sarcastic cheers after a missed three-point shot by Carsen Edwards. Dom Uhl collected the rebound and threw an outlet pass down to Cordell Pemsl, who was all alone for a layup – before it was blocked from behind by a sprinting Vincent Edwards, who turned the block into a layup of his own, extending Purdue’s lead.

Never in the game did Iowa show as much defensive effort as Purdue did on that possession. Even as the Boilermakers continued to sink three-pointers with little effort from the top of the key, Iowa failed to make immediate adjustments to their on-ball defense.

When questioned about Iowa’s defensive game plan, McCaffery pointed to Purdue’s senior big man, 7-foot-2 Isaac Haas, as a reason for why the defense was not guarding the three-point line as hard. Yet Haas only played 18 minutes due to foul trouble and took only one shot – which he made.

Asked if he felt that the messages he was sending to the team, which has now lost five of its past six, were being received, a discouraged McCaffery replied that he has “seen change”. Whatever change he saw did not show up for the Hawkeyes on Saturday morning.

“We’ve just got to keep working,” Bohannon said. “At the end of the day that’s the attitude you have to have during adversity.”

Iowa is back in action on Tuesday when they host Wisconsin.

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The biggest factor in Iowa’s favor as well as the largest deterrent is the young, raw talent of the Hawkeyes. The best player on the team is no doubt a dynamic sophomore, Tyler Cook. At 6-9, the forward out of Saint Louis flashed looks of high potential consistently throughout his freshman year. Tyler Cook’s effect on the game cannot always be shown in his stat lines; however, Cook’s impacts every possession, regardless of his possession of the ball.

Jordan Bohannon, Isaiah Moss, and Brady Ellingson will be dominating the guard spots as sophomores and juniors. Bohannon and Moss can both score off the dribble and distribute to make plays at will, even as mere sophomores. Ellingson, however, will be more of a pure point guard. With the powerhouse Tyler Cook at forward, clear leaders at guard slots, and depth at both forward and guard positions, Iowa Basketball will be successful if McCaffery can find a large player to play in tandem with Cook.

This large X-factor for Iowa will be the freshman center for the Hawks, Luka Garza. The 4-star recruit out of Washington DC will play the role which could put Iowa over the top. The 6-11 has already grabbed 18 boards through two games with 27 points in addition. In recent memory, Iowa loses the rebounding affair on a strikingly consistent basis. In addition to the young Garza and Cook, the returning Big Ten Conference 6th man of the year award winner, Nicholas Bear, will jump start the young Hawkeyes whenever needed. With a deep set of young big men behind Garza, Baer, and Cook, the rebounding deficit will improve moving forward.

Another reason for the jump into March Madness will be the schedule for the young Iowa team. With the only notable non-conference opponents coming on the road against both Virginia Tech and the rivaling Cyclones, wins will be racked up quickly prior to conference play. Iowa also draws one of the weakest schedules in the Big Ten Conference. The Hawkeyes will not travel to ranked opponents in #2 Michigan State, #20 Purdue, and #19 Northwestern.

Iowa will also not travel to rival Wisconsin and will only play Michigan State, Maryland and Indiana once. The Hawkeyes will reach 20 wins before the final stretch of the season. Three of the final five games will

play on the road with the last two facing ranked opponents. With an easier schedule than most, even if the young players do not improve in the expected ways, Iowa will rack up at least 22 wins before the Big Ten Tournament in the Madison Square Garden.

The graduation of Peter Jok will also allow the Hawkeye basketball squad to acquire a bid to the NCAA Basketball Tournament. Jok made up the core of last year’s team, leading the Big Ten in scoring. However, Jok also lead the team in shots taken. Despite leading in points, Jok shot a 7^th team best shooting percentage to return for it, behind the likes of Tyler Cook, Nicholas Baer, Ahmad Wagner, and others.

Contrary to popular belief from mainstream sports analysts, Iowa will benefit from the absence of Peter Jok for multiple reasons. Iowa will not be reliant on a one-man effort with multiple people getting involved. A team is much easier to stop with one man scoring instead of a team. The spacing of the floor will also be nicer for shooters with the best player in Cook playing in the post instead of Jok playing around the 3-point arc. All in all, Peter Jok is an absolutely great player; however, Jok’s presence hurt the team more at times than not.

