And in come the vultures.

Anybody who thinks objectively would do the same. You or I wouldn't decommit from Iowa, but we're also die-hard fans. Brust and Larson were coming to play basketball, and neither had any kind of ties with the university. They are out of state, and weren't raised to be Hawkeyes like we were.

I'm not saying they aren't still coming. But anybody who's smart and objective would want to weigh their options when something as big as a coaching change occurs. And legally they can't talk to other schools without their release.

So again, Larson and Brust are doing what a reasonable person would do if they were in their situation. And I don't like how so many people see the need to insult them for being human beings (who by the way tend to be egocentrical, and look out for #1 first).

It's safe to say tha "looking out for #1" isn't an insult in your book, huh? ;)

Who's insulting them?
 
I really don't want to get into it, but the issue I have with it so many people assume the recruits are out to get bigger and better things. Maybe some of this is true, maybe partly true, maybe it's the case with one recruit and not the other.

The fact that a guy like Ben Brust re-opened his recruitment speaks volumes about the initial contact by our new staff. Ben was hard-core Hawkeye. Fran needed to be able to get him committed to Iowa with his visit, but wasn't able to. Does some of that sit on the Brust camp? Sure. But a lot of it sits on our own coach's shoulders, as well.

Your comments suggest that you believe our new HC dropped the ball. If so, how so? Is this harkening back to the BHGP post the other day? Other than outcome, what do you think Coach should have done differently?

Surely you can't fault him based on nothing more than the fact Brust asked for his release.

I'm starting to wonder if the posters who have suggested that it would be better to say nothing than to play the veiled hint-dropping game around here are right.
 
Spank...do you think it's possible that maybe Fran doesn't think Ben is the type of player he's actually looking for? Fran's style is to put a lot of defensive pressure on the ball and I don't think that is Ben's strength by a long ways. I could also easily see where Fran doesn't want the match-up problems with a 6' 1" two guard trying to defend a 6'5 two guard.

I think it is very possible that Fran would prefer to have a little wiggle room with recruiting in 2011 and an opportunity to bring in "his guys".

I guess I have a hard time remembering the last great 6'1" two guard (Steve Alford?) in college or professional basketball. I'm not saying Ben won't be a good player, but I think he is very easily replaced.
 
It's safe to say tha "looking out for #1" isn't an insult in your book, huh? ;)

Who's insulting them?

I'm saying that it's human nature. Once they're on campus, with the team, they need to sacrifice. But when it comes to deciding which school best serves their interests when they're still in HS, they SHOULD be looking out for #1 first.

There's been more than a few "They aren't TRUE Hawkeyes". That's one of the biggest insults a Hawk fan can throw out there lol. But for those who say that, think: they're out of state (as opposed to McCabe), and have no ties to the program and it's history (as opposed to Marble Jr.).

Not many kids who fit that description would just blindly believe in the new coach when all they've invested in the program is a signature.
 
Oh, and there's also been plenty of the sour grapes routine. These guys were the two that had most people excited about this class, and now that they may not come, they "weren't that good anyway". I realize that this is a common reaction everywhere, but that doesn't mean it's right.
 
Freddy....you are right. Unfounded rumors and hints of problems without any facts or sources is getting very, very tiring.
 
There's been more than a few "They aren't TRUE Hawkeyes". That's one of the biggest insults a Hawk fan can throw out there lol.

I hate to throw out a cliche response, but what are you, 12? "You're not a true Hawkeye" might be considered an insult to someone who has an absolutely irrational obsession with Hawkeye sports, which might cover you and me but most certainly does not apply to a kid who has just decommitted from being any kind of a Hawkeye to look for somewhere else to play ball.

I want to hear what awful things have been tossed out there that would be considered insults by the "reasonable person" standard you have used to explain why these kids are looking around.

"He wasn't that good to begin with" and "we didn't really need him" would fall into the category of sour grapes, but not insults, to the ears of most people.
 
Your comments suggest that you believe our new HC dropped the ball. If so, how so? Is this harkening back to the BHGP post the other day? Other than outcome, what do you think Coach should have done differently?

Surely you can't fault him based on nothing more than the fact Brust asked for his release.

I'm starting to wonder if the posters who have suggested that it would be better to say nothing than to play the veiled hint-dropping game around here are right.

I'm trying to keep an even-keel on here because some people draw conclusions that aren't there to be drawn.

