A new pack of Wolves

11/5/2025

The 2024 season was less than ideal for the Iowa Wolves. For the second season in a row, the squad only won seven games, compiling a 7-27 record in back-to-back seasons, and the third season in a row when the squad failed to hit double-digit wins. G-League teams are not all about wins and losses, though, as the main function of the organization is to develop talent for the Minnesota Timberwolves up north. 

The Iowa Wolves have since seen a major shakeup. There is a new general manager in town: Josh Gershon was most recently director of basketball intelligence/assistant general manager for the Wolves. Also, Ernest Scott is out the door as head coach, replaced by new Head Coach Mahmoud Abdelfattah. We spoke with Abdelfattah to find out what he plans to do to turn the Wolves back into the winning franchise it was during its Iowa Energy days.

As a Chicago native, Abdelfattah is already acclimatized to the harsh winters found in the Midwest. He played college basketball at Wilbur Wright College and St. Cloud State University, where he realized coaching would be his next step.

“When I was a collegiate player, I knew I wasn’t good enough to be an NBA player,” Abdelfattah said with a laugh. “That’s when I realized I had to figure out a different path. I always told myself that I want to be the coach that I always wanted to play for.”

He believes his organizational and communication skills are big reasons why the Iowa Wolves presented him with the opportunity to bring his talents to Des Moines. 

“I’m very thankful that they gave me that opportunity, and they saw how organized I was. They saw my plan going into Iowa. I showed them some of the things that I would do in regard to developing guys and how our communication would be from Iowa to Minnesota,” Abdelfattah said.

 

The basketball 

A pillar of Abdelfattah’s coaching philosophy is allowing players to be themselves. Knowing and understanding what his players are working toward in the weight room, on the court and in preparation is different. 

Abdelfattah comes with solid coaching experience. He spent four years as an assistant at his alma mater, St. Cloud; one year as an assistant with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, G-League affiliate with the Houston Rockets; and three years as their head coach. His coaching record during that time was 49-43 with one season ending in the quarterfinals and his last resulting in a G-League championship, something the Iowa Wolves have not accomplished since 2011. After that, he spent one season leading the Sydney Kings in Australia.

Besides some rule changes, Abdelfattah points to the ever-changing roster of a G-League team as the main difference between the two leagues.

“Your roster can change every day. I believe when we won a championship, we had 25-plus different guys on the roster. The G-League is the only place like that,” Abdelfattah said.

Dealing with that many roster changes can stretch and strain even the best teams and coaches. It is a problem that got the better of the Wolves last season, with both its squad and the Timberwolves being hit frequently by the injury bug. 

When the Timberwolves howl, the Iowa Wolves have to answer. Abdelfattah says having solid communication between him and his players is most important.

“Having consistent communication with the guys and helping them understand if they don’t know what the G-League is about, that they have to stay ready. I’ve been around where the eighth, ninth or 10th man on the roster is not playing the first few games, and then he’s going to be your most important piece toward the end of the year, trying to make the playoffs, and winning the championship,” Abdelfattah said. 

At the end of the day, he understands the G-League is a stepping stone for these players. The goal for them is to make it to the next level.

“They want to be on an NBA roster. But, you have to turn that thinking into, winning is the ultimate goal. And, if we all win, then individual success comes out of the entire group,” Abdelfattah said.

Abdelfattah has his own style of coaching, but when the goal is to develop players for the next level, those players need to be prepared for what the Minnesota team wants to do. How he blends his style with Minnesota’s is crucial to both teams’ success.

“It’s actually been great for me, because just being around different staff, I truly invest in learning, you know, what they do at the NBA level, because it allows me the opportunity to learn another style, different types of schemes, and try to implement what they want down in the G,” Abdelfattah said. “Whatever we do in Minnesota, I truly try to do my best to implement all of that in Iowa.”

When it comes to whether his players are truly capable of playing at the next level, Abdelfattah looks for something besides their playing ability. 

“Usually, the guys that have a consistent routine and a consistent work ethic, because in the G-League, you can say your back is against the wall. Some of these guys take the opportunity for granted or really don’t value the opportunity that they’re in. But some guys truly take it and run with it. And when those guys put forth the work, and those guys are in the gym consistently, those guys have a routine that is second to none. Eventually, they’re going to pass up some of the guys that maybe have been former draft guys or guys that have been up on NBA rosters,” Abdelfattah said.

 

The players

It is difficult to get a read on who is going to be on the Iowa Wolves roster ahead of time not only for the media but for the coaches themselves. Rosters are never truly final in the G-League, and that extends to preseason as well. Not even Abdelfattah was sure who he would have on his squad at the time of our interview. He was only able to say for certain that Nojel Eastern and Martez Brown will be back in Iowa for 2025-2026.

