Lang
12/10/20
The Iowa women’s basketball team won a thrilling game over cross-state rival Iowa State Wednesday night, but one notable fan wasn’t around to see it.
Brian Joens, father of current Cyclone and former City High star Ashley Joens, was ejected from Carver-Hawkeye Arena before tipoff. The incident was first alluded to by Iowa men’s basketball player Connor McCaffery, who tweeted, “Tonight was the first time I’ve ever seen a fan be ejected BEFORE tip-off.” The replies to the tweet indicated the fan in question was Joens. KCJJ was able to confirm that with two fans in attendance.
Joens himself confirmed the incident, replying to McCaffery, “they threw me out because I sat in a seat away from all the fans by myself to social distance, and they said it wasn’t my assigned seat so when I asked if they had checked with everyone she said I had to leave. 200 fans in a 15500 seat gym and I sat in the wrong seat.”
Joens later tweeted, “First time I have ever been kicked out of a game for sitting in the wrong seat. 200 people in a 15,500 seat gym and I socially distanced and they kicked me out. Bluder and Jensen have some serious issues”. The last sentence is a reference to Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder and associate head coach Jan Jensen. Joens later deleted the tweet.
Joens later replied to tweets from Frank Garza…father of Iowa men’s star Luka Garza, and Des Moines Register reporter Chad Leistokow. In both cases he wrote about assigned seats, and why the mens’ basketball team was allowed to attend the game. He then replied to a tweet by former Iowa women’s basketball star Megan Gustafson, asking, “Why did Whitney leave?”, an apparent reference to former Iowa player Whitney Jennings, who transferred to Butler in 2016. At the time, Jennings said she wanted to move closer to her home in Logansport, IN.
No criminal charges were filed following Joens’ ejection, although witnesses told KCJJ UI Police had to follow Joens around the building before he finally left.
Iowa later won the game, 82-80.
Joens, who owns Joensey’s restaurant on North Dodge Street, also made news recently after an October incident at the UI Quickcare clinic near his business.
According to police, a roofer at Quickcare called dispatchers on the afternoon of October 12th and said that a man was mad at him and took his ladder. Various witnesses told police they saw Joens take the ladder from the side of the building and bring it into his restaurant, then throw the ladder out the back. Joens told officers he didn’t take the ladder, but was able to point the roofer to its location. Joens allegedly caused about $30 in damage to the ladder.
A non-jury trial is set for February 5th. If convicted, Joens could be sentenced to up to 30 days in jail.
