(Atlantic, Iowa) — When it comes to basketball careers, very few have had the success and adventure that Ryan Hawkins has experienced. The Atlantic native was a Division II All-American at Northwest Missouri State University, helping the Bearcats win three national championships.  After transferring to Division I Creighton, Hawkins led the Blue Jays in scoring and rebounding.  He was named second team All-Big East and helped Creighton to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, where they nearly knocked out eventual champion Kansas.

Hawkins finished his lone season at Creighton with 482 points, 272 rebounds, 53 assists, 32 steals, and 13 blocks.  Hawkins finished his college basketball career with 2,580 points, 1,220 rebounds, 257 steals, 229 assists, and 82 blocks. He then signed with the Toronto Raptors and played on the G-League squad this past season. For most the dream of playing basketball would end there.

However, Hawkins recently signed a deal with AS Pistoia Basket 2000 and will play in the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) for 10 months.

Even with little knowledge of the Italian language. Hawkins knows that basketball itself is a universal dialect needing no translator.

The basketball in Europe is some of the most competitive in the world and Hawkins is excited to compete in the league.

The G-League was a positive experience for Hawkins, but he sees the potential in the team focused Euro League. He sees the opportunity to double down on his strengths as a player in Italy and wants to make the most out of his time there.

The future for Ryan Hawkins will definitely be focused on basketball. In what realm of the game specifically remains unknown, but he knows he will always be a part of the game.

He leaves to join his team this month.

For the full interview click below:

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IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa softball team will host three games and play three road contests during the fall season, head coach Renee Gillispie announced Friday.

The Hawkeyes host Southeast Community College on Sept. 8 before facing Indian Hills on Sept. 22. Iowa hosts Illinois State on Sept. 23 in their final home contest of the fall. The Hawkeyes will travel to UNI for the first game of the Big 4 Classic on Sept. 29 against the Panthers. Iowa wraps up the Big 4 Classic in Ames with games against Iowa State and Drake on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 respectively.

All fall ball games at Bob Pearl Field are free admission and open to the public.

2023 Iowa Softball Fall Schedule

Sept. 8 – Southeast Community College – Iowa City, Iowa – 4 p.m.

Sept. 22 – Indian Hills – Iowa City, Iowa – 4 p.m.

Sept. 23 – Illinois State – Iowa City, Iowa – 1 p.m.

Sept. 29 – UNI – Cedar Falls, Iowa – 4 p.m.

Sept. 30 – Iowa State – Ames, Iowa – 2 p.m.

Oct. 1 – Drake – Ames, Iowa – 11 a.m.

*All games are 9 innings

Today, we continue our preview of the upcoming Big Ten football season with a 14-team preview over 14 weekdays. Tanner Hoops previews the 2023 Penn State Nittany Lions:

On Monday, we’ll preview the Michigan Wolverines.

FORT MYERS, Fla. – University of Iowa women’s soccer opened the season with a, 1-0, victory at Florida Gulf Coast on Thursday night at Pickering Field.

The Hawkeyes emerged from an extended pre-game weather delay with an energetic offensive effort, producing ten shots and five shots on goal in the first 25 minutes action.

The seventh shot connected, a stinger through the bottom of the net by redshirt junior Meike Ingles in her first appearance since the 2021 season. Ingles finished with three shots, including two shots on goal.

The skies cleared, and Ingles’ goal would be the only score of the night, but that was not the end of a hurricane-like Iowa offensive attack. The Hawkeyes put up 25 shots on Thursday, matching last season’s game-high total (Sept. 8 vs. Iowa State, Sept. 11 vs. UNI).

Newcomer Kelli McGroarty led the way with eight shots in 53 minutes of action. Junior Kenzie Roling was next for Iowa with four shots, including two shots on goal.

For its part, the Hawkeye defense allowed just four shots. Goalkeeper Macy Enneking hauled in a pair of saves, preventing two of the Eagles’ best looks of the match.

HEAR FROM HEAD COACH DAVE DIIANNI

“This is a tough place to play against a team that knows how to win. I am happy with how we competed all game and really liked the chances our team created in both halves. As a group, our defending was quite sharp except for some transition opportunities. This is a good start to the season for us, handling weather adversity and a difficult opponent on the road.”

HAWKEYE NOTABLES

• Iowa’s 10 shots on goal are the best since its effort against Michigan last season on Oct. 2, 2022.
• The following players made their Hawkeye debuts: freshman Millie Greer (90 minutes), senior Kelli McGroarty (53), freshman Sofia Bush (46), freshman Abby Skiff (36) and sophomore Shae Doherty (28).
• 90 Tracker: Four Hawkeye position players logged 90 minutes of game action, including fifth-year Samantha Cary, senior Rielee Fetty, senior Maggie Johnston and freshman Millie Greer.

UP NEXT

Iowa (1-0) opens the home slate on Sunday vs. Kansas City (1-0) at the University of Iowa Soccer Complex. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. (CT). The game will stream live on B1G+ (subscription required). Admission is free to all home soccer matches.