Greatest Individual Game In Iowa History

[Fryowa]

I did break a fungo over my knee (it wasn't that tough, but they didn't know it was old and weak) about 20 years ago when I got pissed, threw it, almost hit my assistant's windshield, called them a bunch of GD pussies, turned and saw a mom of a new kid standing right by the fence. I went over after practice and apologized like I've never apologized before or since and assumed I'd be losing my job. She said, "if you weren't going to say it, I was". After I got to know her, I think she'd have said something even more colorful. Of course, that was the previous generation...

Haha, that’s great

I’ve been there!!

Usually it’s after a game where we get our ass kicked. There’s been many a long night sitting in the visitor dugout with no lights on drinking Gatorade and manually running all 30 sprinklers until it’s done.

 

[Fryowa]

Nice! That reminds me that I need a new fungo too. Mine is pretty cracked and splintered. I think it's more athletic tape than it is wood. I'm ready to get out and swing it...if I could. My players, current and former, have been joking with me about getting one of these. I told them I'll be able to swing a bat just fine by May.

View attachment 9920

A parent had one of those and I tried it, if someone can get a legit fly ball out of that thing I don’t know how

 

[Northside Hawk]

Correction, Fran is now 96-75 in the B1G since Fraud and Lick's recruits. That's now .561

Your point probably stands, but Davis was a better recruiter than you might remember, especially early when Bruce Pearl helped him. But he had terrible luck his first six or seven years.

First of all, Troy Skinner wasn't plan A at point guard. Brian Garner was. Brian was quicker with the ball in his hands than any point guard I've seen at Iowa, including Lester, Armstrong, and Woolridge. But he lasted a grand total of three semesters at Iowa before flunking out.

Ray Thompson, who could have held all of Iowa’s offensive records before he was done, lasted as long as Garner before flunking out in his own right.

Michael Ingram and Rodell Davis, two of the most athletic players Davis ever recruited, destroyed their knees and were never completely healthy at Iowa. Ingram came back his senior year as a pedestrian role player. Davis had one decent year, then slid further down the rotation by the end of his senior year and barely got into two NCAA games.

Matt Bullard had knee issues both his years at Iowa. Paul Lusk badly broke a leg that took two full years to recover from, by which time he transferred. Then of course the Chris Street tragedy, Kingsbury's off the court issues, Russ Millard having to transfer to junior college halfway through his career and get his grades in order.

I will agree Davis got lazy on the recruiting trail the second half of his Iowa career, which opened the door for Roy Williams. Losing in state recruits to Roy, as well as how he handled Kingsbury, may have been his downfall with Bowlsby and some administrators and boosters. Bowlsby also had a man crush on Steve Alford that grew stronger until Bob hired him.

 

[thedukeofearl]

We won the game

Fran's staredown

BFD

Zebra was cool about it

 

[Fryowa]

Your point probably stands, but Davis was a better recruiter than you might remember, especially early when Bruce Pearl helped him.

Fran has definitely proven himself to be a better recruiter, especially being in an infinitely tougher environment. There’s too much nostalgia bias for Davis.

 

[HawkGold]

Your point probably stands, but Davis was a better recruiter than you might remember, especially early when Bruce Pearl helped him. But he had terrible luck his first six or seven years.

First of all, Troy Skinner wasn't plan A at point guard. Brian Garner was. Brian was quicker with the ball in his hands than any point guard I've seen at Iowa, including Lester, Armstrong, and Woolridge. But he lasted a grand total of three semesters at Iowa before flunking out.

Ray Thompson, who could have held all of Iowa’s offensive records before he was done, lasted as long as Garner before flunking out in his own right.

Michael Ingram and Rodell Davis, two of the most athletic players Davis ever recruited, destroyed their knees and were never completely healthy at Iowa. Ingram came back his senior year as a pedestrian role player. Davis had one decent year, then slid further down the rotation by the end of his senior year and barely got into two NCAA games.

Matt Bullard had knee issues both his years at Iowa. Paul Lusk badly broke a leg that took two full years to recover from, by which time he transferred. Then of course the Chris Street tragedy, Kingsbury's off the court issues, Russ Millard having to transfer to junior college halfway through his career and get his grades in order.

I will agree Davis got lazy on the recruiting trail the second half of his Iowa career, which opened the door for Roy Williams. Losing in state recruits to Roy, as well as how he handled Kingsbury, may have been his downfall with Bowlsby and some administrators and boosters. Bowlsby also had a man crush on Steve Alford that grew stronger until Bob hired him.

Lester was deceptively fast.

 

[thedukeofearl]

Because I'm confined to my recliner for 3+ weeks, I'm bored out of my friggin' mind so I did a comparison of Mr. Davis vs. Father Fran.

