Former WNBA star and ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo believes former Iowa star Caitlin Clark will succeed at the next level. The two-time natonal player of the year is expected to be taken by the Indiana Fever with the frst pick in tonight’s WNBA Draft.

Lobo says Indiana is is perfect landing spot for Clark.

Lobo says Clark’s game will translate to the pro level.

Lobo says Clark’s vision and ability to facilitate will help her succeed.

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State head men’s basketball coach T.J. Otzelberger has announced the addition of three transfers to the 2024-25 Iowa State roster. Seattle transfer Brandton Chatfield, Northern Iowa transfer Nate Heise and Charlotte transfer Dishon Jackson will all join the Cyclones this summer.

Chatfield is a 6-10 forward out of Orofino, Idaho who played for the Redhawks the last three seasons. Chatfield comes to Iowa State with one season of eligibility remaining. Chatfield will be the first known player from Idaho in program history.

He started all 37 games for Seattle last season, ranking second on the team in rebounds per game at 5.4. He averaged 9.4 points per game, while shooting 60.1 percent from the floor. He also tallied 30 blocked shots and 15 steals. Chatfield was named to the NABC Honors Court in 2022 and was a WAC All-Academic selection in 2022 and 2023.

“Brandton brings tireless work habits and a blue-collar mentality to the court each day,” Otzelberger said. “His skill level at his size will be an asset to our offense. Defensively he takes tremendous pride in his team getting stops and you can count on him to block out. Brandton’s experience will serve our program immediately upon his arrival.”

Chatfield scored in double figures in 14 of his 37 games, including a pair of games with a career-high 18 points. He recorded three double-doubles on the year, while reaching double figure rebound totals four times. He just missed a fourth double-double with nine points against Utah Tech.

In three seasons at Seattle, Chatfield started 87 of the 99 games he appeared in. He led the Redhawks with 5.4 rebounds per game in 2022-23, while averaging 7.0 points per game. He was 22-of-56 (39.3 percent) from downtown in 2022-23 as well. Chatfield started his career at Washington State with fellow transfer Dishon Jackson and former Cyclone Aljaž Kunc. Chatfield redshirted the 2019-20 season and appeared in seven games in 2020-21 before transferring to Seattle.

Heise is a 6-5 guard out of Lake City, Minn. who played for the Panthers the last four years. Heise comes to Iowa State with one season of eligibility remaining and can apply for a medical redshirt for missing a majority of the 2022-23 season.

An All-Missouri Valley Conference Third Team selection, Heise appeared in and started 32 of the 33 games for the Panthers last season. He led Northern Iowa with 431 points, averaging a career-best 13.4 points per game. He connected on 47-of-132 3-pointers (35.6%). He averaged 6.1 rebounds per game, while also leading the Panthers with 78 assists (2.4 per game). Heise earned College Sports Communicators Academic All-District First Team honors this season.

“Nate’s competitive spirit stands out in all that he does on the court,” Otzelberger said. “His basketball IQ, shooting ability and strength in attacking the paint will elevate our offense. Defensively he takes tremendous pride in shutting down an opponent’s best player. Nate is a proven winner and will immediately add to our culture.”

He scored in double figures in 22 of the 32 games he played in last season. Heise recorded four double-doubles on the year, scoring at least 19 points in each one of them. He just missed a triple-double against Belmont, finishing with 20 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. He had multiple steals in nine games, including three against North Texas.

During his junior year, he appeared in two games before suffering a season-ending hand injury. He scored 24 points in the two games. He started all 32 games as a sophomore, averaging 8.1 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. He started 21 games as a freshman, averaging 7.6 points per game. He was named to the Missouri Valley All-Freshman Team.

Jackson is a 6-11 center out of Oakland, Calif. who played for the 49ers this season. Jones comes to Iowa State with two seasons of eligibility remaining after spending three years at Washington State, where he was teammates with fellow transfer Brandton Chatfield and former Cyclone Aljaž Kunc.

“Dishon possesses tremendous offensive skill, power and versatility,” Otzelberger said. “He’s a mismatch player that can create advantages and facilitate offense. Defensively, he’s an effective rim protector with terrific rebounding instincts. The maturity and leadership that Dishon has demonstrated will immediately impact our program.”

Jackson started all 30 games he appeared in for the 49ers last season, averaging 11.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.9 blocks and 0.6 steals per game. He was second on the team in rebounding and third in scoring. He scored at least 15 points in 10 games, while reaching double figures in 17 games. He tallied a career-high 21 points against UAB. He notched two double-doubles on the year, including a career-high 12 rebounds against Tulsa. He had a career-high seven assists against East Carolina to go along with 10 rebounds and five points.

