Espn article on Small Ball - Iowa Upset?

[NikeHawk21]

https://www.google.com/amp/www.espn...4/college-basketball-predictions?platform=amp

Interesting article on the small ball trend that has been taking over college basketball the last few years. I’ve have harped on this a ton around here but Fran seems to be the only coach not willing to adapt. Heck last year he did the opposite trying to play big men at the 3 position. Goes along with my argument that Kriener and Pemsl don’t necessarily deserve minutes. Baer would be considered a 4 on almost every other team, not at Iowa.

ESPN is predicting a hawks upset. One of the ducks 5 Star freshman is still out with an injury.

 

[JG10Hawk]

https://www.google.com/amp/www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/25257774/college-basketball-predictions?platform=amp

Interesting article on the small ball trend that has been taking over college basketball the last few years. I’ve have harped on this a ton around here but Fran seems to be the only coach not willing to adapt. Heck last year he did the opposite trying to play big men at the 3 position. Goes along with my argument that Kriener and Pemsl don’t necessarily deserve minutes. Baer would be considered a 4 on almost every other team, not at Iowa.

ESPN is predicting a hawks upset. One of the ducks 5 Star freshman is still out with an injury.

Last year was painful to watch at times with Baer and Nunge playing the 3. Adding Joe has actually helped that issue this year. If I remember correctly, Baer played quite a bit of 4 on Sunday.

 

[NikeHawk21]

Last year was painful to watch at times with Baer and Nunge playing the 3. Adding Joe has actually helped that issue this year. If I remember correctly, Baer played quite a bit of 4 on Sunday.

That is correct, however that might be more to due to the fact that the Pemsl was out. Maybe Fran will learn from that.

The reason I was disappointed with the Nunge redshirt was because he’s a stretch 4 who can handle the ball decent. In the UMKC Pemsl looked lost playing the 4 because he can’t play on the perimeter and the offense had zero flow when he was out there. Again, to me Pemsl is still an undersized 5 man.

 

[JG10Hawk]

That is correct, however that might be more to due to the fact that the Pemsl was out. Maybe Fran will learn from that.

The reason I was disappointed with the Nunge redshirt was because he’s a stretch 4 who can handle the ball decent. In the UMKC Pemsl looked lost playing the 4 because he can’t play on the perimeter and the offense had zero flow when he was out there. Again, to me Pemsl is still an undersized 5 man.

Agreed. I like and hate the Nunge redshirt. He would definitely help this years' team but we know Fran wasn't going to give him the consistent minutes as the backup 4/5 that he probably deserves because of the depth. So kudos on him for seeing that and not wasting a year playing less when he can have an extra year to potentially play significant minutes down the road.

Like you said, we'll see if Baer at the 4 was just Fran's hand being forced due to Pemsl being hurt. I really hope that wasn't the case. I really like Baer at the backup 4.

 

[NikeHawk21]

Agreed. I like and hate the Nunge redshirt. He would definitely help this years' team but we know Fran wasn't going to give him the consistent minutes as the backup 4/5 that he probably deserves because of the depth. So kudos on him for seeing that and not wasting a year playing less when he can have an extra year to potentially play significant minutes down the road.

Like you said, we'll see if Baer at the 4 was just Fran's hand being forced due to Pemsl being hurt. I really hope that wasn't the case. I really like Baer at the backup 4.

Agreed.

To go along with the link I posted, Iowa really could move to a more small ball style this year if Fran wanted, but again it might cut into Kriener and Pemsl’s minutes.

If Connor grabs the backup PG spot, then Dailey can play his minutes at his more natural 2 and 3 spots. Everyone wants to crucify Moss after two games, but he’s 6th on the team in shot attempts and 8th on the team in minutes. Fran hasn’t really given him a chance to play through cold spells.

