Good coaching tips the scales.....

Playmaker

Well-Known Member
90% of the time. I was 100% certain that Wiscy would beat Indiana today, making out situation look even worse. We have a mid-major dud at HC, who has not ONCE in seven (7) years been able to maintain momentum and see it eventually pay off. I don't give a rats ass if we had 5 Frosh on the floor last nite....that display was embarrassing and unforgivable given what was on the line. I thought it was hilarious how many thought Indiana could actually win the tournament. Much like Fran, you are what your record says you are....Indiana was 8-10, and still drilled our sorry ass.
 


90% of the time. I was 100% certain that Wiscy would beat Indiana today, making out situation look even worse. We have a mid-major dud at HC, who has not ONCE in seven (7) years been able to maintain momentum and see it eventually pay off. I don't give a rats ass if we had 5 Frosh on the floor last nite....that display was embarrassing and unforgivable given what was on the line. I thought it was hilarious how many thought Indiana could actually win the tournament. Much like Fran, you are what your record says you are....Indiana was 8-10, and still drilled our sorry ass.

Fran just signed a new contract. His sons get to take over when he retires in 10 years. Good times ahead.
 


I want to see how this next group of players plays out. Im not ready to throw Fran away. He has an exciting group of players that love to play. This isnt the football team. This team is exciting.
I give it 5 years. If the same stuff continues to happen, then yes, Im on board.
 




I'd agree that Fran has done a pretty good job, certainly an upgrade on Lick. (understatement). But his shortcomings are also pretty consistent and clear. Kirk's are too...but he's managed to pull off several outstanding years so we put up with them. Fran hasn't had such a performance yet.
 


Been 30 years since we were a blip on the national scene....to give a coach 10 years + to prove himself is ridiculous. I'd rather play mediocre all year and make noise at the end of year than get excited and hopes up, only to piss the bed at tourney time year after year after year after year. This shit is old people,,,,we know what we have in this guy, and it is NOT major league head coaching. And I'm not that optimistic about "all the young talent" as some of you are...it is nice, but not next level talent. Please don't fall into the trap of thinking we have to give the guy three (3) more years to see these current group of players "play out"....that is very flawed thinking.
 


I think this is a really talented group. Kentucky one and done talented? No. But Cook would have garnered a lot more attention if he hadnt been Tatums second fiddle. And the other guys can step in and play a role.
I like Frans fire and I like the fire in these players. I think there is something that is going to happen. And it will be a very positive experience for all.

With that said, if he loses in the 1st round the next 2 seasons, then, yes, Im on board with looking in a different direction.
 


This team has been very entertaining to watch this year. I can't blame the loss on Fran, The way Indiana was shooting the 3 they would have beaten any team in the league. That happens witha team that has a lot of good shooters. We have done that to teams this year as well. It just happened at a bad time.
 








90% of the time. I was 100% certain that Wiscy would beat Indiana today, making out situation look even worse. We have a mid-major dud at HC, who has not ONCE in seven (7) years been able to maintain momentum and see it eventually pay off. I don't give a rats ass if we had 5 Frosh on the floor last nite....that display was embarrassing and unforgivable given what was on the line. I thought it was hilarious how many thought Indiana could actually win the tournament. Much like Fran, you are what your record says you are....Indiana was 8-10, and still drilled our sorry ass.

You don't seem very happy very often around here. I think you could give Fran part of the blame for the previous two years losses in the BTT but this year it just seemed like Indiana was the better team.

I'll give you that Fran overall hasn't gotten it done in the BTT. But by your logic, since Iowa has been .500 or better in conference five years in a row, shouldn't Fran's coaching be given credit for tipping the scales to achieve that mark?
 




90% of the time. I was 100% certain that Wiscy would beat Indiana today, making out situation look even worse. We have a mid-major dud at HC, who has not ONCE in seven (7) years been able to maintain momentum and see it eventually pay off. I don't give a rats ass if we had 5 Frosh on the floor last nite....that display was embarrassing and unforgivable given what was on the line. I thought it was hilarious how many thought Indiana could actually win the tournament. Much like Fran, you are what your record says you are....Indiana was 8-10, and still drilled our sorry ass.
What were you pre season expectations for this group? Was it 10 wins in the BIG? Honestly for what I thought they'd be they've surpassed what I thought they'd be more than anything. I figured they'd be up and down all year long. They had some terrible losses and as good of wins as you could have in the BIG. Which makes it frustrating. But basketball isn't played on a video game. Young teams can take time even when the talent is there. JBo as good as he is won't be a defensive stopper at his position. He far surpassed anything I thought he'd be. Jok I hoped would lead the team in scoring even more so then he did. I thought 25 a night was within reach since the team was so young all. But boy did he drop off down the stretch. My bottom line is I'm not going to go bashing Fran for this job at all. I thought they'd be a middle of the pack to bottom of the BIG this year going to the NIT... Now don't get me wrong to be within a win or 2 of going dancing is frustrating and that should always be the goal. But you have to be reasonable with expectations and now that it's said and done realize they exceeded expectations...
 


