Twitter handle: @J_Cole50

Rivals: 3 star PF
Scout: 3 star PF

Cole committed to the Hawkeye program under Head Coach Steve Alford. However, before he made it to Iowa City, Alford left to become the Head Coach at New Mexico. Cole stuck to his committment however, joining the program and playing under new Coach Todd Lickliter. Unfortunately, after starting 6 of the first 13 games of his Freshman season, Cole tore his ACL and missed the last 19 games of the year. He recovered in time for the next season, playing in every game while starting 9 of them. The Lickliter era took a toll on the fans and also affected Cole’s game, as the offense focused on the outside shot. By Cole’s Junior season, he was a full-time starter, finishing 2nd on the team in rebounds. After the season, Lickliter was fired. Cole was heading into his Senior season to play for the third Head Coach of his college career, Fran McCaffery. His final Hawkeye season, Cole was one of only two players to start every game. He finished 2nd on the team in rebounding again and ended up as a sentimental fan favorite for his work ethic during his time in Iowa City. After his collegiate career came to an end, Cole decided to play professional ball in Iceland for Keflavik in the Express League. He is currently in the top 5 in the league in rebounding.

Kirk Speraw left the Hawkeyes as a two-time letter winner under Head Coach Lute Olson. He became a graduate assistant the year following his playing career ending. The following year in 1980, Speraw went to Denver University as an Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator, where he remained through the 1981-1982 season. He then went to Florida Southern from 1982-1987 as an Assistant Coach at the Division II school. He left for his first Head Coaching position at Pensacola Junior College in 1987. After leading his team to a conference championship in each of his three seasons and being named the National Junior College Coach of the Year his final season, Speraw joined the University of Florida coaching staff as an Assistant under Head Coach Lon Kruger. He remained on the staff through the 1983 season, but left for the University of Central Florida as Head Coach. Speraw remained there for 17 years and took his team to the NCAA Tournament five different times. He was also named the Conference USA Coach of the Year for the 2006-2007 season. In 2010, Speraw returned to his alma mater as an Assistant Coach under new Head Coach Fran McCaffery.

Twitter handle: @CoachRodell

Davis joined the Hawkeyes out of Chicago under Head Coach Tom Davis. He was injured his Freshman season but went on to become a three year letter winner while also serving as a team captain his Senior year. He immediately went into coaching, beginning in 1992 at Wisconsin-Platteville under current Wisconsin Head Coach Bo Ryan. Davis went to the high school ranks for many years back home in the Chicago area as well as serving as an Athletic Director. In 2003, Rodell took over as the Head Coach at Laramie County Community College in Wyoming. He was there through the 2007 season including being named as the Region IX Central Coach of the Year and serving as the A.D. for his last two years in Laramie. He left to take an Assistant Coach position for the 2007-2008 season at Drake under Keno Davis, the son of his college coach. When Keno was hired at Providence, he took Rodell with him and he served through the 2010-2011 season before Keno was fired. Rodell then returned home to Chicago in 2011 when he was hired by Loyola (IL) as an Assistant Coach.

Twitter handle: @ImJJohnson

Scout: 3 star SG

Johnson came to Iowa after starting his collegiate career in his hometown at Tyler Community College in Texas. Known as a good outside shooter, Johnson was 2nd in the Big Ten in three-point field goal percentage his Junior season. His Senior year, Johnson started every game while averaging 11.8 points per game and 4.9 rebounds per game. Twice during his final year with the Hawkeyes, Johnson hit 8 three-point baskets in a game. When his collegiate days came to an end, Johnson began his next career in the NBA D-League with the Sioux Falls Skyforce. After playing only sparingly in the 2008-2009 season Johnson went overseas the next year and signed with CS Municipal Bucuresti in Romania. He averaged 15.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.0 steals per game. He left Romania and began playing with Jiangsu in China. There he averaged 17.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.7 steals per game while helping his team to a League Championship. He left China and for the 2010-2011 season, Justin played in Japan with the Tokyo Apache. He averaged 6.3 PPG, 6.0 RPG and 3.3 APG before the earthquake & tsunami ended the season prematurely. Johnson then rejoined Jiangsu in May after being drafted with the 10th overall pick of the NBL League Draft. He averaged 13.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists & 1.2 blocks per game. Justin came back to North American and went North of the border, joining the Halifax Rainmen. He is currently in the top 10 in the league in Steals.

