3 things for next year

[NikeHawk21]

No, there's no rule, but I expect him to get better. That would be my assumption for him if his name was Connor McCfro. That was your assumption for Dailey last year. Mine too. It didn't go that way. But I expect Connor to mature and take on a larger role as he develops in the program. You're the one trying to completely replace a guy, which is I think is unlikely knowing Fran's program. Very unlikely.

Don't we do this every year? You replace guys who aren't even here yet with guys already in the program? I expect him to mature and I expect that he'll be the best option for the team at back up PG at least early on and Iowa has a very difficult Non Con. He's a key to Iowa's success moving forward IMO - he's not to you and that's ok you think that, I think you're wrong.

You think he will improve so much that he will be more deserving of minutes than Moss is? (Again assuming Joe T is better).

Guards, and Point guards especially don’t typically make huge strides in their games at the college level. Like I said earlier, for the most part you either have it or you don’t. He will get better, but to what extent.

This is all hypothetical anyway. We don’t know how good Joe T will be just yet. We can be almost certain that Connor will get minutes, but that by no means makes it the correct decision. Fran has been flat out wrong about players and rotations plenty in his time here.

Yes, a healthy college basketball program should replace their weak links with upgrades, that’s a great way to improve. See Iowa this year replacing Wagner Ellingson with Joe Wieskamp and becoming a completely different team.

Onto your last point. Do you think Connor was a key piece this year because he was simply just that good, or simply because Iowa didn’t have any other options to handle the ball and spell JBo? Well next year we have a ball handler coming in, so that need lessens, and then it becomes decision time on who is the better player again IMO.

Honestly our evaluations on him as a player are just off a bit, and that’s fine.

 

[NikeHawk21]

1) If TC returns, STOP having him set picks at top of key. He's zero threat 20' away from the basket - zero jump shot and a liability if he tries to dribble that distance. TC doesn't leave the blocks and refocuses his game on rebounding (positioning and trajectory anticipation are 100% coachable skills; effort is on him.) and dunking. He is NEVER going to develop any reliable jump-shot, so, unless his role changes to strictly this, I hope he leaves.

1a) If you insist on high screens, Nunge / Garza / Kriener / Pemsl are who should be doing it. If they role out, they do offer a jump-shooting threat. If they actually use it appropriately - role the screener toward the basket - these guys can handle it and finish better than Cook. Not to mention, if Cook is where he should be (on the block) they are more capable passers to him.

2) 99% zone defense.

3) Unless they are just crapping the bed, leave starters in for first 8 minutes. STOP the f-ing scripted, platoon rotations at the 4-minute TV timeout. It usually looks like a cluster-F the first few possessions as they get acclimated - especially on offense. This is no time to be squandering the game flow.

Worth noting, it was actually half court man to man defense that got us back into the game against Tennessee.

 

[NikeHawk21]

One question. Did you watch the Wofford v Kentucky game and if so, were you awake to catch glimpses of what a real pg can do for a team? Ie: the Wofford pg

I watched, he's quick but got eaten alive on defense. He was also a 5'10" 2 star with no other offers, if Iowa brought in that kid on paper Fran would take more heat. Instead he's bringing in a 4 star and that has some of us at least hopeful.

I watched the entire game and had my eye on Murphy because he’s from a town ten minutes from mine.

He’s really small. Finished with 6 assists but I only remember a couple that were real nice passes. Wofford has a ton of shooters so I’m guessing a few of his assists were just routine passes to them.

He averaged about the same amount of assists as JBo did this year and he plays in the SoCon, plus JBo plays off the ball some. Averaged less than 8 points and is a bad defender. I’d take JBo over him any day.

I think we could use an upgrade at PG but Storm Murphy is not the answer, it’s actually sort of laughable that out of all the kids in the tournament that’s the kid you settled on.

LSU kid was a good one. Houston looked to have a few. Obviously Morant at Murray State. Auburn has one.

If you’re that old, maybe it’s time to get your eyes checked.

