Evaluating men’s basketball prospects outside the major recruiting rankings comes with inherent risk. And summer in Iowa has a small margin of error.
Drake and Northern Iowa have to successfully scout the right player with suitable talents at the perfect time, or each would likely lose them to a mid-major rival or a bigger school waiting to swoop in.
That danger makes July’s live periods all the more important for the Missouri Valley Conference programs. Even with limited openings for 2017, Drake and UNI have to maximize their time when the first period opens at 5 p.