Respectfully disagree. I think Horner was a better high school player, and while I know it is impossible to truly know, I think if Gessell reaches his upside he might have the impact that Horner had. Its not wishful thinking to think that Gessell falls somewhere between Horner and Hurley............its wish and a prayer thinking. He would have to surpass the expectations of all the talent evaluators in the country to finish just short of being a Bobby Hurley. Let's not get carried away, let's just enjoy him for what he is.
Did anyone see this fail in the QC Times / Hawkmania Gesell article?
- Thread starter storminspank
- Start date
sportstalent
Well-Known Member
I think he has more than enough ability to be better than Horner and he will have very good players with him to make his job easier. Iowa may only have two starters back when Gesell get there, but they will have a lot of experience back, so that will aid in a faster development. Also, I think he may be a bit underrated as it stands because he didn't play what he felt was his true position of PG during the AAU seasons because Paige is better, but that doesn't mean he isn't going to be better than Horner. I am not comparing him to Hurley, as he was one of the games best. I feel he can be better than Horner and if he is then Iowa has a heck of a player. It is not a wish and a prayer, Gesell is a quality player that will get his chance to shine from day one because of the situation he will fall into and that is not a bad thing.
Fair enough, we'll have to leave it at having different expectations for Gessell. I'll say this 'talent....I've read enough of your posts to know that if I ever get depressed about something to do with the Hawks, I'm calling you to cheer me up....you're definitly a 'glass half-full' guy. That's a good thing.
sportstalent
Well-Known Member
After seeing what the last two coaches have put this program through, it is very refreshing to see what Coach Fran is and already has done. First he has stopped the bleeding, there are going to be issues at any program, but the magnitude of those issues are what matter.
Under Alford, living here in Michigan, the only real news prior to BTN I got was waiting to hear what player got arrested, academically ineligible or transferred. Under Lickliter it was not who was going to transfer, it was how many?
Under Fran, there has been one issue really, the Hubbard thing, but it would have been far worse if it had happened during the season. Since then, Iowa has gotten a verbal from Gesell and will probably get Ingram during or soon after his visit, granted Tenn. does not offer then it will be a big decision.
Here is the way I look at it, Alford won with all kinds of drama and it got to the point where every game was about him and I got sick of hearing about Alford, I wanted to hear about Iowa basketball. In watching the BT championship game when Iowa beat Ohio State, one thing was for certain, that team did not get along. They were in their groups, it was more than obvious and it ruined the title for me and consequently, when they lost in the NCAA tournament, it made me sick. With Lickliter there was drama and zero chance Iowa was going to have a winning season, no good could ever come from that.
The Iowa program is just different and with the way Iowa is building its roster, the long term success for the program is going to happen again. Fran and staff focusing more on player development with freshman, but throwing in a JUCO now and then is a great way to build for the long term. Initially, Iowa struggled with the losing season, but I predict it will be the only losing season with Fran at the helm. Again the attitude of the program is just different, the coach is breathing confidence into his team, but not making is about himself. The "team first" approach and getting kids that have a chip on their shoulder to prove themselves will pay huge dividends for Iowa in the end.
BigD
Well-Known Member
The iPod I use does the same thing. It will some times change a word that it thinks you mean. Then when you want to edit the post it only allows you to see the first part of a post and there is no scroll bar to allow you to scroll to where a mistake is made lower in your post. Technology is great at times and extremely frustrating at others. Lol, one time I posted a comment and some responded on here to my post with "Huh?" I went back and the iPod had changes several letters to point that it looked like the German language or that I was typing under the influence. I'd better be quiet or I might give the Iowa City PD another way to arrest and fine people.
