Clone Chronicles: An SB Nation Community

Navigation: Jump to content areas:



Sports blogs for fans, by fans.
Around SBN: June USA Today / SB Nation Consensus MMA Rankings Released


User Tools

Iowa State Cyclone fans are the most loyal fans in the country. Why? I have no freaking idea. But, they are...
Start posting about the Cyclones »

Join SB Nation and dive into communities focused on all your favorite teams.

More great SBN Blogs

Baseball

Football

Basketball

College

Hockey

Soccer

General

2010 Iowa State Football Commitments

Jared Barnett

Position: QB
Rivals Profile - NR
 
Scout Profile -
ESPN Profile -  70
Ht: 6-1
Wt: 190 lbs
Forty: 4.61 secs
High School: Garland (Garland, TX)

Kirby Van Der Kamp
NR
Position: K
Rivals Profile - NR
  Scout Profile - NR
ESPN Profile -  40
Ht: 6-4
Wt: 180 lbs
High School: Valley (West Des Moines, IA)


 

- 0
- 0
- 1
- 0
- 0
- 1

BB Recruiting

2009:

Chris Colvin

Position: PG
Rivals Profile
Scout Profile
ESPN Profile - 89
Ht: 6-2
Wt: 174 lbs
High School: Whitney Young (Chicago, IL)

Marquis Gilstrap

Position: SF
Rivals Profile
Scout Profile
ESPN Profile - 96
Ht: 6-6
Wt: 210 lbs
JC: Gulf Coast

Laron Dendy

Position: PF
Rivals Profile - N/A
Scout Profile - 
ESPN Profile - 40
Ht: 6-9
Wt: 225 lbs
JC: Indian Hills

 

 

- 1
- 2

2010:

2012:

Wesley Staten
--
Position: PG
Rivals Profile - N/A
Scout Profile - N/A
ESPN Profile - ESPN100 (#7)
Ht: 6-0
Wt: 150 lbs
High School: West  (Sioux City, IA)

 

 


World University Games Preview

If you have not heard, Craig Brackins is spending part of his summer competing for USA in the World University Games. The competition is being held in Belgrade, Serbia, and it's a great chance for elite college basketball players to compete with some of the world's best at their age group.

Here's a rundown of USA's Roster:

Number Name Class. Position School
#4
Talor Battle
JR
Guard
Penn State
#5
Corey Fisher
JR
Guard
Villanova
#6
Da'Sean Butler
SR
Forward
West Virginia
#7 Robbie Hummel JR Forward Purdue
#8 Evan Turner JR Guard Ohio State
#9 James Anderson JR Guard Oklahoma State
#10 Quincy Pondexter SR Forward Washington
#11 Lazar Hayward SR Forward Marquette
#12 Craig Brackins JR Forward Iowa State
#13 Trevor Booker SR Forward Clemson
#14 Jarvis Varnado SR Forward Miss. State
#15 Deon Thompson SR Forward North Carolina

 

The squad is coached by Wisconsin Coach, Bo Ryan.

The team has already arrived in Serbia, and played won an exhibition game against Canada 85-81. Brackins came off the bench, getting 4 points, 1 rebound, and 1 assist in 18 minutes. Brackins went 1-4 from the field, and 2-2 from the charity stripe.

USA will play Serbia on Sunday at 2pm CST, and Russia on Monday at 11:30am CST. All of these, are an exhibition round-robin tournament prior to the World University Game.

The World University Games for the USA will start on July 3rd. The USA will play Finland on July 3rd at 1pm CST and will also play South Korea on July 4th at 1pm CST. Assuming the USA will advance (and that's a pretty safe bet), the 2nd round is July 6th and 7th, quarterfinals July 9th, semifinals July 10th, and the finals on July 11th.

Continue reading this post »

3 comments | 0 recs | Share on Facebook Digg!

Remembering Ed Thomas

Ed_thomas_medium

Writing this has been long overdue, as I have been away on emergency.  By now, you probably heard about the murder of Ed Thomas, the Aplington-Parkersburg High Head Football coach. June 24th was a sad day for not just Iowa sports, but for high school athletics as a whole.

