Fran is Gone

[Northside Hawk]

Couple of things

Fran is a good coach.
I really wish we could have seen Frans offense with elite players.
Feel like Freeman and Fran had an issue of some sorts. Is Freeman back next year?
Really like some of the latest recruits. Hope they can be retained.

In a perverse way, did this year's recruiting class commit to Iowa knowing that Fran WOULDN'T be the coach?

Guess we'll find out shortly.

It was time for him to go. He has run a clean program with integrity in regards to the rules, and he developed some high end NBA talent.

But....we too often were sorely lacking in the physicality matchups. Our players couldn't fight through the hand to hand combat. When we had pit bull type players they frequently didn't last because they either couldn't shoot good enough or turned the ball over too much.

Instead of bitching about the officiating how about adjusting to it. How about recruiting, and sticking with, the types of players who could walk down a dark alley with Dracula. Sparty, Purdue and Wisconsin thrive when the game turns into a rock fight.

I always go back to the side by side comparison of shirtless Iowa and Wisconsin players that came out about eight, ten years ago. Iowa’s players looked like a cross country team compared to Wisconsin's who looked like NFL linebackers.

Fran was in the league fifteen years. If he hadn't figured out by now how to recruit players based on how the league was officiated he was never going to figure it out. So it was time to go.

 

[Fryowa]

In a perverse way, did this year's recruiting class commit to Iowa knowing that Fran WOULDN'T be the coach?

Guess we'll find out shortly.

It was time for him to go. He has run a clean program with integrity in regards to the rules, and he developed some high end NBA talent.

But....we too often were sorely lacking in the physicality matchups. Our players couldn't fight through the hand to hand combat. When we had pit bull type players they frequently didn't last because they either couldn't shoot good enough or turned the ball over too much.

Instead of bitching about the officiating how about adjusting to it. How about recruiting, and sticking with, the types of players who could walk down a dark alley with Dracula. Sparty, Purdue and Wisconsin thrive when the game turns into a rock fight.

I always go back to the side by side comparison of shirtless Iowa and Wisconsin players that came out about eight, ten years ago. Iowa’s players looked like a cross country team compared to Wisconsin's who looked like NFL linebackers.

Fran was in the league fifteen years. If he hadn't figured out by now how to recruit players based on how the league was officiated he was never going to figure it out. So it was time to go.

Level headed take right there

 

[HuckFinn]

In a perverse way, did this year's recruiting class commit to Iowa knowing that Fran WOULDN'T be the coach?

Guess we'll find out shortly.

It was time for him to go. He has run a clean program with integrity in regards to the rules, and he developed some high end NBA talent.

But....we too often were sorely lacking in the physicality matchups. Our players couldn't fight through the hand to hand combat. When we had pit bull type players they frequently didn't last because they either couldn't shoot good enough or turned the ball over too much.

Instead of bitching about the officiating how about adjusting to it. How about recruiting, and sticking with, the types of players who could walk down a dark alley with Dracula. Sparty, Purdue and Wisconsin thrive when the game turns into a rock fight.

I always go back to the side by side comparison of shirtless Iowa and Wisconsin players that came out about eight, ten years ago. Iowa’s players looked like a cross country team compared to Wisconsin's who looked like NFL linebackers.

Fran was in the league fifteen years. If he hadn't figured out by now how to recruit players based on how the league was officiated he was never going to figure it out. So it was time to go.

I have to admit, since I don’t like how bb has turned into a street fight, I have to agree that we are going to have to adjust. Years back, when Lute had guys like Sky King, physical bb was coming on strong. Compare that to Ralph Miller: High on finesse and a passing game we don’t see as much any more. Yeah. I am old, but I will maintain that the physicality has gotten out of hand. Lots of injuries these days…

 

[Seth53]

Someone here keep your eye on 1100 N Dubuque St on Zillow...

Zing...

Wadda say a few of us go in and buy this sucker. Turn it into a "mature" (read: geezer) frat-type gathering place. I volunteer to hold the title of in-house guardian and will keep the liquid refreshments stocked appropriately.

 

[Northside Hawk]

Level headed take right there

Heres another take. Everyone has commented this year on his calm, stoic, hands in the pockets demeanor on the bench this year and many have criticized him for this as much as for his fiery demeanor.

Maybe he is battling an undisclosed illness. Again, we will find out in time. But his players have certainly been emotional this year to the point of outright drama (check Peyton collapsing on the Carver court in the fetal position after the heartbreaking loss to Oregon a few weeks ago that probably officially ended their NCAA hopes)

It's probably a combination of a lot of things-his wife and kids in Indiana, conversations Beth had with him, a short handed team with Owen and Cooper out, Drew probably missing practice time the last month (and Peyton playing with a bad shoulder all season)

We will never know his demeanor behind the scenes with the team and whether that changed, but there sure has been a lot of sappiness with the team this year.