Due to the young raw talent of the Hawkeyes in addition to lucky breaks in scheduling and an ability to involve more players than in years past, the 2017 Iowa Hawkeye basketball team will not only return to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in five years, but will chance running at Sweet Sixteen for the first time since the 1998-99 season. The next game for the 2-0 Hawkeyes will come against Grambling State on Wednesday, November 16^th at 7:05 pm CST at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

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The big contributors for the Hawkeyes were Senior guard Ally Disterhoft and Sophomore center Megan Gustafson. Disterhoft had 15 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds and 2 steals while Gustafson had 12 points and 8 rebounds. But the biggest story of the night was Alexa Kastanek coming off the bench and shooting 7-11 from the field and 5-9 from deep, totaling in a game high, and Kastanek’s season high of 19 points.

The three were a big part of the Hawkeyes success. According to the stat sheet, they had an average game shooting 36%, but contrary to the “numbers never lie”

cliché, the 36% doesn’t tell the whole story. In the second and third quarters, Iowa was able to hit three after three to build their big lead, at one point going on a 17-0 run in which Kastanek hit 3 threes. Gustafson’s big game against South Dakota St. was a major reason why.

JR Payne said, “There was a focus on being able to contain (Gustafson)…obviously, that opened up the shooters.”

Defense was another area where the Hawkeyes shined, holding the Bison to 39% shooting from the floor and holding the first-team all-Pac-12 Sophomore Kennedy Leonard to just 2-14 shooting and forcing her into 6 turnovers. Turnovers were another positive for Iowa, creating 18 turnovers while giving up 14, 7 of them in the fourth quarter when the game was well in hand.

It was also a big win for Iowa’s head coach Lisa Bluder, who won the 699^th game of her career. She currently sits 29^th all time for women’s college basketball coaching wins. Both Bluder and her players were very happy with the crowd at Carver-Hawkeye last night.

“It means so much to us when people come out and help give us energy,” said coach Bluder after the game. “When we can bring some happiness, (the atmosphere) is really fun.”

The Hawkeyes hope to keep up their tournament run Sunday afternoon at 2 pm at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. It will be the Elite 8 of the WNIT tournament, and the Hawkeyes will play Washington St. (15-19), as they come off their win against UC Davis. A win for the Hawkeyes will be Bluder’s 700^th all-time win and mean a trip to the WNIT final four.

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After halftime the Hawkeyes came out and attacked the hoop early. Unfortunately while turnovers were the story of the first half, missed free throws were the headline in the second. Iowa shot a measly 41.2% on 7-17 shooting in the second half and 8-19 for the game. Add those 11 missed points to the 21 from turnovers in the first half and this game never goes to overtime, but, as the old saying goes, “that’s why they play the game.” While Iowa had its area of struggles, they were firing on all cylinders when it came to shooting the ball. “When you make 16 three’s and out rebound the opposing team, you’re supposed to win” Iowa Head Coach Fran McCraffery said after the game. The Hawkeyes shot 16-30 from three and 34-63 from the field.  Freshman Guard Jordan Bohannon led the attack notching another double-double to his young career with a game-high 25 points and 13 assists, after the game Coach McCraffery added that Bohannon is starting to “figure out the game.” While the season may be done for this year, figuring out how to be a big ten point guard is something that this team is going to need in the future.

Unfortunately, while Iowa was supposed to win this one, in the end, TCU came out on top 94-92. It was a heartbreaking overtime loss, but the loss the Hawkeyes might feel more moving forward is the loss of Peter Jok. No matter how much he, or his teammates, wanted Peter to walk off the court inside Carver Hawkeye Arena a winner after his last home game, Peter is a player that won’t soon be forgotten.  Over the course of his career at Iowa Peter hit on 216 three point shots, but what’s going to be missed the most isn’t his scoring, but the mentality he brought to the team. Redshirt-sophomore Nicholas Baer admitted that Jok, “is a bit of a goofball” after the game, but no one was short on compliments of Jok’s work ethic and how that correlated to his success. “He’s just a guy that’s always in the gym and our young guys have followed that lead” Coach McCraffery remarked after the game. No matter what ones thoughts on Peter might be, he deserved the round of applause from the fans that stayed after the game to give him his well-deserved send off.

For anyone that was worried that while this Iowa team is playing at a high level right now this break may lead to a setback, fear not. Coach McCraffery says they won’t take much time until they get ready for next season. For those of you that followed this season from beginning to end, know there were peaks and valleys, but there was always potential. If this team continues to grow and develop like they did this season, who knows how high the ceiling is.

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