Shooters Touch

Garrett has been a staple in Des Moines as he made the decision to continue playing basketball at Drake after high school. Not recruited a lot, Drake was one of a few D1 schools that offered him a PWO spot. When Darian Devries took over he didn’t know much about him, but said he had a spot on the team for him if he wanted it. That’s worked out for both sides!

HE’S BACK! Our first return guest of the podcast is Nate Oakland. We discuss his Covid year, keeping his athletes motivated during down times and debate Peppers or Mulligans!

Mike O’Connor recently vacated the Dowling Boy’s basketball coaching role. He amassed a record of 214-129 in his time there and made it to 5 state tournaments. As he talks about in the episode the winning culture at Dowling was one of the main drivers for that success. As well as the players’ willingness to do what it took to win.

A Hall of Famer, a former player under Dean Smith and Lute Olson, and a former assistant under Johnny Orr and Tim Floyd, Steve Krafcisin might have one of the best player/coach backgrounds of anyone. Just wait until you hear some of the stories!

Nicholas Baer knew what he wanted and went after it. He wasn’t highly recruited, but when he got the chance to be a Hawkeye, it was an easy decision. He took advantage of every opportunity that arose and is now one of the most well known names in Iowa City.

If you are a college basketball fan, AJ Green needs no introduction... we are going to give him one anyway! AJ is a State Champ from Cedar Falls High School and was a Top 100 HS recruit in the country coming out of high school. With plenty of opportunities for places to play, AJ chose to stay home and play for the Panthers. In his freshman campaign, he won MVC Freshman of the Year. His second seas...

Noel McLaughlin.

With 2 state titles under his belt, Josef Sigrist is no stranger to winning. We talk to coach about those teams as well as other teams he’s led. We also talk some golf and his thoughts on Lebron James.

The newly engaged couple came on the podcast to tell their story of Love and Basketball! Coming from completely different backgrounds they both end up at Drake and well... the rest is history! We hope you enjoy hearing their story!

We’ve been targeting Reed as a guest for a LONG time and we finally made it happen. You’re going to love this episode as Reed talks all things hoops with us.

Elle Riffridge had a storied career at Pocahontas High School. She ended as a state champion and the state’s all time leading scorer. She had already chosen Missouri State as her next stop and packed her bags for Springfield, MO. By the time she left there she had played in 2 sweet 16’s and was recognized as one of the best shooters in the nation! Needless to say, that makes her a perfect guest fo...

Brett Putz, first year head coach and national champion head coach. Not often do you see that accomplishment in your first year, but after talking to him it’s easy to see how it happened. Obviously the team he took over helped, but he is wise beyond his years as a coach. As with many of our guests, we jam on similar connections and Iowa basketball history. Enjoy!

Coming off the teams first NCAA Tournament bid since 2008, Drake Men’s Basketball guard DJ Wilkins joins us. DJ has been a favorite of ours since he’s got to Des Moines so we are excited to bring this episode to you! #DSMHometownteam 

Turner Scott is a West Des Moines native who has a tremendous story of overcoming adversity and dealing with expectations. He was a multi sport athlete at Valley high school and talks about how that helped him in his basketball career. Who does Turner think would win a free throw contest between him and former guest(also his coach at Valley and Truman State) Jeff Horner?  

Basketball has always been a love of Hannah Fuller. As a lot of athletic families are, the Fuller’s were super competitive, whether it was a game of UNO or hoops! It was great talking to Hannah about how her role has changed over the years and how she spent last year, a year she spent most of it injured.

Jeremey was a great conversation about youth sports, specialization in sports as well as his coaching mentors. Clear Lake has made it to State 2 out of the last 2 years and it’s easy to hear why.

Recently retired from Norwalk High School, Chris Larson amassed 343 wins in 24 years at the helm at Norwalk. He has tremendous stories and really built his program the right way! You’ll enjoy his connection to Drake University and Vets Auditorium, a connection that we didn’t even know was possible!

Brian Frick hasn’t been at Johnston high school long, but he already has some big games under his belt. He just finished 2nd at state and really had his team playing their best basketball towards the end of the year(exactly what you want as a coach). We chat with coach about his path to Johnston where he had some great mentors and coaches under very good coaches.

It’s the best time of the year. That’s right, better than Christmas, New Year’s, and your birthday, it’s March Madness! We devote this podcast to everything that’s going on in the world of basketball. Iowa high school state tournament, black Monday for college coaches and of course, the NCAA tournament. No guest needed!

Jack Brownlee(@TheeBrownlee) had been a friend of the Pod for a long time. His story may not get told as much as his former Iowa teammates but it’s just as good! Brownlee competed at Vets Auditorium and won the State Title his senior season. From there he spent time at Kirkwood(@KCC_MBB) and ended up in Iowa City playing for Steve Alford and the Hawkeyes(@IowaHoops). We hope you enjoy! Connect wit...

If you’re from Central Iowa and you follow the basketball scene you probably know who Kevin O’Hare is. If you don’t, you may not have heard of him. He’s been pouring into the younger generation of basketball players for more than 20 years now. Why? Because he gets to be one of the first people that starts their mold as a basketball player. He’s trained ballers like Caitlyn Clark as well as many mo...

FAW #2 will cover everything from high school hoops to the NBA. The Hawkeyes lay an egg in Ann Arbor. Should the Lakers be worried? Tyler Cook to the Nets and much more! Don’t forget about the Picks and Roll, our very amateur betting advice.

Shooters Touch fans, do we have a episode for you! Stevie Johnson joins us to talk hoops(and a little pigskin) this week. Not only does Stevie have a super interesting story, but he was so fun to talk to! Reminiscing about the teams he played on, players he played with and opponents he played against was another walk down memory lane for us. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

On your commute home? Making some dinner for your family? Maybe enjoying a cold one relaxing after a long week? Whatever it is, The Shooters Touch is here to fill your earbuds! Our FAW episodes are shorter and cover current events. Enjoy!

Kenyon Murray didn’t start his basketball journey until very late compared to others around him, but that didn’t stop him from becoming Mr. Basketball in the state of Michigan his Senior year. He wound up in Iowa City where he was standout for the Tom Davis lead Hawkeye team. Even though Kenyon will always be a Hawkeye, his 2 sons following in Dad’s footsteps and playing basketballs Iowa currently...