The NCAA tournament is upon us. There is nothing like an interview with Iowa head wrestling coach Tom Brands to get us fans more than ready for the action. Let’s get right to it.
Coach Brands, what are your initial reactions to the seeds that came out for nationals?
Tom Brands: I’ve never been one to react to that stuff. It’s one of those things where it’s out of your control. It’s in a committee’s hands. Now there is more of a formula and we do talk about it throughout the year about how matches can impact the postseason. When it’s all said and done, there is nothing you can do about it. You go to work one match at a time.
You have your leader Thomas Gilman seeded number one at 125 to lead you into battle.
Tom Brands: Just keep doing what you are doing. The matches that are closer than he wants and we want is because of a little bit of strategy on opponent’s part. Most of the time, and when I say most of the time there was once where we really got slowed down. We did a good job in the Big Ten finals where I think we could have scored more takedowns and we were in at the end for another takedown. We just have to continue to get two hands to the leg and those types of things and doing what he does best. But I tell you what, when opponents are strategizing, he seems to be able to get to his holds and score. We just gotta think about opening it up. Keep thinking domination.
Cory Clark had a close match in the Big Ten finals. I am very confident about him heading into Nationals as a number four seed.
Tom Brands: We will have Micic as the five seed and we are on Tomasello’s side so we will see him again if we do our job. Again, one match at a time is important to keep in context here. That match at the Big Tens, we give two points away in that match with a penalty point and then an escape with a second to go. That’s the difference. We probably gotta have a little bit more urgency at the beginning of that match and not really working into it. Another thing is there was a lot of time where we were dodging bullets when we were draped over the guy and locked on his arm instead of throwing our legs back with good solid moves and hitting good basic counters. I think we are going to be ok there. We gotta push the pace early.
Topher Carton has a pigtail match at 141 to get into the tournament. He got the last bid for nationals at 141 from the Big Ten. A senior is his first national tournament.
Tom Brands: When he walked off the mats at the Big Tens, he said :”No more boneheaded mistakes.” What he meant by that is he was rolling with a chicken wing in and got put to his back. When he was on top and the guy was rolling he got caught on his back and gave up ten back points in two matches. The first match he lost by four and the second match he lost 11-9. Those are big holes to dig out. You do not want to be in holes, you want to be throwing the dirt on your opponent. So you gotta be smart and I think he said it best about no more boneheaded mistakes. Bottom line is he is very capable. He has good offense, he’s strong in basic positions, and he has some funky stuff as well. When he hits that stuff when he is not necessarily looking for it and it is automatic, that is when he has the most success with it.
At 149, Brandon Sorensen dropped a close match in the semi-finals of Big Tens and then came back with a major decision and fall. Now as a number five seed at nationals, he has Jordan of Ohio State and Retherford of Penn State on his side.
Tom Brands: Well, that loss was maybe in the same category as his other losses. Slow, a guy tricks him, my feet aren’t moving and I’m hanging my outside hand. You have to be moving your opponents constantly and when you change, in the second period, they are an opportunist and very strategy minded. They’re very tactical and we have to be smarter. They out smarted us there. We gotta be more intense the entire time as well.
At 157, Michael Kemerer has been ranked second most of the season and is seeded second for nationals What are you expecting out of you freshman at 157?
Tom Brands: He’s doing a good job. We gotta keep it going. I think he’s thinking differently about that Nolf guy now after the second time against him.
Joey Gunther got a wildcard at 165 to get into the national tournament. What can we expect from Joey Gunther at nationals?
Tom Brands: I think the way that he earned his way to a wildcard bid was because of the work that he did in January and February where he won some tough matches that were maybe upsets on paper. They’re not upsets to him or us. You gotta realize that these things are not automatic. Just because you beat someone before, they’re good at a certain position. You did well against them the first time around and you feel like you can relax the second time and then it burns you. You gotta up your game every time. That is a cliche to say, but it’s gotta happen. I think it was a very good lesson to learn number one. And number two now he gets another chance. So I think we will be fine there.
I said in my Big Ten preview that Alex Meyer at 174 was going to be my dark horse bet for the national tournament. He is seeded eleventh and is a defending All American as a senior.
Tom Brands: I talked about digging a hole for yourself and that’s critical for him. And that’s all I can say because every fan in the stands and he knows. He knows it’s green light time. Just go.
Sammy Brooks had a great Big Ten tournament where he won the title at 184. He will have potential matchups with Ohio State and Penn State, two of your big rivals in the team race, on his side of the bracket. Brooks looks like he is is on a roll heading into nationals as a senior.
Tom Brands: His best wrestling is every time out. It seems to be more basic but still with his flair that he has. You saw what happened on the edge of the mat with two underhooks. And that’s the flair I’m talking about. Good job, keep it going.
Cash Wilcke got a late wildcard at 197 to qualify for nationals. A great experience for your freshman and a big help in the team race.
Tom Brands: The thing about Cash Wilcke that a lot of times when when guys don’t make it, you have to wonder what they’re thinking. Is it time to go on spring break or whatever. But he went forward the right way. He was pissed off at the world. He got a second, second chance. He was not an original wildcard and the guy from West Virginia can’t go and you’re the next guy in. That’s why you need to stay in it until the very end. You never know what can happen. Having the benefit of having a good mindset going in even though he was down a little bit. He was at the workout that Monday, he got his body recovered, and probably didn’t think he was going. The next thing you know West Virginia has an injury, and then we’re in. Time to go.
When you leave on Tuesday, is it about keeping their weight down or what is the approach?
Tom Brands: It’s about getting yourself ready to go. Our weight is under control. If we are having problems with our weight right now, we are in trouble. These guys are disciplined. They just continue to get what they need. A lot of the workouts are individual. It’s still putting an edge on them and making sure these guys are feeling good every day when they leave. We’ve done a good job with that and our guys are individual enough and accountable to themselves that they know what they need. They get what they need.
How do you deal with your team getting everybody ready for themself as an individual. Do you talk about the team race?
Tom Brands: We talk about the team race. What can help the team race. I think these guys, especially as they are wrestling deeper into their careers, they realize the importance of the team race. Here’s the thing. Go out there and do your job and the team race takes care of itself. There are reminders that there’s times where this just doesn’t come down to being just about you. It’s about our fans’ expectation, your family’s expectations, about our administration’s expectations, it’s about being an Iowa Hawkeye. Being an Iowa Hawkeye is being about all those things. The team race is very important.
