Sometimes you just run across that one article that makes you stop and think and today was one of those days. This article from Iowa Broadcaster Quinn Douglas really took on a topic that many in Iowa do not touch often, and it was very well written.
This was a thoughtful article (Click on Image above to go to the full article) from @Quinn_Douglas_ that he posted to X that had solid counterpoints from @David_M_Ryan and others in a healthy debate.
It’s an area we talk about in our content and podcasts. We are all want simple answers, but the transfer issue at the high school level is very nuanced and each situation is unique.
The Genie is out of the Bottle, and the HS Free Market is in Iowa now
I’ve been back in Iowa for about 18 months after spending 12 years in Atlanta, and have been surprised when I talk to Iowa High School sports fans about High School players transferring. I hear things like it’s unfair, where has the loyalty gone, Club and AAU teams are ruining sports, and more.
Living in the south and coaching sports was an eye-opener when I first moved from Iowa. The Free Market that Iowa struggles with today, was just the way things were and are done in the South.
Players moved constantly to find the opportunity that fit them best. The general attitude is that it is just the way it is, it’s a good thing, do not complain about it, and do something about it. e.g. Get Better and step up to the challenge.
Midwestern Fair play, for the love of the game, Jimmy Chitwood Hoosiers stuff… is foreign to HS sports in the South. People take High School sports very seriously (especially football) and High School coaches are expected to win.
If you do not win, you get fired at the High School level (Head Football Coaches are often the highest-paid staff member in every school) and high school coaches are often let go or forced out. Also, the top high school coaches also coach the top AAU and Club teams in the off-season.
Iowa now with open enrollment has what the South has for decades. Fighting for butts in the seats is crucial for school health and budgets, and nothing puts more butts in the seats than athletic achievement.
We lived right down the street from the above High School. This $62 Million dollar investment drives enrollment, top players transferring in, and tax dollars. You might go – that is insane, maybe it is, but they view it as an investment in the health of their city and school district.
They all work together and to drive that hamster wheel of revenue, you have to have the talent.
The Free Market creates opportunity for many young men and women
Up until recently in Iowa if a coach decided not to play you (maybe you were right there with another kid and there was something about you they didn’t like…then you got buried on the bench), or if you were caught in a situation where you were a very good player on a great team you had no chance to get on the court or field.
If you were in that situation and could not move into a new district, you were out of luck in Iowa.
I know a purist may say that High School coaches always play the best players, and never let their personal feelings get in the way of that…but that is not reality IMO. It does happen, the personal relationship dynamics of all humans come into play. The other dynamics are just pure chance driven…like XYZ boy or girl is very talented, but in a school district that has so much talent in the sport they play that they can’t get on field or court.
Here is a real-world IA BB example – there is a star player for Waukee BBB this year who got caught as that 7-8th best player on Waukee NW last year…he wasn’t alone. Lorenzen who transferred from NW is now excelling at DCG, and a couple of seniors who were great players also got very few minutes in 2024-25.
This 7th guy in the rotation player who is now at Waukee is going D2 on a BB scholarship. In 1990, he would have never been seen or found by College Coaches…how did they find him, he was found on the AAU circuit.
This story is… Not the coaches fault, not the kids fault, not the parent’s fault, just no way to play everyone. I am happy for him and his parents as he gets to play a lot of minutes this year and make memories that are awesome.
So let’s talk coaches and their dilemma…NW last year had Peyton McCollum who showed up from the heavens when his dad got the Drake job, Goodman D2 BB Player All State, the top 4A QB in the state as the 6th man, A D1 Football guy going to Iowa, and two BB Players who are going to play for Illinois and Nebraska next year as their key rotation players.
The NW Coach had to play these top guys, and try to win the state title. They got to the state final game and lost to a great Valley team. Northwest had all top-level players and very limited minutes for the 5+ other players who were very good (not enough minutes to matter). The Coaches did a great job of managing this and the team, and it had to be very tough…as they had many players who could excel at other schools who got very limited minutes.
Each and every one of these talented starters and reserve players were playing AAU ball and working on their game every day. I would say on last year’s team -NW top 10-12 players, those players who played rarely if they were the right other local DSM team, they would have excelled and played meaningful minutes.
One of Urbandale’s top players this year was on NW last year, is an example of that very good player caught behind 7 guys all playing D2 or higher. I think this young man will play on at some level in college if he wants to and is having a memorable year at Urbandale. What a cool story for him and his parents made possible by transfer rules.
All these kids want to play and work hard to get on the high school court. They are in early getting extra shots, and it’s got to be super frustrating to not get to show their game to their friends in school.
Again not the coaches fault just no way to play every talented kid in some situations.
So, it’s not a black and white issue. (P.S. it’s also a domino effect as those great players who had to go elsewhere to get or a spot then take the spot of someone else who was already enrolled.)
I can see both @Quinn_Douglas_ and @David_M_Ryan points. They are valid and well thought out.
I do firmly believe that kids and parents having the freedom to move is an overall positive, as you have that freedom to get a new job, move, etc as an adult. Does it always work out? No, of course not…but why shouldn’t a family have the same ability to make choices like this that we all have as adults.
I love the quote from the article. “You don’t know what goes into the decision these families made to send their kids to a different school and play for a program they feel their kids would be more successful in.” said Quinn Douglas
Times Change and the Free Market is here to stay in Iowa
High School for all sports outside of football if you want to play at the next level (D3, D2, NAIA, etc.) you have to work hard (countless hours practicing) and be in an AAU Club program to be found.
High School sports are awesome and create memories for a lifetime…but to develop, get seen, and play even at the high school level it’s tough to do it at the larger school level if you do not play Club ball and AAU.
Sports will continue to get more serious in Iowa with higher investments into youth sports, facilities, training, and more.
We can’t put the genie back in the bottle and every parent wants to best for their kids. The Free Market is here to stay and even Jimmy Chitwood today would be on the best AAU team in the state and be playing high school sports for fun.
As always, we appreciate your comments and support.
