I remember the days when there used to be an “offseason” in college athletics. Conference realignment put an end to those times back in 2009. The annual “Hoiberg Watch” went on for years. These days, it’s the spring basketball recruiting period that seems to never end.
This is a problem for Steve Prohm, and I think even he would admit it – that’s if he hasn’t already. While Iowa State won’t ever fully get out of the transfer sweepstakes (also known as college basketball’s spring free agency period), I do believe that Prohm is going to attempt to even out classes in the near future to avoid having to sign five, six, or seven-plus guys in April and May like he has had to do this spring. As far as players available goes, the transfer market is larger than ever, but it has also dried up. There is significantly more competition out there compared to what Fred Hoiberg faced in 2010. And while Hoiberg had a ton of success with transfers over the years, it was the four-year guys who ultimately were the cornerstone of the program.
With the addition of Princeton’s Hans Brase last week and the recent exit of Ray Kasango, Iowa State still has two scholarships to fill for the 2017-18 season.
Educated guess: Iowa State will still sign a sit-out transfer along with a grad transfer of some sort.
A quick hit on Kasongo: With all due respect to the young man – and I hope that he lands on his feet – he wasn’t going to contribute next year. This was a recruiting miss. Therefor, any graduate transfer that the staff brings in – regardless of who it is or what position he plays – should be an upgrade for next year’s roster.
The way things stand at this specific point in time, I believe there is a better chance that Iowa State will play in a bowl game next year than go to a seventh-straight NCAA Tournament.
As far as the bowl game goes, I’m not alone.
The linked piece up above by SB Nation’s Bill Connelly is sure to get your Cyclone-loving blood pumping.
JOTTINGS
— If Hans Brase is healthy, the big man who can shoot will absolute bring something new to Iowa State’s 2017-18 roster. That’s a big if though.
— Matt Campbell’s response to Brian Ferentz questioning his recruiting tactics was perfect. “Who, Kirk Ferentz?”
— We have 15-20 thousand Iowa State fans log onto Cyclone Fanatic every day. We currently have 217 generous folks donating monthly to our Patreon page. While we absolutely appreciate each and every one of you, we also need to keep this drive going to improve the quality of the website. Please, tell your friends.
— My recent interview with longtime Iowa Stater Steve Loney was an absolute honor to conduct. It has generated a lot of feedback over the last few days. If you haven’t checked it out yet, please do.
