How will this fanbase back the new coach?

[ForeverHawk]

Unless it is Pearl, I don't think any coach will have unanimous backing from the Hawkeye fanbase. Pearl in all likelyhood is a pipe dream. When the coach is announced, some will be happy, some will be disappointed. What will it take to stand behind the new hire to help move this program forward, no matter the selection? Are some of you going to give up on Hawkeye basketball if you don't agree with the hire, like I have seen some of you post? Or, will we be able to support the new hire with realistic expectations?

 

[GhostofBTT]

Most people will support the new coach, but the guys around here won't. 99% of Hawkeye fans have not obsessed themselves with unrealistic expectations, unlike message board lurkers, and will be happy with anyone who comes along.

The guys who go ballistic over every name thrown against the wall, and declare that they are a horrible choice after reading their Wikipedia page and ESPN profile will not be happy.

But then again, no one cares what those guys think either.

 

[loesshillshawk]

I was very skeptical of Lick but I supported him for as long as I could handle it. Contrary to some folks opinion of my loyalty. I will fully support whomever Barta hires. I still think he makes a splash...and I don't mean a belly flop.

 

[Hawkeyes1982x]

I agree with both posts.

 

[brhawks18]

Most people will support the new coach, but the guys around here won't. 99% of Hawkeye fans have not obsessed themselves with unrealistic expectations, unlike message board lurkers, and will be happy with anyone who comes along.

The guys who go ballistic over every name thrown against the wall, and declare that they are a horrible choice after reading their Wikipedia page and ESPN profile will not be happy.

But then again, no one cares what those guys think either.

For Barta, and any athletic director for that matter, is in a no win situation these days. With the power of message boards, we all have our opinions. No matter who is hired, there will be people ticked off.

 

[tweeterhawk]

I think most people, including the hobbits on these boards, will give the new guy a chance, whoever it is. Most will have their opinions, and there will be the jerks who immediately fire off that whoever is named is "a terrible hire."

But I think most Hawkeye fans are aware of the depths to which this program has fallen and so eager to see success that they will be moderately patient with the rebuilding process.

I also think Barta and the new guy can build support by being approachable, by talking to the fans, letting them know what's going on to the greatest degree possible, being very public in showing up at other Iowa events, being enthusiastic on the floor, in press conferences, in appearances. A little bit of salesmanship will go a long, long ways, it seems to me.

 

[ForeverHawk]

Good responses to what I deemed a fair question. I supported Lick this year and into next year. However, I did find myself excited when I heard he may be let go, most likely excited about a new direction. I will support the new coach because he will become a Hawkeye. Hopefully he will bring a more uptempo gameplan with excitement and passion for the fanbase to grab on to. And, I hope the announcement comes soon. Not only for us as fans, but for the current players and recruits and for the possibility of maybe the new coach bringing in a recruit or two of his own.

 

[1977Hawkeye]

I don't know if I can answer how I will feel until I find out who the new coach is. There are certain coaches I am sure that I will be none to happy with if we hired them. There are also some coaches that I would be very happy with though, and they are not all currently head coaches in a BCS level conference.

I'm not a "Pearl or bust" guy, but I haven't given up hope that we will land someone proven. At the same time, I'm preparing myself for the fact that we may end up with another mid-major coach or an assistant. Again, some of these coaches I would be happy about, others not so much.

 

[DeputyHawk]

Anyone will be better than Lick.

 

[tweeterhawk]

Good responses to what I deemed a fair question. I supported Lick this year and into next year. However, I did find myself excited when I heard he may be let go, most likely excited about a new direction. I will support the new coach because he will become a Hawkeye. Hopefully he will bring a more uptempo gameplan with excitement and passion for the fanbase to grab on to. And, I hope the announcement comes soon. Not only for us as fans, but for the current players and recruits and for the possibility of maybe the new coach bringing in a recruit or two of his own.

It's killing me, too. But I want Barta to take as long as he needs to get this one right.

While I imagine the players and recruits are just as eager as the rest of us to find out who'll be their next coach, I think we all have to realize this is a process that takes a bit of time, especially if there's a strong candidate who has expressed interest who is still in the tournament.

 

[tweeterhawk]

Of all the qualifications and attributes that everyone has said they would like to see in the new coach, I'd be thrilled with just one: that whoever is named makes other coaches in the B10 say "Oh, sh*t."