JBo 28 / Cmac 12
Moss 25 / Dailey 15
Weiskamp 30 / Dailey 10
Cook 22 / Baer 18
Garza 25 / Cook 8 / Kriener 7

This lineup gives you a more guard oriented team, with more ball handling, shooting, and athleticism.

The last point I’ll make is everyone was saying, if Cook plays the 5 he will get a bunch of fouls. Is that really true? My perspective is Cook gets his fouls guarding players on the perimeter because he can move laterally enough to keep up and also he gets a lot on the offensive end. Rarely do I see him get a bunch under the basket. Again he’s 6’9/260, not many college players can bully him down there.

 

[N8theGr8]

https://www.google.com/amp/www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/25257774/college-basketball-predictions?platform=amp

Interesting article on the small ball trend that has been taking over college basketball the last few years. I’ve have harped on this a ton around here but Fran seems to be the only coach not willing to adapt. Heck last year he did the opposite trying to play big men at the 3 position. Goes along with my argument that Kriener and Pemsl don’t necessarily deserve minutes. Baer would be considered a 4 on almost every other team, not at Iowa.

ESPN is predicting a hawks upset. One of the ducks 5 Star freshman is still out with an injury.

Fran has an interesting take on it because he has shooters at every position, but they aren't the hyper-athletic 6'6-6'9 guys that comprise the majority of the teams mentioned in the article. Somehow, our team has actually settled into an incredibly traditional roster with a 6'1 PG, 6'5 SG, 6'6 SF, 6'9 PF, and 6'11 Center. If we utilized our length and size more effectively, we could theoretically abuse some teams on the inside and really work an inside out game with Cook and Garza working people on the block and kicking to open shooters. But until we clean up the turnovers, all those extra passes are just turning into extra attempts for the opposing teams.

Also, I don't think Myron watched the first two Iowa games. Things are not leaning toward upset right now.

 

[mopkins]

I don't know if "small ball" is the right term. After all, Zion is 6'8" and 285 pounds....not exactly small. There is still room for big men (Embiid, Davis, Jokic, Towns, Durant, etc), but the game has changed to where your bigs have to be able to spread the floor, handle the ball, and they have to be able to shoot the basketball from range. The days of the 1-trick post-up big man are long gone.

I do agree that Fran is struggling to adapt to today's game. Pemsl is not a shooter or athletic or a great passer...he's just a post player. Kriener can shoot and sometimes create a shot...I guess. Cook is working on his ball handling, but has no outside shot.

The other thing Fran has been bad at is exploiting teams who go small against him. If you have a distinct size advantage you have to exploit it. After all, those teams are looking to exploit their quickness against you.

 

[NikeHawk21]

I don't know if "small ball" is the right term. After all, Zion is 6'8" and 285 pounds....not exactly small. There is still room for big men (Embiid, Davis, Jokic, Towns, Durant, etc), but the game has changed to where your bigs have to be able to spread the floor, handle the ball, and they have to be able to shoot the basketball from range. The days of the 1-trick post-up big man are long gone.

I do agree that Fran is struggling to adapt to today's game. Pemsl is not a shooter or athletic or a great passer...he's just a post player. Kriener can shoot and sometimes create a shot...I guess. Cook is working on his ball handling, but has no outside shot.

The other thing Fran has been bad at is exploiting teams who go small against him. If you have a distinct size advantage you have to exploit it. After all, those teams are looking to exploit their quickness against you.

Duke was a bad example, but 3 of the 4 final four teams last year basically played 4 guards. Not big guys who could shoot, guards that had a little height & length.

 

[NikeHawk21]

Fran has an interesting take on it because he has shooters at every position, but they aren't the hyper-athletic 6'6-6'9 guys that comprise the majority of the teams mentioned in the article. Somehow, our team has actually settled into an incredibly traditional roster with a 6'1 PG, 6'5 SG, 6'6 SF, 6'9 PF, and 6'11 Center. If we utilized our length and size more effectively, we could theoretically abuse some teams on the inside and really work an inside out game with Cook and Garza working people on the block and kicking to open shooters. But until we clean up the turnovers, all those extra passes are just turning into extra attempts for the opposing teams.

