IOWA will be spending over $10M on the 2026-27 Roster. Who will Ben land? (Portal opens on Tues, April 7)
- Thread starter Franisdaman
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Remember when top notch facilities, a great coach and getting an education mattered the most in recruiting?
The 6'11," 260-pound Nigeria native averaged 9.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game while shooting an efficient 76% from the field.
He's heading to Miami (FL).
He's heading to Miami (FL).
"May be the highest paid guy in the country" -Not sure why they think he will be he highest paid guy in the country. I've seen pretty high estimates for PGs in the portal, and I've seen different info on his portal ranking for centers with On3 having him at #13.
No doubt he will be paid well by someone -hopefully us! We are going to have to spend some $$ to land any player of this caliber.
Looking forward to hearing very positive news about his visit!
I'm sure the frame work for compensation was worked out prior to his visit. Hope he likes his visit.
Not saying it wasn't; they probably had a Zoom call (or two), too. But none of us know anything for certain. I just think discussing everything in person with Ben, the SWARM CEO, etc in person is much, much better. Getting him to visit was huge. He's from CA; hopefully any misperceptions that he might have had about Iowa and Iowa City are destroyed.
And since he has 2 years left, maybe they can get a 2 year deal signed. Could be a win-win for both sides. Guaranteed income for him; certainty at the 5 for IOWA.
Andrew McKeever - Saint Mary's Gaels Center - ESPN
View the profile of Saint Mary's Gaels Center Andrew McKeever on ESPN. Get the latest news, live stats and game highlights.
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6'9" Belmont PF Drew Scharnowski averaged 22 min, 10.7 pts, 6 rebs, 2.6 assists and 1.3 blocks.
He shot 68% overall from the field but just 43.6% from the FT line (61-140).
He has 2 years left.
He shot 68% overall from the field but just 43.6% from the FT line (61-140).
He has 2 years left.
No headbands.Any Zoom or visit scheduled yet? Sign him up...I want Iowa to have a headband guy...
More on 6'9" Belmont PF Drew Scharnowski:
www.espn.com
Drew Scharnowski - Belmont Bruins Forward - ESPN
View the profile of Belmont Bruins Forward Drew Scharnowski on ESPN. Get the latest news, live stats and game highlights.
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Funky shot but great results. Also draws a lot of fouls and nails his FTs. He would be a great addition, as well.
You may be right. I hope so.
That said, sometime in the past year or so, I remember hearing a Hawkeye coach talk about how when a recruit is on a visit, and he immediately asks about money, the coaching staff almost immediately moves on. This might have been a football coach, and it might have been more related to high school recruits than portal guys ... I can't remember.
Regardless, I was thinking about it today. While I can appreciate the notion of wanting guys to join your program for the right reasons, given the realities of the modern era, I think you might as well talk finances from the get-go. I mean, if the two sides aren't aligned when it comes to compensation, you are really just wasting everyone's time by continuing the recruitment process. This is probably more true with the speed-dating world of portal recruiting than high school recruiting, but it still holds truth either way.
It's really no different than the job market. For most of us, we aren't even going to apply for a job if we don't know what we are going to be paid, and whether or not that amount meets our financial needs. Granted, many of us probably remember a time not so long ago when job-seekers were advised to never ask about pay levels, at least not on the first interview. But those days have generally passed ... most employment ads today list starting pay front and center (or at least a general range).
While this topic will no doubt rankle those who lament the changing landscape of jobs and sports in general, the reality is what it is. To be honest, I have no problem with transparency. I don't think the cloak-and-dagger approach does much for anybody.
Why do we need another Cooper Koch? Seems we have enough 6-7 to 6-9 guys on the roster already. Unless we are now all in on the positionless BB concept.More on 6'9" Belmont PF Drew Scharnowski:
Drew Scharnowski - Belmont Bruins Forward - ESPN
View the profile of Belmont Bruins Forward Drew Scharnowski on ESPN. Get the latest news, live stats and game highlights.
This is an absolute shitshow right now for all. You know it's crazy when a program like KU can't keep their best player, Budinga, and he ends up at Louisville. Meanwhile, the majority of teams I guess will just sit and wait on the agents who at the moment are just licking their chops. It's crazy what even mediocre mid major players averaging 8 pts a game are supposedly asking for. I have no idea how a player picks a school or a school picks a player.
I'm guessing a kid isn't even going to visit without having some kind of compensation already talked about upfront. Why would they?
This guy is absolutely nothing like Cooper Koch. He gets all his points within 5 feet of the hoop. He gets zero points from 3. He's pretty athletic but I seriously wonder about him at his size playing possibly the 5 like Alvaro did for us. Good hops but when every team has an athletic 6-10 guy, or in the case of Michigan, Purdue and Illinois 4 of those guys I think he might struggle in the Big Ten.
One of Iowa's targets was 6'4" Butler guard Finley Bizjack.
This season he averaged 17.1 pts, 2.5 assists, 2.2 rebs. He shot 43% overall and 35% from three.
This season he averaged 17.1 pts, 2.5 assists, 2.2 rebs. He shot 43% overall and 35% from three.
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Perhaps Cam Manyawu is the better comp for Scharnowski?
Good players, before the summer!@TailgateTom , who we gonna sign and when!?!
Haha, IDK--this year seems so fluid and roller coastery. Hoping we get some good news as the week progresses.
it will be interesting to see if Ben fills all 15 roster spots
You’re 100% correct! He’s nothing even compared close to Cooper Koch. Love Iowa fans but most are just average followers and lower IQ’s when it comes to basketball. The average Midwest man easy going laid back chill and far behind what’s really going on in the world lol
This guy finishes better at the rim than the 7’3” guy, statistically speaking, because he dunks everything. I would love to see his energy and effort on the team.
If only us midwesterners could be more like the coastal elites who are arrogant pricks that think they know a lot more than they really do.
F*** it. Just buy all the players in the transfer portal, smuggle them in cargo container boxes to Carver, and force them into trial by combat. The remaining players we need to fill out the roster that survive make the team......................
Yeah?
PLUS, with the rest of the portal being taken out, many other teams won't be able to fill out their rosters and thus will have to forfeit their seasons, thereby making it significantly easier for us to win a national championship, simply based on the lack of competition!!!
I honestly should've thought of this sooner.
Yeah?
PLUS, with the rest of the portal being taken out, many other teams won't be able to fill out their rosters and thus will have to forfeit their seasons, thereby making it significantly easier for us to win a national championship, simply based on the lack of competition!!!
I honestly should've thought of this sooner.
F*** it. Just buy all the players in the transfer portal, smuggle them in cargo container boxes to Carver, and force them into trial by combat. The remaining players we need to fill out the roster that survive make the team......................
Yeah?
PLUS, with the rest of the portal being taken out, many other teams won't be able to fill out their rosters and thus will have to forfeit their seasons, thereby making it significantly easier for us to win a national championship, simply based on the lack of competition!!!
I honestly should've thought of this sooner.
If we want to keep Ben and continue to hold off the Blue bloods, two things need to happen.
1- Fans need to start doing their share
2- Some other popular sports needs to give a chunk of their rev share to mbb
Because, as much as Ben loves uIowa, he will start looking harder at these top jobs every offseason if he feels he doesn’t have what he needs to compete for championships
1- Fans need to start doing their share
2- Some other popular sports needs to give a chunk of their rev share to mbb
Because, as much as Ben loves uIowa, he will start looking harder at these top jobs every offseason if he feels he doesn’t have what he needs to compete for championships