Recruiting's dead zone cripples Iowa basketball

Iowa's basketball coaches have burned up the miles and the phones trying to snag a few more recruits to replace the four players that left the program last week.

Cully Payne, a 6-foot-1 point guard from Schaumburg, Ill., toured the campus Wednesday and seemed to like Iowa City from all accounts. Likewise, Iowa has been after freshman guard Malcolm Armstead (6-foot) and sophomore forward Torye Pelham (6-6) from Chipola (Fla.) Junior College all season.

So what's stopping Iowa now? The NCAA. At 12:01 p.m. today, Iowa cannot contact any recruits. It's a dead period through noon on April 9. So Iowa coaches can't visit Payne or his parents, or host Armstead or Pelham for a visit until 12:01 p.m. April 9. From that moment through April 12, Iowa coaches can criss-cross the country. Then it's a dead period from April 13 through April 16. That includes national signing day on April 15.

Iowa likely will sign three players, possibly as soon as April 15. The spring signing date lasts until May 20.