Iowa Hawkeyes forward Keegan Murray (15) during a photo shoot at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, IA on Monday, September 13, 2021. (Stephen Mally/hawkeyesports.com)

IOWA CITY, Iowa — The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced on Thursday the five finalists for the 2022 Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award, which includes University of Iowa men’s basketball sophomore Keegan Murray.

Other finalists include Jabari Smith of Auburn, Duke’s Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren of Gonzaga, and Ohio State’s EJ Liddell.

Named after Class of 2010 Hall of Famer and two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Karl Malone, the annual honor in its eighth year recognizes the top power forwards in Division I men’s college basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates in November, which has now been narrowed to five.

Fans can vote for their favorite player at hoophallawards.com beginning March 4.

Last month, Murray was selected to the John R. Wooden Award Late-Season Top 20 List, Lute Olson National Player of the Year Mid-Season List and tabbed second-team midseason All-American by Sporting News. He has been named Big Ten Player of the Week a program-best five times this season (Nov. 22; Dec. 20; Jan. 3; Feb. 14; Feb. 28).

Murray (6-foot-8, 225 pounds) ranks first in the country in Player Efficiency Rating (38.4); fourth in points per game (23.3); 25th in field goal percentage (.561); 47th in blocks per contest (2.0); 52nd in double-doubles (8); and 73rd in free throws made (113).

The Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native has tallied 20+ points 20 times and 25+ points an NCAA-best 13 times this season, both of which rank first among players from major conferences.

Murray is looking to become the second Hawkeye to earn a national position award; Garza earned the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award in 2020 and 2021.

Murray and the 24th-ranked Hawkeyes (21-8, 11-7) return to the hardwood tonight against Michigan (16-12, 10-8). Tipoff is set for 8:07 p.m. (CT) at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The Atlantic Activites Department is trying to compile a list of AHS graduates who are currently involved in a collegiate extra-curricular activity (sports, fine arts, etc…).  We are asking that they either are currently involved or participated in one the entirety of their time in college (2 year participant at a JUCO).  Please send information to amitchell@atlanticiaschools.org.  Things to include would be a headshot photo, action photo of them in their college activity, and accolades they have earned.  For photos, make sure you know who took the picture so that we can give photo credit to them.

IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa Director of Track and Field Joey Woody was named Big Ten Men’s Coach of the Year, the conference announced Wednesday.

Woody and the Hawkeyes defended their indoor conference title last weekend at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio, behind freshman Jenoah McKiver’s 600-meter title and a win in the 4×400-meter relay (Everett Steward, Julien Gillum, Armando Bryson and McKiver).

The Big Ten Championship was the fourth overall for Woody and the Hawkeyes since 2019 (’19 and ’21 outdoors, ’21 and ’22 indoors). Iowa opened the season ranked eighth in the country in the USTFCCCA National Rating Index and have reached as high as No. 6 this season — the highest ranking in program history.

The Hawkeye men advanced a program-record nine individuals and the 4×400-meter relay to the NCAA Indoor Championships in Birmingham, Alabama, on March 11-12. The Iowa women’s 4×400-meter relay team will also be going to the NCAA Championships.

The Hawkeyes’ Big Ten Sportsmanship Award winners are senior Nia Britt and sophomore Jordan Hawkins.

Britt ended her Hawkeye career as a seven-time Big Ten point-scorer and her name litters Iowa’s all-time performance lists (No. 2 shot put; indoor and outdoor, No. 3 weight throw, No. 3 hammer throw). Britt was a constant team-player throughout her Hawkeye career, always cheering on her teammates regardless of event group.

Hawkins ended the season ninth in the weight throw at the Big Ten Championships and jumped to seventh on Iowa’s all-time list in the event this season.

