I'm most curious to see what Ben does there. Coming into this season I thought he preferred 'smaller' 5s like Cam so they could switch everything, but now I'm wondering if thats just what he was forced to do at D2/Drake. His comments after the game did sound like he wants to get bigger. I really hope we dont go into next year with just Cam/Jirak. Cam is a great depth/rotation guy but Jirak did not impress me, reminded me too much of skinny/awkward bigs we've had before. I'm hoping for an actual rim protector but not sure we cand afford one of those, lol
The 5 is my biggest question going forward
- Thread starter IAHawkGrad2000
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Unfortunately the NIL is such a factor.
I put 5 spot as 2nd biggest question. I think We absolutely have to try and replicate Stirtzs scoring and playmaking. It's probably unrealistic to get his equal but closest we can. It doesn't have to be a clone but need someone that can probably average 14-18 points with 4-5 assists and can get a bucket in the half court. If we can get that 1st then I'd like to get a rim protector
I do agree but I'm counting on Koch and Sage to take a big step forward (assuming they stay) ... Combs is a decent enough pg, but yeah, a 2 that can create his own shot is right up there with a true 5
I expect a bump in NIL…enough to get the pg and big we need. I’d really like to see Ben buy one of those 6’10+ foreign professional players.
Ben knows what he needs and I trust he will do all he can to fill them. The positive publicity from the Elite Eight run will only help.
Ben knows what he needs and I trust he will do all he can to fill them. The positive publicity from the Elite Eight run will only help.
I expect all of our guys to improve but to say replacing Stirtz isn’t 1A, 1B is insane. He plays every minute of every game, handled the ball 95% of the time and was our only reliable scorer. Center is obviously a position that needs to get better because Cam has now played 3 years and still can’t score from 4 feet or more. Solid defender but finding a 6-10 big that can play is going to cost us. As is a pt guard. These are going to be huge to our success next year.
PG is by far #1 need. Be nice to get a big guy as well but due to $$ I think we would be doing well to get a guy who can protect the rim and consistently give us 8-10 points and blocks out well. Would not be surprised if Ben went smaller school route with his connections, etc. maybe after the run we will have more to spend??
I thought Koch and Sage really started to play well towards the end of the season. They are both going to be Sophs next year so still have a lot of time to develop. Plus, we've got Harris and Thompson coming in to provide more depth and talent -both are very highly regarded.
Definitely need an athletic true 5. Seems like other teams are finding them, why not us?
I'm sure we can find another talented guard but we won't be able to replace Stirtz shooting ability or knowledge / decision making. Will have to make up some of Stirtz production in other ways.
If we get a legit PG then our 5 can be a Cam clone just a few inches taller. Cam is an old school 4. We need a legit 7 footer.
Early on in the hire, I heard him say the opposite. Something like he would get a few 7 footers if available, I don't remember the quote exactly. But the opposite of wanting "smaller".
It is imperative to get a quality big that is at least 6'11". The Illinois game showed just how important it is to have size. Top level guards are the most important, but they need to have size to consistently compete in the Big 10 as well as the tournament.
The hard reality is this: elite big men are now going for $2 to $3 million. That alone tells you the market has shifted from college athletics to a pay-for-talent system that most programs simply cannot compete in.
For the NCCA to sit on its hands while this turns into a semi-pro, largely unregulated system raises serious concerns. At a minimum, it suggests two problems.
First, there’s a structural incentive to let this continue. The biggest brands drive TV ratings, sponsorships, and national attention. When those programs consistently win, the revenue machine keeps running. But that creates a dangerous imbalance. If smaller programs are priced out of competing, they eventually lose relevance. And when enough of them disengage, the broader ecosystem that feeds the sport, regional interest, fan bases, and depth of competition starts to erode. That same imbalance that boosts short-term revenue can quietly weaken the long-term foundation.
Second, it points to a lack of real authority. The NCAA has struggled to establish clear, enforceable guardrails, and much of that comes from legal challenges that have reshaped what they can and cannot regulate. When courts and external pressures are effectively dictating policy boundaries, the NCAA ends up reacting instead of leading. The result is a system with money flowing freely, rules lagging behind, and no consistent standard to protect competitive balance.
At its core, this isn’t just about NIL. It’s about whether college sports can maintain any form of competitive integrity, or if it fully transitions into a system where financial power alone determines outcomes.
Every week I think about how crooked and cooked this all is.
Dusty May is a game manager at this point. Big donor says we want never ending championships, Dusty says I need this, they pay, contacts agents, and it’s wrapped up.
