'
League: NBA G League
Conference: Western
Location: Des Moines, Iowa
Venue: Wells Fargo Arena
''
The Iowa Wolves is the exclusive developmental program of its parent franchise, the
Minnesota Timberwolves
. An early member of the NBA Developmental League — the former name of the G League — Des Moines received an expansion franchise in 2007 when it was known as the Iowa Energy. The team stormed out of the gate with three straight division titles in its first four years of existence. This successful run culminated in the 2011 league championship with a three-game victory over the most dominant D League team, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. During these NBA D League days, Iowa served as an important source of professional talent for several NBA teams, including the Washington Wizards, Memphis Grizzlies and Chicago Bulls. The Timberwolves announced that it would purchase the Energy in 2017 and rebrand it as the Wolves. Minnesota has the exclusive right to send or recall players based on the G League rules. Fans of professional basketball can purchase Iowa Wolves tickets at StubHub, a leading source for live events.
''Since the franchise was founded in 2007, three different Iowa players have won the league MVP. Othyus Jeffers, an undrafted player out of Robert Morris, averaged 19 points and eight rebounds for Iowa between 2008 and 2014. He was the MVP in his final season. Curtis Stinson, who graduated from Iowa State and spent six seasons with the Energy, peaked at 19 points and nearly 10 assists during his 2011 MVP run. Courtney Sims from Mich. averaged nearly 18 points and nine rebounds between 2007 and 2011. He won MVP in 2009. Besides the long-term developmental projects, Iowa has also served as a destination for several high NBA draft picks such as James Johnson, Shabazz Muhammad, Marquis Teague and Glen Rice Jr.'
'In the 2018 to 2019 season, Iowa finished as the last-place team in the Midwest Division and the 11th team in the Western Conference with a record of 20-30. The Wolves did not make the postseason tournament. Among players with at least 10 appearances, Darius Johnson-Odom led the team with 22.5 points per game. Brandon Goodwin contributed another 21 points and eight rebounds.'
'
The latest NBA G League schedule consists of 50 games between Nov. 8, 2019, and March 28, 2020. Iowa plays four games each against its three division rivals: the
Memphis Hustle
, the
Sioux Falls Skyforce
and the
Oklahoma City Blue
. Iowa also plays four-game series against the
Santa Cruz Warriors
, the
Rio Grande Valley Vipers
and other critical Western Conference opponents. If Iowa finishes in the top six of the conference, then it will advance to the NBA G League postseason, which begins no earlier than March 31.
''The current head coach of the Iowa Wolves is Sam Newman-Beck. After graduating from Emerson College, Newman-Beck spent a year as an assistant video coordinator with the Boston Celtics in 2009. The Minnesota Timberwolves hired him a year later for a long, productive relationship as a coaching associate and video scouting director. Newman-Beck was briefly hired as an assistant coach by the Erie BayHawks in 2018, but he returned to the Timberwolves' organization as Iowa’s head coach on Sept. 4, 2019.'
'
The
Wells Fargo Arena
, which is also the home of the
Iowa Wild
hockey team and the
Iowa Barnstormers
football squad, has a capacity of nearly 17,000 for basketball games, including 630 club seats. A whiskey bar known as The Fort located on the suite level is open to all ticket holders. Handicapped accessible seating, along with one guest seat, is available throughout the arena.
'