Ed Thomas was a man that changed people's lives. From all accounts, he was a great football coach, but an even better mentor and person. He helped the community rebuild after the devastating damage a tornado caused, that wiped out the entire town. When a community has to endure something so devastating, it's make or break time. Either the community will crumble, or it will become united and stronger than before. Well, the community became stronger and it was because of the leadership of Ed Thomas.

Now the community is mourning the loss of a man who shaped so many lives. They will mourn for long I am sure, but no doubt they will become stronger than before.

There really is not much more to say other than to enjoy your life, and be thankful for everyday. You never know when it all can come to an end.

Goodbye Mr. Thomas. You were a great man, and those of us in Iowa will never forget you. The best way we can honor the man is to take the lessons he taught, and apply them to our own lives.

0 comments | 0 recs | Share on Facebook Digg!

ISU Men to play Duke in 2010


The ISU Athletic Department announced today that the men's basketball team will play Duke this upcoming season at the United Center in Chicago. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN on Jan. 6 2010. The official press release from ISU Athletics can be seen here.

Pollard is excited because of the extensive alumni base in Chicago, and McDermott seemed almost overwhelmed that ISU could book such a game. I think this is a great opportunity for Brackins to show what he is made of and for the team to get some solid competition and exposure going into Big XII play.

The game will be somewhat of a homecoming for Chris Colvin (Whitney Young) and Duke's Jon Scheyer (Glenbrook North), two former Illinois State champs and competitors in the Proviso West Holiday Tournament that has seen the likes of Kevin Garnett and Quentin Richardson. I'm already thinking upset, and looking at some of Duke's early-season blunders (Michigan last year) even though the game is months away.

There will be a slightly larger story tomorrow on iowastatedaily.com.

My only wish now is that the Clones would break out the yellow jerseys they used to sport when they were on national tv...

3 comments | 0 recs

Is Jamie Pollard's Extension That BIG of a Deal?

The press release was yesterday. ISU Athletic Director Jamie Pollard signed a new 2 year extension until 2014. The previous extension was through 2012. 

At first when I heard about this, I figured it wasn't REALLY that big of a deal. He did not get a raise, as he will be making the same amount as when he signed his previous extension.

So the question to me is, why is everyone getting all worked up?

There are two takes on Jamie Pollard thus far by the Cyclone Community.

The first being that Jamie Pollard is a complete failure. Basketball and Football haven't done well during his tenure. Sure, Women's Basketball and Volleyball have had success, but those were not Pollard's hires...  Sure, the budget has increased and there have been some nice facility upgrades, but Pollard was able to get the money on selling hope and has failed to deliver. He's duped us fans into giving the department money, and has not walked the walk.

This take is the angle the radio talk heads and other media personalities tend to take. I can't really blame them, as it generates calls, ratings, and gets people fired up. The problem that I have with the above take, is that those people do not understand what it takes to be successful in college athletics.

Money and success in these big sports (particularly football) is like the "Chicken and the Egg" argument. They both depend on each other. If you're successful you'll bring in money, but you need money to be successful.

Jamie understands this, and the fact that donors paid in record amounts at ISU means that they understand this as well. At the same time, it's somewhat understandable if some donors are frustrated. People did pay a lot of money, but they haven't seen any results in the wins column. I really do think that those wins are coming.

What they may see (and what we are seeing) is that some of those donations helped with recruiting. Nicer facilities makes you a more attractive program. The basketball program had a great off season, and the football team has been bringing in athletic talent that has not come to ISU in the past.

The other take is that Pollard is doing a good job, considering the hand he's been dealt. ISU is a difficult place to have success, especially since the Big 12 has formed, as schools like Texas and Oklahoma are difficult to compete with financially and athletically. Pollard has had some bad luck, and now with McDermott finally figuring it out and the hiring of Paul Rhoads the programs will indeed go to the next level. Upgrading the facilities is a success, and overall there are enough things in the pipeline to see the program is better off now than a few years ago. Let's wait a few more years to see what McDermott does now that he has the talent, and now that the football program has a capable coaching staff.

