Howe Column: Way Too Early to Judge This Iowa Basketball Team

[RobHowe]

You mentioned that Iowa has played two of it's toughest conference games and that's certainly true. You probably could have said the same thing if we had started Nebraska/Michigan. Or Ohio State/Purdue. Or Maryland/Indiana

And not been any less correct. Translation, the B1G is deep this year, even if not necessarily stocked with elite teams.

The Big Ten is going to be a gauntlet, no doubt.

I do think MSU and Wisconsin are Top 4 teams in the league, at least as it stands right now.

Michigan is No. 5 in the AP. MSU is No. 10 and Wisconsin No. 12. It's early. But they look like the three best teams in the conference right now.

 

[BigD]

Oh for chrissakes guys,
we all know how this story ends.
Have you not been paying attention for 8 years?

Lol, what does past performance mean to the grave majority of Hawkeyes fans? Pay per performance obviously doesn’t mean jack squat to Iowa fans. Fran really has trouble justifying his pay and King Kirk has had a few years of success but neither of these coaches would be left standing in any sports venue where fans expect excellence.

Make fun of the Nebraska fans all you want and maybe they are a bit unrealistic but at least for two decades they had a dynasty. Iowa fans have to talk about wrestling when ever talking about any kind of dynasty.

Gary your absolutely awesome how you have somehow achieved the rise of sports facilities at the University of Iowa while at the same time destroying the competitiveness of the sports programs themselves. Hooo Rahhh!!!

 

[LGEND24]

Nope, Fran Sucks, his recruiting sucks, his coaching sucks, he sucks at calling time outs, he sucks at coaching defense, he sucks at coaching offense, he sucks at subbing players, he sucks at redshirting players, his temper sucks, he sucks because he hates Dolph, he sucks because his kids suck at basketball, he sucks because Barta sucks. He sucks because Ferentz sucks. He sucks because Iowa is 6-2. He sucks because we have only beaten one ranked opponent. He sucks because that opponent appears to suck. He sucks at developing players, he sucks at hiring good assistants, he probably sucks as a husband and father. No room for positivity with this program or this year or these players because Fran sucks at everything related to life!(sarcasm).

That was about 90% accurate though.

 

[LGEND24]

Lots of hoops left. Lost to 2 Sweet 16 teams. Let's chill and let the season play out.

Wisconsin is trash.

 

[WestCoastHawk]

First half, MSU's player throws down a huge dunk, their arena is going insane and Fran doesn't call a timeout to cool the environment down. We had 4 left and it was the first half. We were down 9 or something if I remember. Why he wouldn't use a timeout there that doesn't roll over to the second half is beyond me. It was a huge momentum change. I really just can't wrap my head around it.

 

[homes]

"Way too early to judge"? Rob, that's all we do. It's coded into us as fans. The earlier the better, in fact.

 

[NikeHawk21]

The Big Ten is going to be a gauntlet, no doubt.

I do think MSU and Wisconsin are Top 4 teams in the league, at least as it stands right now.

Michigan is No. 5 in the AP. MSU is No. 10 and Wisconsin No. 12. It's early. But they look like the three best teams in the conference right now.

Yes but we still play at the Kohl Center which is much tougher than playing at Carver. This Iowa team has shown zero ability to compete on the road over the last two seasons. If you were to rank our conference games by difficulty Wisconsin at home would probably be in the 8-11 range.

 

[Knight78]

I will get excited once Tyler gets a haircut.

Man, if I could only have my hair like that... unfortunately, my hairdo is more like Telly Savalas'.

 

[PCHawk]

Lol, what does past performance mean to the grave majority of Hawkeyes fans? Pay per performance obviously doesn’t mean jack squat to Iowa fans. Fran really has trouble justifying his pay and King Kirk has had a few years of success but neither of these coaches would be left standing in any sports venue where fans expect excellence.

Make fun of the Nebraska fans all you want and maybe they are a bit unrealistic but at least for two decades they had a dynasty. Iowa fans have to talk about wrestling when ever talking about any kind of dynasty.

Gary your absolutely awesome how you have somehow achieved the rise of sports facilities at the University of Iowa while at the same time destroying the competitiveness of the sports programs themselves. Hooo Rahhh!!!

Nebraska had a dynasty because they stumbled upon a hall of fame coach. It had nothing to do with fan's expectations. Just like iowa had a wrestling dynasty because they hired Gable. It's not like iowa wrestling fans demanded more so they decided to do something to win more. You greatly over estimate how much effect the expectations of fans have on a program. Now fan loyalty on the other hand can help quite a bit.