Oliver was a heralded in-state recruit that came to the Hawkeyes and delivered as a consistent and efficient player from the start.  He left a lasting impression on the record books at Iowa, and still remains 6th All-Time in both 3-Point field goals (161) and attempts (465).  He also sits 5th in field goal attempts (1213) as well as free throw attempts (621), yet remains 3rd in free throws (468).  Oliver is 3rd All-Time in Hawkeye history in assists (561) and sits in 2nd place, three behind the leader in steals with 205.  Although he dominated the Hawkeye record books, Oliver was not drafted after his Iowa career came to an end, yet managed to work his way onto the Golden State Warriors as a free agent.  He played with the Warriors through the 2001-02 season, as well as into the next season but was released in December.  He split the rest of the 2002-03 season between two teams in the NBDL, the Greenville Groove and the Asheville Altitude.  In 2004, Oliver started with the Dakota Wizards of the CBA, where he won a championship, then went down to the Cedar Rapids River Raiders of the USBL to return close to the Hawkeye faithful.  The following season, Oliver headed overseas to Slovenia to play for Geoplin Slovan Ljubljana.  While with the team, Oliver played in the Slovenian League All-Star Game and was named to the All-Slovenian League 2nd Team by Eurobasket.com.  The following season Oliver returned to Europe, but played for KK Zadar of Croatia, this time earning a spot in the Croatian All-Star game.  For the 2006-07 season, Oliver signed with Bergson Slask Wroclaw in Poland, playing in the Polish League All-Star game this time around and earning Honorable Mention All-Polish League by Eurobasket.com.  He remained in Europe the next season, this time signing with Eiffel Towers Den Bosch in Holland, where he is still playing today.  Oliver was named an Honorable Mention All-Dutch Eredivisie by Eurobasket.com after both of his first two seasons with the team.  He also played in the Dutch Eredivisie All-Star game for his 2008-09 season.  Oliver started for his Dutch team during the 2009-10 season. He averaged 11.4 points, 5.4 assists as well as 2.6 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game on the season. He moved over to the French team JL Bourg Basket for the 2010-11 season. He averaged 9.7 points, 2.6 rebounds & 5.5 assists per game. In the fall of 2011, Oliver made the transition from playing to coaching, signing on as an Assistant Coach with the University of North Dakota. The Head Coach, Brian Jones, was an Assistant Coach on the Hawkeye staff while Oliver was a player.

Twitter handle: @CyTate44

Rivals: 3 star PF
Scout: 3 star PF

Tate transferred to Iowa from Northeast Community College after one season.  He worked very hard on developing his game and became a key contributor for the Hawkeyes by his senior season.  Once his collegiate playing career ended, he left Iowa and headed over to Japan to continue playing.  For the 2009-10 season Tate was a member of the starting five for Rera Kamuy Hokkaido and was named to the Japanese JBL All-Star Game.  Tate contributed to his team by averaging 7.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game over the 42 game season. He returned to the States and was drafted by the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA D-League with the 5th pick in the 4th Round of the 2010 Draft. However he was waived before the season began. He headed to Venezuela and joined the Espartanos de Margarita team in the Liga Americas league. While there he averaged 3.3 points per game and 1.3 rebounds per game. In January 2011, Tate headed back to the Far East, joining the Japanese BJ League and starting for the Oita Heat Devils. He averaged 11.9 points/game as well as 8.6 rebounds/game. However, the earthquake & tsunami ended the rest of the season in Japan. So, Tate filled in temporarily for Tijuana in Mexico. He averaged 22.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.6 blocks per game while South of the border, earning him Honorable Mention honors on the Latinbasket.com All-Mexican CIBACOPA team. Tate then headed to Turkey and joined up with Final Spor Genclik Bursa and became a member of their starting five.

Twitter handle: @brunner44

Rivals: 3 star PF
Scout: 4 star PF

Brunner joined the Hawkeyes under Coach Steve Alford and immediately made an impact by playing in every game of the season. His career at Iowa earned him a 2nd Team All-Big Ten selection his junior season and a 1st Team All-Big Ten selection his senior season.  His consistent play allowed Brunner to finish his career with the Hawkeyes as the All-Time rebound leader with 990.  He also stands 6th All-Time in blocks (104), 6th All-Time in free throw attempts (566) and 9th All-Time in field goals (553).  However, all of those final statistics were not enough for the under-sized forward to get drafted into the NBA.  Brunner headed overseas and joined Verviers-Pepinster in Belgium for the 2006-07 season.  His first season abroad he finished 4th in rebounding, averaging 7.4 a game.  The following season, he remained in the First Division in Belgium, but joined BC Telindus Oostende which won the championship the previous season.  For the 2008-09 season, Brunner headed to Italy to play in Serie A with Angelico Biella.  For the 2009-10 season, Brunner remained in Serie A, but joined Sutor Montegranaro where he started and averaged 12.7 PPG and 8.3 RPG. After the season, Brunner and his team agreed to part ways & Brunner signed with the Swiss team Benetton Treviso, agreeing to a two year deal. He averaged 7.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game in the Italian League.  As for the Eurocup, Brunner averaged 7.7 PPG and 6.4 RPG as well as 1.1 APG and 1.3 SPG. After the season ended, Brunner left the team and signed a two-year deal to return to Fabi Shoes Montegranaro. He is currently in the top 5 in the league in rebounding and the top 10 in blocked shots.

