Baer...take note Uthoff

[hawkeyebob62]

Midway-to-2/3 of the way through 2nd half, Uthoff got the ball right side, beat his man and wnet up one-handed. He hit the bucket, drew the foul. Most important? He drew three MSU defenders.

That's why Jok and co. were getting open looks. That's part of the reason Gesell had room down the middle of the lane. That's why Woody had some easy lay-ups.

Uthoff will continue to draw defenders until the rest of the team proves they will consistently pay for doing it. When that happens, things go from good to great.

 

[Seth53]

Baer's officially gone from wearing a hoodie and being a nobody in Rhetoric class to marching through the sororities like Sherman through Georgia.

 

[damnfinn]

Midway-to-2/3 of the way through 2nd half, Uthoff got the ball right side, beat his man and wnet up one-handed. He hit the bucket, drew the foul. Most important? He drew three MSU defenders.

That's why Jok and co. were getting open looks. That's part of the reason Gesell had room down the middle of the lane. That's why Woody had some easy lay-ups.

Uthoff will continue to draw defenders until the rest of the team proves they will consistently pay for doing it. When that happens, things go from good to great.

this is exactly why Uthoff is the MVP on this team and for anyone to suggest we play better when he is on the bench is just plain ignorant

 

[jfwolfe]

I have my reasons and I knew I’d get crap. I have not said he’s not a key to Iowa, and I never said he’s not a good player. He is not a leader. In several ways I think someone already noted a few one indecisiveness with the ball. Another big mistakes at key points, and not being able to fight through physical D play. Same thing happen in the 2nd half against ISU. No knock against him or his game but he is not a leader.

In my opinion the guy playing the best ball and has a leadership ability is a walk on freshmen. He takes control of that court when he has been in the game. By his play and hustle and overall play when he is out there.

Baer has played 3 good games. However, he is not the leader of this team. The true leader of the team is Gesell. The Hawkeyes will go only as far as guard play, good guard play will take them. You deserve crap for believing that Baer is the leader of the team. Silly. That is all.

 

[WindsorHawk]

I have my reasons and I knew I’d get crap. I have not said he’s not a key to Iowa, and I never said he’s not a good player. He is not a leader. In several ways I think someone already noted a few one indecisiveness with the ball. Another big mistakes at key points, and not being able to fight through physical D play. Same thing happen in the 2nd half against ISU. No knock against him or his game but he is not a leader.

In my opinion the guy playing the best ball and has a leadership ability is a walk on freshmen. He takes control of that court when he has been in the game. By his play and hustle and overall play when he is out there.

Baer has played 3 good games. However, he is not the leader of this team. The true leader of the team is Gesell. The Hawkeyes will go only as far as guard play, good guard play will take them. You deserve crap for believing that Baer is the leader of the team. Silly. That is all.

It sounds to me like you're knocking both Uthoff and his game.

 

[MelroseHawkins]

I have my reasons and I knew I’d get crap. I have not said he’s not a key to Iowa, and I never said he’s not a good player. He is not a leader. In several ways I think someone already noted a few one indecisiveness with the ball. Another big mistakes at key points, and not being able to fight through physical D play. Same thing happen in the 2nd half against ISU. No knock against him or his game but he is not a leader.

In my opinion the guy playing the best ball and has a leadership ability is a walk on freshmen. He takes control of that court when he has been in the game. By his play and hustle and overall play when he is out there.

Baer has played 3 good games. However, he is not the leader of this team. The true leader of the team is Gesell. The Hawkeyes will go only as far as guard play, good guard play will take them. You deserve crap for believing that Baer is the leader of the team. Silly. That is all.

What is your obsession with the team having a leader? that is just not in some guys. A guy can be a leader & not say much at all or get in guys mugs. A guy can be a leader by their play/example on the court or field. We don't know what Uthoff might say to guys in practice as none of us are there. I do know I have seen Uthoff hold his own with trash talking when he needs to.

 

[HawkeyeMHA]

Easy. Uthoff is doing just fine

 

[teachercoach]

Just watched both games this week after getting back from Pasadena.

Nick Baer = Chris Street in style, hustle, and most of all making big time plays at big time moments

Great job Ballers!

 

[Hawkeyes5]

I know i will take crap for this, but since the ISU game I have notice this is a better team when mainly Utoff is on the bench. I am not saying Utoff is not good or the Hawks don’t need him. When he is on the court it seems that the other players are expecting or looking to him to take control and he doesn’t. When he’s not on the court everyone knows they have to “step upâ€￾ more movement and ball sharing. I don’t know maybe I am completely wrong, but it is something I noticed. I think last night proved it as well in the first half.

As far as Baer goes how is he not the first off the bench, or even challenging for Joks starting position? Hawks best player right now is a walk on.

How about we start with most pleasantly surprise thus far.... Best this far?? Stop drinking the Baer Koolaid. I love the kid don't get me wrong, but let's not insult our current players

 

[RocknRollface]

Uthoff is by far and away Iowas best player, any suggestion otherwise is just outright stupidity.

