A Tribute to the Fighting Hawkeyes

ChosenChildren

ChosenChildren

Well-Known Member
I have watched Iowa basketball carefully for 50 years and I have seen some great Iowa teams. This year's team was my favorite of all of the basketball teams I have followed at Iowa. Here is my reasoning:

1. Although it wasn't the best team in all of those years, it was by far the most unselfish. 10 or 11 players played in each game, sharing minutes, but there was no evidence of jealously or animosity about playing time. They shared the basketball as well, resulting in one of the highest assist to basket ratios in Iowa history. The teamwork displayed was a beautiful thing to watch. Many commentators noted how well Iowa played this year on both ends. THIS WAS A TEAM

2. Iowa played HARD. Pomeroy rated us one of the best defensive teams in the country and overall rated us the 23rd best team in the United States by the end of the year.

3. Iowa defended its home court, going 18-2 at home. That was great to see.

4. The juniors and one senior on this team provided great leadership, going from 11 wins their freshman year to 25 wins this year.

5. We now have a coach who FIGHTS for the team and for the fans. His passion is contagious. He is intelligent. The players buy in and listen to him. He won't accept mediocrity. He demands improvement and effort. You can see it on the court.

6. This team showed courage and grit, coming back from many gut-wrenching losses to finish in the first division of the Big Ten and finishing 2nd out of 32 teams in a post-season tournament. We also captured the State title by defeating Iowa State and UNI convincingly and finished with 25 wins, second most of all time.

7. The kids on this team are simply great kids with high character. No scandal. No Pierre Pierce incidents. No transfers.No DWIs. Just intelligent, interesting young men who are articulate and respectful. They appear to follow the rules. Incredibly refreshing to see the transformation of Iowa basketball.

I never pulled for an Iowa team harder than I did for this one and, with a little bit of luck, next season could be a very special one.

It was great to be a Hawkeye during this past season. This group of young men restored the pride in Iowa basketball that was lost by two previous coaches.
 














I have to put them 2nd behind the 1986-87 team. But...I agreed with the rest of your post. It's refreshing to read a long post which contains substance throughout. I am more than willing to drop this team to 3rd after next season...
 


ChosenChildren said:
Dick Lamb and Bert McGrane wrote a book called "75 Years with the Fighting Hawkeyes". It is not an original phrase.....

It is a great book, by the way
Click to expand...

kids, these days. what do they know? a little history lesson for some of these younger fans would be in order.

This team was fun to watch because of where they've come from in 3 years. Fran has stamped his impression on them. Like the line from Patton (paraphrasing), when Bradley tells him at the end of the movie that Patton slapping that kid did more to win the war than was known, Fran slamming that chair at East Lansing sent the message to his players that his team was not going to back down to anyone - they may not win every time, but they're going to battle every time.
 
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I've been watching basketball for the 34 years and if I took the time to evaluate the past 34 seasons this team isn't even in my Top 5 and honestly might not even crack my Top 10. Iowa had a really good ending to what I would call a frustrating season for the most part. Just my .02.

The past 50 years Iowa has had some GREAT TEAMS and GREAT COACHES that define all of what you wrote above and I would probably might say some had more (One Team comes to my mind QUICK 1980) and what made those teams great was the did it for much of the season. This years team can't say that, Iowa had a great end to the year.

The 1979-80 is and always will be for me my favorite all-time team. EVER!!

Other teams that would be in my Top 5 in no order.
1982-83
1998-99 Tom Davis final season. Talk about a TEAM on a mission. Words can't even describe the way I felt for this team when they advanced to the Sweet 16.
1986-87
1992-93 Iowa Team. Just no words that describe that TEAM. I will end it there.



Chosen your ending is awesome and I agree with times a Million.
"This group of young men restored the pride in Iowa basketball that was lost by two previous coaches"
 
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Fran was a good hire. The proof is in the pudding. Watching as many games as I could from 500 miles away, one thing stood out. Fran demands his teamplay with passion and fire. He demands fundamentals. Most of all, he demands effort for every second on the floor.