Twitter handle: @kurtlooby

Rivals: 3 star PF
Scout: 3 star PF

Looby transferred to the Hawkeyes from Tyler Community College in Texas, but redshirted his first year at Iowa.  Looby had only been playing organized basketball for a couple years and was widely considered to be a “project” for Coach Steve Alford.  While only playing on a limited basis, Looby excelled at blocking shots.  After only two seasons playing with the Hawkeyes, Looby currently sits 7th overall with 96 career blocks.  After he left Iowa, Looby was selected in the 3rd Round of the NBA D-League Draft by the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.  His first season with the Vipers, Looby started 31 games, averaging 6.4 points per game, 8.1 rebounds per game and 2.5 blocks per game.  He began this season with the Vipers as well, but at the end of December was traded to the Albuquerque Thunderbirds.  While there, he was averaging 6.8 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game with the Thunderbirds.  However, on March 5th, 2010, Looby was traded to the Maine Red Claws. After going to the Red Claws, Looby became a bench player again, where he averaged around 22 minutes a game, but still putting up around 5 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocks per game.  After the season ended, Looby signed with Mets de Guaynabo in Puerto Rico, on May 9, 2010. He averaged 4.4 PPG and 10.1 RPG while in Puerto Rico. He made the decision to head overseas, signing with DASH Peristeri GS Athens in Greece. There he averaged 6.5 PPG & 7.0 RPG during the 2010-11 season as well as 1.1 blocks per game. After the season, Looby went to Germany where he signed with EnBW Ludwigsburg. He is currently in the top 5 in the league in blocked shots per game.

Rivals: 3 star PF
Scout: 2 star PF

Thomas transferred to the Hawkeyes from Southeastern Community College.  He did not set any records while at Iowa, but unofficially had to be near the top all-time in powerful dunks.  He was a crowd pleaser his senior season with his thunderous dunks.  His play actually made him Iowa’s first and only Big Ten 6th Man of the Year in 2006.  After his collegiate career ended, Thomas went overseas to continue his basketball career.  His first stop was in Switzerland with BBC Monthey, where he played from 2006-2007.  In ’07, he came back to Iowa and signed with the Iowa Energy of the NBA D-League.  He started for them for one season, but left in 2008 to Venezuela to play with Trotamundos de Carabobo.  For the 2008-2009 season he headed over to Sweden to play for the Sundsvall Dragons, where he was a starting member of their team as well, earning a spot on an All-Defensive Team.  In July 2009, Thomas played in the NBA Summer League with the Oklahoma City Thunder.  He was then drafted in the 2nd Round of the NBA D-League Draft by the Dakota Wizards.  He only played in the preseason with the Wizards, before heading to the Reno Bighorns where he is a member of their starting five today.  Thomas averaged 9.3 PPG and 7.2 RPG for the 2009-10 season. He remained with the Bighorns for the 2010-11 season and averaged 2.7 PPG as well as 3.2 RPG during the regular season. Thomas contributed 1.3 points and 2.0 rebounds per game during the Bighorns playoff run. In 2011, after the NBA lockout ended, Thomas was brought into training camp by the San Antonio Spurs but was released right before the season started.

Ricky Davis was a one-year wonder for the Iowa Hawkeyes.  The highly sought after recruit chose to stay in-state and play for Tom Davis, but it only lasted for one season.  That season was one for the record books however, as his 464 points scored remain the highest point total by a freshman in Iowa history.  His 15.0 points-per-game that season also is the 3rd highes total by a freshman for the Hawkeyes.  Despite mixed reviews as to whether Davis should leave school early for the draft, Ricky decided to take the leap and was selected 21st overall by the Charlotte Hornets.  He played with them for two seasons before being traded to the Miami Heat in 2000.  After injuries to his knee and ankle, he was traded the following year to the Cleveland Cavaliers.  While with the Cavs, Davis left a lasting impression on the NBA when he was one rebound shy of a triple-double.  He selfishly missed a layup at the opposing team’s basket in order to get that final rebound he needed.  He was fined by his own team for that embarrassment and was traded later in the year to the Boston Celtics.  Davis came into his own as an all-around player while with Boston, but was traded in 2006 to the Minnesota Timberwolves.  He didn’t last long in the Twin Cities however, being traded back to the Miami Heat in 2007.  The Heat were happy to get him back, but in 2008 Davis signed a free agent contract with the Los Angeles Clippers, where he was playing before being released on February 16th, 2010. Davis then headed overseas to play with the Turkish team, Turk Telekom Ankara. While in Turkey, Davis contributed 14.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.4 steals per game for his new team. He then went east to China and joined the Jiangsu Dragons for the 2010-11 season. He averaged 13.1 points per game, 3.8 rebounds per game, 3.0 assists per game & 1.3 steals per game for his team before they released him at the end of December. He then signed with the French team Chorale Roanne in late January. Davis averaged 9.7 points per game, 3.2 rebounds per game & 1.9 assists per game. He left France in 2011 and made a return to the United Stated, joining the Maine Red Claws of the NBA D-League.