Here is the problem that Fran and other coaches face, today.

[MelroseHawkins]

Yes. There is specializing of sports. In our house, we will allow them to try multiple sports, regardless of what a coach may think later. Some coaches ask kids to focus on one.

In general, I think the quality of play has improved tremendously compared to when I was young. The kids in general have better skills, but, may come at an expense of team play. Team or fundamental skills may suffer at times, especially if learn bad habits from a bad coach.

 

[trj]

The "soft" label is unfair. Uthoff is not "soft." He's a slender built kid, who is not overly explosive. Of course he has a hard time finishing through contact. It's physical, not mental. Nobody calls Ahmad Wagner soft, well the kid is built like an NFL TE.

The book on Uthoff is easy. Crowd him, because he's not going to blow by you with footspeed, and make him shoot contested jumpers. When he's on the block, just get low and body him, taking advantage of his average lower body strength. Teams simply prepared for him better after Maryland.

Jon was the one dropping the s-word. Deace was the one dancing around it. Uthoff's length gives him the ability to shoot over people. you gotta want the ball at money time and clearly Uthoff doesn't. Kevin Durant has the same type of build, a catch and shoot guy, but no one is labeling him soft because he isn't afraid of the moment even when westbrook is jacking up crazy shots.

 

[drew003]

My point is "soft" is almost always physical, and I think its hollow to attribute our close loses to a lack of personal or coaching toughness or motivation. Rather, we would attribute the close loses to a lack of isolation players and athleticism.

Not being an "alpha male" in basketball is generally the result of lack of physical ability that precludes one from being so.

Durant isn't "soft" because he's one of the best players of his generation, and has been at high school, college, and the NBA. Sure, he isn't "afraid of the moment," but that's because he's elite in all moments. He is a near 7 footer, with good athleticism, and high-level guard skills.

Uthoff was more than happy to take shots. But he had limitations, and there are certain things on the basketball court he can't do, and he isn't skilled enough to consistently impose his will against good teams in isolation situations.

 

[ibahawkeye]

The analogy of the NFL draft comes to mind... when these teams are selecting their draft picks, they want to identify who is in it for the $$ and who is in it because they love the game and willing to devote their entire life to it. You wonder why teams like the Detroit Lions with superstars like Calvin Johnson and Barry Sanders couldn't win. I don't blame them for their decisions. I'm sure if I had the $$ they did I wouldn't mind walking. However, I wonder about their true love and passion for the game that allowed them to walk away at such a young age.

So bringing this all back to basketball... I think it comes down to recruiting. Sure there are a few McDonald All American talents throughout the country but I bet the margin of difference between a lot of D1 prospect is thin. Coaches like Fran need to find guys like Aaron White and Uthoff who get locked in a gym over night or have to be told that they need to leave the gym because the desire to improve runs so deep to continuously improve.

I think Iowa football is the same... we value the prospects who fit the hardworking mold as opposed to ones who may be more talented out of high school.

 

[Seth53]

I grew up in a small town during the era of where the best athletes competed in multi-sports. Home town spirit and all of that. No AAUs. No year-around. No singular-sport-commitment. No traveling.

However, those who *did* do that then had an advantage. And they got the exposure, and ultimately, that life-changing scholarship.

IMO, the sporting world has simply reach another state of equilibrium where if you want to get that scholly, you'd better concentrate on maybe one sport or get left behind.

 

[NEIChawk]

I grew up in a small town during the era of where the best athletes competed in multi-sports. Home town spirit and all of that. No AAUs. No year-around. No singular-sport-commitment. No traveling.

However, those who *did* do that then had an advantage. And they got the exposure, and ultimately, that life-changing scholarship.

IMO, the sporting world has simply reach another state of equilibrium where if you want to get that scholly, you'd better concentrate on maybe one sport or get left behind.

Seth, same w/me, smaller school, 4 sport athlete, went to 1 bball camp before my junior year and 1 bball camp before my senior year, and yes, I wore leather helmets in football and made baskets into a peach basket....

We had no traveling, no "special" groups of the best or better athletes....If you wanted to play you got better on your own or with a couple of buddies....