 

[HawkGold]

Why are so many denying the truth. Lack of speed at the top. That's not overcoming adversity. It's overcoming speed..Only faster players will do that.

This team is trying for an upper division which is the ceiling. Be content I guess and realistic. Hey Purdue is beatable!

 

[Northside Hawk]

Why are so many denying the truth. Lack of speed at the top. That's not overcoming adversity. It's overcoming speed..Only faster players will do that.

This team is trying for an upper division which is the ceiling. Be content I guess and realistic. Hey Purdue is beatable!

Currently watching Nebby vs Minnesota. Glynn Watson just made a move, and converted, that our guards could only dream of.

 

[BigD]

Nebraska had a dynasty because they stumbled upon a hall of fame coach. It had nothing to do with fan's expectations. Just like iowa had a wrestling dynasty because they hired Gable. It's not like iowa wrestling fans demanded more so they decided to do something to win more. You greatly over estimate how much effect the expectations of fans have on a program. Now fan loyalty on the other hand can help quite a bit.

You hit on something; stumble upon, hire, what ever term you want to use, but a point could be made that neither dynasty would have happened if the effort wasn’t there to hire the right coach. In each case if each university would have just been happy with the status quo and kept the previous coaches around those dynasties don’t happen. Why can’t people learn from the past and look at our current situation and say, “what the hell let’s roll the dice and try something new? If that don’t work then roll the dice until something does work.”

Life is too damn short not to try to make the most out of it. Case in point, around the year 1830 the US patent office put out a statement that basically said that in their opinion that every thing that could be invented had been invented. Well apparently not everyone has a closed mind or lives a life of fear that says we better not try because something bad or worse could happen. That is the mindset for losers.

 

[PCHawk]

You hit on something; stumble upon, hire, what ever term you want to use, but a point could be made that neither dynasty would have happened if the effort wasn’t there to hire the right coach. In each case if each university would have just been happy with the status quo and kept the previous coaches around those dynasties don’t happen. Why can’t people learn from the past and look at our current situation and say, “what the hell let’s roll the dice and try something new? If that don’t work then roll the dice until something does work.”

Life is too damn short not to try to make the most out of it. Case in point, around the year 1830 the US patent office put out a statement that basically said that in their opinion that every thing that could be invented had been invented. Well apparently not everyone has a closed mind or lives a life of fear that says we better not try because something bad or worse could happen. That is the mindset for losers.

I would argue if you are the kind of person who makes a habit of doing things that have a high probability of failure, you are a loser. There is something to be said about knowing your place.

Take me for example. I would say book smarts wise, I'm somewhere in the above average category. I've had the same job for over 20 years and make pretty good money but I'm not rich. If I decide tomorrow that I want to quit my job and go to med school to chase my dream of being a doctor, would that be a good idea to not maintain status quo? Or would I be an idiot for not knowing my place? There is a really small chance it would work out for me, but there is a really good chance I will lose everything I have trying for something that just isn't realistic for me.

Now let's do Barta. If he keeps Kirk, there is a very high probability that it won't cost him his job. If he does fire him, those odds raise drastically. So what's in it for him?

Let's be real here, you aren't wanting a chance so we can average an extra half win/win per year. If that happened, you would want to fire that guy too because you "demand excellence". You won't be happy until they find a hall of fame coach. In essence, you want to go from a manual labor guy with a high school education to a doctor. Chasing that pipe dream doesn't make you better than everyone. It makes you a loser. (I'm not actually calling you a loser because I know if it was actually your life you wouldn't make such a reckless decision either)

 

[lightning1]

I would argue if you are the kind of person who makes a habit of doing things that have a high probability of failure, you are a loser. There is something to be said about knowing your place.

Take me for example. I would say book smarts wise, I'm somewhere in the above average category. I've had the same job for over 20 years and make pretty good money but I'm not rich. If I decide tomorrow that I want to quit my job and go to med school to chase my dream of being a doctor, would that be a good idea to not maintain status quo? Or would I be an idiot for not knowing my place? There is a really small chance it would work out for me, but there is a really good chance I will lose everything I have trying for something that just isn't realistic for me.

Now let's do Barta. If he keeps Kirk, there is a very high probability that it won't cost him his job. If he does fire him, those odds raise drastically. So what's in it for him?

