atomicblue224
Well-Known Member
Iowa is like that except they have been dreaming for Final Four for too long.
5-Star IN Forward Keion Brooks Enjoys Iowa Visit, Hawkeyes in Hunt
- Thread starter RobHowe
- Start date
lightning1
Well-Known Member
Fran's gonna have to talk the Gutless Wonder into shelling out 250K in order for him to land a top 10 recruit. Can't see that happening. "graduating players and doing it the legal way" is Gutless Gary's creed. And we all know what we get when it comes to "creed".
Northside Hawk
Well-Known Member
Yes. One of the most overrated rock bands of the past twenty five years.Fran's gonna have to talk the Gutless Wonder into shelling out 250K in order for him to land a top 10 recruit. Can't see that happening. "graduating players and doing it the legal way" is Gutless Gary's creed. And we all know what we get when it comes to "creed".
And an athletic director who champions "little ole Iowa" mediocrity.
You mentioned the record of our basketball team sice he became athletic director. I don't have it in front of me but recall it wasn't much more than ten games over .500. That sure seems to be squarely in Barta's comfort zone.
Not the type of track record that's going to attract top recruits from in state or anywhere else.
Joe Wiescamp is going to be cruicial to our fortunes the next several years. We simply cannot afford for him to be a bust.
Or for Fran to "bring him along slowly". If he's our best mid-size player from day one I don't care how young he is.
lightning1
Well-Known Member
1 player can't change the fortunes of any program. That's the point. The fortunes of Iowa basketball for the next few years, are cast with the 13 scholarship players on the roster. Which include too many tweeners, low level athletes , positionless players (players that can't excel at any position) and poor defensive players. I expect the mountain top of this group to be the mountain top of Franball. 2nd round NCAA tournament loss. Followed by a Gutless Gary raise and extension contract offer. Rinse and repeat until attendance is firmly in the 7 to 8K per game range.
Adam
Well-Known Member
I think your statement is that no one player that Iowa has committed or on the radar will change the program.
I would disagree slightly though. We do have a couple of program changer players with at least mild interest. The only problem is we are unlikely to land any of them.
lightning1
Well-Known Member
Being "in the running" but not signing any of these top players, doesn't get it done. It gets you on the outside looking in, on the NCAA tournament. 5 out of 8 years.
Northside Hawk
Well-Known Member
Yes our second round NCAA games in 2015 and 2016 definitely exposed what we are.
You (lightning) mentioned that 250K number and it got me thinking about the 1980's, and Wisconsin today. I don't know exactly how we raided the states of Michigan and Illinois and got prime NYC area football recruits but suspect it was a combination of things that had little to do with "Barta Creed"
Bernie Wyatt was a wizard on the East Coast, but Norby Walters and Lloyd Bloom were involved too. You would see the Harmon brothers zipping around campus on their scooters, sharply dressed, jewelry. Devon Mitchell, Nate Creer. Must have had a rich relative or something? Yeah!, Right!
As for the Raveling era, there have been whispers from veteran Chicago era sportswriters like Terry Boers and Rick Telander over the years that a little spice was being added to the pot to entice Marble, Armstrong, Horton and others to sign with Iowa. Those players were all nationally top 25 recruits, the type we have seldom landed since. Hmm, did they all graduate and do it the legal way? The fact that they are Iowa legends now lends support to the premise that in the end it doesn't matter when going up against top recruiting competition. You do what it takes or you come in as an also ran.
Anyone think Barry Boy is totally innocent in keeping the Badgers competitive? I know first hand how tough it is for non athletes to get into that school. I have had children graduate from Cuba City in 2016 and 2018. If you aren't in the top ten percent of your graduating class or have a cumulative GPA above 3.5 you can forget Wisconsin. Which is why so many of their classmates fell back to LaCrosse, Platteville, or Whitewater. But Barry and his coaches have no problem getting enough athletes in there to remain highly prominent. Anyone else think every one of those athletes is 3.5 or top 10%? Or do the athletes have a different set of rules when it comes to academic restrictions.
So, back to your point. A once proud athletic program that we grew up loving is now reduced to settling for average to slightly above, with the occasional advance just far enough to get exposed. All under the leadership of an athletic director who rewards comfort and settling.
