Drake football coach Todd Stepsis says the Bulldogs are using a new motto during spring drills. After going a combined 5-17 in 2021 and 2022 the Bulldogs used “be the change” as inspiration and they responded by going 8-0 in winning the Pioneer Football League title and advancing to the FCS playoffs. Their new motto is “raise the bar”.

Stepsis says with a team loaded with veterans he is confident the Bulldogs will be able to handle success.

Stepsis says a battle-scarred senior class is the strength of the team.

Stepsis feels that experience helped the Bulldogs excel in close games. Drake won six PFL games last season by a touchdown or less.

Drake’s spring game is Saturday.

IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa junior Payton Sandfort has been named a College Sports Communicators Second-Team Academic All-American, it was announced Wednesday by the CSC.

Sandfort is the seventh Hawkeye and 10th overall Academic All-American in program history. He is the fourth Academic All-American under head coach Fran McCaffery and the first since 2016.

The Waukee, Iowa, native, earned Winter Academic All-Big Ten and CSC Academic All-District honors and was a fall semester Dean’s List honoree in 2023. Sandfort, who carries a 3.91 grade point average in finance, was a co-recipient of the team’s Academic Excellence Award during the end-of-year banquet.

On the court, Sandfort was a third-team All-Big Ten selection after leading the team in scoring (16.4 points) and ranking second in rebounds (6.6). He made a Big Ten-best 94 3-point field goals, shooting 37.9 percent from long range.

On Feb. 27 against Penn State, Sandfort recorded the first triple-double in Iowa men’s basketball history. He finished the season with five double-double, tied for the most on the team.

The Hawkeyes finished the 2023-24 season with a 19-15 overall record. The team tied for sixth in the Big Ten (10-10 record) and advanced to the NIT Second Round.

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State sophomore point guard Tamin Lipsey has been named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-America Second Team, the organization announced Wednesday morning.

Lipsey is just the eighth Cyclone men’s basketball player to be named a CSC Academic All-American and just the third to do so in the same season as being named an All-American on the floor. He joins Fred Hoiberg (1995) and Melvin Ejim (2014), as both were named an All-American by Basketball Times. Lipsey is the first player in school history to earn AP All-America and CSC Academic All-America honors in the same season.

The award recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the court and in the classroom. Student-athletes must have a 3.5 cumulative GPA and the proper athletic accomplishments to make the ballot. Lipsey was previously named to the Academic All-District® team and advanced to the national ballot.

All student-athletes are required to have one year in residence or be a transfer to be eligible for the team. Lipsey was the only sophomore selected to the 15-member team.

Lipsey was a finalist for the Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year, the Lefty Driesell Defensive Player of the Year and the Lute Olson National Player of the Year. He was also selected to the Big 12 Championship All-Tournament team after leading the Cyclones to their sixth Big 12 Championship. He was also named an NABC First Team All-District selection. Lipsey has also been named to the All-Big 12 First Team and Big 12 All-Defensive Team this season.

Lipsey averaged 12.4 points, 4.9 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 2.7 steals this year. He is one of 17 players in the country, and the first in Big 12 history, to average those numbers since 1996-97. Lipsey had a school-record steal streak of 34-straight games snapped this season. It was the second longest streak in the country. He has a steal in 66 of the 69 games he has played.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Former Iowa State Cyclone Tyrese Haliburton has been named to the 2024 USA Men’s National Team roster for the Paris Olympics. The 12-member team will compete at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, set for July 26-Aug. 11, 2024. The team was selected by USA Basketball Men’s National Team managing director Grant Hill and approved by the USA Basketball Board of Directors.

This will be the fourth time Haliburton has appeared on a USA Basketball roster, as he was a member of the FIBA World Cup team last summer, U19 World Cup team in 2019 and the U.S. Select Team in 2021. A reigning two-time NBA All-Star, Haliburton made the all-tournament team after winning gold in 2019, while the 2021 USA Select Team trained alongside the 2021 USA Men’s National Team prior to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The team is highlighted by 12 athletes with extensive USA Basketball experience including three-time Olympic champion Kevin Durant (Phoenix Suns) and the NBA’s all-time scoring leader LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers), who owns a pair of Olympic gold medals.

In addition to Durant and James, the 2024 USA Men’s National Team features Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat), Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns), Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors), Anthony Davis (Los Angeles Lakers), Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves), Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers), Jrue Holiday (Boston Celtics), Kawhi Leonard (L.A. Clippers) and Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics).

The squad boasts a combined 11 Olympic appearances and owns 10 Olympic gold medals as well as three FIBA World Cup titles. In total, the U.S. will take 12 NBA All-Stars, four NBA MVPs and six NBA champions to Paris.

“It’s an honor to introduce the 2024 USA Basketball Men’s National Team,” Hill said. “I’m grateful to these 12 men for their commitment to represent USA Basketball. The United States is home to some of the best basketball players in the world and I appreciate the vast interest in being part of this roster. These decisions weren’t easy, but it was a pleasure to go through the process and reach this outcome.

USA Basketball will commence training camp on July 6 in Las Vegas. Following the game vs. Canada, the Americans will embark on an international training window that begins when the USA hosts Australia and Serbia on July 15 and 17, respectively, at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Australia and Serbia will also face off on July 18 in Abu Dhabi.

As part of Group C, the American men will face Serbia on July 28, South Sudan on July 31 and the winner of the Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Puerto Rico on Aug. 3 in the first round of the Olympic tournament. The 5-on-5 Olympic basketball group phase will take place in Lille, France, before the tournament moves to Paris for knockout and medal rounds.

Cyclones with USA Basketball
1959 – Gary Thompson (Pan American Games)
1979 – Joe Ashley (U.S. Olympic Festival)
1985 – Jeff Grayer (U.S. Olympic Festival)
1988 – Jeff Grayer (Seoul Olympics)
1989 – Victor Alexander (World University Games)
2000 – Jamaal Tinsley (U.S. Select Team)
2001 – Marcus Fizer (Goodwill Games)
2009 – Craig Brackins (World University Games)
2019 – Tyrese Haliburton (U19 World Cup)
2021 – Tyrese Haliburton (U.S. Select Team)
2023 – Omaha Biliew (U19 World Cup)
2023 – Tyrese Haliburton (FIBA World Cup)
2024 – Tyrese Haliburton (Paris Olympics)

Former Iowa star Caitlin Clark says the chance to join the Indiana Fever was part of her decision to forgo an additional year at Iowa. The Fever made the two-time national player of the year the first pick in Monday’s WNBA Draft. Clark was introduced this morning in Indianapolis.

Clark feels Indianapolis is a perfect fit for her and goes beyond what she hopes to accomplish on the court.

Clark led the nation in scoring and assists this past season at Iowa and knows there will be an adjustment to the WNBA.

Clark has spearheaded record ratings and crowds at the collegiate level and accepts the pressure that comes with it.

Clark joins a young but talented Indiana roster that is hungry for success. The Fever have not made the playoffs since 2016.

Besides starting her pro career Clark also hopes to be named to the U-S team that will compete in the Olympics in Paris.