Happy Friday everybody. Let’s clean out the old Cyclone Fanatic Mailbag, shall we?
There’s no need to waste any time. Let’s start things off with a hoops question from IHavNoCyCash.
IHavNoCyCash writes: Any high school recruits on ISUs radar besides possibly Nick Noskowiak? Do you think Fred goes after Noskowiak again?
CW: If you’re speaking of the 2014 class only, no and no. I have reason to believe that the only prospects Iowa State would take this offseason are transfers, both graduate and ones that would have to sit out a season.
And regarding Noskowiak, who is a 2015 prospect, it doesn’t sound like Iowa State is courting the Wisconsin prospect at all, after he de-committed from Marquette. According to a source, that ship has sailed. Also, remember that Noskowiak was previously a T.J. Otzelberger recruit. Otzelberger is now an assistant coach at Washington.
Wesley writes: Who do you think will be top scorer next year in basketball?
CW: Georges Niang.
There aren’t too many scenarios out there either that would make me change my mind. Regardless of who Iowa State brings in, next year’s team will be Georges Niang’s team.
CysRage writes: Chris, obviously there is a lot of smoke of Bryce Dejean-Jones to ISU but are you hearing of any other transfers that are considering ISU or vice versa?
CW: I think that for the next week, transfers and programs are really feeling each other out and trying to get visits scheduled.
Dejean-Jones will visit Iowa State on April 11, which has been well documented.
Besides him, no, I have not heard of a specific name that might be visiting Ames but I do know that Iowa State is hot on the transfer trail. Iowa State currently has two scholarships to burn and chances are, there will be more. Attrition always occurs during the offseason. Always.
Stretchclone writes: Do you have any insight on why Sherron Dorsey-Walker didn’t play much? With Matt Thomas struggling most of the time, why didn’t SDW get more of a chance?
CW: Listen, Hoiberg is going to play who he feels like gives him the best chance to win. This isn’t middle school. If Sherron Dorsey-Walker had shown Hoiberg that he could contribute, he would have been out there playing more during the season. It’s as simple as that.
That’s not to say that Dorsey-Walker won’t be a major contributor in the future. Last season was only his redshirt freshman year. With three years of eligibility remaining, it’s hardly time to throw in the towel on the young man’s career. But he clearly has some work to do if he wants to work his way into Iowa State’s primary rotation.
Cycsk writes: How was New York City? Did you survive without any panic attacks? Did you do anything particularly stupid that entertained the locals?
CW: New York really wasn’t that bad. For real, I surprisingly kind of enjoyed the city. I enjoyed this trip a lot more than I did the Pinstripe Bowl a few years back. The location of my hotel was a lot better, which made a huge difference. I was literally across the street from Madison Square Garden where I could walk to the Times Square area, etc. as opposed to having to take the subway to get anywhere. For the bowl game, I was staying out by Wall Street, which was a lot less convenient.
Did I do anything stupid? I always do dumb things (ask my wife). That’s the story of my life. But what happens after midnight in New York, stays in New York.
I did however meet Bill Cosby though.
Isufan writes: What are your top 3 goals you want CF to accomplish in the next year?
CW: 1 – Hire another full-time writer and take our content to the next level. We want to compete with every "legitimate" media outlet out there.
2 – Revolutionize our podcasting (this is already in the plans) efforts. Our podcast numbers were insane this past year compared to the prior season. Radio is what I am passionate about and I really feel like it is a direction of where I’d like to focus more of my time with the site in the future.
3 – Keep growing. Our numbers have never been higher. March was the biggest month in site history. We have to keep trucking, and we will.
RayShimley writes: First 5 games of the football season are North Dakota State, Kansas State, @ Iowa, Baylor, and @ Oklahoma State. What’s your prediction for our record through that stretch?
CW: Man, I am so not in “football prediction” mode it’s not even funny. I guess I’ll go with a win against North Dakota State. Perhaps a win against Kansas State (not confident in that at all but really don’t want to think about a 1-4 start in April). Three losses after that. I’ll go with a 2-3 start but reserve the right to change that down the road.
Daserop writes: Are there any sports you like to watch that are not popular in the US; like Rugby or Cricket for example?
CW: I don’t watch soccer or any of the stuff that is popular overseas. I guess I would go with auto-racing. Not really NASCAR because for the most part, it is considered a major spot in America. I love local dirt track racing. That’s a real passion of mine but I don’t think that is what you’re going for. Does Formula-1 count? I love the technology that goes into those race cars.
Cydar writes: How about Sports Entertainment? Does the streak continue for The Undertaker or does Brock Lesnar break it at WrestleMania XXX?
CW: I don’t remember the last time I have been less interested in WrestleMania. Maybe it’s because I’ve been traveling for the majority of the last month? Regardless, I don’t find any of these storylines compelling at all. I’ll still buy the event but I’ve got to tell you, I’m not excited about it at all. And no, the streak will live on. It has to. You can’t allow a mind-numbing part-timer like Lesnar to be the guy who breaks it, right? For as lame as the WWE has been lately though, I guess it wouldn’t entirely surprise me.
CYCLNST8 writes: Have you fired up the grill yet this spring? What’s your "go-to" meat? Hot dogs for baseball season? Ka-bobs? BBQ chicken?
CW: Funny story about my grill. It was like two or three months ago, my wife and I were watching television in bed. We hear a HUGE crash. This was during one of those brutal 30-below nights. The wind got my grill and chucked it off of my deck. Not good, bro. So no, I have not pulled her out yet this spring because let’s just say that I need to do some major surgery to get it in working condition again.
My go-to is steak. No question. Steak and grilled asparagus. You cannot beat that combination my friend. We do a lot of chicken too, of course. The healthier the better in our house.
CRcyclone6 writes: Do you the Vikings head coach was blowing smoke with his comments about Johnny Football and would Minnesota take him if he is at #8?
CW: I’ve written about this a little bit already but as a diehard Vikings fan, I hope that they draft him. Here’s why. I have come to the brutal reality (in my mind) that I will NEVER see the Vikings win a Super Bowl in my lifetime. Call me a pessimist. That’s fine. I’ve just been burned too many times to have any more faith. Because of that, I want the Vikings to be as interesting as possible. Name a prospect in the 2014 NFL Draft that is more interesting that Manziel…
I’m still waiting….
What was Mike Zimmer thinking? He better have been bluffing. If he wasn’t, he is an idiot. Those comments were unnecessary, stupid and nothing more. Just keep your mouth shut, coach. You have yet to win a game as a head coach. I hope it is a big smoke screen but my gut tells me it wasn’t.
