meechiganhawk
Active Member
This is a fun group to watch play basketball and the non-conference has been enjoyable. Just some quick takes up to this point.
The DePaul loss was the best thing for this team, getting beat soundly at home was a rude awakening. The response other than at Michigan has been great.
Iowa has gotten some recruiting steals in CJ Frederick and Joe Toussaint, great cornerstones for the future. Each guy understands how to play the game and has great effort and no lack of confidence. Look for Tony Perkins to be this same type of recruit.
I knew Garza was a capable player, but he is on a different level this season. His single best moment in this season so far was the cross court pass to CJF for the critical 3-ball last night. His first two years on campus he doesn't make that pass, more likely a turnover or an off-balance shot.
Weiskamp seems to still be finding his way after being named an all-conference player in the preseason. He is having a good year, but I see him as having the capability to go for 20 every game. He has been trying to get to the hoop more, which he started to do toward the end of last season. Will be one of the best players to put on the Iowa uniform, his game will continue to evolve and he will figure out what he does best and be a force.
Connor gets zero credit for what he does, but he really does do a lot of the little things well. He gets in trouble, like last year when he reaches on defense and doesn't move his feet. He also tends to over help off the wing when the ball gets in the middle of the zone and has trouble recovering. Offensively, when he is an opportunistic scorer he is at his best and he makes FT's.
The big difference between this team and a few of Fran's teams is that they have guards that understand defensive positioning and they communicate. I was in Vegas and it was easily heard through both games. Frederick-Evelyn-Toussiant really get it and Connor is just a step behind them in that respect. Weiskamp can play defense, he has some of the same habits of Connor at times. Another huge difference is that Garza is contesting shots and still being able to get the rebound off that shot. Last year he may have just tried to get a charge and get stuck in that position and take himself out of the rest of the play.
Overall, this team has shooters, they will have difficulty against the top tier teams, especially on the road, but will be tough at home during conference play. It's a fun group and I think the shorter rotation, even if due to injury, benefits this team as a whole.
The DePaul loss was the best thing for this team, getting beat soundly at home was a rude awakening. The response other than at Michigan has been great.
Iowa has gotten some recruiting steals in CJ Frederick and Joe Toussaint, great cornerstones for the future. Each guy understands how to play the game and has great effort and no lack of confidence. Look for Tony Perkins to be this same type of recruit.
I knew Garza was a capable player, but he is on a different level this season. His single best moment in this season so far was the cross court pass to CJF for the critical 3-ball last night. His first two years on campus he doesn't make that pass, more likely a turnover or an off-balance shot.
Weiskamp seems to still be finding his way after being named an all-conference player in the preseason. He is having a good year, but I see him as having the capability to go for 20 every game. He has been trying to get to the hoop more, which he started to do toward the end of last season. Will be one of the best players to put on the Iowa uniform, his game will continue to evolve and he will figure out what he does best and be a force.
Connor gets zero credit for what he does, but he really does do a lot of the little things well. He gets in trouble, like last year when he reaches on defense and doesn't move his feet. He also tends to over help off the wing when the ball gets in the middle of the zone and has trouble recovering. Offensively, when he is an opportunistic scorer he is at his best and he makes FT's.
The big difference between this team and a few of Fran's teams is that they have guards that understand defensive positioning and they communicate. I was in Vegas and it was easily heard through both games. Frederick-Evelyn-Toussiant really get it and Connor is just a step behind them in that respect. Weiskamp can play defense, he has some of the same habits of Connor at times. Another huge difference is that Garza is contesting shots and still being able to get the rebound off that shot. Last year he may have just tried to get a charge and get stuck in that position and take himself out of the rest of the play.
Overall, this team has shooters, they will have difficulty against the top tier teams, especially on the road, but will be tough at home during conference play. It's a fun group and I think the shorter rotation, even if due to injury, benefits this team as a whole.