 

[InGoodCo]

You think he will improve so much that he will be more deserving of minutes than Moss is? (Again assuming Joe T is better).

Guards, and Point guards especially don’t typically make huge strides in their games at the college level. Like I said earlier, for the most part you either have it or you don’t. He will get better, but to what extent.

This is all hypothetical anyway. We don’t know how good Joe T will be just yet. We can be almost certain that Connor will get minutes, but that by no means makes it the correct decision. Fran has been flat out wrong about players and rotations plenty in his time here.

Yes, a healthy college basketball program should replace their weak links with upgrades, that’s a great way to improve. See Iowa this year replacing Wagner Ellingson with Joe Wieskamp and becoming a completely different team.

Onto your last point. Do you think Connor was a key piece this year because he was simply just that good, or simply because Iowa didn’t have any other options to handle the ball and spell JBo? Well next year we have a ball handler coming in, so that need lessens, and then it becomes decision time on who is the better player again IMO.

Honestly our evaluations on him as a player are just off a bit, and that’s fine.

I think he was a key piece this year because Iowa didn't have any other options to handle to ball and spell Jbo. So, you've got a great point there. Next year, I expect him to take a step up. Not a huge one, but he has a lot intangibles IMO that the program lacks. I expect Joe T to be a better option long term as well - but maybe not out of the gate and Iowa won't be forced to have him be. That will be nice. I just think Connor will be a contributor to this program over the next 3 seasons and it won't be just because he's Fran's kid. Get over that. No one cares. I see him as just another kid on the court. A good ball handler that makes smart plays, doesn't seem to get rattled and can take pressure. Vocally, he seems like a leader already. He also seems to play with passion, have a chip on his shoulder and seems very competitive. That along with his size and athleticism means there is always going to be room for him at Iowa. That doesn't mean Joe T can't be good too. That doesn't mean he's a innings eater either. I imagine his minutes next year are fairly similar to this year.

 

[NikeHawk21]

I think he was a key piece this year because Iowa didn't have any other options to handle to ball and spell Jbo. So, you've got a great point there. Next year, I expect him to take a step up. Not a huge one, but he has a lot intangibles IMO that the program lacks. I expect Joe T to be a better option long term as well - but maybe not out of the gate and Iowa won't be forced to have him be. That will be nice. I just think Connor will be a contributor to this program over the next 3 seasons and it won't be just because he's Fran's kid. Get over that. No one cares. I see him as just another kid on the court. A good ball handler that makes smart plays, doesn't seem to get rattled and can take pressure. Vocally, he seems like a leader already. He also seems to play with passion, have a chip on his shoulder and seems very competitive. That along with his size and athleticism means there is always going to be room for him at Iowa. That doesn't mean Joe T can't be good too. That doesn't mean he's a innings eater either. I imagine his minutes next year are fairly similar to this year.

Given our differing stances on Connor as a player, I have no issue in anything you said here.

You might not believe me, but I really have no issue with Connor being Fran’s son, I really don’t. I’ve just never thought he was that great of a basketball player.

I know he’s going to play next year, but my point was Fran hasn’t always been right about managing the roster. I bitched all last season about Fran trying to play all the bigs and making Nunge play out of position. We are lucky we didn’t lose Nunge because of that, but it had nothing to do with someone being Fran’s son and everything to do with it just being a dumb decision. Point being Fran’s not immune to making poor moves.

Actually Fran managed Connor pretty well this year. Connor gave it his all and had some good moments, it’s just like I said I just don’t think very highly of him as a basketball player. With a “promising” PG coming in next year I just am not sure we will need Connor as much. That’s my stance on it, knowing full well he’s going to get minutes.

 

[PCHawk]

You think he will improve so much that he will be more deserving of minutes than Moss is? (Again assuming Joe T is better).

Guards, and Point guards especially don’t typically make huge strides in their games at the college level. Like I said earlier, for the most part you either have it or you don’t. He will get better, but to what extent.

This is all hypothetical anyway. We don’t know how good Joe T will be just yet. We can be almost certain that Connor will get minutes, but that by no means makes it the correct decision. Fran has been flat out wrong about players and rotations plenty in his time here.

