Steve Alford has dealt with a lot of adversity since taking over as the basketball coach at the University of Iowa but calls Wednesday’s dismissal of junior guard Pierre Pierce from the team his “toughest” moment. Pierce is under investigation by West Des Moines police in a domestic dispute at the home of his former girlfriend last week. He says, “No matter how tough it is, it came down to me. And there are times in this business when you got a lot of tough decisions to make.” Alford says it’s never easy to dismiss a player, but says given the circumstances he felt this was the only thing he had to do.Two years ago Pierce pled guilty to assaulting a woman in Iowa City but at that time was allowed to redshirt and stay on the team. Alford says Pierce was given a second chance and “With that second chance there was an awful lot of trust put into that. And with his recent actions he’s betrayed that trust.” Alford says he felt the best thing for Pierce and the entire team was to remove Pierce from the team.Alford says it was for that reason he made the move even before charges were filed. He says whether or not there were charges filed, that had no bearing on his decision. The Hawkeyes are 15-5 and return to action Saturday at home against Michigan State.(See link below for more of Alford’s comments)
Coach talks about kicking Pierce off Hawkeye basketball team
Steve Alford has dealt with a lot of adversity since taking over as the basketball coach at the University of Iowa but calls Wednesday’s dismissal of junior guard Pierre Pierce from the team his “toughest” moment. Pierce is under investigation by West Des Moines police in a domestic dispute at the home of his former girlfriend last week. He says, “No matter how tough it is, it came down to me. And there are times in this business when you got a lot of tough decisions to make.” Alford says it’s never easy to dismiss a player, but says given the circumstances he felt this was the only thing he had to do.Two years ago Pierce pled guilty to assaulting a woman in Iowa City but at that time was allowed to redshirt and stay on the team. Alford says Pierce was given a second chance and “With that second chance there was an awful lot of trust put into that. And with his recent actions he’s betrayed that trust.” Alford says he felt the best thing for Pierce and the entire team was to remove Pierce from the team.Alford says it was for that reason he made the move even before charges were filed. He says whether or not there were charges filed, that had no bearing on his decision. The Hawkeyes are 15-5 and return to action Saturday at home against Michigan State.(See link below for more of Alford’s comments)
Iowa football signs highly touted recruiting class
Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz hopes his new group of Hawkeyes live up to their expectations. After back-to-back wins on New Years Day the Hawkeyes have what may be their best recruiting class in the program’s history though Ferentz says it will be a while before they find out just how good this class is. He says recruiting rankings are a lot like preseason rankings in football in that they’re based on past performance. He says their focus remains on playing good football, but he says you can’t win without good recruits. The Hawkeyes signed seven players who took part in the Army All-American game and finally broke through with some big-time prospects after coming up short in recent years. Ferentz says they still missed out on some top recruits, and says that’s part of it. Ferentz says they understand they always have to work hard and it’s never easy competing against the other top programs. The Hawkeyes landed three of the best offensive lineman in the country as well as the nation’s top tight end in Tony Moeaki out of Wheaton, Illinois. Ferentz says he’s really happy with the group they’ve signed and says it’s an area they’ve neglected recently. He says their success on the field has started to have some effect in the recruits they’ve been able to bring in.
Iowa State football signs 25 new recruits
Iowa State’s recruiting class is not highly ranked but coach Dan McCarney does not mind as loing as the Cyclones keep winning bowl games. The Cyclones signed 25 players to join a veteran squad returning from the team that won the Independence Bowl. He says there weren’t a lot of stars behind the names of some of the kids who played for him and are now in the N-F-L, but he says they’re some of the best kids to play in the Big 12. McCarney says he could care less about rankings or ratings. McCarney says the key is finding players with potential. He says they’ve done a good job of evaluating the players, and admits they’ve mistakes through the years, he says everyone has. But McCarney says they’ve assembled a fine class this year. With so many starters returning from last year this recruiting class won’t be counted on to make a big iompact right away. McCarney says they hope a number will come in an challenge for two-deep spots on the roster. He says it’s probably not realistic that many of the kids will come in and beat out the returners. But McCarney says the starters aren’t guaranteed a spot either and he doesn’t want to sell any of the kids short. Four Iowans are part of the class.
Surf Ballroom prepares for 50′s party
The Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake is getting ready to host its annual “Fifties in February” celebration starting Thursday night. Marketing director Jana Barracks says although thousands of people will converge on the Surf this weekend, it’s not the ballroom’s biggest draw. She says it’s actually the dance hall’s 13th-busiest weekend of the year, just one of many big events including the fourth of July. She says, though, it’s “going to be crazy,” and lots of fun. Barracks says things get underway on Thursday night with a sock hop at the Surf. Thursday night there’s a sock hop, for folks who just want to come in and get a low-cost taste of the fifties, with a dance contest and costume contest and live music by “The White Sidewalls.” Barracks says ticket-holders for Friday and Saturday nights will enjoy headline performers on the Surf stage. On Friday night, piano player Jason D. Williams will be followed by Nelson. On Saturday night, Johnny Rivers will be the headliner. Barracks says organizers of the event are always amazed that the celebration draws people from around the world to Clear Lake. Barracks says a lot come from Britain, and many come “in costume”…wearing bobby socks and poodle skirts, some of them 70-year-old ladies. Two-day tickets for Friday and Saturday are still available by calling the Surf Ballroom at 357-6151. For more information about the weekend, you can also look on the Surf Ballroom website at www.surfballroom.com.
Judge says former Fayette Police Chief can’t have his job back
A district court judge says the former Fayette police chief who resigned to run for sheriff, and then tried to take back his resignation, can’t have his job back. Randy Sandhagen asked the court to block the City of Fayette from hiring his replacement. Sandhagen submitted his resignation in October, but a couple of days later tried to rescind the resignation. Sandhagen tried twice to get re-hired, but the city council turned him down. Sandhagen then filed the lawsuit asking for an injunction to keep the city from accepting the resignation. The judge refused to grant the injunction.
Education leaders call for tougher graduation standards
Two eastern Iowa education leaders say it’s time for the state to establish tougher standards for high school graduation. All three of the state’s public universities require incoming students to have at least three years of high school math, science and English. But only 40 of Iowa’s 376 school districts require the same for high school graduation, and University of Northern Iowa president Robert Koob says that’s got to change. “Our young people will need that kind of education in order to succeed in the 21st century,” Koob says. Mary Lou Lauer, the v-p of instruction at Kirkwood Community College, says up 40 percent of the students who enroll in the state’s community colleges need to take remedial courses because they didn’t get enough math, science or english in high school. “There is some work that needs to be done before a large number of students that we see at Kirkwood are ready to succeed at college-level courses,” Lauer says. But Iowa Department of Education director Judy Jeffrey is against the idea of statewide rules for school classwork. “Communities in Iowa and school districts in Iowa respond quite quickly to the needs of their students and many districts are currently in discussion to raise those requirements,” Jeffrey says. Jeffrey says the key is not to simply require more math and science courses, but to make sure the classes offered are “rigorous.”