So, consistently good...but never great. 18 win season in bball is about like 7-5 in football. Sound familiar?

Yes, it certainly does sound familiar. I think we do have some talent coming in the next few years, but those recruits are in an area where there is already considerable depth. Not to disparage Jordan, but this program will never take that next step up until we recruit a true point guard. I know that we are all aware of that, and it was so painfully obvious in the Indiana debacle then their guards continually blew past us. It's not like we have never had good/great point guards. I think of Fred Brown (best I ever saw), Rick Williams, Ronnie Lester, BJ Armstrong, Andre Woolridge.
I agree with some on this board that our coaches need to hit the trail hard for Juco recruits who can fill an inmmediate need. Jordan Bohannon did an outstanding job this this year, going from high school right into the pressure of being a freshman point guard in the B1G. But - he is so much better suited for the shooting guard postion.
 


So, consistently good...but never great. 18 win season in bball is about like 7-5 in football. Sound familiar?

The one thing I like about both our football and basketball program right now is that both feel like they have some momentum and buzz around the programs.

New coaches for football and hope of a better offense with Brian as OC. Akrum coming back and Stanley showed a lot of promise in the fact that he was even the #2 guy as a freshman and then when he did see some limited action, he played well.

For basketball, basically every freshman exceeded our expectations and have some very nice building blocks for these next 2-3 years. I'm much more confident in Fran's future today than I was to begin the season.
 


Yes, it certainly does sound familiar. I think we do have some talent coming in the next few years, but those recruits are in an area where there is already considerable depth. Not to disparage Jordan, but this program will never take that next step up until we recruit a true point guard. I know that we are all aware of that, and it was so painfully obvious in the Indiana debacle then their guards continually blew past us. It's not like we have never had good/great point guards. I think of Fred Brown (best I ever saw), Rick Williams, Ronnie Lester, BJ Armstrong, Andre Woolridge.
I agree with some on this board that our coaches need to hit the trail hard for Juco recruits who can fill an inmmediate need. Jordan Bohannon did an outstanding job this this year, going from high school right into the pressure of being a freshman point guard in the B1G. But - he is so much better suited for the shooting guard postion.
Before this season without having seen him play I thought JBo was going to be a Brody Boyd type of undersized 2 guard off the bench. After watching this year play out I think he's going to be a great offensive PG for this team. Especially if he improves on a few things. He needs to live in the weight room this off season. Get his shoulders chest and arms thicker. He needs to work on his legs and getting quicker and even improve his vert. Most of this would be for defensive purposes but also offense. I think every PG at this level needs to have the Mark Jackson tear drop shot in their arsenal. Especially the undersized/not as athletic ones. Because you can't always get the 15 foot pull up J or all the way to the rim. If you can hit that tear drop while moving sideways or strait at the rim from 6-10 feet that can make you tough to defend. He's hit a couple of those this year but not nearly enough. We need to keep in mind he was like 160 lbs in HS that's gotten up to 180ish so far I think. It'll take some time for him to bulk up his body as he's just not naturally a big kid. Look at Joks transition from his time at Iowa. He's gotten a lot stronger. I think JBo can get better too and he's already pretty darn good.
 


Headline: "Hawks Have Amazing Season--McCaffrey Walks On Water!"

Playmaker's response: "Of course, with our crappy schedule. And that incompetent bastard McCaffrey can't even swim!"
 


Let's do some math. Indiana shot 60% from the field and the 3 point line against Iowa while only 40% from both against Wisconsin. That resulted in 4 extra 3 pointers and 8 extra 2 pointers for a total of 28 points, they beat Iowa by 22.

The OP needs to get his his head out of his butt, you don't beat teams when they shoot 60% from the field. You can blame some of it on defense but not all, Indiana couldn't miss in that 2nd half. You tip your hat, accept the loss, and stop playing the blame game.
 


Let's do some math. Indiana shot 60% from the field and the 3 point line against Iowa while only 40% from both against Wisconsin. That resulted in 4 extra 3 pointers and 8 extra 2 pointers for a total of 28 points, they beat Iowa by 22.

The OP needs to get his his head out of his butt, you don't beat teams when they shoot 60% from the field. You can blame some of it on defense but not all, Indiana couldn't miss in that 2nd half. You tip your hat, accept the loss, and stop playing the blame game.

Kinda like Maryland had to do to us. Sometimes it's the other team's night. They were drilling contested 3s while Jok was barely drawing iron on wide open 3s.
 




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