Brands - best coach in country

ICAlumni

ICAlumni

Well-Known Member
In any sport.
And it's not close.
He's pushing to win his 4th title in a row.
He just won his 4th undefeated Big Ten season in a row.
His teams haven't lost in 74 matches.
His team was ranked around #12 this year and expected to do nothing. I doubt many would say this team isn't a huge threat for the NC.
If he's doing THIS, THIS year, with this level of talent... well, I don't need to spell it out.
Next year this team will only be better and the year after that...
He's got 3-4 guys who haven't sniffed the mat that I think will be phenomenal.
He's beaten perennial powers OkSt and MN back into submission.
He beat MN and PSU on their home mats this season in super-harsh and tough environments when no one gave them a chance.

Dude is just incredible.

Do I need to go on?
 




ICAlumni said:
In any sport.
And it's not close.
He's pushing to win his 4th title in a row.
He just won his 4th undefeated Big Ten season in a row.
His teams haven't lost in 74 matches.
His team was ranked around #12 this year and expected to do nothing. I doubt many would say this team isn't a huge threat for the NC.
If he's doing THIS, THIS year, with this level of talent... well, I don't need to spell it out.
Next year this team will only be better and the year after that...
He's got 3-4 guys who haven't sniffed the mat that I think will be phenomenal.
He's beaten perennial powers OkSt and MN back into submission.
He beat MN and PSU on their home mats this season in super-harsh and tough environments when no one gave them a chance.

Dude is just incredible.

Do I need to go on?
Click to expand...


Just to play devil's advocate...

Iowa football fans are always pimpin Kirk and how he does so much with so little, and indeed he does. However, often in those same instances we talk about how good he would be if he could bring in the top flight talent like the USC's and and Alabama's. Let's face it, Tom has that in our wrestling program. Iowa is wrestling.

That said. Tom does an amazing job and I couldn't imagine a better fit for the job. But you had better believe wrestling fans around the country have to somewhat view Iowa wrestling like we view the big boys in football.

Just sayin...
 




OnLookin08 said:
Just to play devil's advocate...

Iowa football fans are always pimpin Kirk and how he does so much with so little, and indeed he does. However, often in those same instances we talk about how good he would be if he could bring in the top flight talent like the USC's and and Alabama's. Let's face it, Tom has that in our wrestling program. Iowa is wrestling.

That said. Tom does an amazing job and I couldn't imagine a better fit for the job. But you had better believe wrestling fans around the country have to somewhat view Iowa wrestling like we view the big boys in football.

Just sayin...
Click to expand...

It seems like we never score the biggest recruits. The McCauley's seemingly never find their way to IC. Brands can usually keep the best in-state kids and then gets a great national batch. But when you look at where our kids are ranked in high school coming in, it's still pretty rare for them to be the top-ranked.

Brands does alot with his talent. From Midlands to now is unreal.
 


All I can say is that the few times I've run into Brands in person he's looked like he's ready to kick the *** of every single person in the immediate area, just for fun. I can't imagine there's a more intense coach anywhere in the country, and if there is, I wouldn't want to meet him.
 


CRwrestling said:
It seems like we never score the biggest recruits. The McCauley's seemingly never find their way to IC. Brands can usually keep the best in-state kids and then gets a great national batch. But when you look at where our kids are ranked in high school coming in, it's still pretty rare for them to be the top-ranked.

Brands does alot with his talent. From Midlands to now is unreal.
Click to expand...

I think the reason why we're not getting the top talent is because we dont offer a lot of scholarship money. If we were able to offer money the way bball or football could then we would probably win the next 100 national titles.
 


How many Division I wrestling programs are there in the country? I'm guessing somewhere around 75-80, but I honestly have no clue.

I think it's obvious that we have the best coach in the sport on our side, and the thought of him being here for many years to come should make us all very excited.
 




I <3 Brands...and I am a huge bball guy....but that energy and fire has brought me back to Carver for wrestling....I love it when he commented before a couple years ago that "preseason #4 just isn't good enough...we expect to be #1, that's the goal." <-That is what I love to see...he talks the talk....then they go walk the walk.
 


Brands should win Big Ten coach of the year hands down. Rebuilding year and they won eveything in the Big Ten.
But we are not liked by outsiders, so who knows!Big Ten tourney may decide who gets the c of the year in the big ten.
Nationally- I think they want to give it and spread it around. So if Cornell wins the Nationals, look for Kroll to win it.
 


OnLookin08 said:
Just to play devil's advocate...

Iowa football fans are always pimpin Kirk and how he does so much with so little, and indeed he does. However, often in those same instances we talk about how good he would be if he could bring in the top flight talent like the USC's and and Alabama's. Let's face it, Tom has that in our wrestling program. Iowa is wrestling.

That said. Tom does an amazing job and I couldn't imagine a better fit for the job. But you had better believe wrestling fans around the country have to somewhat view Iowa wrestling like we view the big boys in football.

Just sayin...
Click to expand...