I personally believe the above take is how most ISU fans feel. We'd all love to see the programs do better, but there are better days ahead. The negative  take is what the media, and how a loud minority of fans feel. From my experience, the people who tend to complain about Pollard are non-season ticket holders, and some times are not even ISU fans.

This brings me back the original question though. Is this REALLY that big of a deal?? Is adding 2 more years and holding his salary flat bad? Is there someone out there at would come to ISU that would be an upgrade?

I would agree the timing is a bit strange, as others have asked why not wait until Basketball or Football reaches the postseason, but perhaps there's more to this story than we know. Perhaps Pollard was shopping around, or some other schools made some overtures to him? In the world of college athletics, hirings, firings, and job searches are all done through backchannel discussions that are hard to trace back. Perhaps there is some other reason that we do not know of, but whatever the case is, ISU clearly felt like they needed to make sure he was locked up until 2014.

Some pundits say that there's NO WAY Pollard is getting other offers to leave... That's what those same pundits were saying about Chizik about 6-7 months ago. They were saying how there's NO WAY Chizik could leave; how coaching at ISU and going 5-19 would damage his chances to coach somewhere else. That he'd have to stay here until he turned it around because only UNTIL then would he get his career back... Well guess how that worked out? I've come to realize that the pundits are often full of it and they really do not know what they're talking about.

My own opinion is that we're lucky to have an AD that is as ambitious as Pollard is. He's trying to change a culture of losing into winning, and it's a tough battle. It's his first AD position, and he's learning on the fly. I'm sure he'd admit to making mistakes, but I'd like to give him the benefit of the doubt that he's learned from those mistakes. I still believe ISU will get to a level we have not seen before, where bowl games and NCAA bids are more of a regular thing. I guess we will have a better picture of Pollard's legacy in the coming years.

So fellow Cyclone Fans, how do you feel? Cast your vote and share in the comments below!

Poll
How do you feel about Pollard now being signed through 2014?
Support it
50 votes
Against it
12 votes
What's the big deal?
29 votes
They should've fired him instead
6 votes

97 votes | Poll has closed

3 comments | 0 recs | Share on Facebook Digg!

MBB: Antwon Oliver is Now On The Radar

I know this was a guy who signed late this spring, that sort of flew under the radar. We didn't hear anything about him prior to his signing, and when he did, he was completely off the radar. I know for many it raised some concern.

Well, Oliver is now "on" the radar so to say as ESPN has finally graded him. He's rated an 86 out of 100 and sounds like a very athletic guy. You can read the writeup here.

Continue reading this post »

1 comment | 0 recs

Cyclone Roundup: 6/6/2009


There has been a lot going on with all sorts of the sports. Here's a quick update with what has been going on:

With wrestling, Kevin Jackson hired Chris Bono, and Yero Washington as assistant coaches. Nate Gallick will be serving as a volunteer assistant coach as well. According to Jackson, Washington will work with the lighter weights, Bono with the middle weights, and Jackson with the upper weights.

I think the coaching hires are great moves. All of them have coaching experience (Bono with head coaching experience at UT-Chattanooga), and know how to recruit guys. They also are both very passionate. I think in general, we will see a Cyclone Wrestling Squad with a lot more heart than in years past.

Also in wrestling, Jake Varner won the Free Style World Team trials in his weight last week. Jake will be headed to Denmark in September to compete on the World Team. Congrats to Jake as this certainly is an accomplishment. To be probably the best in the Nation at your weight is awesome. I know he will do well overseas!

In basketball-related news, Harrison Barnes is going to play with Howard Pulley in Minneapolis as opposed to the All Iowa Attack. This has created all sorts of speculation. Jake Sullivan, coach of the All Iowa Attack, said it was due to scheduling. A lot of Cyclone fans are not buying it. Some think this is no big deal, while others think this is a sign that he's going to sign someone other than ISU. I guess we will see what happens in the next 3-6 months.

With football, there is not a lot of news, but there is activity behind the scenes. We are making offers to the 2010 class, but there haven't been any additional commitments yet. The preseason publications are out and ISU isn't ranked very well at all. At the same time, some of these publications think that ISU may be an interesting team. Nationally, there are always going to be low expecatations. We won 2 games last year and now have a new coaching staff.