Prior to going to Charlotte last season, Jackson was at Washington State for three seasons. He made 49 appearances for the Cougars, including 19 starts. He redshirted his final season in Pullman due to an injury he suffered during the 2021-22 season. He averaged 7.2 points per game as a freshman for the Cougars, as he earned PAC-12 All-Freshman Honorable Mention honors.

(Radio Iowa) – The W-N-B-A Draft is tonight (Monday) at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York City. There has been much speculation that Iowa’s Caitlin Clark is expected to be the first selection of the draft by the Indiana Fever. Clark became the all-time leading scorer, man or woman, in college basketball this season and set several more records. The draft begins at 6:30 p-m Central time and will air on E-S-P-N.

Clark made an appearance this weekend on Saturday Night Live on N-B-C. She sat at the show’s “Weekend Update” desk and lampooned a cast member who’s told several jokes about the W-N-B-A — and this year’s N-C-Double-A women’s basketball tournament.

Iowa State running back Abu (uh-boo) Sama (Sah-muh) hopes to start his sophomore season like he finished his freshman campaign. Sama rushed for 276 yards, including runs of 77, 71 and 60 yards in a snowstorm in the regular season finale at Kansas State.

Sama says he has quickly bonded with new ISU running backs coach Tyler Roehl (roll).

Roehl says Sama has tremendous potential

Roehl says Sama has focused on details this spring.

Iowa State’s spring game is April 20th.

Iowa defensive lineman Yahya (why-yay) Black credits coaching consistency for Iowa’s success on defense. Phil Parker is entering his 13th season as defensive coordinator for a unit that finished fourth in the country in scoring defense during a 10-4 campaign.

The Hawkeyes have an experienced defensive line that includes former Southeast Valley star Aaron Graves. The junior had 37 tackles last season.

Graves says with experience comes a larger leadership role.

The Hawkeyes close spring drills with an open practice on April 20th.

ANN ARBOR, MICH. – The University of Iowa softball team dropped game three of the series against Michigan, 6-5, on Sunday afternoon at Alumni Field at Carol Hutchins Stadium.

Junior Devyn Greer got the start for the Hawkeyes. She ended up going 5 1/3 innings allowing five runs on six hits and struck out four.

The Wolverines got on the board first with an RBI single in the bottom of the first inning. Michigan did not record another hit until the sixth inning.

The Hawkeye evened the score at one in the top of the fourth as junior Rylie Moss came around to score on a fielder’s choice from Greer. Iowa took the lead in the sixth as Moss scored on another fielder’s choice to make it, 2-1. Senior Brylee Klosterman added to the Hawkeye lead with an infield RBI single to push the lead to 3-1.

Michigan answered back in the bottom of the sixth with a solo shot and a three-run home run to take the, 5-3, lead. The Hawkeyes were not done yet as freshman Jena Young sent a no-doubter over the centerfield wall to tie the game at five.

The Wolverines were able to load the bases with one out in the bottom of the seventh. They walked it off with a single to left field to secure the series sweep.   

Sophomore Jalen Adams (9-9) was charged with the loss in relief. Iowa finished the game with five runs on seven hits.

UP NEXT

The University of Iowa softball team travel to Ames, Iowa to take on Iowa State in the 2024 Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series on Tuesday April 16. First pitch at the Cyclone Sports Complex is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and broadcast on the Hawkeye Radio Network with John Leo on the call.

The Atlantic Trojans girl’s golf team has been off to good start. The Trojans have two key seniors Belle Berg and Abby Muller, who have been a part of the Trojans program for the past four seasons.

Coach Kathy Hobson commented on how well the Trojans golf team has made some strides so far this early part of the season.

Coach Hobson said that both seniors Belle Berg and Abby Muller have really contributed to the success of the Trojans golf program for the past several years.

Coach Hobson talked about Berg’s big impact on the program over the past four years.

Coach Hobson elaborated on what the Trojan’s fan base can expect at this weeks golf meet against Clarinda.

The Trojans have a 4-0 record in the Hawkeye 10 Conference and 4-0 overall record.  The Trojans next golf meet will be (Today) Monday April 15th for the Larson Invite at Willow Creek Golf Course in West Des Moines. That Invite will got underway at 10:00 a.m this morning. We will talk about those results tomorrow morning on KJAN Sports.

The Audubon Wheelers have been having a great track and field season with a lot of young men that have been working hard all season.

Wheeler’s Coach Tony Konkler said the track team has been doing good so far from the indoor and now to the outdoor track events.

Coach Konkler commented on how some of the individuals have been doing so far this season.

Coach Konkler elaborated on field events have done well this year.

Coach Konkler says the wheeler’s team is making good progression on their goals and expectations for this year.

The next Wheelers track meet will be the CAM Classic Track Meet on Tuesday April 16th in Atlantic. That meet will get underway at 4:30 p.m.