Yes, a healthy college basketball program should replace their weak links with upgrades, that’s a great way to improve. See Iowa this year replacing Wagner Ellingson with Joe Wieskamp and becoming a completely different team.

Onto your last point. Do you think Connor was a key piece this year because he was simply just that good, or simply because Iowa didn’t have any other options to handle the ball and spell JBo? Well next year we have a ball handler coming in, so that need lessens, and then it becomes decision time on who is the better player again IMO.

Honestly our evaluations on him as a player are just off a bit, and that’s fine.

I agree that guards either have it or don't. If Joe T and CJ aren't at least comparable to Moss next year, it won't bode well for the future. They need to be instant upgrades over Connor and Dailey or we are in real trouble after next year.

 

[NikeHawk21]

I agree that guards either have it or don't. If Joe T and CJ aren't at least comparable to Moss next year, it won't bode well for the future. They need to be instant upgrades over Connor and Dailey or we are in real trouble after next year.

I would add we are in decent shape on several good looking guards for the 2020 class so more options.

 

[oldhawk12]

I watched the entire game and had my eye on Murphy because he’s from a town ten minutes from mine.

He’s really small. Finished with 6 assists but I only remember a couple that were real nice passes. Wofford has a ton of shooters so I’m guessing a few of his assists were just routine passes to them.

He averaged about the same amount of assists as JBo did this year and he plays in the SoCon, plus JBo plays off the ball some. Averaged less than 8 points and is a bad defender. I’d take JBo over him any day.

I think we could use an upgrade at PG but Storm Murphy is not the answer, it’s actually sort of laughable that out of all the kids in the tournament that’s the kid you settled on.

LSU kid was a good one. Houston looked to have a few. Obviously Morant at Murray State. Auburn has one.

If you’re that old, maybe it’s time to get your eyes checked.

Nah. I’m good. He’s a true pg. he looks to set up his teammates and run the offense. Bohannon looks for his own offense. Stats are for losers. For a pg, just like a qb, and a catcher. It’s about winning. Not stats. He did everything in his power to will and lead his team to a win over much more talented Kentucky. That’s all I needed to see

 

[dahlhawk]

1 plug Trussant (spelling?) in at pg. He is a good to great ballhandler, when he brings the ball up he is always looking upcourt. That's something we didn't see any of this year. We struggled just to get it past halfcourt.
2 we need to be move physical! Hit the weight room!
3 play the players doing the job, no rotating players in and out just for the sake of doing so. Players need to earn their playing time.

 

[dahlhawk]

I think we were in his Top 3. Not sure this is 100% true but thought I've read that he was going to MSU if not UK. I don't know if that is just speculation or if Ulis said that, though..

MSt signed a PG that week so it looked like Iowa had a great chance, but Kentucky had a decommittment on signing day and called Tyler, that's the story I heard.

 

[dahlhawk]

I do want Joe T to be great. If he is, he's your starter and Connor is the back up and Jordan and Moss are your 2's. I just don't THINK that's gonna happen with a freshman PG. We instead have the luxury of bringing him into the fold at a pace that can be advantageous to all parties.

I watched some of Joe T's games, his opponents looked like D1 players. This kid isn't playing in Muscatine, he's holding his own against some of the best high school players in the country. Hell, his team looks more athletic than half the teams in the Big. I know he is short, but he doesn't play short. He had an arsonal of moves near the basket. Guys gave have him a huge cushion because they were afraid to get smoked by him. Plus he always had his head up looking to pass, he might be a little wild but he's an upgrade.

 

[Caddy]

Elite PG, Elite PG, Elite PG

This ^^^. Our lack of athletic ability overall, but especially at the guard position is astounding. The way teams come out and pressure our guards at half court would never happen against a decent guard with even decent athletic ability.

 

[Caddy]

I watched, he's quick but got eaten alive on defense. He was also a 5'10" 2 star with no other offers, if Iowa brought in that kid on paper Fran would take more heat. Instead he's bringing in a 4 star and that has some of us at least hopeful.

