Bite the bullet

[DesMoinesHawki]

This will be a long year of Iowa basketball. However, I can and will accept it. Why? Because we now have a solid coach in place who WILL get this program winning again. Recruiting is about relationships. And coaching is about making your players better. Fran will do that. We will get better. We will show progress throughout the year. And, we will see frustrating games (i.e. Sunday) where West Des Moines Valley could give us a run for our money.

I like Fran. I like his attitude. Immediately after the game he said he takes full responsibility for the loss. I like that. A coach not pointing fingers. Fran is not shying away from the spotlight. He has his vision of what he wants to accomplish. It will take some time.

Think of your own job ... If new ownership steps in -- things are going to change. And some of those changes take longer than others. We have the right coach in place. It will all come together. It will ... In the meantime, don't be too hard on the players or coaches. This is a new situation for all of them. Give them some time. They will connect, and they will get better. Go Hawks!

 

[sioux34]

I sure wish that Fuller where here to play in the new system.

 

[storminspank]

After making an idiotic off-the-cuff remark on McCaffery when Barta hired him, I've really warmed up to him. Listening to his pressers, watching him in-game, he just gets it. He's no-nonsense and he's not coy with any of his answers. Sitting in the post-game press conference yesterday, even with the loss, I was impressed with Coach. He doesn't make excuses. He's very direct. I like that. I can guarantee the players will not get mixed messages from him like Iowa coaches of the past. Also, the assistant coaching staff he has compiled still leaves me in awe. It's one of the best in the Big Ten by far. Just need results at some point.

 

[JHHawk]

I do feel a bit sorry for Fran,tho. If Lick had just done the minimal and kept the class together that SA gave him, we would have Jake Kelly and Jeff Peterson joining Cole as seniors. Add in Fuller,and we would have 13 guys on scholly this year,and have a decent chance. Instead,Lick drove away arguably the 3 most talented guys on that roster along with Gatens and May. Give Fran a starting lineup of Peterson,Kelly,Gatens,Fuller and Cole, with May,McCabe,Basabe,Marble,Payne,Cartwright,and Cougill off the bench and we could compete at least.

 

[olivecourt]

I do feel a bit sorry for Fran,tho. If Lick had just done the minimal and kept the class together that SA gave him, we would have Jake Kelly and Jeff Peterson joining Cole as seniors. Add in Fuller,and we would have 13 guys on scholly this year,and have a decent chance. Instead,Lick drove away arguably the 3 most talented guys on that roster along with Gatens and May. Give Fran a starting lineup of Peterson,Kelly,Gatens,Fuller and Cole, with May,McCabe,Basabe,Marble,Payne,Cartwright,and Cougill off the bench and we could compete at least.

If he'd done that, he'd be coaching the team right now, we'd have Cody Larson and Ben Brust, Melsahn Basabe would be at Siena, etc., etc. It's time to let those guys go.

 

[1977Hawkeye]

After making an idiotic off-the-cuff remark on McCaffery when Barta hired him, I've really warmed up to him. Listening to his pressers, watching him in-game, he just gets it. He's no-nonsense and he's not coy with any of his answers. Sitting in the post-game press conference yesterday, even with the loss, I was impressed with Coach. He doesn't make excuses. He's very direct. I like that. I can guarantee the players will not get mixed messages from him like Iowa coaches of the past. Also, the assistant coaching staff he has compiled still leaves me in awe. It's one of the best in the Big Ten by far. Just need results at some point.

My thoughts exactly. I like everything about Fran so far, and think he'll do a good job with the players he's got. It's an experienced staff that knows what they're doing.

It will really come down to recruiting IMO, and if we don't get the players we need to be competetive, it won't be through lack of effort.

You're right - Fran does need to produce at some point, but he does seem to know what needs to be done and like everything I've heard about him. I have no doubt we're in better hands than we were a year ago.

 

[CAARHawk]

Re: the Assistant coaching staff, sometimes I get a little frustrated about the over the top accolades that people heap on them. You have two older guys who had experienced little or at best moderate success at the mid-major level that were out of jobs. Neither guy has been able to pull in a major recruit. Which is the key in NCAA hoops. Continuing on that theme, Iowa is near the bottom of the staffs that turned over in 2010 with respect to 2011 recruiting.

This is not to say that the staff won't get the job done, but let's wait to heap the praise until we see the results in recruiting or on the court.