12/1/2009
Written By: Mike Rickord, ISC Publisher
Category: Open Mike  

The 2009-2010 basketball season has tipped off across Iowa and as we state at the Iowa Sports Connection it is literally “From the Pee Wees to the Preps to the Pros” with the youth, high school, college, and Iowa Energy teams all doing battle on the hardwood across Iowa!
  

The Iowa Energy will lead the way this basketball season as they enter their 3rd year but in Iowa it’s no secret that the mainstay of hoops tradition is the Iowa high school action and of course the great collegiate men’s and women’s action that we are privileged to have available from the community colleges, NAIA, and NCAA division I, II, and III programs from border to border inside Iowa.
  

It is no secret that basketball has exploded in the state of Iowa in the past 10 years. This last week the Iowa Games Net Fest in Ames had over 140 youth teams participate in it’s annual pre-season event and this is just a central Iowa tournament. The high caliber of Iowa high school basketball players on the boys and girls side has absolutely catapulted Iowa into a legitimate mecca for collegiate recruiters at every level. The kids across Iowa have incredible Iowa born NBA role models to inspire them in the driveways and gyms in every pocket of this state.
  

The beauty of these NBA role models is that they have come from every class in Iowa and every region of the state. Kirk Hinrich of the Chicago Bulls is a Sioux City native who played for Class 4-A Sioux City West and is one of the premier point guards in the NBA.  Kyle Korver of the Pella Little Dutch was a Class 3-A standout and is one of the leagues best 3-point threats for the Utah Jazz. The Oklahoma City Thunder is blessed with the hardworking Nick Collison who hails from Class 2-A Iowa Falls. I’d be remiss if I didn’t throw in the most athletic of all of the Iowa NBA players in Davenport North’s Ricky Davis who was a Class 4-A all-stater who has had a nice career in the league and is currently lacing em’ up for the Los Angeles Clippers. 
  

These four Iowans provide motivation for young Iowa hoopsters as they work on their games. The bottom line is that the size of the school does not matter in today’s world if you have the skills and motivation as you will be discovered and can play collegiate basketball at some level, and possibly the NBA!
  

The kids from the 20th century dreamed of one day honing their skills and making the trip down to Veterans Memorial or “The Barn” with their high school team as they battled for a page in Iowa’s history books.  Today’s generation of boys and girls begin their season with a map that provides them with the directions to “The Road to the Well” or Wells Fargo Arena and the 21st century home of the state basketball championships where our cover boy Harrison Barnes made a splash in March of 2009 as he led the Ames Little Cyclones to the 4-A state championship!
  

That was last year and as the cover claims the splash in November of 2009 was the tsunami of collegiate basketball as the impact of Harrison’s decision to go to North Carolina hit like tidal waves in 5 states across America. Harrison Barnes selected the reigning NCAA champion Tar Heels of North Carolina over UCLA, Duke, Oklahoma, Kansas, and the Iowa State Cyclones. The impact on this decision hit Ames, Iowa the hardest for obvious reasons and had to be a heart wrenching choice for Harrison and his thousands of friends and family in his hometown.
  

I applaud this poised, bright and composed young man for a choice that will benefit him on the court and in the business world far beyond the borders of Iowa. However, his heart will always be in Ames, Iowa and don’t be surprised if he hoists another 4-A trophy for the Little Cyclones in March of 2010.    
  

The basketball storyline for this season is obviously Harrison Barnes in the preps but balance is the main theme for all classes both boys and girls on the road to the Well! In the college ranks, balance is also the theme as there is not one clear-cut dominant team in the Big $ on the women or men’s’ side. This opens incredible drama and competition for fans all season long.
  

This 2009-2010 Iowa Sports Connection Hoops Preview is certainly our best effort in the 11 years that we have previewed basketball across the state. I applaud our staff and the coaches that assisted with this information. In addition we encourage you to send us photos all season long or video of your youth or high school players and we’ll load onto our website “iowasportsconnection.com” Also be certain to listen to our radio shows and new television productions of  “Friday Night Live Hoops Edition” and “The Iowa Sports Connection” as we cover all of the basketball action through March Madness “From the Pee Wees to the Preps to the Pros”! Log onto “iowasportsconnection.com” for a list of our great radio affiliates on the Iowa Sports Connection Radio Network and our television shows on WHO-TV13.2!  Have A Championship Season! God Bless you and God Bless America!