 

[bogeyman]

We all make comments in hast sometimes, those in this thread questioning Uthoff's leadership etc. after a WIN feel free to admit you may have been wrong.

Uthoff's line from Saturday 25pts, 4 Rebs, ZERO Turnovers, FIVE blocked Shots and 2 steals. Not many Hawkeyes have had lines like this ever. Oh and here is a bit of the postgame comments:

So Uthoff, the fifth-year senior forward who had all but four of Iowa’s first-half points, made sure his teammates knew what they could do.
“I told the guys at halftime, we’re the only ones in the locker room who believe we can win this game,” Uthoff said. “Down 17 at Purdue, ranked 14th or whatever they are. Purdue is a tough place to play. We’re the only ones in that locker room that believe we could win this game.

 

[DodgerHawki]

I have my reasons and I knew I’d get crap. I have not said he’s not a key to Iowa, and I never said he’s not a good player. He is not a leader. In several ways I think someone already noted a few one indecisiveness with the ball. Another big mistakes at key points, and not being able to fight through physical D play. Same thing happen in the 2nd half against ISU. No knock against him or his game but he is not a leader.

In my opinion the guy playing the best ball and has a leadership ability is a walk on freshmen. He takes control of that court when he has been in the game. By his play and hustle and overall play when he is out there.

Baer has played 3 good games. However, he is not the leader of this team. The true leader of the team is Gesell. The Hawkeyes will go only as far as guard play, good guard play will take them. You deserve crap for believing that Baer is the leader of the team. Silly. That is all.

Good grief man. Iowa fans wouldn't be happy with Magic Johnson in his heyday. Uthoff's leadership is fine. Without Uthoff at Purdue, Iowa would have been behind 37-5 or something like that. A total of 4 points scored by people not named Uthoff in that game in the first half. Uthoff's ability and leadership kept Iowa within shouting distance so that a comeback was possible. The dude is one of the best all-around players in the country. Period. A guy who shoots 40+% on 3's, 80+% at the line, is 6-9 and can defend any position from a PG to a guy like Swanigan. Yes, he will still struggle and have bad halves or bad games. He's not Kevin Durant or Lebron. But he's very, very good. And against Purdue he wasn't afraid to take or make the big shots down the stretch.

Baer is a tremendous story. His role is perfect right now as he gets guarded by the other team's worst defender. He can just hustle, make plays, defend and shoot the open shot when it's there. Dude has stones, and will likely only get better. But if you ask him to do what Uthoff does now (be the primary scorer, play 35+ minutes a game, etc.,) he would struggle. Good teams are good because the players all fit into roles that are appropriate for them. MSU is tremendous, but take out Valentine and they become a good (but not great) team. Valentine being out thrusts players into roles they aren't ready for. Forbes isn't talented enough to be a huge scorer every game when Valentine is out. Iowa could put its best defender (Clemmons) on him and Forbes struggled. It doesn't mean Forbes sucks or MSU lacks leadership. It just means they miss their most important player.

My main point is that just because a player doesn't play well or misses shots, it doesn't mean he is a poor leader or a bad guy. Uthoff has grown a lot as a leader this year (he's had to). Look how this Iowa team responds to each other and to him. There is no selfish play or finger pointing, even when the team does poorly or loses. That is how you measure leadership.

 

[DodgerHawki]

We all make comments in hast sometimes, those in this thread questioning Uthoff's leadership etc. after a WIN feel free to admit you may have been wrong.

Uthoff's line from Sunday 25pts, 4 Rebs, ZERO Turnovers, FIVE blocked Shots and 2 steals. Not many Hawkeyes have had lines like this ever. Oh and here is a bit of the postgame comments:

So Uthoff, the fifth-year senior forward who had all but four of Iowa’s first-half points, made sure his teammates knew what they could do.
“I told the guys at halftime, we’re the only ones in the locker room who believe we can win this game,â€￾ Uthoff said. “Down 17 at Purdue, ranked 14th or whatever they are. Purdue is a tough place to play. We’re the only ones in that locker room that believe we could win this game.

Careful you are going to interrupt the powerful narrative going on that Uthoff isn't a leader, whatever that means.

 

[HawkeyeFan57]

First, you need to define leader. If you are talking about vocally, Uthoff is not that, neither is any other player other than Woody. But Uthoff is a leader by his constant hustle, his shooting, his passing, his rebounds, his blocks. He is also a leader in a different way...he is an excellent team player.

Some leaders want the ball in their hands so they can take every shot. They think they must take the last second shot. Uthoff trusts his teammates, and probably encourages them to step up when the moment presents itself. Nothing worse than 4 players standing around waiting for the "Leader" to take the shot.

No, just keep working the offense and take the shot when it is there. That is a leader, and a team player. And that will win you more games, than having this Macho "Leader" persona that some of you are talking about.

 

[Jazzmonkey]

Love what Baer is doing, what a pleasant surprise!

That being said, Uthoff has arguably been the best player on the floor in many of our games thus far. Frankly, this thread is just a head-scratcher.