You (lightning) mentioned that 250K number and it got me thinking about the 1980's, and Wisconsin today. I don't know exactly how we raided the states of Michigan and Illinois and got prime NYC area football recruits but suspect it was a combination of things that had little to do with "Barta Creed"
Bernie Wyatt was a wizard on the East Coast, but Norby Walters and Lloyd Bloom were involved too. You would see the Harmon brothers zipping around campus on their scooters, sharply dressed, jewelry. Devon Mitchell, Nate Creer. Must have had a rich relative or something? Yeah!, Right!
As for the Raveling era, there have been whispers from veteran Chicago era sportswriters like Terry Boers and Rick Telander over the years that a little spice was being added to the pot to entice Marble, Armstrong, Horton and others to sign with Iowa. Those players were all nationally top 25 recruits, the type we have seldom landed since. Hmm, did they all graduate and do it the legal way? The fact that they are Iowa legends now lends support to the premise that in the end it doesn't matter when going up against top recruiting competition. You do what it takes or you come in as an also ran.
Anyone think Barry Boy is totally innocent in keeping the Badgers competitive? I know first hand how tough it is for non athletes to get into that school. I have had children graduate from Cuba City in 2016 and 2018. If you aren't in the top ten percent of your graduating class or have a cumulative GPA above 3.5 you can forget Wisconsin. Which is why so many of their classmates fell back to LaCrosse, Platteville, or Whitewater. But Barry and his coaches have no problem getting enough athletes in there to remain highly prominent. Anyone else think every one of those athletes is 3.5 or top 10%? Or do the athletes have a different set of rules when it comes to academic restrictions.
So, back to your point. A once proud athletic program that we grew up loving is now reduced to settling for average to slightly above, with the occasional advance just far enough to get exposed. All under the leadership of an athletic director who rewards comfort and settling.
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Adam
Well-Known Member
Ya bro I agree, but until the program changer recruits have ruled us out there is always the small possibility.
Northside Hawk
Well-Known Member
Joe has to do what Andre Woodridge did in 1995-add juice to a stale, stagnating program. He was a difference maker the moment he became eligible but couldnt change all of our fortunes. Why? Beause we didn't have enough elite talent around him and guess what happened in round two of the NCAA's? Arizona ran us out of the gym in 1996 and we had no answer for Kentucky's Nazr Mohammed in 1997. Not enough elite talent one through thirteen to stay with those teams.
Adam
Well-Known Member
And now we have the pieces and have no Woolridge. The cycle continues.
Northside Hawk
Well-Known Member
Most of pieces should show improvement but some don't have the talent for a Sweet Sixteen run and others don't play hard enough. It hasn't happened in twenty years. In ain't happening with the current players and staff.
I saw national teams play hard and with passion in last year's NCAA's. Most would have destroyed us in a tournament setting.
Adam
Well-Known Member
Effort is a light switch. You can turn it off and on at will. The problem is that we are weak were most teams are strong. We are weak mentally, we are weak fundamentally, and we are weak on the perimeter. Two of these 3 could change in 1 off-season, but the perimeter does not appear that it will get any stronger.
At this point Fran should say "F it" and tell Keion Brooks that we will let him run the offense like LSU did for Ben Simmons. We might actually be good that way. Jordan could play off ball and run off screens like Jok. Weiskamp could do the same on the other side. Neither gets open, no problem Keion Brooks drives and creates or dumps it off to our stud post players. If you can't get a traditional PG screw it and let one of these 1 & done kids run the show.
WinOneThisCentury
Well-Known Member
Fran be dreaming.
1977Hawkeye
Well-Known Member
No surprise . Oh well, on to the next 3* recruit that we can actually sign.
thedukeofearl
Well-Known Member
It feels like if he ends up at one of the BIG schools it'll be because his buddy Jackson-Davis goes with him. Otherwise he may end up at either KY or NC... I base this on nothing
D
DDThompson
Guest
50/50 for BIg10.
My guess is KY.
Close enough to home but much better program than Ind & Pur.
Mich St and NC are on the list because bluebloods and royalty of their conferences. UCLA because — who wouldn’t go to CA to vacation?
My guess is KY.
Close enough to home but much better program than Ind & Pur.
Mich St and NC are on the list because bluebloods and royalty of their conferences. UCLA because — who wouldn’t go to CA to vacation?