Most people don't care about the NIT. I was pumped for Wichita State just a couple seasons ago when they won the thing. It lead to brighter futures. I think Iowa is moving along in much the same way — and can't wait to see what the Hawks will do the next couple of years.
 


HawkPrdatr40 said:
I've been watching basketball for the 34 years and if I took the time to evaluate the past 34 seasons this team isn't even in my Top 5 and honestly might not even crack my Top 10. Iowa had a really good ending to what I would call a frustrating season for the most part. Just my .02.

The past 50 years Iowa has had some GREAT TEAMS and GREAT COACHES that define all of what you wrote above and I would probably might say some had more (One Team comes to my mind QUICK 1980) and what made those teams great was the did it for much of the season. This years team can't say that, Iowa had a great end to the year.

The 1979-80 is and always will be for me my favorite all-time team. EVER!!

Other teams that would be in my Top 5 in no order.
1982-83
1998-99 Tom Davis final season. Talk about a TEAM on a mission. Words can't even describe the way I felt for this team when they advanced to the Sweet 16.
1986-87
1992-93 Iowa Team. Just no words that describe that TEAM. I will end it there.



Chosen your ending is awesome and I agree with times a Million.
"This group of young men restored the pride in Iowa basketball that was lost by two previous coaches"
Click to expand...

I'd also throw the 1996-97 team into the mix.. 'Dre Woolridge with his great senior season (got jobbed on B10 POY), the team started out tough in Maui but went 12-6 in league play (2nd place), killed UVA in the NCAA first round, and took #1 seeded UK to the wire in the 2nd round. Darryl Moore was an instant crowd favorite, and Kent McCausland strokin' the 3's enroute to a 52% rate, leading the country.
 


I'm gonna throw in the 1979-80 team. It was the year I started seriously watching college hoops. It was great seeing that team, especially with Ronnie Lester, play games.

GO HAWKS!!!
 


The only other times this century that I have felt as excited about Iowa Basketball as I did during this year's NIT run were the 2001, 2002, and 2006 Big Ten Tournaments; and I was really excited then! This team seems like they have so much room to grow together.

We have come so far!!
 




ChosenChildren said:
I have watched Iowa basketball carefully for 50 years and I have seen some great Iowa teams. This year's team was my favorite of all of the basketball teams I have followed at Iowa. Here is my reasoning:

1. Although it wasn't the best team in all of those years, it was by far the most unselfish. 10 or 11 players played in each game, sharing minutes, but there was no evidence of jealously or animosity about playing time. They shared the basketball as well, resulting in one of the highest assist to basket ratios in Iowa history. The teamwork displayed was a beautiful thing to watch. Many commentators noted how well Iowa played this year on both ends. THIS WAS A TEAM

2. Iowa played HARD. Pomeroy rated us one of the best defensive teams in the country and overall rated us the 23rd best team in the United States by the end of the year.

3. Iowa defended its home court, going 18-2 at home. That was great to see.

4. The juniors and one senior on this team provided great leadership, going from 11 wins their freshman year to 25 wins this year.

5. We now have a coach who FIGHTS for the team and for the fans. His passion is contagious. He is intelligent. The players buy in and listen to him. He won't accept mediocrity. He demands improvement and effort. You can see it on the court.

6. This team showed courage and grit, coming back from many gut-wrenching losses to finish in the first division of the Big Ten and finishing 2nd out of 32 teams in a post-season tournament. We also captured the State title by defeating Iowa State and UNI convincingly and finished with 25 wins, second most of all time.

7. The kids on this team are simply great kids with high character. No scandal. No Pierre Pierce incidents. No transfers.No DWIs. Just intelligent, interesting young men who are articulate and respectful. They appear to follow the rules. Incredibly refreshing to see the transformation of Iowa basketball.

I never pulled for an Iowa team harder than I did for this one and, with a little bit of luck, next season could be a very special one.

It was great to be a Hawkeye during this past season. This group of young men restored the pride in Iowa basketball that was lost by two previous coaches.
Click to expand...

It's humbling experience isn't it? We have bunch of young men who works so hard thru out this year. Iappreciate everything about this team and most of all i appreciate the people here on board and last i appreciate jon kicking ghosts butt and anothers. Go hawks!
 


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