I took out the first 2 years of their time at Iowa, which leaves 11 years for each.

I did count 2020 as receiving a tournament bid even though it was cancelled. Andy Katz had us as a 5 seed, so we were a lock and I counted it.

What does this mean? Hell if I know. I'm just bored.

View attachment 9907

So this means that we can expect nothing better Ever

No matter who is coaching

Damn

 

[Northside Hawk]

Lester was deceptively fast.

Lester was flat out fast. But Garner was faster, perhaps too out of control.

 

[thedukeofearl]

I'm down until March 20th. The dr. said I'll basically have full range of motion. Worst part of it is sitting around and not being able to do anything. I'm not very good at that. My wife's already driving me nuts trying to keep me from doing anything. At least I have to sit and watch the first weekend of the NCAA tournament.

Gotta find a good book or two

You can get any of the premium streaming services for a free week

Get a couple of them, cancel before the week is over, and get a couple more of them

HboMax has some excellent series: Game of Thrones, Deadwood, True Detective
the first season of True Detective is very nice, Mathew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson and
Michelle Monaghan

The movie Heat is on Hulu and is always good for a rewatch

Michael Mann, the director, wrote the book Heat 2, which is very difficult to stop reading

Get well soon

Sounds like you are down until my birthday

 

[Northside Hawk]

Fran has definitely proven himself to be a better recruiter, especially being in an infinitely tougher environment. There’s too much nostalgia bias for Davis.

Not saying Davis was a better recruiter than Fran. He wasn't. Just saying first third of his Iowa tenure he was better than many might remember, then supported it with about a dozen examples of potentially great players who's careers went sideways for multiple reasons. His first four hauls, culminating in the Chris Street class in 1990-91, were stellar. Until things happened.

 

[Fryowa]

I did break a fungo over my knee (it wasn't that tough, but they didn't know it was old and weak) about 20 years ago when I got pissed, threw it, almost hit my assistant's windshield, called them a bunch of GD pussies, turned and saw a mom of a new kid standing right by the fence. I went over after practice and apologized like I've never apologized before or since and assumed I'd be losing my job. She said, "if you weren't going to say it, I was". After I got to know her, I think she'd have said something even more colorful. Of course, that was the previous generation...

How's your snow situation?

We're going to be practicing inside till May by the looks of it here. Still have 6-8" of snow over every inch of our field. It's going to take all of April to melt and dry up at this rate and that's if we don't get a ton of rain in April.

Our track is under just as much snow/ice, and our streets are all still ice covered as well. First (indoor) track meet on the 28th but our guys and girls have been stuck in the gym doing sprints and laps around the basketball court. My kid is lucky because he's a distance guy and they've been able to get decent workouts in on treadmills, but our sprint/middle distance runners are screwed. We also have nowhere to throw shot or disc indoors.

 

[99topdawg]

We don't have a lot of snow but it's coming in the form of rain. Getting lots of it. The stuff that moved through this weekend was slush. We are supposed to have our first spring league game a week from Saturday. Not happening. Lucky we don't have snow on there so at least things have a chance to soak in and air out. We have our cages set up inside and have been hitting in there. Hate indoor practice. Tough to get kids to focus.

Worried about the beginning of the season as well. Of course, rain in April means track/golf meets in May. I moved a game from the first week to the end of June just this week and added 3 more knowing what may happen at the beginning of the year--either no practice time or wet diamonds.

My boys are throwers, but they can get outside and just scrape the mud off the shot/disc. Only take a few throws at a time though. Major pain to get anything done.

 

[Fryowa]

We don't have a lot of snow but it's coming in the form of rain. Getting lots of it. The stuff that moved through this weekend was slush. We are supposed to have our first spring league game a week from Saturday. Not happening. Lucky we don't have snow on there so at least things have a chance to soak in and air out. We have our cages set up inside and have been hitting in there. Hate indoor practice. Tough to get kids to focus.

Worried about the beginning of the season as well. Of course, rain in April means track/golf meets in May. I moved a game from the first week to the end of June just this week and added 3 more knowing what may happen at the beginning of the year--either no practice time or wet diamonds.

My boys are throwers, but they can get outside and just scrape the mud off the shot/disc. Only take a few throws at a time though. Major pain to get anything done.

I went through our schedule and I have 4 dates in May where we have track meets, golf meets, and soccer matches all on the same night. So right there are 4 days where I can't hold a practice because I'd only have like 3 kids available. The state just keeps on piling more and more on top of baseball and scrunching the season shorter and shorter. I really do wonder when Iowa will either get rid of baseball as a sanctioned sport like South Dakota or move it to the fall. In my area almost everyone plays football so that's not really an option.

