Storm brewing at SE Polk, Hawks don't show, Grandpa is Yoda

• A high school basketball player is suspended by his school right before a big game. The player's family goes to a judge and gets an injunction blocking the suspension. The player scores 8 points as his team advances to state. The district prepares to fight the judge's ruling. Sound like a mess? It is. And it's an important topic moving forward. The school is Southeast Polk, the player is Senior starter Tony Sandquist. The Des Moines Register's Tom Witosky will have an in-depth story on the front page of Friday's Des Moines Register. Important implications.
• The Iowa men's basketball team set a new program record for losses in a season Wednesday night, and the Hawks did it in grand fashion, they stunk up the joint. Iowa looked awful at Wisconsin. Most troubling, the Hawks body language looked like they wanted to be somewhere else from the jump. It was another step back.
• I'm not sure who's more frustrated right now, Hawkeye or Cyclone fans. Hard to believe these programs are this down at the same time, with no good hope in site. I don't envy Gary Barta or Jamie Pollard. Both men hired and think highly of their coaches. Both coaches do things the right way in a sport corrupted by shady characters, but the bottom line with fans, no matter what they say, is winning. And there is next to no winning going on, and none that matters.
• My son Colin turned six today. We gave him a Yoda for his birthday. He says Yoda looks like Grandpa. What do you think?