Tom Brands gets good talent, especially good Iowa talent, but lately many of the top blue chippers from the highest-ranked state high schools (Ohio, PA, NJ) have gone to Penn State, Cornell, and Oklahoma State. He does have an easier time of it than the football team, but it's not like North Carolina or Duke in basketball. And yes, wrestling fans around the country view us as the hated evil empire, which is largely due to Gable's dominance over all those years. With Brands, other teams feel like they're having a flashback.
Tom Brands has done an AMAZING job as head coach, and he is the best wrestling coach in the country, and perhaps the best college coach of any sport.
 
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olivecourt said:
All I can say is that the few times I've run into Brands in person he's looked like he's ready to kick the *** of every single person in the immediate area, just for fun. I can't imagine there's a more intense coach anywhere in the country, and if there is, I wouldn't want to meet him.
Click to expand...


He's not a coach yet but if he does become one, Brent Metcalf is cut from the same mold.
 


Did anyone notice during the intereviews of the Mn meet that our wrestlers are never satisfied? When they interviewed MN wrestlers, you could just tell that they were happy with the outcome and nothing else. This is why Iowa can take avg/good talent and make them champions. It started with Gable, took a break, and continues with Brands. No knock on Zalesky, but the intensity of coach never matched that of wrestler.

Anyone want to guess who replaces Brands? I'm thinking Perry or Metcalf, though I can see Perry taking over Ok St.
 


I would be shocked if it were Perry. That's a completely different mind set than what we've had over the past 35 years minus Zalesky. I think Brands will be there for awhile so it's pretty premature anyways, but i'll be disappointed if it's Perry.
 


OnLookin08 said:
Just to play devil's advocate...

Iowa football fans are always pimpin Kirk and how he does so much with so little, and indeed he does. However, often in those same instances we talk about how good he would be if he could bring in the top flight talent like the USC's and and Alabama's. Let's face it, Tom has that in our wrestling program. Iowa is wrestling.

That said. Tom does an amazing job and I couldn't imagine a better fit for the job. But you had better believe wrestling fans around the country have to somewhat view Iowa wrestling like we view the big boys in football.

Just sayin...
Click to expand...

See I will kinda agree w/ you on this one. Maybe we don't always get the #1 overall guy at each weight, but it seems like a popular thing for Iowa fans to always say we get "average" recruits adn make them into Champions. Then many point out Jesse Whitmer. Which is fine, and I COMPLETELY agree we do more w/ our guys than any other school in the nation and have done so for years. But when you start saying some names of guys we've gotten over the years McGinness, McIlravy, Ironside, Perry, Mocco, Metcalf, Borschel, McDoungh, Moore, etc, etc, etc. All of these guys were top recruits in the nation and that's just a few. It's not like we're signing guys who got beat out at sectionals and they are national champs 2 years later. I just always chuckle when I hear people say that we get "average to above average" guys, it's pretty instulting to them actually.
 


I'm not going to buy into the, "we never seem to score the big recruits".
The april, 2010 intermat rankings, had 189# Evans, NJ #1.
HWT. Telford, DE. #2.
135# Dziewa, PA. #1.
140#, Ballweg #3
160#, Moore #2
When it comes to wrestlers like McCauley, I don't think he could beat Moore or Kelly. People on wrestling forums make some of these wrestlers out to be greater than they are. Look at Alton from PennState. Can't seem to beat the big boys. I have a friend who lives in California who has watched Mcintosh wrestle numerous times. He told me that the kid looks like the hulk but doesn't have alot of good wrestling technique but relies alot on strength. If I remember, Evans beat McIntosh a few years ago. I think we do just fine.
 


I think McCauley would beat Kelly for sure. And you're using Alton as an example of kids who aren't having college success? As a true freshman he's beat everyone he wrestled except for the top 4 guys. And all of those guys have been in a college room 3,4,5 years. he has 17 pins as well. If anything he's and example of how the top elite studs can come in and compete right away.
 


Brands does get top talent. So does Cael Sanderson. The difference? I don't need to spell it out. Getting top talent doesn't mean a damn thing if you can't coach it, and even more importantly... if you can't MOTIVATE it.

See Okie State is always good, MN is always good, ISU used to always be good (although i think they are on a sharp decline) but they had some flash in the pan years and Iowa continues to dominate. If you take pre-1960 out, then Okie State looks pretty pedestrian. Still a top notch team but nothing like Iowa. The current era has been nothing but Hawks and staying atop the nation, keeping guys motivated, doing it year in and year out is not easy. For Brands to do what he is doing this year is nothing short of spectacular. I still think PSU is more loaded but i'd never take them over the Hawks... ever.

Do I think we win Nationals this year? Not sure. Tourney-builds are different than dual-meet builds. This team is built well for dual meets. They haven't proven much in tourneys this year but those were all a long time ago. The BT tourney will tell you a lot.

Big time excitement in 2 weeks.
 


its very impressive what hes done with this team everyone counted out the hawks all year long this season is one for the books!
 


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