 

[HawkGold]

I went through our schedule and I have 4 dates in May where we have track meets, golf meets, and soccer matches all on the same night. So right there are 4 days where I can't hold a practice because I'd only have like 3 kids available. The state just keeps on piling more and more on top of baseball and scrunching the season shorter and shorter. I really do wonder when Iowa will either get rid of baseball as a sanctioned sport like South Dakota or move it to the fall. In my area almost everyone plays football so that's not really an option.

IL does spring and fall. The answer is cooping and consolidation

 

[99topdawg]

I went through our schedule and I have 4 dates in May where we have track meets, golf meets, and soccer matches all on the same night. So right there are 4 days where I can't hold a practice because I'd only have like 3 kids available. The state just keeps on piling more and more on top of baseball and scrunching the season shorter and shorter. I really do wonder when Iowa will either get rid of baseball as a sanctioned sport like South Dakota or move it to the fall. In my area almost everyone plays football so that's not really an option.

I agree. Hopefully you are able to have more kids on the other nights. The problem is that we now have 1 less week then we've always had and the nights when there are no meets are the nights where awards nights, concerts, etc. get scheduled. Either that or they all have practice and it's church night and we can't have practice those nights either. The state helped us out by giving us 5 practices before May 1, but if it's too wet, it doesn't do us much good anyway.

Because of the shortened spring, I had a nonconference team we were going to play in the last week of the season cancel last week because they moved their conference schedule back a week. The coaches said they didn't have enough time to practice with a full squad before they started their conference season. While it sucks for us, I agree with them.

It seems like state getting rid of baseball, or at least screw it over. Not really sure what the heck is going on with that. They don't get the gates for post season like basketball and football, so it may be a waste of time for them. I do know that the coaches ass'n have done everything they can to work more and more with the state to help build a relationship and the state seems receptive. In working with the new baseball guy at state, he is fully on board with the coaches having more say than any other sport. It seems like we're the guinea pigs to test things out, but we're actually the sport that is working with them to iron out things. This year, the coaches will continue to vote/have input on the rankings, but the rankings will determine the top seed(s) in each district and will be the determining factor for seeding at state. No more seeding meetings.

 

[Fryowa]

I agree. Hopefully you are able to have more kids on the other nights. The problem is that we now have 1 less week then we've always had and the nights when there are no meets are the nights where awards nights, concerts, etc. get scheduled. Either that or they all have practice and it's church night and we can't have practice those nights either. The state helped us out by giving us 5 practices before May 1, but if it's too wet, it doesn't do us much good anyway.

Because of the shortened spring, I had a nonconference team we were going to play in the last week of the season cancel last week because they moved their conference schedule back a week. The coaches said they didn't have enough time to practice with a full squad before they started their conference season. While it sucks for us, I agree with them.

It seems like state getting rid of baseball, or at least screw it over. Not really sure what the heck is going on with that. They don't get the gates for post season like basketball and football, so it may be a waste of time for them. I do know that the coaches ass'n have done everything they can to work more and more with the state to help build a relationship and the state seems receptive. In working with the new baseball guy at state, he is fully on board with the coaches having more say than any other sport. It seems like we're the guinea pigs to test things out, but we're actually the sport that is working with them to iron out things. This year, the coaches will continue to vote/have input on the rankings, but the rankings will determine the top seed(s) in each district and will be the determining factor for seeding at state. No more seeding meetings.

I honestly think they need to reexamine pitch counts and how those rules are applied. This is the first year ever that we aren't scheduling a non-con game. Numbers are so low that I just don't mathematically have enough guys to pitch. Part of it is our town had a terrible rec program for years, but participation is down big time at several schools in our conference and district. It's just maddening. I'd love to take my guys to tournaments every weekend, but then during the week in conference games I have no one to throw.

What I hate is that the IHSAA just decided one day with no research and no insight to carbon copy the pitch count rules from east coast states because it was becoming en vogue. That's where the whole thing started, and I've traveled extensively in that area...there's literally tens of millions of people packed in a tiny little area with a town of 50,000+ every couple miles. They have kids beating down the door to play ball and pitch counts don't really hamper anything.

This year I have one senior who doesn't pitch (really good catcher who's going to play NAIA), three juniors (one pitches), and 7 sophomores (2 have pitched varsity before, 2 have pitched JV). And 3 freshmen who don't have a clue. 14 kids total top to bottom 9-12.

So I have 3 kids who've ever thrown a varsity pitch and 2 more who are going to get tossed to the wolves.

 

[99topdawg]

I honestly think they need to reexamine pitch counts and how those rules are applied. This is the first year ever that we aren't scheduling a non-con game. Numbers are so low that I just don't mathematically have enough guys to pitch. Part of it is our town had a terrible rec program for years, but participation is down big time at several schools in our conference and district. It's just maddening. I'd love to take my guys to tournaments every weekend, but then during the week in conference games I have no one to throw.

