Has Iowa Turned The Corner?

[HawksMN]

I want to see how we handle our next game, one which we damn well should win going away....

 

[Seth53]

I think Fran has turned the corner by finally realizing you can't play people to keep people happy.

I.e. he's finally shortened the rotation (yes, Pemsil is out, Nunge RS'd), but still, it works so much better than trying to trot out 15 guys a night singing Kumbaya.

 

[hawkdrummer1]

Let's circle back to this thread at the end of March.

 

[BigD]

I’m just happy for the players and fans that at this point there is a lot of hope and something to be excited about.

 

[deanvogs]

I wouldn't say any kind of corner has been turned. I need something tangible for that. A B1G title, a conference championship or a sweet 16. Otherwise, this is just a regular season that's going well. I do however think that a lot of doubts have been dashed about Fran's coaching abilities and his recruiting prowess. I also think Iowa is looking in pretty good shape for the future. Super excited for next year with what's coming back.

Really didn't expect this one from you @InGoodCo. I mean we are talking about a team that won 4 conference games last year and wasn't even close to making the NIT. This year is most definitely "turning the corner", as the path this program was on, just a few months ago looked bleak and dire, and even getting a NCAA birth looked unrealistic.

 

[Hawkfnntn]

Agreed. Many on this board complain about Tyler Cook. But he gets automatically doubled every time he touches the ball near the paint. Without him, I think our offense would look much bleaker and space/maneuverability on offense would be way tighter. He's not always perfect at passing out of double teams... but it's still a huge component to the team.

I'm just hoping that if the season ends on a pretty high note and just look at our roster. Everyone will be back besides Baer. So who's to say we couldn't even be close to being a favorite in the BIG if Cook were to return. If Cook decides he's still not ready for the NBA, he's got a really good team to come back and play for that'll continue to play through him why not come back? Oh and maybe even get that silly little degree kids go to school for while he's at it. All that said we can't be surprised if he doesn't but I'd say it's too early to slam shut the possibility anyway

 

[RobHowe]

I’m still waiting for the “next level” above what Tom Davis did. It’s been 20 years.

 

[PCHawk]

Turning the corner is when you see year to year consistency. I expect that out of a coach who is approaching a Decade at the Helm. So presently we are in the mist of a very nice year, let’s see if it can be built on.

Fran had been nothing but consistent until last year. The 5 years before that, he was always bubble to one game above the bubble. That's extremely consistent. The last thing I want at this point is for Fran to be consistent and have us fade to a bubble team.

 

[theboat]

This year's team is playing far better team-basketball.
Think about it...it's a damn Tough sport. Long season, during the winter, guys get injuries here and there, easy to catch a bug that'll wear you down. It's a grinding, physically demanding sport, so you need guys that will step up, step in and take over when a teammate is off a bit.
This team has 5-6 different guys can go easily off for 15-20 points on any given night. You need that. All strong teams have that.
Last night against Indiana was a perfect example: Garza has been EN FUEGO the past 5-6 games. Last night he was off and Joe Cool stepped up early and T. Cook was THE MAN for the first 75% of the game
and then...
(cue the Superman-music)
JBo kicks in the door, grabs the game by the throat, announces to all in Assembly Hall that he's not letting this one get away, not tonight.
The beautiful thing about it was there wasn't a damn thing any of the Hoosiers or the refs could do about it.
Great team-effort, great road win - Go Hawks!

It would be nice that when a couple guys are carrying the load, others don’t fully disappear. Moss went from not missing one week to not scoring a single point for two games. It’s weird and tough when every single player is streaky. It makes for potentially really high highs and could be really low lows. I still don’t know what to expect.

 

[PCHawk]

It would be nice that when a couple guys are carrying the load, others don’t fully disappear. Moss went from not missing one week to not scoring a single point for two games. It’s weird and tough when every single player is streaky. It makes for potentially really high highs and could be really low lows. I still don’t know what to expect.

I dont think Garza and Cook are streaky. They almost always play pretty good. Moss obviously is. Bohannon has been this year but for the most part, he started bad and has been pretty good since. Wieskamp had 2 bad games in a row, but other than those, he's been pretty consistent. Kriener probably falls into the streaky category.

