I don't get how you can call for Frans head.

ottoman89

ottoman89

Well-Known Member
I kind of laugh at the fact that some of you are calling for Fran to be fired. It's a joke, really. Often times during the game I see them run a good offensive set and have the right defense called and BOOM.. we miss open jump shots and open layouts. Or, we stand flat footed on Defense.

Fran isn't out there missing open shots or failing to get around a screen or get back on Help.

I think it has more to do with the fact that this particular recruiting class is a very weak minded group. Until Woodbury, Gessel, and White are gone, I think you'll see this team implode. As soon as a few shots are missed, you can see the players body language just get pathetic and lose confidence.

I like this recruiting class coming in next year and thing it's going to be much, much more physical and that's what we lack in the worst way possible. The guys we have are for the most part already built for college, and Big 10 specific ball.

Fran is the man for the job. And I'm sticking to it.
 
Here's how.

If the Hawks finish 7-4 (which is probably where vegas would put the Over/Under) they'll close conference play at 20-11. Anything less than 2+ wins in the Big Ten tourney they'd likely miss the NCAAs. That would be 1/2 an NCAA bid in 5 years as HC.

Any questions?
 
I question his ability to recruit a real play making guard. The guards currently on the roster are maddeningly inconsistent.
 
Woodbury and gessell were huge misses along with not landing ullis. Beyond them he's been trying to fill holes. From this point forward he should be focusing on big ten ready players and not projects. I'd like to give him at least two more years.
 
I'm still a Fran fan. He does need to start cashing in on recruits however. I think this next class is going to be good but they really need a PG.

Iowa is a PG away from being very good. Fran just needs to get that Jeff Horner or Andre Woolridge type guy who can play at a high level right away.
 
droidhawk said:
Woodbury and gessell were huge misses along with not landing ullis. Beyond them he's been trying to fill holes. From this point forward he should be focusing on big ten ready players and not projects. I'd like to give him at least two more years.
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Totally unfair. Landing Gesell and his 7-foot buddy at the time, both top 100 recruits IIRC, and especially keeping Woody from wearing the light blue in Chapel Hill, was viewed as huge --HUGE -- at the time. It looked like Iowa finally had a go-getter coach who could recruit. The fan base was orgasmic. I don't think anyone thought those two were "misses."

The fact is both players have simply not developed into strong BoneG players under Fran. Is that the staff's fault or more the fact that, as we have seen, neither player has the tools to be power players in the conference? Mike is serviceable only and probably more suited to the MAC or a division lower. At UNC, Woody would be a reserve, not the starting center.

But I guess you saw all that four years ago. Have you considered applying for a job with the basketball staff? I have no doubt you'd be nails.
 
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Fran has pulled this team up from the ash heap. It would be stupid to fire him and it is probably a small minority who want him fired when the hawks have a tough loss.

This team has had some unbelievably bad shooting for about 3 years. Jok is supposed to be a shooter, so is Josh Ogs but they arent doing it, Fran can't help that. These guys are supposed to make a lot of these shots.

We have a good nucleus back next year and some decent recruits coming in ( I dont follow bball recruiting much) and maybe the incoming recruits are better than what we have now.

And I like Dom Uhl who I think will be a really good silky smooth type ball player.
 
every middling team is a PG away from being a tournament team. 2 good guards get you a long ways now a days. We are at least 3 guards away from being a real threat. We are way too slow. Hopefully at least 3 of next years recruits can play right away, because we can't afford to wait . Fran can't either. Remember, we will have a new university president soon. That may mean a new AD, and it's not too far a stretch to think a new football and basketball coach. I like fran, but it's a results industry.
 
tweeterhawk said:
Totally unfair. Landing Gesell and his 7-foot buddy at the time, both top 100 recruits IIRC, and especially keeping Woody from wearing the light blue in Chapel Hill, was viewed as huge --HUGE -- at the time. It looked like Iowa finally had a go-getter coach who could recruit. The fan base was orgasmic. I don't think anyone thought those two were "misses."

