Let’s look ahead to Iowa basketball, because I’ve had enough of this football team until Saturday, when I’ll be back to the Kool-Ade trough after they torch Purdue with a creative offensive strategy that would’ve surely body-bagged Michigan and Penn State.
ANYWAY, let’s talk about Nico Hobbs, a guy who probably won’t play any minutes of consequence this year (or ever).
Hobbs is a sophomore in eligibility only, as his duties his first year on campus were constrained to that of a team manager. He accepted a walk-on offer last year and saw playing time in six games, most notably against Savannah State, where he had career-highs in every stat except for three-pointers made, as he had one of those while Iowa was getting the doors blown off against Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament.
Hobbs hails from Fenwick Academy in the Chicago Suburb Oak Park. My college roommate went there and is the poster child for this tired joke:
“How do you know someone went to Fenwick?”
“They tell you.”
I hope Hobbs has more humility than my college roommate.
Hobbs’ Fenwick team won back-to-back Catholic League titles in 2016 & ‘17, and was on a state-runner up team in ‘17.
I don’t suspect Hobbs to crack the lineup, even with Iowa’s slight concern at the guard position this year given the fact Jordan Bohannon’s status is still very much up in the air.
Here’s to hoping that Hobbs will cook up some top-tier bench mob celebrations as this Iowa team marches its way to Sweetness.