 

[ssckelley]

Yes, I'd say we've turned a corner based on where Iowa was at last year. Anytime you go from a losing record to reaching the NCAA tournament is "turning the corner".

What I really love about this year is that Iowa is winning the games they are supposed to win, my only minor gripe is losing at home to Wisconsin but it's not like that was a huge upset. Beating teams you're supposed to is what made Tom Davis successful and Alford a failure (among other things). TD would take care of the teams we were supposed to beat and sprinkle in a few upsets, Alford lost games we had no business losing but also managed to win a few Iowa had no business winning.

Now if only Fran can achieve some success in the post season tournaments, BTT and NCAA. That's where you can leave huge impressions on the recruiting trail.

 

[theboat]

I dont think Garza and Cook are streaky. They almost always play pretty good. Moss obviously is. Bohannon has been this year but for the most part, he started bad and has been pretty good since. Wieskamp had 2 bad games in a row, but other than those, he's been pretty consistent. Kriener probably falls into the streaky category.

I agree. When Garza is on the court he is very consistent. Cook in a similar way but he does get out of control trying to do too much sometimes.

 

[mopkins]

I do put a ton of stock into the fact that fran had 2 completely terrible recruiting classes in a row. That really hurt Iowa the last 2 seasons since they basically had zero upperclassmen besides jok and Baer.

Now, recruiting is 100% on Fran. He swung and missed on like 8 players in 2 years. Hutton Flemming Williams Wagner Dickinson Ellingson uhl Jones. It was brutal and Iowa couldn't recover from it.

It seems like Patrick and touissant are going to be solid next year but Fran's 2020 recruiting class needs to be a monster haul. They're gonna have 3 or 4 starters to replace.

 

[ModebaSan]

I really like how this team is shaping up. There hasnt been a whole lot of negativity on this board lately about this team this year and dont think for one minute the players havent noticed. I guarantee you, with how these kids are in tune with social media these days, they are keeping an eye on fans reactions to their play. I dont think I can say definitely that we have turned the corner yet until we win a reg B1G title, a B1G tournament title, or make a deeper run into the NCAA’s. But I do think that this team has finally gelled into a more consistant product and hasnt even peaked yet. When this team does, its gonna be fun to watch.

 

[DDThompson]

When approaching a corner, brakes should be applied. Accelerate after turning the corner.

 

[BILLYBOBSTEXAS]

100% fact that a corner has been turned! The question now should be, is it a low maintenance dirt road? How about a two lane gravel? I hope it's a concrete/pavement highway to the promised land!!!!

 

[FirstDownHawkeyes]

I’m still waiting for the “next level” above what Tom Davis did. It’s been 20 years.

When they (hopefully eventually) make the sweet 16, he will have done everything Tom Davis did when he didn’t have a tailor made superstar roster not of his making waiting for him. Thus far FM has been 1 win short twice.

Davis taught defense and had his teams really hit the boards. FMs teams don’t do that as well but at least FM isn’t a lazy recruiter.

Oh, and yes, I think they have turned the corner. Go Hawks!

 

[RobHowe]

When they (hopefully eventually) make the sweet 16, he will have done everything Tom Davis did when he didn’t have a tailor made superstar roster not of his making waiting for him. Thus far he’s been 1 win short twice.

Ah. It took awhile for the anonymous Mr. Davis detractor to show up. I'm disappointed.

Ran him out of town and got 20 years of mostly meh basketball.

 

[PCHawk]

Ah. It took awhile for the anonymous Mr. Davis detractor to show up. I'm disappointed.

Ran him out of town and got 20 years of mostly meh basketball.

Years 3 through almost 9, Fran is very close to Davis, and he gets called a terrible coach.

 

[RobHowe]

Years 3 through almost 9, Fran is very close to Davis, and he gets called a terrible coach.

I've not called FM a terrible coach.

TD made the NCAA tournament three of his last four years, with two trips to the round of 32 and one to the Sweet 16. Then he went and built lowly Drake into a winner, letting Keno reap the rewards and parlay it into a job at Providence.