IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa men’s basketball player Joe Wieskamp announced on Wednesday that he has withdrawn his name from the 2019 NBA Draft and will return for his sophomore season.

“I am excited to announce that I will be returning to the University of Iowa for my sophomore season,” said Wieskamp. “I learned a lot of valuable information going through the NBA Draft process that will help me continue to grow now, and in the future when I decide to take that next step. But for now, my focus is helping this Iowa team be the best that we can be. The future is bright! Go Hawks!”

Wieskamp (6-foot-6, 205 pounds) was second in the Big Ten Conference in 3-point accuracy (.424, 59-of-139), and ranked third on the Hawkeyes in scoring (11.1 ppg) and steals (32), and second in rebounding (4.9 rpg) last season as a freshman.

“We are happy to have Joe back for his sophomore season,” said Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery. “I’m glad that Joe had the opportunity to go through the process and receive feedback from NBA personnel. I’m incredibly proud of the professional approach Joe took during this process. This experience provided him feedback on what he needs to work on as he strives to reach his full potential and play at the highest level. Joe is a valuable member of our team on and off the court, and we look forward to him being a leader for us next season.”

Turkey hunters reported harvesting nearly 11,400 Iowa birds this spring through the mandatory registration system, which is about 300 birds fewer than were harvested in 2018. Iowa’s spring turkey seasons began April 5 with the youth season and ended on May 12. Hunters purchased 47,400 spring turkey tags.

Photo courtesy of the Iowa DNR.

Iowans can help the DNR with its annual turkey production estimates by reporting all the turkeys seen during the months of July and August. The DNR will have a link to the survey on its website before it begins on July 1, where Iowans can provide the date and county in which the turkey was seen, if it was an adult female or adult male (males have beards on their breast), and whether there are young poults (baby turkeys).

Annual production surveys conducted by the DNR are an important component of the species management plans, which includes providing hunting opportunities.  Anyone seeing turkeys is encouraged to participate in this online survey.

Iowa residents can try fishing without buying a license on June 7, 8 and 9 as part of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) free fishing weekend. All other regulations remain in place. “Grab your family and your poles, hook a memory, and don’t let go,” said Joe Larscheid, chief of the Iowa DNR’s Fisheries Bureau. “The memories are always bigger than the fish.”

Free fishing weekend is a great time to take kids fishing or invite a neighbor or friend to come along. Outdoor fun awaits at hundreds of Iowa lakes, thousands of miles of rivers or a neighborhood pond. Find a list of stocked lakes and ponds that are easily accessible in parks and along trails on the Iowa DNR’s interactive Iowa Community Fisheries Atlas at www.iowadnr.gov/Fishing/Fish-Local.

Fun, hands-on fishing events will be offered across Iowa to help families new to fishing get started. Check the general fishing calendar on the DNR website at www.iowadnr.gov/fishing for a list of free fishing events.

On a related note: Crappies and bluegills are biting in small ponds and lakes across Iowa. Spring panfish fishing is a great time to introduce beginners of all ages to fishing. Catching panfish is easy and fun. All Iowa lakes have panfish in them. Look for structures in the water, like rocks or a pile of brush or gravel, to find bluegills or crappies. Bass will be around brush or boat docks or rock piles. Quickly find fish structure locations with the interactive fishing atlas or download a catalog of 1,968 fishing structure locations for lakes across Iowa from the DNR’s fishing maps website at www.iowadnr.gov/Fishing/Fishing-Maps.

IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa Head Basketball Coach Fran McCaffery has named Billy Taylor as an assistant coach on his basketball staff, replacing the position previously occupied by Andrew Francis.

Taylor joins the Hawkeye staff as an assistant coach after 18 years of collegiate coaching experience, including head coaching stints at Ball State, Lehigh, and Belmont Abbey. McCaffery coached Taylor as an assistant coach at Notre Dame (1992-95) and has been on the same staff as McCaffery on three different occasions.

Most recently, Taylor was Iowa’s director of basketball operations for three seasons (2014-16), coordinating travel and carrying out the day-to-day activities of the basketball program.

“We are excited that Billy Taylor is rejoining the Hawkeye basketball family,” said McCaffery. “Billy is the perfect fit for our team. He knows our program well, and has a wealth of coaching and recruiting experience. Billy is one of the most genuine and respected coaches in our profession. He will have an immediate impact with his passion for the game, and commitment to mentoring our student-athletes on and off the court.”

“I am humbled and honored to rejoin Coach McCaffery’s staff at the University of Iowa,” said Taylor. “My relationship with Coach McCaffery spans 30 years and continues to evolve with each step. I look forward to serving and mentoring the student-athletes in our program. I’m eager to tell prospective student-athletes about the amazing opportunities at the University of Iowa.”

