Gazette says chemistry

[uofihawkInation]

The reality is the gazette has it right. He was rooming with Basabe, and for whatever reason they just didn't quite get along, and IC is a pretty lonely place for a 26 year old ex con.

It want a clique thing, or a jealous thing, it was just a I'm here all alone thing.

I originally heard they were becoming friends.. and couldn't he have just switched roommates if it was that bad?

 

[SteveGarvey]

]How is it obvious?[/B] I can easily see Fran sitting him down and having a "this isn't working out" discussion. Then, giving the kid a break by framing it as his decision.

Losing Hubbard hurts, he has skills. But no one player is bigger than the program...not matter how desperate we are to turn it around.

It's obvious because Fran wasn't even in Iowa City when it went down; that Hubbard played in the PTL on Tuesday and all seemed fin;, that Fran's statement revealed his true feelings about how much he worked on getting Hubbard to Iowa and that, since Hubbard really has only been in Iowa City for a month, I seriously doubt Fran would have told him to leave without giving him more time for the team to work things out; that he was going to be the most athletic player on the team or at least one of them and that Hubbard would have really had to done something wrong to be asked to leave.....

I don't doubt the team chemistry thing but no way he was asked to leave.

 

[Scoop]

mel is a nice kid, but he also has a ton of personality. don't take what I said as a dig on mel it isn't. they just didn't click. the bottom line was he just never felt comfortable here.

 

[jacknicholson]

The age and life experience difference might have been the deciding factors. I really don't see cliques among the players shutting Hubbard out. Didn't see a hint of it the entire season. I saw Cully sitting unhappily on the bench unable to play because of injury, and deciding to depart because he lost the starting position as long as Cartwright was healthy. Somewhat of a stretch to blame Hubbard's leaving on the team. As Scoop says, it very well could have been that he wasn't a good fit in Iowa City and with his teammates. At any rate, he is gone and the team will survive under Fran's leadership very well. Still am looking for significant improvement this season, same as last year but with a few more victories, winning some of the close ones we lost last season. It always was going to take time to recover from the Lick disaster and still will, but it is coming. Woodbury's commitment is even more important now.

 

[storminspank]

Wouldn't surprise me at all if the so-called "cliques" on this team led to Hub's decision. And if Fran doesn't gain control of that issue he, too, will be in Iowa City only three years. Why am I seeing G's writ large over this mess, which is putting it politely.

There were cliques on the Lickliter teams and the cause of many departures.

 

[SwirlinLingerie]

There were cliques on the Lickliter teams and the cause of many departures.

No offense, but this is a tired and old explanation. Every sports team, from t-ballers to NBA championship teams, have cliques. Always have, always will. You tend to hear about them when teams lose. You also tend to hear about them more on basketball teams, due to the smaller number of individuals on the team.

The only time it becomes problematic is when they undermine a coach or become too influential, which is a coach's responsibility to address. I don't think cliques are a problem with strong leadership from a coaching staff.

What was the problem with cliques during Lick's tenure?

 

[Scoop]

no way was this a gates thing. he was the biggest beneficiary of Hubbard being here.

 

[BigD]

Why doesn't the paper quote a source on this chemistry claim? Seems like an awful strange claim for a kid that never played one game with his new teammates. A 26 yr old who spent four years in prison and one year far away frok home at a junior college suddenly has a sudden rush of home sickness. Having gone through the things he has already gone through you would also have to think he would also have the maturity to easily overcome some personality issues with other players. Neither story sounds right.

If we land Woodbury and Gessel all will be forgotten. If we lose both of those recruits the sheet will really hit the fan on all the hawkeye forums.

 

[alexzelada]

ISU has taken on a lot more talent with a lot less baggage. Iowa St is so far ahead of Iowa right now. ISU is filled with B12 level talent right now, while once again we will be playing a lot of guys who wouldn't even get minutes on any other B10 team.

And to think, if Lick Sr. were still here we'd be forced to watch the spectacle of a Hawkeye team so devoid of talent that Lick Jr. would probably be a starter! So let's all be thankful THAT future didn't pan out.

 

[hawkIhoops]

ISU has taken on a lot more talent with a lot less baggage. Iowa St is so far ahead of Iowa right now. ISU is filled with B12 level talent right now, while once again we will be playing a lot of guys who wouldn't even get minutes on any other B10 team.

Sad but true. It seems every other school in the country Iowa (including ISU) can get transfers in, keep them happy etc., and we can't get a juco kid through the PTL season. Cyclown nation has to be yucking it up over this and I can't blame them.

 

[vigorousKnit]

sounds like hubbard had some character issues. who'd have thought??? especially after the eastern Iowa media and many on this board spent months falating the guy and jamming it down everyone's throat how he was "a changed man" and "we should give him a second chance" ,"he did his time" etc. when a team is taking a risk on you and you come in with a bad attitude on top of that it isn't going to sit well with the other guys that have busted their butts to get where they are.

 

[oroko]

Check me if I'm wrong Sandy, but "chemistry"? In the middle of July? Really?

 

[Hillcrest1981]

Saying chemistry was the issue is like throwing a dart, blindfolded. Nobody knows why he chose to leave except Hubbard. This was to be his 3rd school in 3 years! He is a quitter, period! Bye and don't let the door hit you in the *** on the way out. Iowa basketball has always come down to who can recruit. Fran has a lot to prove but I still like his style of play, demeanor, etc.

 

[SirJamaLot]

Reality is that Hubbard was a better bb player than marble, Ogeslby,& May, but a huge risk to stay elgible and out of trouble, I was excited when the Hawks signed him but worried that it could blow up in their face, Move on fans and get behind the kids that want to stay! Fran needs to make some noise in 2012 recruiting class, Meyer is a good start but Woody and Gessel would pump everyone up.

 

[hawkdrummer1]

Blessing in disguise. If AH was bound to be a problem...good thing it's now and not October or January.
I'm guessing he was on a short leash, and either grades or something else soured the deal. Fran and Barta are giving him an easy out, instead of trashing the kid publicly.

 

[PatrickAdamovicz]

sounds like hubbard had some character issues. who'd have thought??? especially after the eastern Iowa media and many on this board spent months falating the guy and jamming it down everyone's throat how he was "a changed man" and "we should give him a second chance" ,"he did his time" etc. when a team is taking a risk on you and you come in with a bad attitude on top of that it isn't going to sit well with the other guys that have busted their butts to get where they are.

Lets slow down with some of this. No one really knows what the reason is, furthermore I get the sense that some are acting as if this guy committed a crime, which he did not. He simply left the program at a bad time and for that we have no answer. Again, he didn't commit a crime.

 

[Cydkar]

Cyclown nation has to be yucking it up over this and I can't blame them.

I'm not. I like Fran and I want the ISU-Iowa game to be a dogfight with both teams in the NCAA tournament. This is a setback but the 2012 class will tell a lot for Iowa's future.