I soon discovered w/my twin sons that they were good in football, bball, and baseball, and we had travel teams, and we did tournaments, and we had fun, but we taught those kids the right way of doing things, sportsmanship and teamwork, respect for the rules, fans, and other players....

Today, to be noticed you have to do those things...AAU is a racket, and it makes parents even more of a helicopter parent than before....To be honest, I don't like it, and that's why our high school loses out of large numbers of kids doing 4 sport athletics.....there is no team, there is only 1 person and the attitude of what you can do for me.

I can see a large school in Iowa where you would do 1 sport, but in smaller schools, the coaches need you as an athlete to be in multiple....Maybe that's why Iowa recruits kids like that.....these kids are well-rounded, and better people for it.

 

[Hawkfnntn]

The analogy of the NFL draft comes to mind... when these teams are selecting their draft picks, they want to identify who is in it for the $$ and who is in it because they love the game and willing to devote their entire life to it. You wonder why teams like the Detroit Lions with superstars like Calvin Johnson and Barry Sanders couldn't win. I don't blame them for their decisions. I'm sure if I had the $$ they did I wouldn't mind walking. However, I wonder about their true love and passion for the game that allowed them to walk away at such a young age.

So bringing this all back to basketball... I think it comes down to recruiting. Sure there are a few McDonald All American talents throughout the country but I bet the margin of difference between a lot of D1 prospect is thin. Coaches like Fran need to find guys like Aaron White and Uthoff who get locked in a gym over night or have to be told that they need to leave the gym because the desire to improve runs so deep to continuously improve.

I think Iowa football is the same... we value the prospects who fit the hardworking mold as opposed to ones who may be more talented out of high school.

I agree with a lot of this. When it comes to football though I give those that retire early a bit of a pass on those lines though just because of the pure physicality of it. It's a brutal brutal game. When you look at how many hits a guy like Sanders/Johnson had when you go back to college/HS/JH and maybe younger. It's just a huge toll on the body and mind that I'll never call an NFL player that played that long even remotely 'soft'. Sure the love of the game factors but at what point does risk/reward factor in? In football your next snap can be your last. Being able to walk away on their terms after 9 yrs is a heck of a deal if you ask me. That's like twice as long as the avg player. Sure there are guys like Jerry Rice and T.O. that played until teams just wouldn't employ them anymore. But far be it for me on my comfy couch to call an NFL player soft along any lines really...

As far as basketball goes absolutely I agree with you. It's why a kid like Tyler Ulis was on Frans radar early on I think. He isn't just skilled. He's a little dog with a big dogs mentality. Iowa being in on him and not getting him will always be a 'what if' to me. Talk about the one that got away..

As far as Uthoff goes I'm sure we all remember that shot to beat MN last year right? Where was that all year long? Running him off of screens to catch and shoot from the elbow should have been a staple of not only last second situations but just over all game plan. They just didn't run the plays that mattered down the stretch through him this year. It was frustrating to watch MG be put in the situations he was cause he is who he is and it's not his fault that was being asked of him...

 

[lightning1]

The premise of your post is that there was not year-round basketball 30 years ago. I submit to you that there was. When I was in college in the late 1970's, we could join leagues all over the state of Iowa. Heck, the Prime Time League in Iowa City was going strong; one of the guys I work with who is about my age played in that league when he was in high school.

A middle school and high school youth could go to several basketball camps all summer (I attended two myself) as well as playing leagues. While they were not as organized as they are today, it was available then. I did miss several league games as I was on the high school baseball team; in Iowa, HS baseball's regular season is played from May through July.

I grew up 20 miles up the road and there was none of that. And basketball camps were easy to find but it's not the same as team competition. And this isn't my premise at all. It's the premise of former coaches in an organization that have coached for 30 or 40 years. It's something that I am involved in.

 

[lightning1]

I apologize. I did not realize you were speaking based on of your inside knowledge of amateur athletics over the past 40 years. I'll double down on my statements that kids 30 years ago are the same as kids today--some are lazy, some love to compete, and all fall on a spectrum somewhere in between. Oh, and give me the best players, and I will be the best motivator you've seen.

