Ben Jacobsen and the Iowa job

He may a good coach, but right now he is not what Iowa needs. They need a coach filled with charisma and energy. They need uptempo basketball, because first and foremost the next hire needs to be exciting enough to get fans back to Carver. Ben Jacobsen's name won't do that.

Jake no charisma or energy? Don't know if I'd agree with that.
 
Totally agree with you Jon. Would not be happy with Ben J. Even if they make a run to the final 4...I still would want Barta to go in different direction. Recruiting is #1 priority in my mind.
 
Well Jake recruits pretty good athletes. He has ties to inner city chicago as well as Minneapolis. He is also very good at going out and finding HIGH SCHOOL talent. He rarely goes the juco route, due to kids coming in. He likes to coach them up from freshman until they are seniors. That is something that Todd L couldn't do. He told the players my way or the highway, sadly most of them left before their senior year!

Ben Jacobsen is a GOOD coach and he will get a call someday. Personally I don't want him at Iowa, he is a good coach and I don't think the fan base would like him. He controls the games by slowing them down (but he doesn't run ball screen after ball screen.) He allows either Koch, Ka Jo, or Egelseder to have the ball under 10 secs on the shot clock. Then he has them either take the ball to the hoop or kick out for the open shot. His offense isn't that complex, but it gets the job done.

I really am kind of puzzled who Iowa will get. I don't think there is any really GOOD coaches out there that would want to come. Pearl ain't coming, Stallings isn't coming, Drew isn't coming. Those guys all have better jobs with better athletes.

Lets face it, we are gonna need to find someone who can get luck and get a couple of decent recruiting classes in here before we can be successful.
 
Thank you Matt for your entertaining and refreshing viewpoint this morning. I don’t agree with all of your points, but for the most part you were spot on IMO.

As a UNI alum and Fan I am a realist (unlike most Hawkeye Fans) and know that Coach Jake won’t be around much longer. As much as I’d like him to stay I know we can’t afford to keep him. I would like nothing more than Tubby to take the Oregon job and then see Jake at Minnesota. Wouldn’t that be great to watch Coach Jake become successful in the Big Ten at a school not named Iowa. I would laugh all the way to the bank. On the negative side Jake to Minnesota would be the end of UNI’s run as he would completely close the current Wisconsin/Minnesota talent pipeline the Panthers have come to enjoy. But really for all intended purposes of this post I don’t care about that. I really only came on here to see what you Hawk fans were saying about Coach Jake and to stir the pot.

Thanks for the entertainment fellas
 
Thank you Matt for your entertaining and refreshing viewpoint this morning. I don’t agree with all of your points, but for the most part you were spot on IMO.

As a UNI alum and Fan I am a realist (unlike most Hawkeye Fans) and know that Coach Jake won’t be around much longer. As much as I’d like him to stay I know we can’t afford to keep him. I would like nothing more than Tubby to take the Oregon job and then see Jake at Minnesota. Wouldn’t that be great to watch Coach Jake become successful in the Big Ten at a school not named Iowa. I would laugh all the way to the bank. On the negative side Jake to Minnesota would be the end of UNI’s run as he would completely close the current Wisconsin/Minnesota talent pipeline the Panthers have come to enjoy. But really for all intended purposes of this post I don’t care about that. I really only came on here to see what you Hawk fans were saying about Coach Jake and to stir the pot.

Thanks for the entertainment fellas

Better luck next time! :)
 
I think that Jacobsen is one of the brightest young stars on the coaching horizon. He has the potential to become highly successful. I just don't want him to realize that potential at Iowa. I am in the minority on this board in that I enjoy slowball - tho I also enjoy an uptempo game as well, I love college basketball in all it's variations - but to me Jacobsen at Iowa just doesn't feel right.
 
I could live with Jake. He certainly isn't #1 on my list but if he does come to Iowa I think he could succeed. One observation about the fact he doesn't bring many jucos in....that's BECAUSE his players stay four years. They stay four years because they like him and his asst coaches and the team.
 
To win in the Big Ten, you must be an elite recruiter. You must recruit great athletes who can play at the Big Ten level, and then make them better. But the talent must be there in each recruiting class.

Matt Perrault seems to think that Missouri Valley coaches can win in the Big 12 and the Big Ten, but there simply is no record of that happening. McDermott was every bit the coach at UNI that Jake has been, but has been a complete failure at Iowa State because he can't get the players. Lickliter was a national coach of the year, but a disaster as a recruiter. Perrault seems naive and inexperienced to me -- just trying to stir up ratings.