Thursday, March 3

Class 5A semifinals

Johnston 64. Pleasant Valley 44
-Johnston is back in the Class 5A state championship game with a chance at a rare achievement. The top-seeded Dragons, reaching the title game the third straight year, were sharp in all areas in beating fourth-seeded Pleasant Valley 64-44 to start the 2022 semifinal round. Now 25-0, Johnston will go for its second state championship in three years at 6 p.m. Friday – with a chance to become the first large school to go unbeaten since Des Moines East went 26-0 en route to the 2011 Class 4A title. The state tournament went to five classes in 2013. Johnston shot 48 percent and had assists on 17 of its 23 baskets, leading to layups and open 3-point shots. The Dragons, who lost to Waukee in last year’s championship game, piled up 32 points in the paint and knocked down seven 3s. They also forced 21 turnovers, which led to 25 points. University of Iowa recruit Jada Gyamfi led a balanced offense with 13 points and eight rebounds.

Waterloo West 58, West Des Moines Valley 48
–The Waterloo West Wahawks beat West Des Moines Valley 58-48 to reach the Class 5A state championship game and gave coach Tony Pappas his 600^th victory at the school. Sixth-seeded West rattled off the first eight points of the game, built a 16-2 lead late in the first quarter and the seventh-seeded Tigers never caught up. It will be the first appearance in the title game since 2002 for West (23-2), which will face top-seeded and unbeaten Johnston at 6 p.m. Friday. The Wahawks had excellent balance, with four players scoring in double figures. Sierra Williams, a junior and one of the state’s top Division I college prospects, led with 21 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals.

Class 3A Semifinals

Estherville-Lincoln Central 57, Unity Christian 44

Ballard 56, West Lyon 51

Class 4A Semifinals

Cedar Rapid Xavier 55, Dallas Center-Grimes 50 3OT

Bishop Heelan 68, Glenwood 51

Iowa sophomore forward Patrick McCaffery may be back in the lineup tonight (Thursday night), when the 24th ranked Hawkeyes visit Michigan. McCaffery missed Monday’s victory over Northwestern after suffering a hip injury last week at Nebraska.

That’s Iowa coach Fran McCaffery. A team that lost Luka Garza and Joe Wieskamp to the NBA has a shot at a top four finish in the Big Ten after Nebraska’s upset victory at Ohio State. The return of Jordan Bohannon and Connor McCaffery gave the Hawks a much needed veteran presence.

McCaffery believes depth has been a major factor in a late season run that has seen the Hawkeyes win seven or their last eight games.

McCaffery says depth has allowed the Hawkeyes to handle the adversity that occurs during a conference race.

Iowa is 11-7 in the Big Ten. The Wolverines are 10-8 in conference play after a Tuesday night victory over Michigan State.

The UNI women are on the road tonight (Thursday night) to take on Indiana State in Missouri Valley action. The Panthers are currently third in the league race with a record of 11-5. The Sycamores are 5-11 in the Valley.

That’s UNI coach Tanya Warren who says the Panthers will need to play well on defense.

Drake’s injury woes at the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament continue. Senior guard D.J. Wilkins will miss the remainder of the season after suffering a torn ACL in Saturday’s regular season finale. Last year standout point guard Roman Penn missed the tournament with a season ending foot injury as Drake lost to Loyola in the title game and in 2019 standout center Nick McGlynn suffered a knee injury in an opening round win over Illinois State and the Bulldogs had only six healthy players in a semifinal round loss to UNI.

That’s Drake coach Darian DeVries who says their only focus right now is finding a way to get past Southern Illinois in Friday night’s quarterfinal round.

Wilkins averaged just over 10 and-a-half points this season and was a member of the Missouri Valley All-Defensive team.

(Radio Iowa) – Republicans in the Iowa Senate have sent the governor a bill to ban transgender athletes from participating in girls sports in Iowa’s public and private K-through-12 schools. The ban also applies to women’s sports in all colleges and universities in Iowa, limiting participation to athletes who have female marked on their birth certificates. Senator Jesse Green, a Republican from Boone, says the bill is historic.

“We send a message to the nation that Iowans will not put common sense aside for wokeness,” Green said. “In the midst of an ongoing culture war, Iowans are taking bold steps to preserve the integrity and purity of athletic competition for generations to come.” All 17 “no” votes came from Democrats. Senate Democratic Leader Zach Wahls says the bill violates the Iowa value of inclusion.

