She coaches LSU
Hawkeye Hoops Needs More Help
- Thread starter RobHowe
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NorthKCHawk
Well-Known Member
Depends upon how you define the next level. Do I think next year's team could good hot at the right time and get past the first weekend? I do.
Do I think it likely Fran takes Iowa to the Final Four. No I do not.
The knock on Greg McDermott at Creighton was similar to Fran. Could never get past the first weekend. Even with his son who was the best college basketball player I have seen outside of CC in the last decade. Creighton stuck with McDermott and now he has made it to the second weekend twice, once to the elite 8, and has a good shot this year. Seriously, look at his record from UNI, ISU and then Creighton. It took him some time, but he is peaking as a coach very late in the process.
Greg McDermott - Wikipedia
I see what you are trying to do there. Just doesn't make me say yeah look at McDermott and think Fran can do it. By 58 coach Greg had gotten both his sweet sixteen and elite 8. Fran is 64 and hasn't. If McDermott was the one that was five years older maybe but it is the other way around.The knock on Greg McDermott at Creighton was similar to Fran. Could never get past the first weekend. Even with his son who was the best college basketball player I have seen outside of CC in the last decade. Creighton stuck with McDermott and now he has made it to the second weekend twice, once to the elite 8, and has a good shot this year. Seriously, look at his record from UNI, ISU and then Creighton. It took him some time, but he is peaking as a coach very late in the process.
Greg McDermott - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
Even the final 4 is doable. All you need is a top 20 team that gets hot for 4 games. Fran has gotten us top 20 team before so it's doable. Look at the 2 championship teams last year. Those teams weren't great teams. They were just good teams that got hot and got some luck.Depends upon how you define the next level. Do I think next year's team could good hot at the right time and get past the first weekend? I do.
Do I think it likely Fran takes Iowa to the Final Four. No I do not.
The knock on Greg McDermott at Creighton was similar to Fran. Could never get past the first weekend. Even with his son who was the best college basketball player I have seen outside of CC in the last decade. Creighton stuck with McDermott and now he has made it to the second weekend twice, once to the elite 8, and has a good shot this year. Seriously, look at his record from UNI, ISU and then Creighton. It took him some time, but he is peaking as a coach very late in the process.
Greg McDermott - Wikipedia
What about Bluter? The older she's gotten the more success she's had.
She got her sweet sixteen and elite 8 by 57. Fran has two years then he is a real lame duck and all his competitors will really dig in with "he will be gone in two years when his contract is up". If he doesn't do anything by 2026 do you keep extending? When do you stop chasing the dragon. He hasn't done it by 66 but he should get there at 67 or 68 or 70?
Maybe if you saw a change to a better commitment to defense and rebounding. Some better strength and conditioning and other weak spots being addressed. Then you might have more faith but I have not seen the things being addressed. Bluder and McDermott have done things better and made more changes for the positive that have led to more success while Fran runs it back in nearly the same way and we get the same results of falling a bit short of the reachable goals. Losing more close games than we should. Losing to Richmonds and Eastern Illinois even with our better players.
They all got older but the other two got better. That is the difference. If Fran gets better he should certainly get those 2 or 3 extra shoulda had 'em wins and get better seeds and perhaps advance more. If he stays on this plateau we will not raise the ceiling any higher than it currently is.
I'm not sure Bluter has done anything better other than recruit. She is reaping the benefit of years of building the program up. Fran is doing the same thing. Slowly getting better recruits. It is an issue that he's doing it at an older age tho.
Do you think if he added the best player in the game to his roster and he stayed on the team for 4 years, the Fran could have the supporting cast in place and coach that team to a final 4? I do. I think if he could put the best player in the country on any team of his over the past 7 or 8 years, they would be top 5 all year and a 2 seed or better. My point is, that's what Bluter has done. That's the only difference.
Players make plays and either you're recruiting them or bringing in transfers. Fran has Struggled with a capital S at landing PGs. He's done well with having a stud post player and 3/4 man in the Murrays but his long lost unicorn is having not ever landed an overall great point guard. Some kinda hoped Bowen woulda developed into that but that doesn't seem to be the case...