Have you actually watched Bohannon and Connor play defense? They have the slowest feet of just about any guards in the nation. My God, anyone went by them whenever they wanted to, and on offense they can't make anyone pay for pressuring them because they are too slow to go around anyone.

 

[revkev73]

This ^^^. Our lack of athletic ability overall, but especially at the guard position is astounding. The way teams come out and pressure our guards at half court would never happen against a decent guard with even decent athletic ability.

JB was exhausted early on just trying to move the ball up the court against a quick PG.

 

[revkev73]

Worth noting, it was actually half court man to man defense that got us back into the game against Tennessee.

Plus a healthy, heaping portion of Tennessee choke. They were on their heals, ripe for the picking. Hero Ball ended it.

 

[NEIChawk]

1) More communication on defense
2) If you get beat on defense, someone better slide over to try and block the ball.....keep your eyes open and looking. No easy layups!
3) Rebound, rebound, rebound......waaaayyyy too many offensive rebound from Tennessee, and be damn strong with the ball on a defensive rebound.....too many losses in that regard

 

[dirtwrap]

I am not a Fran hater, nor do I think he is the greatest coach ever, but I think the spotlight should be on him and his staff. Why?

1. We will not be the most talented team in the country on paper, according to recruiting services nor by NBA talent. So we will not win the games we want to win on talent alone, and none of our additions will change that.
2. We have shown as a team that we can execute in all phases against the best teams in the country. Tennessee has been a number one team for a lot of the year and we could have beat them, no fluke. Michigan is probably a final four team and we beat them, no fluke. Even Michigan St, they beat us badly at the end of games, but we showed we could play with them and execute against them. My point is we have the pieces, right now, to win against anyone, if we play more consistent.

And that task is squarely on the coaches.

3. If Tyler comes back, can our coaches get him to focus on what he is great at and not what he is not. Can they challenge him to be a rebounding machine, a closer at the basket, and if they are going to work on anything at all, help him develop a 10 foot jump shot short of the free throw line to make him unstoppable in the pick and roll.
4. Can the coaches get our guys to buy into defensive effort, especially in the man to man and getting some ball pressure. We did it against Tennessee in the second half, one of the quickest and most physical teams we faced all year, and if we can do it against them we can do it against anyone.
5. Can our coaches get our guards to buy into and execute the inside/out mentality and run the offense through our bigs. We have amazing shooters that can catch and shoot but nobody that is nearly as effective off the dribble. We would be a nightmare for coaches if they knew that they were going to face constant pick and rolls, deep posts, shooters on the wings and cutters to the basket. Every time down the court, imagine that.
6. Can our coaches get our guys to value our possessions more. Its one thing to play street ball against an overmatched team, but in championship basketball every possession matters.
7. Can Fran challenge our guys effectively. As much as I hate Izzo and his antics, he certainly knows how to push the right buttons at the right time. Jordan Livers said even though Belein is the nicest guy in the world he does the same behind closed doors. Coach K, Roy Williams, they all inspire and it isnt pretty. Can Fran bring the intensity to our players to get them ready to spit nails and take the fight to our opponent rather than being passive and taking it on the chin from the start. Thats all coaching.

I firmly believe we are capable of great things, we have so many pieces and are multiple in so many ways. We can beat teams different ways, we can be physical, we can run, we can beat them inside, we can shoot and out-score them, etc. We just need to have better leadership, to identify how we need to play and then to keep focus on executing it.

 

[WindsorHawk]

Too much discussion on Connor to quote everything. He’s a coach’s son which I love. He gets a bit chippy which we need IMO. He can play some PG as needed. He could play some SG as well...post JB and IM especially. He’s insurance against injury. He’s an option if JT has some growing pains, starts playing out of control, etc. He’s played a year in the Big 10...which matters IMO.

Also, many of us were saying he has to shoot and hopefully make a 3 here and there to keep the defense honest. I remember the discussions when he was 2-17 for 11.8%. But it should be noted he was 4-12 in his last six games. That’s not off the charts but it’s 33.3% and an average of 2 attempts per game.