You can double down if you want to. This isn't something I invented. It's from an organization of former coaches that have coached high D-1 level sports for decades. Coached on National Championship teams. It's an organization that I happen to be involved in and learning from. It's THEIR contention that kids today are different from kids 30 years ago. I am trying to share some of this information. You can spend time trying to find holes in my comments or arguing about it. Or you can try and get something from it. Either way, I don't care.

 

[SpiderRico]

The amount of basketball being played by today's youth isn't a whole lot different than the amount played 30 years ago. The difference is that it's now all organized. I was 12 years old 30 years ago and most everyone I know played basketball from nearly sunup to sundown every day of summer, played rec ball when it got too cold and snowy to play outside, played jr high ball during the winter early spring, and then did it all over again in the summer. But other than the in-season, there wasn't the constant harassment of adults (coaches, parents, etc) year around.....it was just kids playing ball.

But because of the organized nature of it now, it's no longer fun. The old axiom of "players are made in the offseason and teams are made during the season" is no longer really true because there never is an "out of season", it's just team-based, organized basketball year around.

 

[Knight78]

Seth, same w/me, smaller school, 4 sport athlete, went to 1 bball camp before my junior year and 1 bball camp before my senior year, and yes, I wore leather helmets in football and made baskets into a peach basket....

We had no traveling, no "special" groups of the best or better athletes....If you wanted to play you got better on your own or with a couple of buddies....

I soon discovered w/my twin sons that they were good in football, bball, and baseball, and we had travel teams, and we did tournaments, and we had fun, but we taught those kids the right way of doing things, sportsmanship and teamwork, respect for the rules, fans, and other players....

Today, to be noticed you have to do those things...AAU is a racket, and it makes parents even more of a helicopter parent than before....To be honest, I don't like it, and that's why our high school loses out of large numbers of kids doing 4 sport athletics.....there is no team, there is only 1 person and the attitude of what you can do for me.

I can see a large school in Iowa where you would do 1 sport, but in smaller schools, the coaches need you as an athlete to be in multiple....Maybe that's why Iowa recruits kids like that.....these kids are well-rounded, and better people for it.

I would agree with you. When I was a varsity basketball coach, we had one kid in school that was just a great kid. Had a 3.5+ GPA (I was his math teacher and he aced Trig and Pre-Calc), was president of NHS, was president of his senior class, was an all-state receiver in football, placed 3rd in the state wrestling championships, went to state in the long jump and anchored the 4x100 in track and was a 3 year all conference shortstop (I was his baseball coach). He also qualified for all-state choir and was the lead in the school musical. He came to me after wrestling practice saying he needed to run more to get in better shape and asked if he could practice with the basketball team. He was easily the second best player on the floor; I couldn't believe that he took a ball up in a 3-on-2 drill and dunked it (he was about 5'9"), and won every running drill. With all of this, he was still one of the friendliest and nicest kids you'd want to meet.

Today, it's hard to find kids like that in any school today. Mainly because they are told by their coaches to specialize.

 

[DJL]

The amount of basketball being played by today's youth isn't a whole lot different than the amount played 30 years ago. The difference is that it's now all organized. I was 12 years old 30 years ago and most everyone I know played basketball from nearly sunup to sundown every day of summer, played rec ball when it got too cold and snowy to play outside, played jr high ball during the winter early spring, and then did it all over again in the summer. But other than the in-season, there wasn't the constant harassment of adults (coaches, parents, etc) year around.....it was just kids playing ball.

But because of the organized nature of it now, it's no longer fun. The old axiom of "players are made in the offseason and teams are made during the season" is no longer really true because there never is an "out of season", it's just team-based, organized basketball year around.

I am around the same age. I played basketball all the time. Pick up games daily. The difference is that I am afraid that adults are sucking the fun out of it. Instead of pick up games it's intense organized games with adults yelling at refs and coaches yelling at players. We all take it a little too seriously sometimes. We all want our kids to be able to keep up.

 

[1980HAWKFAN]

Doesn't seem like Villanova and Jay Wright are experiencing this problem of burn out. I love watching the NCAA tourney and most often than not the cream will rise to the top.

