Anthony Hubbard Leaving Iowa, Apparently

It’s a bit disappointing, but it’s hard to be angry.

Maybe Melsahn punched him for not paying the cable bill.

they would have put restrictions on the transfer.

Maybe I’m naive but If he contacted another school that is one thing but if other schools are contacting him I don’t think that should be allowed.

One of the things that I find odd is the Morehouse tweet where Hubbard said he was going to work w/ his juco coach to find a school perphaps closer to home. To me the use of the word perphaps implies distance from home isn’t his only concern.

I think it also makes it less likely that either McCabe or White redshirt this year.

if we do end up using a schollie on somebody else (which I think is very unlikely), I hope it is a big man or a PG.

Or did somebody find him some of those “ladies that fall out of the sky” that DJK was talking about?

In the end though I’m glad he’s not becoming a Hawkeye given his lack of commitment and sincerity. You don’t put forth that kind of energy and money unless you have a locked in commitment from an individual. He went back on his word and left. End of story.

then I feel used. And dirty. But mostly used.

I don’t like the idea of Penn State beating Iowa again.

No restrictions on his release, different coaching staff at PSU.

If it is true, I hope Basabe tomahawk dunks his face off.

To transfer to Penn State. I will be that guy heckling him all game long when he visits CHA. His next move is certainly interesting.. gotta feel awful for Fran.

then releasing him with no restrictions was stupid. At least make sure he doesn’t play in conference

I’m confused.

Hubbard said that distance from his home in Virginia will not play a role in his decision. He returned East this season after spending last year at Odessa (TX) Junior College last season.

When Hubbard was released from prison, he began playing pick-up basketball at a local gym near home. A scout saw him and contacted a friend at Odessa.

Hubbard said he never felt comfortable with the program there. He wanted his mother and family see him play and he transferred to Frederick.

“That will be different at the next level because the schools I’m looking at will be on TV and they can see me,” Hubbard said. “There’s not a whole lot going on in Odessa and I was there for a year. I think I can adjust to wherever else I might end up.”

Obviously, he said the right things about it NOT being issue, but again, I just always had it in the back of my mind that being far from home could be an issue. Obviously, once he narrowed it down to Nebraska and Iowa and then signed, I disregarded it as an issue any longer.

Of course he’d want to move back home right away if that was the JUCO he originally wanted to attend. I don’t think that plays a factor in his new school choice.

I can understand the kid having a tight relationship with his mom/family after spending so much time in jail away from them. But I also feel like it shouldn’t be much of an issue considering how long he’s done it before. It’s not like he’d be trapped in Iowa City.

It doesn’t matter. I am bummed to see him go, but hopefully he lands on his feet outside the B1G and he has a successful career.

I’m sure some of the anger out there come from a feeling of “betrayal” that the school took a chance on him, and he turned us down in the end. I’m not in the guys head, so I can’t speculate on his true reasons for leaving, but I’m willing to cut him some slack and I agree that its disappointing to see fans getting angry and turning on the guy.

is the program invested a healthy chunk of time and money vetting the guy to make sure sure he had his life in order before offering him. Other D1 programs “closer to home” will know that. So it’s like he used Iowa to do the legwork for the schools he was actually interested in.

(Linked here; I can never remember if it’s premium content or now.)

Iowa now has SIX scholarships to give out next year. We still had one open going into the 2011-2012 season, so that coupled with Hubbard’s departure and the four seniors on the team (Gatens, Cartwright, Archie, Brommer) gives us SIX openings next year. One of them has been tentatively filled by PF Kyle Meyer.

the fact that that is probably going to happen or that we know it’s going to happen

This is also going to lead to a ton of dumb Iowa fans calling him a thug and other ugly/quasi-racist shit, which sucks.

It’s just like the Pierre Pierce thing, all over again.

/absolutely kidding.

I wondered if he would still show up for the playoffs. I would doubt it though.

hoops would be less successful than football (and obviously wrestling)?

Fran is probably going to have to get Iowa back to regular NCAA tourneys before he locks down the best in-state talent. Which means he’s going to have to take some chances (Ferentz was doing that at one point too). Now, I did think the “25-year-old reformed felon” was a bridge too far, but I was hoping Fran and company knew something about Hubbard that most of us didn’t.

He’s trying to overcome his penchant for dumping in inapprorpiate locales. We should be trying to lift him up instead of tearing him down.

ugh, i dont know whether to be understanding or pissed off. my guess is his college choice will help me decide between the two

If a football is involved, it’ll always be this

But since we’re talking about Baseketball I kinda feel like he gave us one of these

Or maybe this

And now I feel like

Ugh.

This is different, though. This isn’t just a kid who signed a LOI and changed his mind like Brust or Larson last year (which I think the vast majority of people here took well). This is a guy whose background made it difficult for any coach to take him in, whose prior actions rightfully or wrongfully made him a lightning rod for the type of criticism that eventually sunk Steve Alford. Fran McCaffery put his job on the line to take him in, and he apparently didn’t appreciate it enough to even attempt to pay him back. One month in Iowa City and it’s back to the coast. Hope he enjoyed his vacation.

I’m not usually angry or even unhappy when a player decides to transfer. This one is different.

I agree that we aren’t getting the whole story but to say there are ONLY two things that come to mind and that these two are them is quite a leap. I think there are quite a few possibilities to consider before we get to these as the only options.

i actually think that the “i want to be near my family” thing is true, but only half the story, i dont think he broke a law or knocked up a girl, but maybe another school offered him behind closed doors after watching PTL and he decided that that particular school was better for him for whatever reason than Iowa. It wouldnt surprise me if an ACC, Big East or SEC school offered him after watching him play.

so really, in my eyes, whatever school he ends up in (if its a major school in a major conference) is the bad guy here

if this was a guy still walking on the bad side of town to the extent that less than a month after getting to Iowa he was getting in trouble, then they almost surely would have found at least a hint of stink when clearing him. And unless Barta & Fran are idiots, which they are not, that hint would have been enough to keep them from offering.

Whatever this is, it’s a personal decision by Hubbard.

for basketbal transfers

we better be running and gunning the hell out of everything in sight. Basabe is a beast, but I fear about the rest of our frontcourt (unless McCabe is suddenly able to play well inside, too).

On the other hand, all these guys have another year of conditioning for the McCaffery system, so maybe we’ll look better this year (not as much transitional).

There seems to be plenty of talent in the league. Hawkeyes, Panthers, and a mix of other D1 guys.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_J3X4PxCFQ

Abrahamson is a top 120 player on Rivals. Needs to work on his defense by most accounts, but is a good offensive player, even with the funky shot.

I know those 3 (Abrahamson, Woodbury, Gessel) play together in AAU, but do they have any desire to play together at the next level? Are they close friends? I think I read that Woodbury and Gessel were considering it.

A class of Meyer, Woodbury, Gessel, Abrahamson, and another PG (Bell) would be a great, great class. 2 bigs, 2 points, and a wing. That’d be 3 players in the top 120 (Woodbury, Gessel, Abrahamson), with Woodbury in the top 50 and attracting attention from KU, Duke, and UNC. I’d take that class every day and twice on Sunday.

Did Duez try to kill Hubbard, too?

The media has clearly taken Iowa’s side, stating how classy the staff has been and how much unrewarded faith they put in an ex-con just to be abandoned so quickly.

really, if the guy had to leave, this is pretty much the best way it could have happened for Iowa.