Basketball passion is alive

[GhostofBTT]

That's all very interesting, but wasn't there another stat about attendance posted somewhere, showing that we are now something like 9th in the Big Ten in attendance? Remember when we used to be Top-20 every year NATIONALLY? Why has IOWA sunk so far if it's the landscape that has changed? Wouldn't every team be affected by this? Seems like it's mainly just us.

Something INTERNAL has changed for Iowa and it's fanbase that is causing this, IMO. I still think it comes down to W's and L's, far more than anything else.

The point I was making is that it does come down to W's and L's. Iowa was in the top 20 nationally, even though we were not winning conference titles or anything. The entertainment options in Iowa were pretty slim, so people watched the Hawks because it was the show in town.

Now a days, there are other options. In the 80's, your marketing plan literally could be "We're the Hawkeyes". In 2010, that means nothing. It absolutely has to do with a dramtically different landscape. They have to win to put butts in the seats. Just showing up will not put 12,000 in CHA (like it used to), because fans can sit home and watch 6 other games in HD if they want.

 

[djwoody98]

^^^^^^^^^^^

Exactly...

 

[ChosenChildren]

Iowa fans need hope. Once the hope returns, the fans will return as well.

As much as I have defended Lickliter, it is easy to get discouraged right now.

I hate to admit it, but maybe we need a change. There is a young coach out there right now (perhaps a young African-American coach), who is itching for a chance to coach in the Big Ten. Let's go find him.

 

[MtownHawk]

I have to call foul on the only watching college basketball on Saturdays in 1985. I grew up in South Dakota and watched damn near every Hawkeye game on TV. KCAU out of Sioux City used to air them. On a sidenote, my high school team ran an offense called we called "Hawk" whenever the other team played zone defense. It was the same offense the Hawkeyes were running. I doubt many high schools are copying what we are running right now.

 

[MtownHawk]

First, who cares what color he is? Why would that be relevant at all?
Second, we're fine, calm down. We knew coming in that this season would be rough. Did anyone really think before this season started that we were going to be better than we are?

 

[joemc1]

Spank-we are in year 3 and you say this system needs experience? College players only get 4 years last time I checked(and if they are good, less than that). This appears to be a very long road to get from horrible to mediocre.

 

[HawkeyeRyno]

Bill Maher is making fun of Iowans and our corn on "The Jay Leno Show"!! All Iowans should be offended and request an apology!!

 

[storminspank]

Well, maybe not completely. And did they hook up wifi up there in the north woods?

It's funny. They did.

 

[storminspank]

Spank-we are in year 3 and you say this system needs experience? College players only get 4 years last time I checked(and if they are good, less than that). This appears to be a very long road to get from horrible to mediocre.

Yeah.... players left. It's not good. But the program is where it now, can't go back.

 

[iahawk20]

I won't be first in line to say I told you so (generally speaking to the masses) when Lickliter turns the program around... but I'll be here.

and i will be the first to praise Barta for firing this staff that has made Alford look like a freaking genius.

 

[HeneryHawk]

And that's fine.
The issue I have is with people belly-aching, posting over and over and over again saying that Lick should be fired, etc... that stuff gets old really quick.

I have no issue with people thinking Lick won't get it done.
I think this class with next class gives Iowa a good foundation. If no one leaves this year, there's a great foundation coming back. This system needs experience, once Iowa gets an experienced class, the play will look completely different.

I find the blind optimism, the cheerleading without objectivity nauseating. Plus, I find the blind support for a coach that has done nothing but lead it to a level of failure not witnessed my almost all of us in our lifetimes sickening. The supporting excuses seem mostly emotion based and rarely have any logical basis in them at all. An example being the overused comparison of what Lickliter is trying to do is similar to what is done at Wisconsin. Its a completely, COMPLETELY misleading and rotten comparison, and one that makes one think, upon reading, that those who state it know nothing about basketball. Bo focuses on a inside out attack, it uses a multiple post attack, and they will run when the opportunity arises, and none of this fits Lickliter's approach.

 

[woodyk1]

I find the blind optimism, the cheerleading without objectivity nauseating. Plus, I find the blind support for a coach that has done nothing but lead it to a level of failure not witnessed my almost all of us in our lifetimes sickening. The supporting excuses seem mostly emotion based and rarely have any logical basis in them at all. An example being the overused comparison of what Lickliter is trying to do is similar to what is done at Wisconsin. Its a completely, COMPLETELY misleading and rotten comparison, and one that makes one think, upon reading, that those who state it know nothing about basketball. Bo focuses on a inside out attack, it uses a multiple post attack, and they will run when the opportunity arises, and none of this fits Lickliter's approach.

It's a general comparison to Wisconsin and their style of play. They run a multiple post attack, but they shoot a lot of 3's (example, 26 of the 55 FG attempts vs MSU last game were 3 point shots). They shot 4 free throws in the entire game. Their run a lot of clock on a lot of their possessions to limit possessions by their opponent. They held MSU to 49 points. They had 5 turnovers for the game. They don't run on opponent missed shots very often at all (they send 5 to the defensive boards). They were outrebounded 31-25 by MSU. They beat Michigan 54-48 at home and no one complained.