 

[loesshillshawk]

Of all the qualifications and attributes that everyone has said they would like to see in the new coach, I'd be thrilled with just one: that whoever is named makes other coaches in the B10 say "Oh, sh*t."

Post of the year....my sentiments exactly

 

[urohawk]

It will be interesting to see how much personality plays into supporting the new coach. The facts are when Lick was hired there was not a bump in attendance despite repeated claims on the message boards that some people wouldn't support Iowa basketball again until Alford was gone. Was this due to low expectations or a coach who did zero to promote himself or his program? Well next year we will again have low expectations so it will be interesting to see what happens for attendance next year. If the new coach has more personality and tries to promote the program will attendance go up next year or is it truly just driven by fan expectations and on the court success.

It would be nice if we had a marketing department who at least tried to help the coach out. Most of the promotion they tried under Alford were his ideas. Another part of the frustration for Alford.

 

[PeoriaHWKI]

I will be behind the new hire as I have been behind all the hires and the program. Yet loyalty and accountability are 2 different things. If you do not like what you see you have a right to voice your opinion. That doesn not make you a fairweather fan as long as you back it up with facts and do so respectfully.

 

[tweeterhawk]

It would be nice if we had a marketing department who at least tried to help the coach out. Most of the promotion they tried under Alford were his ideas. Another part of the frustration for Alford.

One of Bruce Pearl's attractions, in addition to being a good basketball coach and a greater recruiter (or at least the wisdom and ability to hire a great recruiter or two), is his ability to promote his programs. A number of news stories were written back in 2004 and 2005 about the steps he took -- outside of usual basketball stuff -- to build relations with the fan base, build excitement and put butts in the seats.

If we don't get Pearl (and I'm among those who think the chances of that fall somewhere between none and none), the marketing department needs to dig those stories out, steal the best ideas, and get the promotion under way.

 

[swanssy]

It will be interesting to see how much personality plays into supporting the new coach. The facts are when Lick was hired there was not a bump in attendance despite repeated claims on the message boards that some people wouldn't support Iowa basketball again until Alford was gone. Was this due to low expectations or a coach who did zero to promote himself or his program? Well next year we will again have low expectations so it will be interesting to see what happens for attendance next year. If the new coach has more personality and tries to promote the program will attendance go up next year or is it truly just driven by fan expectations and on the court success.

I think this is huge. Even in the Big 10 commercials, Lick was either non-existent or the blandest coach in every one. We need a guy that will go all Joe Paterno whenever given the opportunity. YouTube - penst8

 

[BlitzBuster]

I already support our newest coach and we don't have the slightest idea who that person is. Why, because I support the "Hawkeye" teams not individuals and the new coach will be part of the "Hawkeye" team. Now some of the names being thrown around on the message boards excite me more than others but I'll support Coach John Doe as much as I would Coach Pearl

 

[JHHawk]

I do think almost 99% of hawk fans will get behind the new hire, until he fails...that is the way it is in sports. Like in spring training, hope springs eternal. Then by August,fans are back to being disillusioned.
In college bb that takes about 2-3 bad seasons...see lick.

I agree that it is an interesting debate on why lick's hire did not juice the fanbase more his first year.
Now, no doubt,when Tyler Smith walked out of that first meeting with lick and immediately said he was leaving, that took a lot of the enthusiasm away.
Tyler was argubly the second best frosh in the league behind only Oden that year, with Conley and Cook also in the running..he was that good.
So with Tyler and Adam gone, the fan base knew we had little left...and no real exciting players. So, enthusiasm waned quickly. Our marketing dept did little to help sell the new coach,and lick himself was not a salesman. Maybe he did not want to oversell his first year,knowing what he had to work with?

With the SA hire, it was the same circumstance...Iowa was coming off a sweet sixteen team,but had lost the bulk of the team. But, SA was a much splashier hire than lick,and fans responded even tho it was a tough first year.

Now,some might say that Iowa fans abandoned the Hawks after SA/PP and just never returned,even tho both were gone. Sad.

This is why I do think Barta has to consider the impact of the new coach on the fanbase somewhat. Gillispie would be a big hire, who would fire up the fan base ,most importantly the students.
Barbee would be more of a mystery ,but I sense he has the promotional skills to get the students engaged right away.
Forbes would maybe get the older fan base interested,but not sure with the students.
The rest? No initial bump,imo...Morrill? no. Gregory? unlikely. Drew? yes.Jake? maybe?