I want to see the best 8 players on the floor the majority of the time...don’t care what their name is. If someone has an off night or gets in foul trouble then another player is getting minutes. And this will happen more often than not. So I think there are enough minutes to keep the core 8 happy with a couple other guys playing Dailey minutes pretty regularly.

The 2 or 3 guys that don’t play much will see a lot of minutes opening up the next season. Work hard and improve. RS if it’s an option. If a RS isn’t an option then be Dom Uhl. Be a good teammate and don’t become a distraction.

 

[SteveGarvey1]

Too much discussion on Connor to quote everything. He’s a coach’s son which I love. He gets a bit chippy which we need IMO. He can play some PG as needed. He could play some SG as well...post JB and IM especially. He’s insurance against injury. He’s an option if JT has some growing pains, starts playing out of control, etc. He’s played a year in the Big 10...which matters IMO.

Also, many of us were saying he has to shoot and hopefully make a 3 here and there to keep the defense honest. I remember the discussions when he was 2-17 for 11.8%. But it should be noted he was 4-12 in his last six games. That’s not off the charts but it’s 33.3% and an average of 2 attempts per game.

I want to see the best 8 players on the floor the majority of the time...don’t care what their name is. If someone has an off night or gets in foul trouble then another player is getting minutes. And this will happen more often than not. So I think there are enough minutes to keep the core 8 happy with a couple other guys playing Dailey minutes pretty regularly.

The 2 or 3 guys that don’t play much will see a lot of minutes opening up the next season. Work hard and improve. RS if it’s an option. If a RS isn’t an option then be Dom Uhl. Be a good teammate and don’t become a distraction.

Connor gets his 3 % up to 30%, the defender will have to go out and guard him on the 3 point line, opening things up underneath.

Interesting question and maybe a possible poll question:

Which will be higher, Connor's batting average this season or his three point shooting percentage next season?

I could see them both around .275.

Discuss

 

[NikeHawk21]

Too much discussion on Connor to quote everything. He’s a coach’s son which I love. He gets a bit chippy which we need IMO. He can play some PG as needed. He could play some SG as well...post JB and IM especially. He’s insurance against injury. He’s an option if JT has some growing pains, starts playing out of control, etc. He’s played a year in the Big 10...which matters IMO.

Also, many of us were saying he has to shoot and hopefully make a 3 here and there to keep the defense honest. I remember the discussions when he was 2-17 for 11.8%. But it should be noted he was 4-12 in his last six games. That’s not off the charts but it’s 33.3% and an average of 2 attempts per game.

I want to see the best 8 players on the floor the majority of the time...don’t care what their name is. If someone has an off night or gets in foul trouble then another player is getting minutes. And this will happen more often than not. So I think there are enough minutes to keep the core 8 happy with a couple other guys playing Dailey minutes pretty regularly.

The 2 or 3 guys that don’t play much will see a lot of minutes opening up the next season. Work hard and improve. RS if it’s an option. If a RS isn’t an option then be Dom Uhl. Be a good teammate and don’t become a distraction.

To me it’s not really only about 3pt shooting, granted that’s a part of it.

In B1G play he shot an abysmal 36% from 2, those are mostly when he drives in there hoping to generate a foul.

Secondly in B1G play he had the highest turnover % on the team. He also led in assist % which is good, but he was only slightly ahead of JBo whereas his turnover % was nearly twice Jbo’s in conference play.

Lastly his defensive rating was 7th of the 9 regulars on a bad defensive team.

So when you add it all up, you have a guy who shoots a low percentage from 2, low percentage from 3, below average defensively, good assist guy who also turns the ball over a lot, and is a good intangible guy. For me when you put that on the scale you have a below average player. Granted as I’ve mentioned he helped us this year because we didn’t have any other options at PG, but the hope is that Joe T will come in and be a better player. If Joe T is better, no way is Cmac in our top 8 next year unless we lose a bunch of guys.