The overall point is that a team does not need to run or be up tempo all the time as some folks have said to be entertaining. Winning is the key.

 

[crich1]

It's a general comparison to Wisconsin and their style of play. They run a multiple post attack, but they shoot a lot of 3's (example, 26 of the 55 FG attempts vs MSU last game were 3 point shots). They shot 4 free throws in the entire game. Their run a lot of clock on a lot of their possessions to limit possessions by their opponent. They held MSU to 49 points. They had 5 turnovers for the game. They don't run on opponent missed shots very often at all (they send 5 to the defensive boards). They were outrebounded 31-25 by MSU. They beat Michigan 54-48 at home and no one complained.

The overall point is that a team does not need to run or be up tempo all the time as some folks have said to be entertaining. Winning is the key.

Another reason it is hard to compare Iowa and Wisconsin is due to talent. One thing Bo's best teams have had, that Iowa doesn't right now are future NBA players. Bo's best teams have had a future NBA player on them. First Devin Harris, later Alando Tucker and most recently Marcus Landry. And on the current team, Travon Hughes will get his shot at the next level. This Iowa team has no one that would make a D-League roster and they would be hard pressed to get interest from any sort of pro league overseas. It used to be that if you were a starter for Iowa, you could make money playing professionally somewhere in the world for at least a year or two if you were willing to leave the country.

I am a firm believer that it is more about "Jimmys & Joes" than "X's & O's" in the game of basketball.

 

[GhostofBTT]

I have to call foul on the only watching college basketball on Saturdays in 1985. I grew up in South Dakota and watched damn near every Hawkeye game on TV. KCAU out of Sioux City used to air them. On a sidenote, my high school team ran an offense called we called "Hawk" whenever the other team played zone defense. It was the same offense the Hawkeyes were running. I doubt many high schools are copying what we are running right now.

That was part of my point, although I didn't express it well. People in Iowa could watch Iowa games. However, they couldn't watch any other games. That goes into my whole spiel that "The Hawks were the only CBB option in town" kind of thing.

Iowans could watch most of the Iowa games, but the only way to follow a top 10 team was in the newspaper or occasionally on Saturday.

Just like millions of kids home from summer across the country grew up loving the Cubs because it was the only baseball they could watch, millions of Iowans fell in love with the Hawks because it was the only basketball they could watch.

Now, they can get home from work, and literally watch live CBB until they fall asleep.

 

[tweeterhawk]

Bill Maher is making fun of Iowans and our corn on "The Jay Leno Show"!! All Iowans should be offended and request an apology!!

We should, except consider the source. Bill Maher is a whiny, unfunny arse, with a pitifully small following.

 

[JHHawk]

Another reason it is hard to compare Iowa and Wisconsin is due to talent. One thing Bo's best teams have had, that Iowa doesn't right now are future NBA players. Bo's best teams have had a future NBA player on them. First Devin Harris, later Alando Tucker and most recently Marcus Landry. And on the current team, Travon Hughes will get his shot at the next level. This Iowa team has no one that would make a D-League roster and they would be hard pressed to get interest from any sort of pro league overseas. It used to be that if you were a starter for Iowa, you could make money playing professionally somewhere in the world for at least a year or two if you were willing to leave the country.

I am a firm believer that it is more about "Jimmys & Joes" than "X's & O's" in the game of basketball.

Jordan Taylor is a helluva young pg also. Bo has always gotten good talent. Wilkenson was a good talent that Iowa also recruited back in the day. Butch was a McDonalds AA. Nankavil,Leuer,Bohannan,Hughes,Bergrenn and Taylor were all top 100 players....Iowa has one...Gatens,who committed before Lick even arrived.

Bo is a much better recruiter than Lick,period.

 

[IAJay]

What makes you think that things will be turned around?

Blind faith and a general lack of basketball knowledge.

 

[tweeterhawk]

Yeah.... players left. It's not good. But the program is where it now, can't go back.

I don't get this Spank. Are you saying it can't get any worse? Or that it can't get any better? Although I was not a fan of Alford, at least those teams were somewhat competitive. At this point I'd take that.

P.S. BTW, though you were heading to the wilderness for a while. Are you back or did you decide not to make the trip? Or am I all delirious in the cold?

 

[kuhntz]

I wouldn't say alive and well but it's alive.

The Spoiled Generation story on the front page has 18 replies to it and it hasn't even been linked on the boards til right now.

The Spoiled Generation? | Hawkeye Nation

people are fired up even if much of it is not focusing on positives. It's almost like there is some level of revival going on. Maybe that is not the right word. But something is going on

What you are saying Jon, for me at least, it has been. Complete apathy had set in with me regarding the basketball program during the Alfraud years....and it wasn't until this B10 season that I started getting mad when we lose games again. I've been watching them all and even made the 6.5 hour round trip to the OSU game. I felt extremely disappointed on the drive home....and oddly enough that felt good.