A total of nine Iowa basketball players will be moving on to Division I programs this fall, marking bit of a high point for the quality of players that the state is producing. University of Iowa basketball coach Fran McCaffery has been impressed by the talent level of Iowa’s prep players since taking over the Hawkeye program a year ago.

McCaffery says that the quality of coaching and the increase in participation in AAU basketball has helped develop more of Iowa’s talent with the skill level increasing. He says there are more AAU teams that also help develop players.

McCaffery says that there are quite a few Iowa players with the ability to play Division I basketball that still don’t get recruited like they should. He says some of those players are not going to D-1 schools, but that doesn’t mean they can’t play at that level.

McCaffery says that while he will look to keep as much Division I talent within the state as he can, he’s more focused on building a roster that will compete for championships. He says it’s important to fill the roster with players that can win a championship, and he says that means they have to go outside the state to get some players.

There are currently eight Iowa natives on the Hawkeye roster, not counting incoming freshman Josh Ogelsby from Cedar Rapids Washington.

By Jesse Gavin, KCNZ, Cedar Falls