Iowa schools and NBA are virtual strangers

I hope Iowa's Aaron White, a second-round draft pick of the Washington Wizards, makes it in the NBA.

I hope former Hawkeye Devyn Marble cements his place in the NBA after a difficult rookie season with the Orlando Magic in which he endured injuries.

I hope Gabe Olaseni of Iowa and Seth Tuttle of Northern Iowa wow the Miami Heat in summer-league play and go from there to a Cinderella-type story this fall in making an NBA roster.

I hope former Iowa State players in NBA summer leagues (Diante Garrett, Melvin Ejim, Royce White, Chris Babb, DeAndre Kane, Bryce Dejean-Jones) parlay those opportunities into bigger things. Babb does have a contract with the Boston Celtics through the 2016-17 season.

It's a hard road. It illustrates how good you have to be to play in the NBA. It also illustrates how little of an impact college players from Iowa schools have historically enjoyed.

The strongest NBA connections to Iowa universities are Fred Hoiberg and Jeff Hornacek, both former Iowa State guards and longtime NBA players who are now head coaches in that league.

Ex-Hawkeyes currently in the NBA:

Reggie Evans (a 35-year-old free agent), Marble, and perhaps White.

Ex-Iowa State Cyclones currently in the NBA

: Babb, who has played 14 games with the Celtics and spent most of his two pro seasons with Boston's D-League affiliate in Maine.

Ex-Drake Bulldogs currently in the NBA

: None. The last one was Lewis Lloyd, in 1990.

Ex-Northern Iowa Panthers in the NBA

: None. Ever.

Over the last 25 years, some former Hawkeyes and Cyclones have had long NBA careers. But if someone wrote the history of the NBA and its greatest players, would the phrases 'from Iowa” or 'from Iowa State” be used? It's doubtful.

The point of this isn't to say college basketball in our state has stunk, because over the last quarter-century it most certainly has not. All three men's teams of state schools had rough patches, but rare has been the year in which at least one of them didn't make the NCAA tournament.

But the disconnect between the NBA and Iowa universities seems more apparent with each spring, when we pay attention to the pro game the most because of the NBA playoffs and the league's draft.

There wasn't a single former Iowa collegian (notice I didn't say 'collegian from Iowa” in the 16-team playoffs. And I'd like to see that change.

Watching the NBA playoffs here is like looking out your front door and seeing a bunch of neighbors gather at a barbecue.

When Hornacek was knocking down jumpers for the Utah Jazz on their way to two consecutive NBA Finals in the 1990s, that was good for Iowa State. When B.J. Armstrong had a significant role on the first three of the Chicago Bulls' six NBA champions, that was good for Iowa.

Armstrong, by the way, is the last Iowa collegian to play in an NBA All-Star Game. That was in 1994, and Michael Jordan was retired from basketball that season.

Ah, well. At least the NBA championship trophy was on display Saturday at Ames' Fourth of July parade.

It was in the possession of Harrison Barnes of the Golden State Warriors. Barnes played college ball at North Carolina. But he's from Ames.

Barnes averaged 10.6 points in the playoffs, and he seems like a gentleman. He's an Iowan who brought a championship home with him. Maybe every basketball fan in Iowa should claim him.

l Comments: (319) 368-8840; mike.hlas@thegazette.com