The fact is both players have simply not developed into strong BoneG players under Fran. Is that the staff's fault or more the fact that, as we have seen, neither player has the tools to be power players in the conference? Mike is serviceable only and probably more suited to the MAC or a division lower. At UNC, Woody would be a reserve, not the starting center.

But I guess you saw all that four years ago. Have you considered applying for a job with the basketball staff. I have no doubt you'd be nails.
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All of the recruiting services had Woodbury and Gesell as 4* prospects. It's Fran's responsibility to develop them into consistent BIG players. Difference makers. He hasn't. So either the recruiting services and Fran were wrong in the evaluation or Fran has failed to get them to where they need to be or failed to motivate them to work hard enough to get them to live up to their potential. And if that's not Fran's responsibility, then Fran should bench both players in favor of finding a better solution at both spots.
I'm not ready to call for Fran's head right now but if at least 2 of the '15 guards don't look like immediate difference makers in conference play, then I'll want him fired by the end of next season.
 
lightning1 said:
All of the recruiting services had Woodbury and Gesell as 4* prospects. It's Fran's responsibility to develop them into consistent BIG players. Difference makers. He hasn't. So either the recruiting services and Fran were wrong in the evaluation or Fran has failed to get them to where they need to be or failed to motivate them to work hard enough to get them to live up to their potential. And if that's not Fran's responsibility, then Fran should bench both players in favor of finding a better solution at both spots.
I'm not ready to call for Fran's head right now but if at least 2 of the '15 guards don't look like immediate difference makers in conference play, then I'll want him fired by the end of next season.
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So you agree with me, at least on the point that Mikey and Woody were not " huge misses," as a previous poster asserted? Whether the staff has failed to develop them or they simply didn't have the tools to develop is another question open to debate.

i like Uhl, I think Jok will be different player next year, I think there is some talent coming back and I like the incoming class.
 
tweeterhawk said:
So you agree with me, at least on the point that Mikey and Woody were not " huge misses," as a previous poster asserted? Whether the staff has failed to develop them or they simply didn't have the tools to develop is another question open to debate.

i like Uhl, I think Jok will be different player next year, I think there is some talent coming back and I like the incoming class.
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I wouldn't call them "huge misses". I would consider them disappointments at this point in time. When your top recruits are disappointments and the rest of your roster consists mostly of role players, your days are numbered, IMO. If you land a bunch of 4* talent, you can afford some disappointments and survive. Fran has not recruited well enough to survive with his current roster. Next year's roster is going to be more of the same but with less talent.
Woody
Uhl
Uthoff
Jok
Gesell.
That's another .500 conference team without much depth and little interior size. I think it's reasonable to assume an NCAA bubble team this year and next year. That's not good enough for me and it shouldn't be good enough for an AD.
 
I've met Fran and I really, really like him. So I believe that I am looking at Iowa Basketball objectively. I doubt Fran gets another contract extension unless 2 of next year's FR come in and light up the BIG conference. I'm not holding my breath.
 
hawkdrummer1 said:
Here's how.

If the Hawks finish 7-4 (which is probably where vegas would put the Over/Under) they'll close conference play at 20-11. Anything less than 2+ wins in the Big Ten tourney they'd likely miss the NCAAs. That would be 1/2 an NCAA bid in 5 years as HC.

Any questions?
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LOL an 11-7 B10 team isn't missing the tournament
 
lightning1 said:
This isn't an 11-7 BIG team. 5 maybe 6 wins left on the schedule.
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Go 4-2 at home, 3-2 on the road, not going to say it will happen, but it is doable. A split with Maryland/Wiscy at home for the next 2 would be huge.
 
The fact that he honestly considers Clemmons, Oglesclank, Jok, Uhl and Gabe to be a viable, productive platoon -- the fact that he actually rotates them in as a platoon on such a scripted schedule, irrelevant of the fact that the starters are kicking butt, is reason enought to at least raise the question.

I like Fran as Iowa's coach. He plays a winning strategy that I believe is optimal for his players' abilities. However, Fran is Ferentzian-level suspect in his personnel decisions and, like derKirkFer, is in complete denial over certain players' lack of skills to execute key components of his strategy.
 
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