Will making Elite 8 impact recruiting?

Just-Some-Dude

Redshirt
Nov 12, 2017
20
34
13
Ben is an amazing coach but will our elite 8 run help recruiting over the next year? I think Ben would have landed Coleman and McKeever anyway. It looks like there is a good chance Ben will be developing players. Just curious on thoughts...

It is so annoying watching Iowa State reload haha
 

CRHAWK

Senior
Sep 7, 2025
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Proven success in March is almost always a big factor in recruiting along with development. If it isn't a factor for the player, I doubt the staff would be recruiting the player especially since Ben has stated before that he looks for winning and attitude in a player as Ben is evaluating/recruiting them.
 

RagnarLothbrok

Heisman
Jun 11, 2025
4,567
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Ben is an amazing coach but will our elite 8 run help recruiting over the next year? I think Ben would have landed Coleman and McKeever anyway. It looks like there is a good chance Ben will be developing players. Just curious on thoughts...

It is so annoying watching Iowa State reload haha
It takes time and more money.

Plus, Iowa State is an established basketball program and TJ has a decade and a half of experience with funding players while coaches like BMC are just learning the money game.

As a fan, it’s great to see Iowa advance in one NCAA tournament, but one tournament run is not going to magically make Iowa an elite destination for top recruits. Given time, though, BMC will continue to change the landscape of recruiting kids to Iowa City. Trey Thompson and Ethan Harris were good recruiting wins for BMC in his first year at Iowa. You can throw in Coon for that matter. It’s trending in the right direction. Plus, BMC will always do more with less.
 

RagnarLothbrok

Heisman
Jun 11, 2025
4,567
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Proven success in March is almost always a big factor in recruiting along with development. If it isn't a factor for the player, I doubt the staff would be recruiting the player especially since Ben has stated before that he looks for winning and attitude in a player as Ben is evaluating/recruiting them.
That reputation takes time and sustained success, not just one tournament run.

I also agree with BMC’s philosophy of the type of kid he recruits. While it would be cool to land the occasional 5-star McDonald’s AA, it’s just not a realistic option for Iowa because it is almost a certainty you will have that kid for only one year—whether due to jumping to the NBA or hitting the portal for more money—that kid is not staying at Iowa. Period. Unless, of course, he proves to be highly overrated like an Xavier Foster or Omaha Biliew. Then he might hang around for another year before transferring to Utah State or some sh*t.
 
Feb 25, 2008
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Success breeds success. Making the elite eight will drive more dollars in donations to help recruit players. Almost the only thing that matters anymore in recruiting the top players is money. Unless you're Duke.
Well, even with Duke it's about money.....they're just willing to pay juniors in high school millions to make sure they outrecruit the competition. 🙃
 
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Palmerhawk

All-Conference
Jul 3, 2025
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Success breeds success. Making the elite eight will drive more dollars in donations to help recruit players. Almost the only thing that matters anymore in recruiting the top players is money. Unless you're Duke.
And even at Duke, the money is amazing.
Reading about how Duke has now partnered with Amazon to have Prime do 3 neutral court non- conference super games which will have a big nil payout directly to players for" promotional" services signals that most of the millions in payout for this endeavor will go to players.

That is how Duke can pay a high school sophomore 5 million over the next 2 years before he even lands on campus.

Duke is now the nil alpha dog in college BB and the other blue bloods will try to keep up.
By the time that kid gets to Duke they will probably have a payroll north of 60 million.
It's madness.
 

TampaHawkFan

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Aug 6, 2025
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Seemed like I read that NIL contributions went up quite a bit when Iowa made that run this year. So short answer.. yes. If Ben keeps winning, though, the reputation should only continue to grow, though.
 
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TampaHawkFan

All-Conference
Aug 6, 2025
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That reputation takes time and sustained success, not just one tournament run.

I also agree with BMC’s philosophy of the type of kid he recruits. While it would be cool to land the occasional 5-star McDonald’s AA, it’s just not a realistic option for Iowa because it is almost a certainty you will have that kid for only one year—whether due to jumping to the NBA or hitting the portal for more money—that kid is not staying at Iowa. Period. Unless, of course, he proves to be highly overrated like an Xavier Foster or Omaha Biliew. Then he might hang around for another year before transferring to Utah State or some sh*t.
Pretty much. It seems obvious that Ben isn't interested in the type of player that's all about the money. Being a selective shopper probably takes him more time to find some of his guys, but in the end, he seems to only win with the types of players he brings in, so I won't question his philosophy until there's some reason to believe it's not working.
 

Hawkangler

All-Conference
Mar 16, 2014
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Seemed like I read that NIL contributions went up quite a bit when Iowa made that run this year. So short answer.. yes. If Ben keeps winning, though, the reputation should only continue to grow, though.
I was going to say the impact of more donations is the biggest plus. Should also translate to more season ticket sales and fans in the seats. Home court advantage, a winning program and more NIL dollars should equate to better recruiting.
 