Let's be real here, you aren't wanting a chance so we can average an extra half win/win per year. If that happened, you would want to fire that guy too because you "demand excellence". You won't be happy until they find a hall of fame coach. In essence, you want to go from a manual labor guy with a high school education to a doctor. Chasing that pipe dream doesn't make you better than everyone. It makes you a loser. (I'm not actually calling you a loser because I know if it was actually your life you wouldn't make such a reckless decision either)

You're out of your mind. And I now believe it's very likely that you never competed at anything. Or never accomplished anything in competition. Wow.

 

[InGoodCo]

We'll always have the 2K Classic this season. ALWAYS.

 

[NikeHawk21]

Nebraska had a dynasty because they stumbled upon a hall of fame coach. It had nothing to do with fan's expectations. Just like iowa had a wrestling dynasty because they hired Gable. It's not like iowa wrestling fans demanded more so they decided to do something to win more. You greatly over estimate how much effect the expectations of fans have on a program. Now fan loyalty on the other hand can help quite a bit.

It’s not necessarily fan expectations. Fans can only do so much, especially in Iowa where the Hawkeyes are the only show in town.

To me it’s about having an Athletic Director who expects and demands success. This board has been over that 1000 times but it’s clear that GB does not do those things. Actually he rewards mediocrity. The athletic department is printing money with mega TV deals and again Iowa being the only show in town, Kinnick will be filled every Saturday. In essence GB can sit around and be a fat cat, because there is no pressure.

Take Wisconsin for example. Their football program is averaging 9.8 wins per year over the last 13 seasons spanning 3 coaches. Quick shoutout to @deanvogs . In basketball they appear to have the machine rolling again after an injury riddled year last year. They have a passionate fan base as does Iowa, but they have an AD who demands success, and that’s why they’ve built one of the best athletic departments in the country. It’s not always just luck or stumbling upon a coach. Sometimes it’s finding the right fit and giving them the opportunity to succeed.

 

[PCHawk]

You're out of your mind. And I now believe it's very likely that you never competed at anything. Or never accomplished anything in competition. Wow.

Because I dont think it's a good idea to fire everyone until you're the best? Your response would make more sense if my post said players and coaches shouldn't try to be the best. It makes no sense as a rebuttal to what I actually said. Barta isn't competing in anything and us as fans sure as hell aren't competing in anything. It's funny how often I see posts on here that suggest that fans are competing.

 

[BlacknGold19]

Man, if I could only have my hair like that... unfortunately, my hairdo is more like Telly Savalas'.

More like “C’mon Tyler, I heard of dreadlocks....but shitlocks?!!”

 

[PCHawk]

It’s not necessarily fan expectations. Fans can only do so much, especially in Iowa where the Hawkeyes are the only show in town.

To me it’s about having an Athletic Director who expects and demands success. This board has been over that 1000 times but it’s clear that GB does not do those things. Actually he rewards mediocrity. The athletic department is printing money with mega TV deals and again Iowa being the only show in town, Kinnick will be filled every Saturday. In essence GB can sit around and be a fat cat, because there is no pressure.

Take Wisconsin for example. Their football program is averaging 9.8 wins per year over the last 13 seasons spanning 3 coaches. Quick shoutout to @deanvogs . In basketball they appear to have the machine rolling again after an injury riddled year last year. They have a passionate fan base as does Iowa, but they have an AD who demands success, and that’s why they’ve built one of the best athletic departments in the country. It’s not always just luck or stumbling upon a coach. Sometimes it’s finding the right fit and giving them the opportunity to succeed.

So if you were in Bartas shoes, would you sit back and do nothing or would you risk your job by making coaching changes that could blow up in your face? Barta would be a fool to change something he doesn't have to.

And Wisconsin isnt successful because they have an AD that demands success. They are successful because they have an AD that is really good at finding the right coaches. We have yet to see what happens to an average coach there because everyone they hire wins.

 

[lightning1]

Because I dont think it's a good idea to fire everyone until you're the best? Your response would make more sense if my post said players and coaches shouldn't try to be the best. It makes no sense as a rebuttal to what I actually said. Barta isn't competing in anything and us as fans sure as hell aren't competing in anything. It's funny how often I see posts on here that suggest that fans are competing.

No. It's got nothing to do with "being the best". It's the pursuit. Your post is completely devoid of any competitive spirit.