What I hate is that the IHSAA just decided one day with no research and no insight to carbon copy the pitch count rules from east coast states because it was becoming en vogue. That's where the whole thing started, and I've traveled extensively in that area...there's literally tens of millions of people packed in a tiny little area with a town of 50,000+ every couple miles. They have kids beating down the door to play ball and pitch counts don't really hamper anything.

This year I have one senior who doesn't pitch (really good catcher who's going to play NAIA), three juniors (one pitches), and 7 sophomores (2 have pitched varsity before, 2 have pitched JV). And 3 freshmen who don't have a clue. 14 kids total top to bottom 9-12.

So I have 3 kids who've ever thrown a varsity pitch and 2 more who are going to get tossed to the wolves.

I agree with you on the pitch count thing. There was nothing wrong with what they had. 9 innings a day, 14 per week. If they want to shorten it to 7 innings per day, I can live with that. I've always said that, if a kid throws 150 against me and we can't hit him, he must be able to handle it. If he couldn't handle it, he wouldn't have made it that far. I guess I'm just too old school.

Different kids are different. I had a kid a few years ago that was a stud, but struggled to get past 70 or 80 pitches and then needed a week off. He wasn't a puss, it's just how he was built. He was a reliever if he was at a 4A school. Was a set up man as a freshman in college and a closer his 2nd year. Another kid I had on that same team could have thrown 100 pitches one day and turn around and throw 100 the next. Total rubber arm.

We don't have a lot of pitchers either, because of graduation and and ACL tear. In our preseason pitching, we haven't thrown a single off-speed pitch yet. The kids keep wanting to, but I told them that, if they can't throw their FB for a strike, the CB doesn't mean shit. We don't have enough guys to not throw strikes. Pitch to contact. They might hit it to someone, but you can't defend a walk.

 

[Fryowa]

IL does spring and fall. The answer is cooping and consolidation

That's not a one size fits all proposition. Parents/administrators/coaches/boosters/players all have to be on board and that almost never happens. It's been tried numerous times in NW Iowa and it gets derailed over one or more of transportation, funding, naming, locations, you name it.

Several years before I came back to coach here our team was going to join with a local 1A school. Everything was great, coaches were on board, parents were good with it, but our superintendent said all games had to be played at our field rather than 50/50 and that killed it in an instant. This isn't some 30,000 population district where you're going to get people working hard lobbying for stuff like this. It just dies out.

Also, you won't get spring ball happening here other than Legion and there aren't fields to support legion (the only fields around here whatsoever are school-owned) You have to travel a hell of a long ways. The weather in NW Iowa doesn't allow it, and you'd have nowhere to practice. Right now guys on my team who're playing legion ball are going south 55 miles Mondays and Fridays to practice, and playing games in Nebraska. No school is going to pay for that.

Fall ball will never work because football is 10 times more popular here and there isn't the population to support both. Not even close.

If Iowa does anything it will be to de-sanction it like a lot of states and leave Legion ball to fill the void.

 

[99topdawg]

So I have 3 kids who've ever thrown a varsity pitch and 2 more who are going to get tossed to the wolves.

I always run into this dilemma, who do you throw them against? Ideally in this situation you'd throw your best against the most beatable teams. But then who do you throw against the best teams? The worst kids? Talk about demoralizing. To them and the team. I ran into that a couple of years ago and worked OK, but now those kids refuse to pitch. The biggest problem with all of that is they weren't mentally tough kids. I've had kids in the past that I had to throw those tough young kids out there and they ended up being studs when they grew up. Get out there, throw your 90, get shelled, learn from it, and throw again when it's your turn.

 

[Fryowa]

I always run into this dilemma, who do you throw them against? Ideally in this situation you'd throw your best against the most beatable teams. But then who do you throw against the best teams? The worst kids?

That's actually exactly what I do. I talk to those guys and their parents if need be and luckily I've had no issues. I don't make it out to be, "Hey, we're sending you out to get your ass kicked because we're going to lose anyway," but I talk about going out there and being the guy your team needs him to be right now. Whatever I do, I don't hide from it because that'd be the worst thing trying to lie to guys about what you're doing.

I had that with pretty much my whole team last year because I had a pile of freshman starting. My kid's grad was the only one that had any numbers and they're pretty good, but maybe weren't quite ready for varsity at that point yet. Surprisingly they kept a great attitude and enjoyed themselves because I think they were realistic with themselves. Hell, where else do you get to be a four year starter unless you're a ridiculous stud? Might as well enjoy it. Go out there, play your ass off, and don't fricking worry about it...it ain't gonna change anything.