I've never seen a team so caught up in the outside distractions

[Xerxes]

How many college age young adults aren't on Twitter, etc. all of the time? They could stay away from Iowa basketball stuff but that's pretty much what these guys are living and breathing every day from the time they commit until whenever...see Brunner. I'm a bit older and have never twitted, twatted ortweeted so it's easy for me. I don't know how these guys avoid seeing the garbage that's out there.

Ha, ha! Solid work!

 

[InGoodCo]

Post-ISU, I believe. AW said in an interview that he motivates himself by reading comments about himself on the internet. He was upset that people were criticizing Gesell for missing the GW free throws at ISU.

Isn't this acceptable? How is that being distracted? Sharing his feelings on the subject? AW was asked what he thought about what others were saying after that game, he answered.

 

[SnapBack]

If Fran would have said something along the lines of "next caller please" people would have called him out for not answering the question. It's a lose-lose situation when the team is losing. In hindsight, did he draw the play up the way he should have?... obviously not. But the reality of it is, Iowa fans have experienced some success, and can't handle it when the ball bounces the other way and they lose.

 

[InGoodCo]

Oh please.

So, should we just go a head and kick him off the team? Take his access key to the gym and set his clothes outside? He's 4 years invested into the program, he's hurt the team in some spots this year no doubt, but he's going to continue to get shots to help the team. It's part of sports and being in a team sport.

 

[clicheusername3]

If Fran really did ban Twitter for the rest of the year, then kudos to him....I hadn't heard that.

But as it relates to the caller, there are two things he could have done. One was to ridicule the caller by questioning his fandom and making a big point about it. The other was simply to look at Dolph and say "Next caller please". Sometimes there are comments made that don't deserve a response....that was one of those times in my opinion and I think Fran made the wrong decision there.

But then when he was asked about it, he could have simply said that if callers want to call and complain about him (Fran) then he is more than willing to take those calls, but that calls critical or demeaning of players are off limits and he won't dignify those with a response. But instead, he continued to ridicule the caller and continue to call attention to it by once again questioning the caller's fandom and making it a much bigger deal than it needed to be.

Or he could have just answered the question but cooly, calmly, and smartly bring the criticism back to himself but he doesn't seem to be willing to take anything on himself unless he's pushed to it. It's not like the caller is getting a follow up question. Shift blame to yourself to protect player, thank caller for his question, move on.

 

[brozley]

I don't disagree that Zach is playing pretty poorly this season, but he's earned his minutes. I've been pretty critical of his play this season as well. I'd like to see his minutes go to other spots, but Fran is our coach and I think he probably has a pulse on the team better then my couch coaching, so I'll go ahead and let the guy making the millions make that call. I support his decision as HC until the day he isn't HC. As far as Zach???Zach should get as many shots as he needs to prove his doubters wrong. He is a big part of the team. He is a senior. He is a Hawkeye.

This is a really dumb post. You say he is playing poorly, but "earned his minutes", how can that be? Keep shooting as much as you want until you prove doubters wrong, really?

Does being a senior mean you have earned your minutes?

It's Fran that decides for better or worse and he deserved the credit or blame for who get minutes.

 

[Sparky]

These guys playing for Iowa are not kids. They're adults and I guarantee in most aspects of life they want to be treated like adults. Stop making the mistake of thinking of them as kids that can't defend themselves.

 

[clicheusername3]

I don't disagree that Zach is playing pretty poorly this season, but he's earned his minutes. I've been pretty critical of his play this season as well. I'd like to see his minutes go to other spots, but Fran is our coach and I think he probably has a pulse on the team better then my couch coaching, so I'll go ahead and let the guy making the millions make that call. I support his decision as HC until the day he isn't HC. As far as Zach???Zach should get as many shots as he needs to prove his doubters wrong. He is a big part of the team. He is a senior. He is a Hawkeye.

Speaking of seniors, I've seen the seniors at my grandma's assisted living facility draw more iron from 19 feet than McCabe.

 

[Hawkstrat]

So, should we just go a head and kick him off the team? Take his access key to the gym and set his clothes outside? He's 4 years invested into the program, he's hurt the team in some spots this year no doubt, but he's going to continue to get shots to help the team. It's part of sports and being in a team sport.

Those aren't the only two options, but if they were, Iowa would be a better team in McCabe's absence.

 

[INTIMIDATORHawk]

I'm guessing that the majority of people on these forums are adults... 25 years +

That said, those of us who are that age or older didn't have social media as such a huge part of our lives. Young people live and die on social media these days. It's a primary method of communication for teenagers, and it has provided a platform for young people to voice their opinions and display their emotions to a large audience. It allows them to connect with people that they could never reach before the social media age. Such a platform wasn't available when I was younger, so I just kept quiet and/or had a tantrum in my room after my parents took away my Nintendo 64.

I would venture to guess that a lot of the people saying negative things are just dumb teenagers who don't know any better. With age comes wisdom? Nah, with age comes experience, and that includes knowing when to keep your mouth shut.

You can't teach common sense, but you can learn logical and rational thinking with age. It's the number one personality trait that separates adults from children.

 

[WindsorHawk]

I would venture to guess that a lot of the people saying negative things are just dumb teenagers who don't know any better. With age comes wisdom? Nah, with age comes experience, and that includes knowing when to keep your mouth shut.