It's really hard to argue that we'll do better than 5-6 wins this upcoming season. Of course this is the time of year when College Football fans start to break out the schedule and make predictiions on what's going to happen as well.

7 comments | 0 recs | Share on Facebook Digg!

Iowa-Iowa State Football Game Time

Iowa State running back Alexander Robinson. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

More photos » by Charlie Neibergall - AP

Iowa State running back Alexander Robinson. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Kickoff for the Iowa State-Iowa football game is set for 11 a.m. on September 12. Tailgating starts at midnight.

If you can't make it to the game, you'll have to watch it on Fox Sport Net.

2 comments | 0 recs | Share on Facebook Digg!

The best kept secret at Iowa State.

When was the last time an ISU recruiting class was rated in the top 10 in the country?  When was the last time an ISU team went to the NCAA's 3 years in a row and improved their finishing place each year?

The women's volleyball team has the #10 recruiting class for the 2009 season.  They have been in the NCAA tournament three years in a row and finished in the elite 8 last season.  Head Coach Christy Johnson seems to be a younger version of Bill Fennelly.  She has taken underrated players and molded them into an elite team.  The performance of the past teams has paid off into getting some of the best players in the Midwest to come to Iowa State. 

In a sport that is consistently dominated by Pac10 schools, Iowa State's finish last season was a particularly good showing.  With a good core of veterans returning in addition to this rated freshman class it looks like the Clones are set to challenge for a conference title and a return to the NCAA tournaments.

As a season ticket holder, I encourage all fans to support this up and coming fall sport. 

2 comments | 0 recs

More Posts from Clone Chronicles

Explore Full Archive Next Page


FanPosts

Community blog posts and discussion.

Recent FanPosts

N16916915_35576752_4120_small
ISU at USA Junior Track Championships
N16916915_35576752_4120_small
ISU Men to play Duke in 2010
N16916915_35576752_4120_small
Brackins makes U.S. World University Games Roster
N16916915_35576752_4120_small
Capital City League
South_park_small
ISU at NCAA Track and Field Championships
South_park_small
ISU wrestling staff coming together
Small
Fennelly's freshman class...
South_park_small
ISU to quit printing Media Guides
South_park_small
ISU picks up Kansas LB
Small
The best kept secret at Iowa State.

Post_icon New FanPost All FanPosts Carrot-mini

About Us

CloneChronicles was founded by former blogger, CrossCyed. He put CloneChronicles on the map, and we thank him for that. The accolades below reflect the work he did when he was running the show. Our hope is that we can continue the tradition and continue to build a strong community of passionate Cyclone Fans!


CFB Award Nominee: Best Big 12 Blog

The keen-eyed and dedicated Cyclone fan behind the excellent blog. --John Gasaway, Big Ten Wonk, Basketball Prospectus


He does a great job covering the Cyclones, and he's a knowledgeable sports fan. --BurntOrangeNation


It's a pretty nice blog if you look past their horrible taste in football teams. --The Bemusement Park 


...a fine writer. --DawgSports


Like we're really worried about what some foul mouthed yankee writer from some big 12 school thinks. --some Auburn fan and my personal favorite

Help Out Clone Chronicles

Interested in blogging about the Iowa State Cyclones? E-mail me at mplscyclone@gmail.com!

FanShots

Quick hits of video, photos, quotes, chats, links and lists that you find around the web.

Recent FanShots

Tim Floyd Resigns from USC
5A Texas Football 2009 Preseason Top 25
The Quad Countdown: No. 112 Iowa State
Iowa State Hockey did great this year even though they lost in the 1st...
Cool Video if Clones and the Sweet 16
  Click here for Clone Video
Keep it going Clones!
Former Cyclone scores 35 in Madison Square Garden Debut
NCAA Wrestling Allotments Announced
Fountain Leaves
How could we possibly go wrong?

God, I love Photoshop. And Zona fans now, too.
You can say it's not about race, but you can't compare the two resumes and...

Post_icon New FanShot All FanShots Carrot-mini


Managers

Profilepic5972_3_small mplscyclone

Authors

Small JustinKendall

Official Partner of CBS Sports