CycloneErik
Well-Known Member
Maybe it isn't, maybe it is. I guess we don't have to wait long either way..........
Barnes to announce on ESPNU
- Thread starter isucyfan
- Start date
Maybe it isn't, maybe it is. I guess we don't have to wait long either way..........
CycloneErik
Well-Known Member
I wouldn't be surprised if Craig thought about it a little bit. I have to think that Sam Bradford's situation would really weigh heavily against it, though.
Now I can't remember the details but didn't Rice switch at the very last instant?? His cousin played football here at the time and if I remember right he was practically signed, sealed and delivered until "something" changed his mind.
Johnny was told by his contacts at Mich that they were not going to recruit Rice - they were in on what they thought were higher rated prospects. He planned to sign early and ISU was far ahead in the race for his services. Someone (I think his high school coach) convinced him to wait until the spring signing. Johnny knew that it was all but over at that point. Rice had a monster SR year, was named Mr Basketball, and there was no way that Mich was going to stay away once they realized how good of a player that he was.
Rice's coach wouldn't let him sign. Iowa State's in was that he was best friends with Jeff Grayer. In fact the urban legend is that when we beat them in Minneapolis, Grayer told him that he should have come to Iowa State, and Rice agreed.
The irony was that the reason that Grayer ended up here was that he was dating Barry Stevens sister (I believe they are married now). Otherwise, he probably would have gone to Michigan State. The other Michigan guy in that class was Gary Thompkins. He went to Johnny's camp when he coached at Michigan. As a 7th grader, Johnny told him he was going to recruit him. He was an all state guy, and would have gone to Michigan. Freider strung him along, and then turned him down when they signed Gary Grant.
Pretty damn fortunate for Iowa State. Add partial qualifiers in Sam Hill and Elmer Robinson, an overlooked 6'2 skinny guard named Ronnie Virgil who played forward, and a walk on from LaGrange, Illinois named Jeff Hornacek........That turned into a Sweet 16 team.
The irony was that the reason that Grayer ended up here was that he was dating Barry Stevens sister (I believe they are married now). Otherwise, he probably would have gone to Michigan State. The other Michigan guy in that class was Gary Thompkins. He went to Johnny's camp when he coached at Michigan. As a 7th grader, Johnny told him he was going to recruit him. He was an all state guy, and would have gone to Michigan. Freider strung him along, and then turned him down when they signed Gary Grant.
Pretty damn fortunate for Iowa State. Add partial qualifiers in Sam Hill and Elmer Robinson, an overlooked 6'2 skinny guard named Ronnie Virgil who played forward, and a walk on from LaGrange, Illinois named Jeff Hornacek........That turned into a Sweet 16 team.
I am sure that he never looked back after the freshmen season. He was the best shooter I have ever seen at the college level.
It was a sad day for Iowa State, but Johnny as well. People don't remember how close he was to signing Magic, Clark Kellogg, etc. The man was a great coach, he very easily could have won a couple of national championships.
The other candidate for the Iowa State job when Johnny took it was Coach K. Bobby Knight told him that he thought the Iowa State job was a better fit for him than Duke.
Johnny first recomended Bill Freider. That would have been interesting as well.
Today, a Johnny Orr coming to Iowa State, would be like a Ben Howland leaving UCLA for Ames or a Jim Boeheim leaving Syracuse for Ames. It was that big of a deal.
If Barnes doesn't pick ISU, I don't think it reflects on McDermott at all. He's certainly had ISU in the conversation for the entire recruitment.
If he does pick ISU, prepare for rampant speculation and angst about a decommit up until the moment he signs the official letter of intent.
If he does pick ISU, prepare for rampant speculation and angst about a decommit up until the moment he signs the official letter of intent.
Cy1969...welcome to the site.
We have had these JO discussions many times on here in the past and I am glad to have another person that understands what JO meant to ISU.
I remember the Michigan game in Minneapolis well...we had great seats and were able to get on the court to congratulate the coaches and players after the game. I just wish we could have handled NC State the next weekend in KC.
If anyone was to ever put blame on GMac for not landing HB, they are obviously VERY disconnected from the reality of the situation. True Cyclone fans know that GMac has done everything within his power to get HB here.
I won't begrudge Harrison for not choosing ISU, as long as he doesn't end up elsewhere in the Big 12 (OU would be bad, but KU would be the worst).
I hate getting pulled into this, BUT I have on good authority, that HB has his last official visit to ISU on the 13th, and there are some folks in the area of event planning who are VERY excited.
Oh course I can't name names, and of course it could be all unsubstantiated rumors, but really... what are fan boards for if not for propagating rumors.
Flame On.:wideeyed:
Oh course I can't name names, and of course it could be all unsubstantiated rumors, but really... what are fan boards for if not for propagating rumors.
Flame On.:wideeyed:
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Well HB isn't taking an "official visit" to ISU. Also kind of confused why the event would be the 12th if it was anything exciting, because it has already been said the announcment will be the 13TH
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If this were to come to pass, the state of Iowa will implode and become a powerful singularity that will unravel the spacetime continuum and destroy the entire universe.
You had me so excited for a second...until you couldn't name, names of anything specific:wink: