I'm really happy that Keegan Murray is getting some attention as the summer begins in 2022. As this article points out -
Leistikow: With more NBA Draft buzz, Keegan Murray is Iowa's summer star - the 2021-2022 Iowa Hawkeyes that take the court this fall will look a lot different than the 2020-2021 team. From the article (I added the numbered list to make the article text easier to read
None of last year’s starting five will be on the floor for the first practice:
national player of the year Luka Garza is off to his pro career;
all-Big Ten wing Joe Wieskamp is exploring the NBA Draft process;
shooting guard CJ Fredrick has transferred to Kentucky; and ...
Jordan Bohannon (head injury from a May 24 bar altercation) [is in recovery mode]
Connor McCaffery (two hip surgeries) [is in recovery mode]
top reserve Jack Nunge has transferred to Xavier.
Yet, for Keegan Murray, his brother, who didn't get a lot of playing time last season, "new blood arriving in big-man transfer Filip Rebraca and recent high school graduates Riley Mulvey and Payton Sandfort", Patrick McCaffery, Joe Toussaint, and anyone else I'm forgetting, the challenge will remain the same as it is for any basketball team: chemistry. Who is going to emerge as the leader, both in the locker room and on the floor? Who is going to help Rebraca, Mulvey, and Sandfort get used to college and model outstanding citizenship as well as a work ethic to accomplish any task in front of them, both in and out of the classroom? I believe that all teams, whether it is at the junior high, high school, college, or professional level, start the off-season on a level playing field. I don't believe that any triumphs - or defeats - follow a team from season to season. Sure, TV analysts like to bring up previous games between teams and to discuss history, but on the basketball court, every game starts tied at zero. It's up to each team member to help their team win.
That is why, on Wednesday, June 2, 2021, I am optimistic about the 2021-2022 Iowa Hawkeyes. If the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, as it has been over the last few weeks, I foresee Carver-Hawkeye Arena being loud and a very tough environment for an opponent to enter and win a game. Coach Fran is a competitor and I have no reason to believe he will not instill that sense of competition, that sense of putting in the work now will yield a fruitful season in March 2022.
I am going to revisit this post on Thursday, June 2, 2022. I will be curious whether the 2021-2022 Iowa Hawkeyes had a successful season or if it was an exercise in frustration to watch them. Sincerely, I hope it is a successful season and I hope that I attend many many games with either Fred (of Fred and Julie) or Brian Rock or Jason Lest or Alex.
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