These radio shock jocks are all the same -- remember when Marty Tirrell hit the panic button when Iowa hired Ferentz instead of Stoops? Perrault reminds me of Tirrell.

I sincerely believe that Iowa should find a young African-American coach and give him a chance to recruit great athletes to Iowa City. It has been done before (does anyone remember Vivian Stringer or George Raveling; I do!).

Iowa will win again in basketball, but it starts and ends with recruiting. Matt P. just does not get it but of course he will jump right on the bandwagon when Iowa starts winning again. If Iowa can win in football, they sure as heck can win in basketball again.

Hire the current UNI coach? Are you kidding me? How did the McDermott and Lickliter hires work out? We can't go down that road again.
 
Hey, Hold up big boy - I said WHAT IF he did....I didn't say he would. Be accurate.

Matt: "If I am Ben Jacobsen...Ben Jacobsen is too good for Iowa City. Coaches don't want that job."

Me: "The good news is then we'll both get what we want because I don't want to see him there either."

Matt: "That is fine. He won't go there. He will be smart, as it will be career suicide for most coaches to go in there right now. I don't believe that Iowa City is a step up from UNI. (other than money)"

Just trying to be accurate ;)
 
I will also add that you have to be a complete idiot not to understand the tradition of Iowa basketball and how good this program has been over the years:

1. Bucky O'Connor - 2 Final Fours
2. Ralph Miller - 2 Big Ten titles; Hall of Fame.
3. Lute Olson - 1 Big Ten title; Final Four; Hall of Fame.
4. Tom Davis - Hall of Fame.
5. Steve Alford - 2 Big Ten tournament titles; future Hall of Famer as a player and a coach.

Matt P. has no sense of history; Iowa historically has been a great basketball job and can be again.
 
While Ben Jabosen is not my first choice, I would not be crushed if he became our next head coach. I think he could win in the Big 10 and he certainly couldn't do any worse than Lick has the last 3 years. And for someone to say that he would turn Iowa down given the opportunity is just absurd. All in all though I would rather see Steve Forbes as our next head Hawk.
 
Why Is Jake a better choice than LIck was 3 years ago? Lick had more success At Butler than Jake has had at UNI.
 
I agree Jon. For me, it isn't so much the coach that I worry about as much as the asst. coaches and the loyalty factor. Your staff may be just fine for a mid major but too often when these coaches make the jump to be Big 6 conference they want to bring their entire Mid Major staff with them and that is a recipe for disaster. Does Jacobsen have a recruiter who is dialed into Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Louis? Or, do they rely on JC's and Iowa? Big diff when you're going against Matta, Izzo, Weber, and Painter. Barta cannot let the same thing happen as happened with Lick where he tried to pass off a very, very inexperienced staff off as a big 10 staff. It frankly wasn't close which is why we are where we are 3 LONG years later.
 
Matt: "If I am Ben Jacobsen...Ben Jacobsen is too good for Iowa City. Coaches don't want that job."

Me: "The good news is then we'll both get what we want because I don't want to see him there either."

Matt: "That is fine. He won't go there. He will be smart, as it will be career suicide for most coaches to go in there right now. I don't believe that Iowa City is a step up from UNI. (other than money)"

Just trying to be accurate ;)

Luuuuuuuuuucy, you have some splainin to do.
 
Luuuuuuuuuucy, you have some splainin to do.

Ok fair point. I did say that. I'll stand behind it. I meant that....but in my defense, I was standing up for Ben as Jon was closing the argument. I do think Ben is smarter than to take the Iowa job right now - other than money...UNI offers a better chance to do what he's doing right now.
 
Ok fair point. I did say that. I'll stand behind it. I meant that....but in my defense, I was standing up for Ben as Jon was closing the argument. I do think Ben is smarter than to take the Iowa job right now - other than money...UNI offers a better chance to do what he's doing right now.


Is this just your opinion or have you heard people in the know talking like this?
 
I would have a hard time beliving Ben would turn down the lot of gold if it were his only offer. If he would have other similar offers to choose from, then you'd have to look at where they are. I just would rather Iowa go in a different direction

I they did hire him, I'd cheer for him to be successful but I'd have my doubts
 

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