Also, I don't think Myron watched the first two Iowa games. Things are not leaning toward upset right now.

The addition of Weiskamp has certainly helped our lineup be more natural. Would be nice to see Baer play more minutes at the 4.

We do not have shooters at every position. Cook, Kriener, and Pemsl have all made less than 5 career 3pt shots at this level. Garza can occasionally hit one, he made 16 last year. Some are also skeptical on Connor’s outside shot as well although his FT stroke looks great.

 

[mopkins]

The addition of Weiskamp has certainly helped our lineup be more natural. Would be nice to see Baer play more minutes at the 4.

We do not have shooters at every position. Cook, Kriener, and Pemsl have all made less than 5 career 3pt shots at this level. Garza can occasionally hit one, he made 16 last year. Some are also skeptical on Connor’s outside shot as well although his FT stroke looks great.

Wieskamp is a perfect example of the next generation of basketball player. He has the size, but he also has the athletic ability. I always thought Aaron White was a great example of that as well, although his outside shot struggled at times.

I think the jury is still out on Patrick and if he can do similar things. Sounds like his outside shot isnt what it needs to be...yet

I still think Garza will develop a nice 3 point shot...eventually

 

[JG10Hawk]

Wieskamp is a perfect example of the next generation of basketball player. He has the size, but he also has the athletic ability. I always thought Aaron White was a great example of that as well, although his outside shot struggled at times.

I think the jury is still out on Patrick and if he can do similar things. Sounds like his outside shot isnt what it needs to be...yet

I still think Garza will develop a nice 3 point shot...eventually

Garza has a decent shot already, he did shoot almost 35% from 3 last year. Granted that was only on 16-46 shooting.

Patrick's shot should get better as he gets stronger. I really wonder if the plan is for him to redshirt next year or not. I'm thinking he should at this point.

 

[tmess1989]

I don't know if "small ball" is the right term. After all, Zion is 6'8" and 285 pounds....not exactly small. There is still room for big men (Embiid, Davis, Jokic, Towns, Durant, etc), but the game has changed to where your bigs have to be able to spread the floor, handle the ball, and they have to be able to shoot the basketball from range. The days of the 1-trick post-up big man are long gone.

I do agree that Fran is struggling to adapt to today's game. Pemsl is not a shooter or athletic or a great passer...he's just a post player. Kriener can shoot and sometimes create a shot...I guess. Cook is working on his ball handling, but has no outside shot.

The other thing Fran has been bad at is exploiting teams who go small against him. If you have a distinct size advantage you have to exploit it. After all, those teams are looking to exploit their quickness against you.

No way is Williamson 6-8. He is much closer to 6-6. But he is still a force that few teams can guard.

As far as Iowa goes. I don't think I'd call putting Baer at the 4 going small. That is his more natural position. So far this year it seems like Fran is going away from playing 3 forwards that are more inside focused and playing 3 guards instead. CMac has played a lot more minutes than I was expecting which means JBo has been able to play off the ball more.

I think Pemsl and Krieners minutes will be 10 to 15 minutes combined except if Cook or Garza is in foul trouble.

 

[N8theGr8]

The addition of Weiskamp has certainly helped our lineup be more natural. Would be nice to see Baer play more minutes at the 4.

We do not have shooters at every position. Cook, Kriener, and Pemsl have all made less than 5 career 3pt shots at this level. Garza can occasionally hit one, he made 16 last year. Some are also skeptical on Connor’s outside shot as well although his FT stroke looks great.

White's senior year he was 21/59 for around 35% shooting, I thought it would have been more because it really seemed to open up his game even averaging less than 2 attempts. If Cook makes 20 3's this year while shooting a couple open looks each game, it will help us a lot on offense. I think Garza will easily hit 20 this season, but it doesn't help him quite as much because he can't get to the rim fast enough from the arc to take advantage. It does open up the lane when he takes his defender out with him though.