Taylor returns to Iowa City after serving as head coach at Division II Belmont Abbey the last three seasons (2017-19). He guided the Crusaders to a 23-8 record last season, a 13-win improvement from his first year on the Crusaders sidelines. This past season, Taylor mentored DeQuan Abrom to the Conference Carolinas Player of the Year Award. Abrom, a junior, led the league in scoring, averaging 24.2 points per game and became just the second player in school history to top 700 points in a season. Taylor guided three players to all-conference recognition over the past three years.

Taylor and his wife, Avlon, have two daughters, Gavielle and Tamia, and a son, Savion.

The 7:20-a.m. Sportscast with Jim Field.

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Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa point guard Jordan Bohannon is out indefinitely with a hip injury. It could put his senior season in jeopardy. The Hawkeyes say Bohannon suffered the injury last year and he hoped rest and rehab work would solve the problem. He will have surgery this week. Bohannon ranked third on the team with 11.6 points per game last season.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Brett Moffitt capped a storybook season by winning the NASCAR Truck Series championship in November. He found himself out of a job anyway, as he lost his ride because of funding concerns. It wasn’t too long before he signed with GMS Racing in time for the 2019 season.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The opener of the I-70 series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Kansas City Royals was postponed because of a forecast for severe weather and rescheduled as part of a day-night doubleheader on Wednesday. The National Weather Service said there was a “threat for severe thunderstorms producing tornadoes, strong winds, large hail, and additional flash flooding.”

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — One of the former skating partners of two-time U.S. pairs champion John Coughlin has accused him in a series of social media posts of sexually assaulting her over a two-year period. Bridget Namiotka says Coughlin, who killed himself in January, hurt “at least 10 people including me.” She skated with Coughlin from 2004, when she was 14, through the 2007 season.

ST. LOUIS, Mo., May 21, 2019 – The St. Louis Cardinals have announced that tonight’s 7:15 p.m. game against the Kansas City Royals has been postponed due to the forecasted severe weather conditions.

The two teams will make up the postponed game tomorrow evening at 6:45 p.m. as part of a day/night split double header.  Fans holding tickets to tonight’s game should use those same tickets for admittance to tomorrow’s 6:45 p.m. make-up game.

The first game tomorrow will start as scheduled at 12:15 p.m., with gates opening at 10:45 a.m.   Gates will open at 5:15 p.m. for the 6:45 p.m. make-up game.

IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa senior guard Jordan Bohannon will undergo a hip scope on Wednesday at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics. Bohannon will be out for an indefinite period of time, and will be revaluated throughout the summer and fall as he goes through rehab.

Bohannon (6-foot-1, 185 pounds) suffered the injury early his junior season and managed the injury until the end of the season. The senior attempted to avoid surgery with rest and rehab this spring, but after further discussions with medical staff, family, and coaches, it was decided that surgery was the best course of action.

“This is an unfortunate setback for Jordan, but he will work hard during his rehab and is expected to make a full recovery,” said head coach Fran McCaffery. “He has the support of his teammates and coaches, and we look forward to having a healthy Jordan back when he is given clearance from our medical staff.”

A third-team All-Big Ten performer last season, Bohannon was credited with a team-best 118 assists, becoming just the seventh Hawkeye to register three 100-assist seasons. The native of Marion, Iowa, is one of 10 Division I basketball players since 1992, to total at least 79 3-pointers and 118 assists in each of his first three seasons. As a junior, Bohannon ranked third on the team in scoring (11.6 ppg) and led the Big Ten in free throw accuracy during league play. Bohannon is Iowa’s all-time leader in 3-point field goals made (264). Last season, Bohannon netted 85 points over the final two minutes of regulation and two minutes of overtime to rank among the nation’s best.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The University of Iowa is paying an outside lawyer $280 per hour to investigate unspecified NCAA violations in its women’s volleyball program. A letter released Tuesday shows the university hired the law firm Bond, Schoeneck & King on May 4 for “review, evaluation and counsel regarding potential NCAA rules violations.”

Attorney Jason Montgomery in the firm’s Overland Park, Kansas, office is the primary lawyer and billing $280 per hour. Other attorneys and paralegals charging between $140 and $445 per hour may also be assigned work.

Athletic director Gary Barta reported what he called serious rules violations to the NCAA on Monday. He also put coach Bond Shymansky on leave in accordance with his contract, which requires a 30-day written notice before the university could fire him for cause. Shymansky’s contract runs through the 2022 season and pays him a base salary of $215,000. If Shymansky is fired without cause, the university would have to pay him $600,000. But if he resigns before July 1, he would be required to pay $300,000 in damages to Iowa.

CB Abraham Lincoln 2, Tri-Center 1
Denison-Schleswig 7, Atlantic 5
Harlan 2, AHSTW 0
Kuemper Catholic 7, Logan-Magnolia 0