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Iowa Hawkeyes: Meet your 2019 Iowa United TBT team

By Andrew Wade

COLUMBUS, OHIO - MARCH 22: Nicholas Baer #51 of the Iowa Hawkeyes dunks the ball during the second half against the Cincinnati Bearcats in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Nationwide Arena on March 22, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OHIO - MARCH 22: Nicholas Baer #51 of the Iowa Hawkeyes dunks the ball during the second half against the Cincinnati Bearcats in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Nationwide Arena on March 22, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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KANSAS CITY, MO – MARCH 14: Tyrus McGee #25 of the Iowa State Cyclones celebrates after the Cyclones defeated the Oklahoma Sooners during the quarterfinal game of the 2013 Men’s Big 12 Championships at Sprint Center on March 14, 2013 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MO – MARCH 14: Tyrus McGee #25 of the Iowa State Cyclones celebrates after the Cyclones defeated the Oklahoma Sooners during the quarterfinal game of the 2013 Men’s Big 12 Championships at Sprint Center on March 14, 2013 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

Marcus Fizer/Tyrus McGee

The interesting thing about Iowa State and many Iowa Hawkeye fans may not want to hear this, is that the Cyclones have five players in the NBA currently, meaning the talent pool can be a little tough to pick from. Crawford, however, did an excellent job of finding an elite playmaking guard in Tyrus McGee and a savvy veteran in Marcus Fizer to join the Iowa United and represent the Iowa United.

Marcus Fizer

Your first thought might have been how old is Marcus Fizer? Well, he is 40, and while most of the guys in TBT are 10-15 years younger than him, don’t count out the former 4th overall draft pick just yet. The 6’8” power forward is back in shape and ready to give the Iowa United a handful of minutes every game in addition to his wealth of post-knowledge that will immensely benefit some of the younger guys on this roster.

Back in Fizer’s prime (admittedly a while ago), Fizer was a double-double threat on the court every night. Injuries, however, cut short what could have been a great career. With the youth and athleticism the Iowa United have at the forward spots though, Fizer just needs to contribute 8-10 minutes a game for this to be an outstanding pickup by Crawford.

Tyrus McGee

Tyrus McGee is the lone returning player from last year’s Hilton Magic, and it’s clear that he the main domino that needed to fall to get this team together.

In speaking with Matt on Locked On Hawkeyes, he said this of McGee:

"Yes, Tyrus is one of those guys that was a must-have just because he is such a competitor. When I first met Tyrus with the Hilton Magic Legends, I picked him up at the airport, and we’re not even to the car yet, and he wants a gym to go shoot at."

That’s pretty high praise considering how talented this roster is. McGee is a 6’2” guard who spent two years with the Iowa State Cyclones after transferring from Cowley College. In his two years, he averaged, 10.5 points per game on 44% shooting from three-point in addition to grabbing 3.5 boards a game. Since then, McGee has been playing professional basketball overseas, and he is currently with the Banco di Sardegna Sassari in Lega A (Italy’s highest professional basketball league).