People assume that Fran goes to visit Ben in Illinois, they talk for a couple minutes, and Ben says, thanks for the visit but I am going to look around. When, in fact, they have no idea on how the interview/meeting went... how long it took... what was said... expectations from both parties... future contact... future expectations... where Ben will fit in the program... Fran's vision...you name it....

That's the problem with some people. They make assumptions about how things went down, and based on those assumptions they start hating on a kid. That's completely unfair to the recruit. Both Larson and Brust are quality kids that are looking to find the best fit for them. They are the same two guys that just a month or so ago, a lot of people were so very excited to see at Iowa. There is still a chance that they could come to Iowa - so why anyone would hate on the decommits is beyond me... esp when no one knows what went down in the meetings between the two.

It works both ways.
 
I'm trying to keep an even-keel on here because some people draw conclusions that aren't there to be drawn.

People assume that Fran goes to visit Ben in Illinois, they talk for a couple minutes, and Ben says, thanks for the visit but I am going to look around. When, in fact, they have no idea on how the interview/meeting went... how long it took... what was said... expectations from both parties... future contact... future expectations... where Ben will fit in the program... Fran's vision...you name it....

That's the problem with some people. They make assumptions about how things went down, and based on those assumptions they start hating on a kid. That's completely unfair to the recruit. Both Larson and Brust are quality kids that are looking to find the best fit for them. They are the same two guys that just a month or so ago, a lot of people were so very excited to see at Iowa. There is still a chance that they could come to Iowa - so why anyone would hate on the decommits is beyond me... esp when no one knows what went down in the meetings between the two.

It works both ways.




I don't understand Larson and Brust saying Iowa can re-recruit them. That makes zero sense to me. If something was said behind closed doors that makes them nervous enough to ask for a release why on earth would they want to come to Iowa?

I have no idea what went down. I doubt the players or Fran would let that be known.

I guess you can spin it however you want at this point.
 
Because neither side knows much about each other. Hence, the re-recruitment.


True-

I guess one disadvantage for Fran is all of a sudden he has these recruits that he nor his assistant/potential assistants have ever seen play live before. I bet he has some connections to people have seen the recruits play but it is probably nice to see a guy first hand at least.

It's just funny. I figure that Fran can come pitch the program going forward and guys can decide what they think. I guess they have no idea what players he will target next year.

It's just seems kind of weird to me. It just seems so late that you wonder if the recruits will find anything better.

Just kind of odd to me. I understand not liking a message and wanting to be released but it just seems odd to be open to recommiting....

Hope it works out well for all parties.
 
I hate to throw out a cliche response, but what are you, 12? "You're not a true Hawkeye" might be considered an insult to someone who has an absolutely irrational obsession with Hawkeye sports, which might cover you and me but most certainly does not apply to a kid who has just decommitted from being any kind of a Hawkeye to look for somewhere else to play ball.

I want to hear what awful things have been tossed out there that would be considered insults by the "reasonable person" standard you have used to explain why these kids are looking around.

"He wasn't that good to begin with" and "we didn't really need him" would fall into the category of sour grapes, but not insults, to the ears of most people.

Not 12, but 20, and a sophomore at the UI.

So not really insults, but the sour grapes is pathetically old. We were stoked about these same two players just 2 weeks ago. Now they aren't guaranteed to come and all the sudden we don't need them, no big deal?

People keep assuming that they won't resign. Neither has said that, and I feel like we honestly have a chance of landing them again. But, given the kind of response by a seemingly considerable majority of fans, I know I wouldn't want to come and play at Iowa. They probably haven't seen this stuff, but I know I wouldn't feel like this fanbase deserved my talents if I were in their shoes and seeing this kind of crap.
 
I was never stoked about either Larson or Brust- better maybe than Lick's previous recruits, but never thought of them as guys who were going to be big part of contending in B10.
 
I
Both Larson and Brust are quality kids that are looking to find the best fit for them. .

Brust might very well be, but I would not say the same for larson, quality kids don't let their team down by doing stupid things and getting kicked off the team.
 
Brust might very well be, but I would not say the same for larson, quality kids don't let their team down by doing stupid things and getting kicked off the team.

Quality kids also make mistakes on occasion, even big ones. I don't know Cody Larson, but I am definitely glad my character isn't defined by one story about something I may have done when I was 18. (We know he did something, but it doesn't sound like anyone outside of Cody's community really knows exactly what he did.)
 
I hope both Ben and Cody become Hawkeyes. If not, we will carry on without them. I believe they would both THRIVE in Fran's system. Wait...not system...Fran's schemes.
 

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