Video of Iowa guard Cully Payne, notes from Iowa men's basketball media day

IOWA CITY - Freshmen Brennan Cougill and Eric May grew up along major rivers on opposite borders but cheered for the same team.

Cougill, a 6-foot-9 post, played for Sioux City Heelan while May, a 6-5 guard/forward, played at Dubuque Wahlert. The two even competed against one another as juniors in the state tournament with May's team winning that game and the 2008 Class 3A state title.

Now, they're both on the same team and shared a common experience the first time they saw Iowa jerseys with their own numbers and names.

“When I saw the name I sent a picture of it to my mom,” May said of his No. 25 jersey. “She was really proud of me. She was really excited about it. It sunk in big time when you saw your name on the back of your jersey.”

Cougill, the reigning “Mr. Basketball” after taking Heelan to the 2009 Class 3A title, said he was “a Hawkeye fan from birth” despite living six hours from Iowa City. He relished the moment when he first spotted his No. 44 jersey.

“It's exciting,” he said. “I get a chill up my spine because it's been a dream of mine to come and put on an Iowa jersey and represent the Hawkeyes. It's definitely a dream come true.”

Supporting Kelly

Iowa Coach Todd Lickliter continues to support former player Jake Kelly despite his decision to leave the Hawkeyes last March.

Kelly's mother died in a plane crash in June 2008, and Kelly wanted to play at Indiana State, which is near his family. It was a tough loss for the program -Kelly led the team in scoring last year and was Iowa's top defender. Kelly applied for reinstatement to play right away on hardship grounds. The NCAA granted his request two weeks ago in part because of Lickliter, who wrote a letter to officials supporting Kelly.

“I never wavered on what I thought of Jake,” Lickliter said. “I think he's a fine young man that had a terrible tragedy. It's beyond comprehension what he went through. It saddens me for him. I can understand why he would want the support of a family. He never wavered. He said he wanted to go to Indiana State. He said that from the beginning. That was an indicator to me he was truly being sincere and honest. I trusted him. I supported him completely.”

Tucker back

Iowa sophomore Anthony Tucker faced a difficult transition last year. He led Iowa in scoring through the first six games, averaging nearly 18 points a game. But he then was stricken with mononucleosis and was arrested for public intoxication after he was found unconscious in an Iowa City alley. He later was ruled ineligible - not for failing classes - but for a low grade-point-average.

Now eligible, Tucker looks at the upcoming season as a fresh start for his Iowa career.

“I don't want to reflect too much on last year,” Tucker said. “I think reflecting on it a little bit is a really good thing but for me, I just want to move on past it. I took what I could from it.”