Bluder I think has adjusted her O so well. Some might think it's all flowers and rainbows when you have a star like Clark. But she's had to adjust the O and how they play compared to how they did pre her. They weren't so much run and gun with Megan G dominating the paint obviously. You listen to how UConn fans all talk about how CC wouldn't fit into their system (even though she's better then PB in my eyes) because Geno would pull the reins back on her. Bluder opened up the O and catered it to her which to me is what smart coaches do. You play to the strengths of your best players and build around them accordingly.
To build around CC you want a post player that can both run the floor with her and play the pick and roll game along with multiple players that can spread the floor and catch and shoot. Leaving the defense in a pick their poison situation. To pull back on her reigns woulda been such a disservice to her game and finding out just how good she could be.
RobHowe
Administrator
CC is a generational talent that completely changed the profile of the program who's helped her sport to reach heights it never has before and many folks never thought possible.
LB has done a great job but I also remember sitting in her office about 10-12 years into her tenure here and asking her about the people wondering if she could get her program to the next level. Her best success before then was with Angie Lee's players.
A perspective on the history of the program and its resources compared to the competition. Also, the HS talent in GBB is better than BB in this state. It's an apples to oranges comparison.
Creighton puts all of its resources into basketball because it doesn't have Power 5 football. Again, apples to oranges.
LB has done a great job but I also remember sitting in her office about 10-12 years into her tenure here and asking her about the people wondering if she could get her program to the next level. Her best success before then was with Angie Lee's players.
A perspective on the history of the program and its resources compared to the competition. Also, the HS talent in GBB is better than BB in this state. It's an apples to oranges comparison.
Creighton puts all of its resources into basketball because it doesn't have Power 5 football. Again, apples to oranges.
RobHowe
Administrator
Ava Heiden will be here in a few months. She's 6-4 and a Top 50 overall recruit in the '24 Class.
She'll be the women's version of Owen Freeman next season
She'll be the women's version of Owen Freeman next season
I agree with this post and I'm in no way knocking Bluder. I'm just saying, if Fran got someone like Clark and he stayed 4 years, Fran would be looked at in the same light Bluder is now. Imagine if the Murray twins would have stayed four years? I would bet us against anyone in the country except maybe UCONN if we had them as seniors right now. We'd probably be a 1 seed for the second year in a row right now and potentially be signing future 5 stars.
RobHowe
Administrator
I'll also point out that I'm an LB believer. I wrote a column for the ICPC back when they were replacing Lee that basically said the Iowa AD was an idiot if he DIDN'T hire her.
It also should be noted that she got to an Elite 8 before CC. And she's produced some of the conference's top players like Fran for awhile now.
It also should be noted that she got to an Elite 8 before CC. And she's produced some of the conference's top players like Fran for awhile now.
Frans O is an offensive friendly thing for everyone. He's had wings forwards and posts all thrive in it. He just knows how to get his best players touches in position to do what they do best too. He's just had a tough time getting the right complimentary players around the stud and then sprinkling in the right amount of defense.
But yeah had Keegan played one more yr.... That'd have been fun especially with Kris. It sucks you got me thinking about that what if.. lol
InGoodCo
Well-Known Member
Right? I've been saying that the entire time, everyone wants to move on from Fran before we get the payout of all the success and building blocks he's put in place?Depends upon how you define the next level. Do I think next year's team could good hot at the right time and get past the first weekend? I do.
Do I think it likely Fran takes Iowa to the Final Four. No I do not.
The knock on Greg McDermott at Creighton was similar to Fran. Could never get past the first weekend. Even with his son who was the best college basketball player I have seen outside of CC in the last decade. Creighton stuck with McDermott and now he has made it to the second weekend twice, once to the elite 8, and has a good shot this year. Seriously, look at his record from UNI, ISU and then Creighton. It took him some time, but he is peaking as a coach very late in the process.
Greg McDermott - Wikipedia
NorthKCHawk
Well-Known Member
Age is relative. Both coaches have been HC coaches for a long time and at a number of stops. Both of these guys could coach another 10 years. I think the comparison is apt. That said, there is no guarantee Fran will break through. But, statistically speaking, Fran is overdue. Keep pulling the lever, the machine has to pay off eventually, right?
