ISC Gears Up for High School Winter Sports Season

By Mike Rickord, Iowa Sports Connection President

Wow! How time flies. Fall sports have wrapped up and it’s once again time to move to the winter sports season here in Iowa. Hard to think that it’s been a few months since The Iowa Sports Connection’s staff was digging in, preparing for high school football season. It feels like it was just yesterday.

But now, student-athletes from the Missouri to the Mississippi are trading footballs and volleyballs for basketballs, while some are hitting the mats for another historic Iowa high school winter sports season. Before we dive into winter sports, I’d first like to congratulate all the high school fall sports champions and competitors on a great 2011 season!

Our staff has made the transition from fall to winter and is ready to provide you with the best multi-platform coverage in our great state. This Hoops Preview issue is always a hit because we preview every conference in Iowa high school boys and girls basketball. Inside this edition, Tony Atzeni gives you our all-state teams and preseason rankings, as well as all the information you’ll need as you follow the basketball season all the way to “The Well” in Des Moines for the state tournaments.

As the high school sports season transitions, so does college. Most Iowa teams have wrapped up their college football seasons. As I’m writing this column, Iowa and Iowa State are anxiously awaiting bowl game announcements, while the UNI Panthers are in the middle of a playoff run. That means it must be time for the Big Four to hit the court.

Let me tell you, Iowans are ready for some basketball! With leaders such as Fran McCaffery, Fred Hoiberg, Ben Jacobson and Mark Phelps, fans of all Iowa major schools are pumped up and ready to cheer on their favorite teams. This year’s major question is which teams will improve. Can the Hawkeyes and Cyclones take the next step? Will Jacobson and the Panthers reload for another great Missouri Valley Conference season? Does Drake have what it takes to make a run in a tough MVC? Only time will answer these questions but I trust these coaches will find what it takes to make things interesting. For now, though, as the cover of this issue suggests, the jury is still out on which teams can make the leap.

While you’re following your favorite teams this winter sports season, The Iowa Sports Connection gives you the best multi-platform coverage available.

With our stable of radio and television shows — the award-winning Friday Night Live, On the Tee (Iowa’s only year-round golf show), and The Iowa Sports Connection show — airing on WHO Weather Plus, KCRG 9.2 and all of our great radio affiliates on The Iowa Sports Connection Radio Network, you can be sure to catch us on the airwaves.

The new and improved iowasportsconnection.com, along with our Twitter, Facebook and YouTube sites, allow you to stay connected with all Iowa sports — “from the Pee Wees, to the Preps, to the Pros.” It’s also easier than ever to log on to our website from your web-enabled device. Make sure to check out all The Iowa Sports Connection has to offer to keep you updated on everything sports-related in Iowa, “from the Missouri to the Mississippi.”

I’d like to thank you for picking up a copy of our magazine, which can be found in all Casey’s General Stores and Scheels Sporting Goods across Iowa. Good luck to all the student-athletes competing this winter.

God Bless You and God Bless America!