If Iowa had mountains, they would carve one to look like Tom Davis, most likely. Not only did Dr. Tom oversee some of the most successfull years for the Iowa Hawkeyes, but he took the Drake job (in my opinion), mainly so he could hand it over to his son, Keno.
Now, we can debate the wisdom of naming your son after a Las Vegas game of chance all we like, but the fact is, the kid can coach. His Drake Bulldogs were the surprise of the Missouri Valley conference this past season, obliterating all in their path in the regular season and then taking care of business in the conference tournament (no easy task, as many season champs from one-bid conferences can attest). We can also debate the wisdom of taking the Providence job, but that's exactly what Keno did after his one season of overwhelming success in Des Moines.
Iowa stumbled a bit this past season, and Iowa State hasn't been good for a long time. Northern Iowa always seems to be just on the cusp in the MVC, so the whole Drake thing probably annoyed them no end.
Ladies & gents, meet Iowa!
2008 Breakdown
State winning percentage: .565
Number of teams: 4
NCAA Tournament teams: Drake
Conference champions: Drake
Most wins: Drake (28)
Least wins: Iowa (13)
Teams with winning records: Drake, Northern Iowa
Teams with single digit wins: None
Historical breakdown
Most Memorable Team: In 1956, only Bill Russell and the San Francisco Dons stopped Iowa from claiming a national championship. With a core class of five players known as the "Fabulous Five" (yep, there was a white version), Bucky O'Conner almost made it.
Top Player All-Time: Oddly enough, Don Nelson (yes, Nellie) scored 39 points in a game against Wisconsin in 1967. He averaged 21 ppg and 10.5 rpg and was a two-time All-American. He may not have been the absolute best in Iowa history, but I think that's pretty darn good.
Favorite Coach: I'm going with the class act of Tom Davis, but I have to admit one thing. I couldn't stand the guy when I was going to Kansas, but one-time Iowa State coach Johnny Orr was, in hindsight, a real pistol.
Top Player 2008: There really wasn't a dominant player in the state last season. From game to game, different players stepped up for each school. So I'm going to cop out and choose Adam Emmenecker from Drake for being a great leader and a studying machine.
Best On-Campus Venue: Hilton Coliseum at Iowa State. Unbearably loud, and a very tough place to play when the Cyclones are hot.
Best NCAA Venue: I got nuthin'. I accept your scorn.
Most Prestigious Program (ESPN Style): #49 Iowa Hawkeyes.
Best Nickname: Northern Iowa Panthers. They have to win something.
STF’s Favorite Program: We're going with Iowa. Lickliter is a great coach, and will resurrect the program in no time. The history with Tom Davis and Lute Olson is big, as well.
[Get Acquainted with the STF State Project Concept]
See right-hand sidebar for previous entries.
2008 Breakdown
State winning percentage: .565
Number of teams: 4
NCAA Tournament teams: Drake
Conference champions: Drake
Most wins: Drake (28)
Least wins: Iowa (13)
Teams with winning records: Drake, Northern Iowa
Teams with single digit wins: None
Historical breakdown
Most Memorable Team: In 1956, only Bill Russell and the San Francisco Dons stopped Iowa from claiming a national championship. With a core class of five players known as the "Fabulous Five" (yep, there was a white version), Bucky O'Conner almost made it.
Top Player All-Time: Oddly enough, Don Nelson (yes, Nellie) scored 39 points in a game against Wisconsin in 1967. He averaged 21 ppg and 10.5 rpg and was a two-time All-American. He may not have been the absolute best in Iowa history, but I think that's pretty darn good.
Favorite Coach: I'm going with the class act of Tom Davis, but I have to admit one thing. I couldn't stand the guy when I was going to Kansas, but one-time Iowa State coach Johnny Orr was, in hindsight, a real pistol.
Top Player 2008: There really wasn't a dominant player in the state last season. From game to game, different players stepped up for each school. So I'm going to cop out and choose Adam Emmenecker from Drake for being a great leader and a studying machine.
Best On-Campus Venue: Hilton Coliseum at Iowa State. Unbearably loud, and a very tough place to play when the Cyclones are hot.
Best NCAA Venue: I got nuthin'. I accept your scorn.
Most Prestigious Program (ESPN Style): #49 Iowa Hawkeyes.
Best Nickname: Northern Iowa Panthers. They have to win something.
STF’s Favorite Program: We're going with Iowa. Lickliter is a great coach, and will resurrect the program in no time. The history with Tom Davis and Lute Olson is big, as well.
[Get Acquainted with the STF State Project Concept]
See right-hand sidebar for previous entries.
2 comments:
Hi just being on this site called Amuso.com and there is a contest
called Sports Legends.
The contest is to find out what are people's favourite Sports Legend is. All you have do is enter your entry and get people to vote for your song. Thought it might be an something you might be interested in for a post.
Here’s the
link: http://www.amuso.com/gameshows/lifestyle/SPORTS-LEGENDS-3?ref=i/GS
Keep up the awesome work on the blog.
Greg Salter
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