Howe: Not Easy Picking Starting Five for Iowa Basketball
- Thread starter RobHowe
- Start date
Great article Rob.
Myself I lean towards your option 2 for the reasons you pretty much stated on it. But I think that option 1 is what Fran will end up going with.
Part of my thinking being if Nunge isn't 100% and ready for big mins right away they may as well bring him off the bench then. But when he's full go I like the idea of having that versatile yet traditional lineup out there more. Then bring CM off the bench to be the curveball along with JT.
I don't think Fran will have JBo come off the bench. Not if he's 100% full go he'll be starting him and playing him big mins. He's too much of a leader, senior etc etc. To me it's between Nunge and CM those other 4 spots are pretty locked up I think.
Myself I lean towards your option 2 for the reasons you pretty much stated on it. But I think that option 1 is what Fran will end up going with.
Part of my thinking being if Nunge isn't 100% and ready for big mins right away they may as well bring him off the bench then. But when he's full go I like the idea of having that versatile yet traditional lineup out there more. Then bring CM off the bench to be the curveball along with JT.
I don't think Fran will have JBo come off the bench. Not if he's 100% full go he'll be starting him and playing him big mins. He's too much of a leader, senior etc etc. To me it's between Nunge and CM those other 4 spots are pretty locked up I think.
My choice would be option 5, but I’m pretty sure Fran will go with option 1. I like Bohannon coming off the bench as a pure shooter. I’d prefer Touissant’s drive and finish/kick and defensive abilities out there against the other team’s starters. His shot seemed to be coming along better towards the end of last season as well.
Yeah how much JO figures to get in there is a bit of an X factor. Is he ready to and how good is he? Just some questions that'd be interesting to know but only one way to find out. He's literally only been in Iowa City a couple days. I could see him kinda playing the mins Kreiner would have played had Nunge not been hurt most of last yr.
How Iowa matches up with our opponents game to game can impact that as well. I could see us playing a lot of small ball too. JT, JBo, CJ, JW and Garza would be a heck of a lineup for any stretch of time for a team to try and matchup with. I'm not sure we'll see a lot of that but wouldn't be surprised if sometimes we do.
WinOneThisCentury
Well-Known Member
One thing for sure...Hoiberg won't be able to deploy that gang defense on Garza with Bohannon, Weiskamp, Frederick, and Nunge in the lineup. Someone is open...and this team is loaded with great 3 point shooters.
We will need Nunge to be a beast on the boards. Rebounding is the only concern...and having more muscle down low.
We will need Nunge to be a beast on the boards. Rebounding is the only concern...and having more muscle down low.
I'm more interested in who Fran will pick to be his closing 5 in relatively close games.
As Rob noted in his article about the non-brainer starters: LG, CJ, & JW are pretty much locks to play the crunch time minutes unless they've fouled out.
With a team with this many potential options that will be the true test of who he thinks is his best lineup.
As Rob noted in his article about the non-brainer starters: LG, CJ, & JW are pretty much locks to play the crunch time minutes unless they've fouled out.
With a team with this many potential options that will be the true test of who he thinks is his best lineup.
That game was probably more frustrating to watch then what the Purdue games were to me. (maybe it was because it was Hoiberg and Nebraska I dunno) But man we never shoulda lost to them. Such a frustrating game that was. But yeah hitting jumpers while spacing the floor woulda beat that style of play no doubt. CM and JT will absolutely need to expand their games and be more consistent. If they do that and we rebound well as you mentioned the sky is the limit.
NorthKCHawk
Well-Known Member
I am making the assumption that JB is 100%. If so, I think he is as big a no brainer as anyone. Yes, he has been a slightly below average defender on two bad hips and will likely continue to be below average. But, his ability to run the offense, protect the ball, and most importantly, be one of the best cold blooded assassins in the history of the program from deep and the line, make him a NO BRAINER to be the starting PG. You have three guys that can kill you from beyond the arc, and I think Conner ends up being a great 3 point shooter only because I think he will have a laughable number of wide open 3s because he is the only one on the court you can consider leaving.
I would start Connor at the 4 like we did last year. He is the glue. And, then you have a lot of length and good defenders coming off the bench. Indeed, that second 5 could be a nasty group of defenders with a lot of length and a lot of energy and fouls to give.
I would start Connor at the 4 like we did last year. He is the glue. And, then you have a lot of length and good defenders coming off the bench. Indeed, that second 5 could be a nasty group of defenders with a lot of length and a lot of energy and fouls to give.
trj
Well-Known Member
This is the correct answer. Who is on the floor when it is money time. imo, this all revolves around who is running the point when the game is tied 70-70 with 2 minutes left. Based on last year, C-mac was the best at doing that. JoeT is your best on-the-ball defender, but the offense flowed better late in games when C-mac ran the point.
My guess is that Jbo will play off the ball and match ups will dictate whether we see Joe or Conner at the point late in games.
NorthKCHawk
Well-Known Member
I have said it before and will say it again, the disrespect this board shows JBO as one of the best offensive point guards we have ever had in recent times is astounding. When healthy, he is deadly. If he is as healthy as Rob says, no doubt he is the best PG on the floor for Iowa and will start and finish there.
trj
Well-Known Member
Everything you said is 100% accurate. However, this is about winning games, not some dig at Jbo. The elephant in the room is: who is running point when Iowa needs to close out games? Jbo will be on the floor.......the million dollar question will be if he is playing off the ball or not.
SomersHawk
Well-Known Member
It will be interesting to see who ends up starting. 100 to 1 odds JBO is in at crunch time though. But what will make this team truley great is if EVERYONE has the attitude of I just wanna win whether I start or not I could care less. WE can do great things if I do whatever I am asked to do. And if JBO as a 5th year senior set the tone there it would speak volumes.
hawkeye12345
Well-Known Member
Offensively the kid has ice in his veins and is a tremendous shooter but on the defensive end he is a liability. He is a 2 playing the 1 and creates defensive problems that his offense doesn't offset.
I am concerned about replacing the girth and rebounding of Kriener Till and Pemsl. Those bigs accounted for 216 rebounds or 20% of Iowa’s boards. In Rob’s lineups Jack N Josh O and PMac have to make up the rebound and muscle difference. Josh O may not be mobile enough on defense if there’s no 5 to defend. If at 6’8 Keegan and/or Kris can rebound and defend the rim then they will play. Remember Rutgers is big physical and quick.
RobHowe
Administrator
Fair points. No doubt Iowa is missing some interior muscle.
I do think some of the guards/wings can increase their rebounding numbers, particularly C-Mac, Wieskamp and Fredrick.