I guess this is all to say we have offensive potential. But what the article misses is the true benefit of small ball, the defensive end. It allows you to put athletes out there that can defend every position well in both man and zone. You give up a couple inches in the post, but if you've got a 6'9 250-300 pound monster under the rim, those inches don't count for squat.

 

[JG10Hawk]

White was 9/39 ie 23% averaging 1.5 attempts per game until his last 8 games. During that stretch he shot 12/20 ie 60% averaging 2.5 attempts per game. That was a nice 8 game stretch where he averaged 22.5 points. The Hawks were 6-2 in that stretch. Just think if he was more willing to develop his shot and shoot it more often from deep sooner in his career.

 

[mopkins]

No way is Williamson 6-8. He is much closer to 6-6. But he is still a force that few teams can guard.

As far as Iowa goes. I don't think I'd call putting Baer at the 4 going small. That is his more natural position. So far this year it seems like Fran is going away from playing 3 forwards that are more inside focused and playing 3 guards instead. CMac has played a lot more minutes than I was expecting which means JBo has been able to play off the ball more.

I think Pemsl and Krieners minutes will be 10 to 15 minutes combined except if Cook or Garza is in foul trouble.

I think Connor's minutes are more a result of Moss not realizing the season has started yet.

 

[NikeHawk21]

White's senior year he was 21/59 for around 35% shooting, I thought it would have been more because it really seemed to open up his game even averaging less than 2 attempts. If Cook makes 20 3's this year while shooting a couple open looks each game, it will help us a lot on offense. I think Garza will easily hit 20 this season, but it doesn't help him quite as much because he can't get to the rim fast enough from the arc to take advantage. It does open up the lane when he takes his defender out with him though.

I guess this is all to say we have offensive potential. But what the article misses is the true benefit of small ball, the defensive end. It allows you to put athletes out there that can defend every position well in both man and zone. You give up a couple inches in the post, but if you've got a 6'9 250-300 pound monster under the rim, those inches don't count for squat.

On defense it allows you to freely switch in most cases. Also can recover much faster from mistakes. In today’s day of basketball giving up a contested close range shot or even taking a foul is better than giving an open look at a three pointer.

 

[mopkins]

White was 9/39 ie 23% averaging 1.5 attempts per game until his last 8 games. During that stretch he shot 12/20 ie 60% averaging 2.5 attempts per game. That was a nice 8 game stretch where he averaged 22.5 points. The Hawks were 6-2 in that stretch. Just think if he was more willing to develop his shot and shoot it more often from deep sooner in his career.

Yeah I always felt good about white shooting the 3...it just rarely went down. I remember all the stories about him living in the gym (sometimes literally).

 

[N8theGr8]

White was 9/39 ie 23% averaging 1.5 attempts per game until his last 8 games. During that stretch he shot 12/20 ie 60% averaging 2.5 attempts per game. That was a nice 8 game stretch where he averaged 22.5 points. The Hawks were 6-2 in that stretch. Just think if he was more willing to develop his shot and shoot it more often from deep sooner in his career.

You always remember the good times I suppose.

 

[lightning1]

White was 9/39 ie 23% averaging 1.5 attempts per game until his last 8 games. During that stretch he shot 12/20 ie 60% averaging 2.5 attempts per game. That was a nice 8 game stretch where he averaged 22.5 points. The Hawks were 6-2 in that stretch. Just think if he was more willing to develop his shot and shoot it more often from deep sooner in his career.

It's not easy to change/develop your shot. You have to be willing to put in the time to do it and you need a good shooting coach.

 

[Stanzi]

It’s cute to see they think we’ll even be within 10. Oregon is going to obliterate us. We just gave up 80 points to a horrid team. Oregon is actually good.