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HawkFan10

Senior
Apr 21, 2015
376
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Ben is an amazing coach but will our elite 8 run help recruiting over the next year? I think Ben would have landed Coleman and McKeever anyway. It looks like there is a good chance Ben will be developing players. Just curious on thoughts...

It is so annoying watching Iowa State reload haha
Nope it is going to take proven and consistent success as Iowa before recruiting is going to see any kind of uptic and of course $$$$
 

kwik44

All-Conference
Mar 6, 2003
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He's got a ways to go. Clones got the top player in Iowa in the 27 class and top player in Wisconsin in 27 that Ben wanted.
A few sweet 16s, a tournament championship, and no conference championship in the 5 years Otz has been there. Last Elite 8 was 26 years ago.

Yeah, one could argue Iowa has caught up in rather quick fashion. The trajectory has a sharper outlook for Iowa imo.

Recruiting wise, that is starting to matter less and less with the portal in full steam. With the development Ben has shown, does being a 3 or a 4 star make that big of difference if they found the right guy for the program?
 

iahawkeyes17

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Apr 22, 2014
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A few sweet 16s, a tournament championship, and no conference championship in the 5 years Otz has been there. Last Elite 8 was 26 years ago.

Yeah, one could argue Iowa has caught up in rather quick fashion. The trajectory has a sharper outlook for Iowa imo.

Recruiting wise, that is starting to matter less and less with the portal in full steam. With the development Ben has shown, does being a 3 or a 4 star make that big of difference if they found the right guy for the program?
Yeah don’t want it lost like I’m saying he’s a bad coach. But isu losing guys off this years and year prior they had rosters with final 4 caliber talent and missed out and didn’t even make an elite 8. 2 sweet 16s and rd of 32 if you told isu fans that what you’d get im sure most would’ve expected more. Final 4 talk during last 3 seasons I heard from their fans was nauseating. Maybe I’m a hater seeing who left and incoming I see them taking a step down a notch. Think make tourney but at much higher seed.
 
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The Big Z

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Jan 5, 2023
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A few sweet 16s, a tournament championship, and no conference championship in the 5 years Otz has been there. Last Elite 8 was 26 years ago.

Yeah, one could argue Iowa has caught up in rather quick fashion. The trajectory has a sharper outlook for Iowa imo.

Recruiting wise, that is starting to matter less and less with the portal in full steam. With the development Ben has shown, does being a 3 or a 4 star make that big of difference if they found the right guy for the program?
A few sweet 16s, a tournament championship, and no conference championship in the 5 years Otz has been there. Last Elite 8 was 26 years ago.

Yeah, one could argue Iowa has caught up in rather quick fashion. The trajectory has a sharper outlook for Iowa imo.

Recruiting wise, that is starting to matter less and less with the portal in full steam. With the development Ben has shown, does being a 3 or a 4 star make that big of difference if they found the right guy for the program?
I'm a big fan of how hard Iowa State plays each and every game. They've been a 2, a 3 and a 2 the last 3 years. However, that hasn't translated in the tournament. I know having Jefferson out this year really hurt them, so I'll give them a bit of a pass there. However they were a 3 the year before and lost in the 2nd round and in 24 they were also a 2 and again only made the Sweet 16. They have not held to seed in the tournament. Our win over Florida this year is better than any win he's had in his time at Iowa State.
 

iahawkeyes17

All-Conference
Apr 22, 2014
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I'm a big fan of how hard Iowa State plays each and every game. They've been a 2, a 3 and a 2 the last 3 years. However, that hasn't translated in the tournament. I know having Jefferson out this year really hurt them, so I'll give them a bit of a pass there. However they were a 3 the year before and lost in the 2nd round and in 24 they were also a 2 and again only made the Sweet 16. They have not held to seed in the tournament. Our win over Florida this year is better than any win he's had in his time at Iowa State.
During loss to Tenn said isu is now 1-7 in sweet 16 games (only W eustachy 00’ team). Worst school sweet 16 win % for that many games.

last 3 years he had the luxury of hometown pg Lipsey like stirtz loyal to coach/home school. He hit 2 huge home runs finding Curtis jones and Jefferson in portal who were neither guy on any top 50 list. Combine that with his unlv guys like Gilbert and good recruiting find with momcilovic who ironically was not the gem of that class where Omaha billiew got all the hype. I wrote in another thread if you told isu fans where stars kind of aligned to have great roster with final 4 talent for 3 years and you got 2 sweet 16s and rd of 32 would you be happy? Sure expectations were much higher and kind of like us with Garza/murray window we underachieved and let some golden opportunities to advance far in March slip through our fingers with talent we had.
 
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