Brown was a staple for the Wolves in his first season with the team, playing in 33 games, averaging 7.6 points and 6.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1 steal and 0.9 blocks. 

Eastern, playing in his second season in Iowa, averaged 13.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 26 games. Expect to see both Brown and Eastern get extended playing time again this year. 

As for the rest of the roster, several young prospects in Minnesota could see time in Iowa. Rookie Rocco Zikarsky is a 7’3” center hailing from Australia who had solid performances during the summer league. Forward Leonard Miller is another young player in the team’s pipeline. He played in 13 games for the Timberwolves last season. 

The Wolves need to replace the offensive output they received from Trevor Keels, a player who had been a mainstay in Iowa for the last three seasons. Finding someone to take over his team-high 20.7 points per game will be crucial. 

 

The business 

The glitz and the glamor of professional basketball are largely played out on the court in front of the fans. But, there is plenty of work done behind the scenes to make sure the team is running smoothly. In steps Team President Drew Van Meeteren. Van Meeteren did not originally work in sports, nor was it his original goal to work within a sports organization. He spent the bulk of his career working in corporate America, including 18 years at Principal Financial Group. A major event in his life changed the path he was on. 

“My daughter passed away when she was 5, and it was at that point when we set up a fund at Blank Children’s Hospital to help special needs children purchase special needs equipment. Those things are very expensive,” Van Meeteren said. “I came from a golf family, so I started up a golf tournament as the fundraiser. Nine years later, we had raised a quarter of a million dollars for this fund, and the cards and letters I got in the mail for these kids were just life-changing for me. It was at that point where I’m like, I need to do something different. The impact, the passion, the everything that I was receiving — and from the impact we were making in this community — I’m like, I want that every day.”

And so, he did something different. Van Meeteren eventually found himself with the PGA Tour, which, with each of its tournaments, gives back to a local charity, such as the Principal Charity Classic. He became the tour director for the Korn Ferry tour, which is essentially the minor leagues for the PGA. 

“The long and short of that is, I love what I do. I don’t feel like I work a day in my life, because we use this platform just like I did with the PGA, as a tool for the betterment of the community,” Van Meeteren said.

Community engagement is something the Iowa Wolves lean into. The Iowa Wolves have the Read to Achieve program. Since it began four years ago, more than 12,000 kindergarten through eighth-grade students have participated. Classrooms that read 500 or more minutes by Jan. 1 are entered to win the opportunity for a field trip to the Iowa Wolves Education Day game on Tuesday, Feb. 10. There is also the Leader of the Pack, which, through nominations, honors community members who have shown outstanding service and leadership to the Iowa community. The DASH auctions also benefit various local organizations. 

“It’s what we’re doing as a part of our platform that’s important to us. It’s not the basketball game; it’s not the players. It’s what are we doing with our platform, right? Using our sports platform to make a difference in the community,” Van Meeteren said.

Van Meeteren also stressed how important it is for fans to realize how fortunate the community is to have had a G-League present in the city for as long as it has. 

“The G-League has been in this city for 18-plus years. People don’t realize that, and I think it’s good for people to know the longevity. When you’re in minor league sports, a lot of people are like, what’s the credibility of the minor league team? Are they going to be here today, gone tomorrow? Eighteen years of longevity is certainly something to be proud of and something that the city doesn’t necessarily know,” Van Meeteren said. 

The Iowa Wolves are considered part of the trio of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Lynx (WNBA). Van Meeteren points to the organization investing in a permanent office for the Iowa Wolves staff as a commitment not only to the team but to Des Moines. 

“Minnesota absolutely loves the Des Moines market, and they feel this is a perfect fit for their G-League team. They want us to be here for a long, long time,” Van Meeteren said.

Van Meeteren is also on the board of directors for the Des Moines Partnership, on the board of the Greater Des Moines Sports Commission, and is on the executive committee for team presidents in the G-League. Each of these helps him run the Iowa Wolves as effectively as possible. 

“I have a responsibility, just like a lot of other businesses down here, to make downtown Des Moines the best it can be. (The Greater Des Moines Sports Commission) is an opportunity for all of my peers and myself to discuss things that are happening from a sports perspective, from colleges to minor leagues, to hotels and everything. (Executive Committee of Team Presidents) has an executive call monthly, and we share different best practices. That is an amazing resource for me, because we’re all trying to do the same thing, but yet we’re in our own respective markets,” Van Meeteren said. 

While he doesn’t control the X’s and O’s, Van Meeteren’s goals are clear: Make sure the team runs smoothly, and make sure there are satisfied butts in seats. 

“It’s not about selling tickets. It’s not about whether the team is 10-0 or 0-10. It’s about an opportunity for, in our case, our core audience, families and two and a half kids, to come out, have a great time and leave here knowing that they had a great time and they want to come back again,” Van Meeteren said. ♦