That being said, our coach is the rare kind that can beat them with a few added pieces - some with a price tag.
If a high caliber center isn’t affordable, I think a brick $h!thouse PF would be a nice to have as well to match physicality or even neutralize other team height with a wide load down low.
Since comparisons to the last elite 8 run are fun, an Ed Horton type would be great. Even if undersized with height, someone that could use their strength and width to dominate the boards and keep other bigs in check.
Since comparisons to the last elite 8 run are fun, an Ed Horton type would be great. Even if undersized with height, someone that could use their strength and width to dominate the boards and keep other bigs in check.
Jirak may be a lot of things, but skinny he definitely is not.
I trust whoever Ben has playing pg, including combs.
biggest concern by far is a big. We played high level competition without stirtz having his best stuff and were ok. We could not compete with teams that had size. Except Florida somehow we played without a good stirtz against a big team.
biggest concern by far is a big. We played high level competition without stirtz having his best stuff and were ok. We could not compete with teams that had size. Except Florida somehow we played without a good stirtz against a big team.
I think Sage, Koch, and Combs could kind of form the core of our team next year, and we need to look to the portal to find pieces to fit around them. One of those pieces clearly needs to be a true 5. I’d be happy with a shot-blocker and rebounder if we can’t find/afford a scorer. In the backcourt, Combs can play either guard spot, so I’d look to get the best possible guard we can who can score and defend, without worrying specifically about position.
Aside from these guys, think Manyawu, Jirak, and Howard can provide depth, and I’m hopeful that Thompson and Harris can be strong immediate contributors out of the gate.
That’s the blueprint as I see it.
If Jirak plays more than 2 minutes a game next year we are in big trouble. He needs a total body transformation to be able to play any valuable minutes in this league.
Basketball needs to get a chunk of the money football is getting going forward.
edit- and what WBB is getting
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NCAA can't do anything to enforce. States like Virginia have passed laws to allow universities to directly pay players and not allow the NCAA to punish them.
Virginia knows they can't compete against big money schools so they are working on ways to increase revenue to fund their NIL. Like adding an extra $3k a year to student tuition to fund their student athletes. Think about when you send your kid(s) to an out of state school and you could be contributing $12k to their basketball team for the next 4 years.
Rules are over and who knows if the "have nots" school athletics will survive this.
It is. Point being everyone keeps using his name like he was somewhat of a contributor this year and counting on him being one next year. And he was truly used only in emergency times this year. If we go into next year with Cam and Jirak as our 1-2 at Center we will get crushed.
If our players don’t improve in general, we are in big trouble. We are going to see soon what kind of player development staff we have.
Any optimism any of us have about the future of Iowa basketball is contingent on the notion of our players getting better. That goes for Jirak and everybody else.
That’s probably a fair point. I think the blueprint, as I tried to lay out above, is a portal 5 as the starter, with Cam as the main backup. I am hopeful that Jirak can develop, but it still might be another year down the road before he is a major contributor. That said, I think he might be able to provide adequate spot duty next year when we need another true big on the floor.
Yes, Stirtz always struck me as more of a scoring PG rather than a true distributor. In that case maybe it’s easier to find and plug in a combo guard who is primarily a shooter/scorer that can be paired with Combs.
Which I guess means I’d lean more towards spending the money on a legit B1G starting center as it’s the more pressing need.
We need someone who can rebound and hit the outside shot another Luka
I'd meet you halfway with a rebounder and pure paint player. Dunks and layups. Chip in 3 offensive boards a game
If you are going to go outside you have to be a threat to shoot not just a screener.
The reality of recruiting at Iowa dictates that Ben will have to develop a game to suit the team he manages to sign,.. The recruiting wish list will often go unfilled.
By all acounts, I expect Thompson to be an immediate, impactful contributor. And I'm confident Ben will find a way to get the guys he needs. Maybe follow the Stirtz example and the Iowa football model and keep getting guys from D-II and mid-majors who were overlooked. They're much cheaper, and they have that chip on the shoulder that helps them lean into Ben's mantra of imposing your will. One way or another, Ben will find his players, and his players will find him.
Probably, but he can do that, somewhat like Garza did in moving from the college game to the NBA. And I still wish Ben had given Jirak a few minutes vs. Illinois just to see if he could have simply used his size to confound some of the bully-ball Illinois was playing. Jirak, if you recall, did provide some valuable minutes @ Purdue way back when. I know Ben put him in against Florida, and Jirak seemed overwhelmed, but with the way the Illinois game was being called, giving the kid a shot didn't seem like it would've hurt. But we'll never know.