“Iowa politicians have decided to pour gasoline on the culture war fires and embrace the worst form of identity politics, pitting Iowans against each other,” Wahls says. “…Why does this legislature have to police the lives of some of the most marginalized people in our society?” Governor Reynolds, who is expected to sign the bill, has said Iowa girls are in danger of losing out on college scholarships or winning championships if they’re competing against transgender athletes who were born male, but identify as female.

Senator Jeff Taylor, a Republicans from Sioux Center, says transgender ideology poses a danger to women. “This bill is not about hatred or discrimination. It is about keeping ourselves in alignment with reality,” Taylor says. “…It simply says, in regard to a non-coed, team context, that girls should be competing against other girls in K-12 athletics and women should be competing against other women in college athletics.”

Senator Pam Jochum, a Democrat from Dubuque, says the bill will isolate trans youth just like previous policies that forbid participation based on other characteristics, like race. “History is stained with these artificial boundaries that we set up,” Jochum said, “and as time goes on and we start to understand more and more of this, we open up our hearts and our minds and we become a more inclusive society.”

Eleven states have passed similar trans athlete bans and lawsuits challenging those bans have been filed in four of them. Senator Claire Celsi, a Democrat from Des Moines, says in 2020 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the Civil Rights Act protects transgender Americans from discrimination. “I find this current bill not only legally risky, but petty, partisan, hateful and the reasoning shaky,” Celsi said.

Senator Jim Carlin of Sioux City says he and other Republicans are standing up for girls and women. “We’re just trying to protect time honored boundaries for women and little girls who want the privacy of a restroom and a shower, who want authentic competition in the field of sports,” Carlin said. The bill passed the House on February 21st on a 55 to 39 vote.

(Radio Iowa) – “Cashless” wagering would be allowed at Iowa casinos under legislation that’s cleared the Iowa House. Representative Shannon Lundgren, a Republican from Peosta, says many people now have digital wallets on their smartphones and do not carry cash.  “The cashless e-wagering system allows you to set a time limit and an amount,” Lundgren says. “Once that amount is gone, you have to wait until your time limit is up in order to reload it.”

Representative Chris Hall, a Democrat, says he’s supported Iowa’s gambling industry in the past — including the casino in his hometown of Sioux City — but cashless wagering may be a step too far after the explosion of sports betting. “I now am kind of struck by turning on SportsCenter on the weekend or turning on ESPN and being surprised at the fact that more and more time is devoted to a ticker at the bottom of the screen that is placing odds on the games or a segment of SportsCenter that is solely devoted to what the betting lines are,” Hall says, “so it’s actually becoming a little bit more about gambling coverage than it is about the athletics and the sports themselves.”

It’s been legal in Iowa to place bets on sporting events like football and basketball games since August of 2019. The bill approved by the House would make betting on “electronic sports” legal, too. E-sports competitions feature people playing a video game. There are now professional and college e-sports leagues. Representative Sandy Salmon, a Republican from Janesville, says the bill represents another expansion of gambling in Iowa.

“This makes the availability and access to gambling so much easier, thus increasing its danger and addictive power,” Salmon says. “…People tend to think that when something is legal that it is o.k. and safe and even helpful and even that it can’t hurt you — and that’s a lie.” The bill also would make it legal to bet on charity events featuring professional athletes — like golf tournaments and the N-B-A All-Star game.

Betting on player-of-the-year awards and the drafts held by professional leagues — like next month’s N-F-L draft — would be allowed as well. The bill passed a 71-to-28 vote and goes to the Senate for consideration.

A dreadful offensive performance spoiled Senior Night at Iowa State. Oklahoma State closed the game on a 23-6 run to beat the Cyclones 53-36. The 36 points were the fewest ever for an ISU team in Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones made only 15 of 52 shots.

That’s Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger who says they struggled with the Cowboy’s zone.

The loss snapped ISU’s four game win streak. The Cyclones travel to third ranked Baylor on Saturday to close the regular season.

Iowa State drops to 7-10 in the Big 12.