 

[lightning1]

The amount of basketball being played by today's youth isn't a whole lot different than the amount played 30 years ago. The difference is that it's now all organized. I was 12 years old 30 years ago and most everyone I know played basketball from nearly sunup to sundown every day of summer, played rec ball when it got too cold and snowy to play outside, played jr high ball during the winter early spring, and then did it all over again in the summer. But other than the in-season, there wasn't the constant harassment of adults (coaches, parents, etc) year around.....it was just kids playing ball.

But because of the organized nature of it now, it's no longer fun. The old axiom of "players are made in the offseason and teams are made during the season" is no longer really true because there never is an "out of season", it's just team-based, organized basketball year around.

We had no organization either. We played basketball, football or baseball, from sun up til sun down. When we got bored with one or wore the equipment out, we switched to one of the others. I don't think any one of us would have played ONLY basketball, year round. That would have gotten old.

 

[lightning1]

Doesn't seem like Villanova and Jay Wright are experiencing this problem of burn out. I love watching the NCAA tourney and most often than not the cream will rise to the top.

Yes. No NBA talent (cream) on that Kentucky team! I cannot believe that Kentucky fans/alumni aren't calling for Calipari's job. It all starts with recruiting and he just isn't getting it done! I understand that some coaches pride themselves on finding the "diamonds in the rough" type of players but you cannot base your entire recruiting strategy on that. I just can't wrap my head around the fact that Calipari got lucky enough to win a Natty in 2012. Why can't we be that lucky? We have as much "cream" as he does!
Your powers of perception are second to none, brother. We're just lucky to be in your presence. Thank you.

 

[1980HAWKFAN]

Yes. No NBA talent (cream) on that Kentucky team! I cannot believe that Kentucky fans/alumni aren't calling for Calipari's job. It all starts with recruiting and he just isn't getting it done! I understand that some coaches pride themselves on finding the "diamonds in the rough" type of players but you cannot base your entire recruiting strategy on that. I just can't wrap my head around the fact that Calipari got lucky enough to win a Natty in 2012. Why can't we be that lucky? We have as much "cream" as he does!
Your powers of perception are second to none, brother. We're just lucky to be in your presence. Thank you.

You're welcome. My head is filled with many brilliant thoughts.

 

[lightning1]

You're welcome. My head is filled with many brilliant thoughts.

Lol. OK. Now that I've made some rude comments and probably should apologize...I'll point out to you how helpful your comment really was, in allowing me me to make my point.
Probably not much difference in the talent level of this year's Kentucky team vs the 2012 Kentucky team (I make that assumption because I don't truly know but I know they both were loaded with McDonald's AAs).
What made '12 win a Natty and '16 get bounced early and lose several games where they clearly had more talent?
Same coaching staff. Same conf. Maybe the players from '12 got their motivation from within and Calipari didn't need to coach the psych/emotional aspects of that team. Maybe the '16 team needed that and Calipari couldn't provide it.
How did Bo Ryan's Badgers beat last year's Kentucky team, when the talent disparity was enormous? Bo had 3 NBA prospects out of 13 schollie players but Calipari had 10.

 

[Hawk90]

I think it is sad that kids really don't have the opportunity to play 4 sports, or even 3 sports anymore. When it was baseball season, baseball was my favorite sport, football season; football, basketball season; basketball.......track, well few that I knew loved track, but it was the sport that kept you in shape and all of the other coaches happy. I saw it with my son, he had to choose two sports to remain competitive, because those sports went year round.

Club sports tend to be exclusive and prevent some of those gangly junior high kids, or poor kids from having the opportunity to develop.

 

[lightning1]

I think it is sad that kids really don't have the opportunity to play 4 sports, or even 3 sports anymore. When it was baseball season, baseball was my favorite sport, football season; football, basketball season; basketball.......track, well few that I knew loved track, but it was the sport that kept you in shape and all of the other coaches happy. I saw it with my son, he had to choose two sports to remain competitive, because those sports went year round.

Club sports tend to be exclusive and prevent some of those gangly junior high kids, or poor kids from having the opportunity to develop.

Yes. I boxed 8 months out of the year, 3 nights a week. A lot of times I was going from football practice, home for dinner then to the boxing gym. I played basketball and baseball. I even swam for a couple of years.
..........I guess that solves the mediocre GPA mystery.. Not much time left for studying.