Iowa basketball is fed up... with its own fans.
Iowa fans have apparently developed a knack of taking to social media to blast the team for which they cheer. Center Adam Woodbury has been a particular object of scorn; people have questioned his toughness and wondered if the 7'1" Sioux City product was even capable of dunking.
In a victory over Michigan a few weeks back, Woodbury threw it down. He then did a shushing motion with his finger... to his own fans.
But that's not all. Twice last week Iowa coach Fran McCaffery blasted a caller on his radio show for bagging on senior forward Zach McGabe:
“(McCabe’s) going to score 900 points and get 500 rebounds and he’s trying to rip the kid on my radio show. That’s not going to happen, not on my show. I don’t care if the guy — I was this close to saying, ‘You know what? Don’t preface what you’re getting ready to say by saying I’m a big Hawk fan. No, you’re not. No, you’re not. Go root for somebody else.’ I don’t have time for that guy.”
It all came to a head in a 79-74 loss to Wisconsin. Zach McGabe didn't play well, and once again he was subjected to online abuse. He lashed out in a profane-laden, since-deleted tweet. (You can imagine how Iowa fans reacted after being told to "suck a fat one.")
Remember Nate Kaeding? The former Iowa kicker took up a defense of McGabe:
May all the trolls who take to twitter and ridicule collegiate athletes (kids) go find a bridge and take domicile underneath it.
— Nate Kaeding (@Kaeding_Nate) February 22, 2014
Preferably a bridge covering with no cell phone reception or wi-fi.
— Nate Kaeding (@Kaeding_Nate) February 22, 2014
Greg Brunner, a former Hawkeye basketball player who now plays in Italy, also seems fed up with Hawkeye fans' antics:
Ugly situation in Iowa City, to be sure; not ideal especially with March Madness lurking around the corner.
Obviously, a majority of fans aren't abusing the players, but as always, it only takes a small, vocal minority to ruin things for the people who have the mental capacity required to breathe through their noses on demand.
