Travelin' with the Hawks

Nov. 23, 2004

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The University of Iowa basketball program gives players an opportunity to see the world with many travel opportunities throughout the year. Last summer, the team traveled to Australia and played a series of professional teams. During the season, though, the team takes about 15 road trips across the United States, carrying along a support staff of roughly 30.

When the Hawkeyes played Michigan on Jan. 28 at Crisler Arena, I was given the opportunity to travel along with the team and get a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to make a visit to a Big Ten Conference neighbor. What follows is a step-by-step recounting of what it’s like traveling with Iowa Basketball.

Saturday, Jan. 24: After the Hawks handed Ohio State a 79-65 loss at home, Associate Sports Information Director Steve Roe made sure I received a copy of the itinerary for the Michigan road trip. Travel Coordinator John Streif, who has been Iowa’s head of travel for nearly 25 years as well as an athletic trainer for over 30, had detailed every step of the trip for the team, coaches and support staff.

Monday, Jan. 26: Just two days after I received the first itinerary, there had been a change. This brings up an interesting point about any type of travel. When a person travels commercially, changes to the itinerary are rarely good. But with the Hawkeyes, changes are to be expected and not all of them are bad.

That Monday, Streif learned that the team could not practice at Crisler Arena, as expected, the night before the game. Accordingly, he was able to arrange for a later departure time on Tuesday night so the team could practice normally at Carver-Hawkeye Arena before heading out. The delay was advantageous as well because the Ann Arbor area was being pelted by snow at the same time we were supposed to have arrived.

Tuesday, Jan. 27: Although the game was on a Wednesday, the Hawks leave the afternoon or night before to allow the players to relax and focus on the game. It also guarantees that travel will not be an issue. So at about 5:30 p.m., we all gathered on the chartered bus to catch our plane in Cedar Rapids. And 45 minutes later, we boarded a USA Jet DC-9 charter non-stop to Ann Arbor. Because of the size of the jet, the coaches, players and staff had to go through security at the Piedmont Hawthorne hanger, but on the way back and usually, the team can step straight from bus to plane.

After an uneventful flight to Ann Arbor, the one thing on everyone’s mind was dinner. Even though sack lunches were available on the bus, I chose to wait until we arrived in Michigan to eat. It was worth the wait as the team was able to dine at a local steakhouse just by the airport. Before we had boarded the charter bus at Carver, we had placed our orders and were able to be immediately seated and quickly fed once we arrived at the restaurant. That type of convenience is certainly refreshing for those who usually have to endure the rigors of self-planned, commercial travel. Even though some of the patrons at the restaurant recognized the team and asked some players for autographs, the waiters and waitresses were obviously not followers of Big Ten basketball and slaughtered their names. Brody Boyd became Brady for the rest of the trip.

After a humorous dinner experience at the restaurant, we made a short trip up to the Marriott Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest, which is a conference center and hotel just a short trip from Crisler Arena. Iowa had booked a bank of rooms on several floors, so we found our rooms, did a little unpacking and then found Salons II and III on the first floor for a film session and an absolutely amazing dessert buffet as a late snack. So after Coach Steve Alford had dissected the Michigan squad player for player using specialized video equipment that travels with the squad, the team was able to relax with pie, cake and ice cream sundaes. From the sack lunch on the bus in Iowa City to the Lone Star to the dessert bar, the quality and quantity of the food is the one thing that stands above the rest on road trips.

After the snack, though, Coach Alford was keen to have the players get as much rest as possible for the game. The group retired at about 10:30 Tuesday night, after the managers had gone room-to-room delivering beverages to the players and setting up video equipment in the coaches’ rooms for late-night strategy sessions.

Wednesday, Jan. 28: I arose at 9 a.m. on Wednesday but the next stop on the itinerary wasn’t until 11:30 a.m., so I used the extra time to play catch-up with some reading. And then after getting my morning dose of Sportscenter on ESPN, I indulged in a predictably sumptuous breakfast buffet. The mood among the team was remarkably relaxed and business-as-usual, and at 11:30 we boarded a coach and made our first stop to Crisler Arena for shooting practice.

During the practice, the television and radio crews prepared their equipment for the night’s game in the empty 13,751-seat venue and I used the time to file a preview story on hawkeyesports.com using the Ethernet connections available at the media tables. The players, on the other hand, were able to run drills and experience the arena without the later distraction of the jumping and chanting Maize Rage student section. After practice, there was a three-hour period of down time for players and coaches to make final preparations before the game. It was also an opportunity for players to catch-up on homework or grab quick naps, if needed.

At 3 p.m., the team met again in Salons II and III of the Marriott for a motivational and spiritual session with Detroit Lions’ chaplain and former Ball State all-American Dave Wilson and former Iowa kicker Rob Houghtlin. Wilson and Houghtlin both spoke to the value of teammates and friends before joining the team and coaches for lunch following the session. Following the meal, the team readied and packed up their things before boarding the bus at 5:30 to head back to Crisler to take on the Wolverines.

The matchup started at 7 p.m. Wednesday night in Ann Arbor, and Michigan handed the Hawks a 90-84 loss in a tough contest highlighted by the Wolverines’ shooting attack and some defensive miscues by Iowa. However, the Hawkeyes were able to take some revenge on Michigan on Feb. 14, when the two teams replayed at Carver and Iowa knocked the Wolverines down, 69-61.

Understandably, the ride back to Iowa City was noticeably quiet. As soon as the radio broadcast could conclude, the traveling party was on the bus back to the airport for the ride to Cedar Rapids. After another perfect flight, this time on a smaller jet, the team rode a chartered bus back down Carver, where the trip ended just before midnight, as the players headed back to their dorms and apartments.

Barry Pump, hawkeyesports.com