AMES, Iowa – Fifth-ranked Oklahoma State (35-8, 13-5 Big 12) flexed its muscles on Sunday, staving off a sweep and handling Iowa State (16-22, 5-10) as it won 10-2 in six innings.

The Cowgirl offense, which had been held in check by Iowa State’s stellar pitching through two games, finally broke through on Sunday as OSU cranked four home runs to power its way to an eight-run victory.

Iowa State, who was aiming for its first-ever ranked series sweep, ran out of arms essentially, as the trio of Lauren Schurman, Karlie Charles and Jaiden Ralston had already made appearances on the weekend. OSU’s nationally-ranked offense took advantage of the fact that it had already faced those three and teed off.

The Cyclones were limited on offense today, as they were held to just two hits on the afternoon. Carli Spelhaug smacked a double in the second, while Tatum Johnson launched her second homer of the season in the sixth. ISU’s Milaysia Ochoa, Angelina Allen and Alesia Ranches all drew walks on the day as OSU’s Lexi Kilfoyl walked three batters for the second time this weekend – she’d never walked more than two in a game this season prior to the weekend. Allen, who’d had a hit in her last 11 games, saw her streak snapped.

Schurman (3-4) got the start in the circle for ISU, giving up three runs on three hits. Charles and Ralston would enter in relief and combine to give up seven runs on eight hits.

Three Cowgirls – Claire Timm, Caroline Wang and Rosie Davis – had multi-hit games, with all three and Karli Godwin launching homers. Kilfoyl (16-3) had a dominant outing, pitching all six innings and allowing just two runs on two hits while striking out four.

How it Happened

OSU was the first team on the board, as the Cowgirls plated three in the second inning. A single and a pair of walks would load the bases for the Cowgirls, as Megan Bloodworth connected on her third triple of the season, clearing the bases and giving Oklahoma State a 3-0 lead.

Iowa State cut into the deficit in the bottom of the frame. Spelhaug led off the frame with a double to left center and Ashley Minor followed and was subsequently hit by a pitch to put two on. Through a pair of fielder’s choices, Spelhaug was able to come around and score to make it 3-1.

After a scoreless third and fourth inning, Oklahoma State started to ignite the bats in the fifth. A pair of homers, a solo and two-run blast, from Timm and Godwin put the Cowgirls up 6-1.

In the top of the sixth, OSU plated four more. Wang smashed her 16^th home run of the year, a three-run blast, while Davis followed her by hitting her own homer as the Cowgirls took a 10-1 lead into the bottom of the sixth.

Iowa State attempted to trim the lead to under eight to extend the game, but a Johnson solo shot wasn’t enough as the Cyclones were unable to complete the sweep against OSU, falling 10-2 in six innings.

On Deck

Iowa State is set to finish its nine-game homestand this Tuesday, April 16, as it is set to welcome the Iowa Hawkeyes to the Cyclone Sports Complex for the annual Cy-Hawk showdown. Iowa and Iowa State are set to face off at 4 p.m. and the game will be streamed live on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.

SPOKANE. Wash. – Four University of Iowa women’s wrestlers had top-two finishes in Spokane, Washington, at the 2024 Women’s National Championship over the weekend. Brianna Gonzalez (53kg) and Reese Larramendy (65kg) both clinched a U20 national title.

The two finalists at each weight class in the U20 division and the champions of the U23 division will secure their spots at the World Championships. The U20 World Championship will be held in Pontevedra, Spain, this September, and the U23 World Championships will take place in Rio Negro, Colombia, this June.

At 50 kilograms, Sterling Dias took to the finals in the U23 division after four dominate wins. In the best of three matchup, Dias fell in two to Heather Crull of Indiana, the first match via a 10-3 decision and second a 10-0 technical fall.

Nyla Valencia made her way to the finals at 50kg for the U20 division, where she fell in the first two rounds to Anaya Falcon of California. Valencia kept the first match to a decision, 14-6, then fell via tech. fall in the second match, 10-0.

Iowa had it’s first champion at 53kg, with Gonzalez making her way through the tournament courtesy tech. falls or pins, including a 35-second pin over Akeelah Moore of Texas. Gonzalez took her best of three final to the third match, after defeating Clare Booe of Florida in the second match via 10-0 tech. fall. In the last match, the U20 finalist secured a 12-2 tech. fall  claiming her title.

At 65kg in the U20 division, redshirt freshman’s Ella Schmit and Reese Larramendy met in the finals. After two matches, Larramendy took the first place finish over Schmit, both matches via tech. fall.

Along with the four finalists, the Hawkeyes had three additional place winners in the U20 division, and one in U23. Emily Frost took 4^th place at 59kg, Emmily Patneaud (62kg) and Rose Cassioppi (76kg) both took fifth place, and Emilie Gonzalez brought home a 7^th place finish at 50kg.