You can't teach common sense, but you can learn logical and rational thinking with age. It's the number one personality trait that separates adults from children.

Yep.

 

[InGoodCo]

This is a really dumb post. You say he is playing poorly, but "earned his minutes", how can that be? Keep shooting as much as you want until you prove doubters wrong, really?

Does being a senior mean you have earned your minutes?

It's Fran that decides for better or worse and he deserved the credit or blame for who get minutes.

I do what I can. Zach stuck with Iowa and with Fran when the coaching change occurred. They've been at it together and worked together for 4 years now. I have 0 doubt in my mind that he's earned the minutes he gets. Through practice, through hard work, and through being a great team mate who helps lead the team. I have 0 doubt that Fran and the rest of the team go over every game with a fine toothed comb, if he was taking shots Fran didn't want, he'd be sitting. It does ultimately fall back on Fran, and it's Fran who put him in each and every one of these positions.

 

[WindsorHawk]

Zach stuck with Iowa and with Fran when the coaching change occurred. They've been at it together and worked together for 4 years now. I have 0 doubt in my mind that he's earned the minutes he gets. Through practice, through hard work, and through being a great team mate who helps lead the team. I have 0 doubt that Fran and the rest of the team go over every game with a fine toothed comb, if he was taking shots Fran didn't want, he'd be sitting. It does ultimately fall back on Fran, and it's Fran who put him in each and every one of these positions.

And when the team got deeper and more talented last year he went to the bench...after being a 2 year starter. He didn't complain. He didn't mope around and give less than 100%. He took the minutes given and played to the best of his ability.

 

[Hawkstrat]

I can agree with that InGoodCo, Fran has taken a talented team and underachieved.

 

[Hawkstrat]

And when the team got deeper and more talented last year he went to the bench...after being a 2 year starter. He didn't complain. He didn't mope around and give less than 100%. He took the minutes given and played to the best of his ability.

Are we giving him credit for other players being better than him? I mean, what was he going to do?

 

[Tierney]

If Fran really did ban Twitter for the rest of the year, then kudos to him....I hadn't heard that.

But as it relates to the caller, there are two things he could have done. One was to ridicule the caller by questioning his fandom and making a big point about it. The other was simply to look at Dolph and say "Next caller please". Sometimes there are comments made that don't deserve a response....that was one of those times in my opinion and I think Fran made the wrong decision there.

But then when he was asked about it, he could have simply said that if callers want to call and complain about him (Fran) then he is more than willing to take those calls, but that calls critical or demeaning of players are off limits and he won't dignify those with a response. But instead, he continued to ridicule the caller and continue to call attention to it by once again questioning the caller's fandom and making it a much bigger deal than it needed to be.

I don't really understand how banning twitter will have a positive effect on recruiting.

 

[InGoodCo]

Are we giving him credit for other players being better than him? I mean, what was he going to do?

Under achieved what? Your personal expectations? We're 19-7 and ranked 20th in the country dawg. We were in the NIT last season and aint been to the show since 2006. I didn't know Iowa won any talent contests or had some consistent top 25 recruiting classes coming in to draw this sort of disappointment from everyone. Haha, this board cracks me up.

 

[glidinghawk]

I don't disagree that Zach is playing pretty poorly this season, but he's earned his minutes. I've been pretty critical of his play this season as well. I'd like to see his minutes go to other spots, but Fran is our coach and I think he probably has a pulse on the team better then my couch coaching, so I'll go ahead and let the guy making the millions make that call. I support his decision as HC until the day he isn't HC. As far as Zach???Zach should get as many shots as he needs to prove his doubters wrong. He is a big part of the team. He is a senior. He is a Hawkeye.

Zach is getting fewer minutes per game in his senior year than he did as a freshman and sophomore. He has sacrificed a great deal for the team. He knew he would not be a starter this year, but it didn't bother him at all and he's concentrated on being as good as he can as a reserve and role player. He didn't mope around or bad mouth any coaching decision or other players. Instead, he has supported them with fervor.

He's been a stalwart, a mainstay, he practices hard and plays hard. He supports the coaching staff, his fellow players, the program, and he's tough as nails.

I think we will see McCabe a lot in the stretch run and late in games, because McCaffery has a great deal of respect for him and his senior leadership. McCabe will be a key player in the March run, just like Eric May was last year. Don't be surprised to see McCabe come up with a huge play to win a huge game over the next month.

 

[InGoodCo]

I don't really understand how banning twitter will have a positive effect on recruiting.

Can't say I disagree with this, and I like following the guys through out the year as do recruits. I don't think it's been a problem until the other day and was an after thought for Fran and staff. I think it was more of a reactionary kinda deal to what happened with Zach.

 

[Tierney]

I can agree with that InGoodCo, Fran has taken a talented team and underachieved.

I think the main problem with this years team is Fran and the coaching staff have overachieved. Who would of thought that the coaching staff would of accomplished so much in the last two years? The Iowa players talent hasn't caught up to the coaching staffs abilities yet. Olesani is just starting to emerge. Woodbury and Gesell have really developed this year. Marble has come on this year. Basabe and McCabe are good players, but they won't be all conference. The young talent is starting to mature, and hopefully, the coaching staff will bring in a couple of star recruits this spring. Oglesby has really started to mature the last few games too. The point is I don't think the problem is the coaching staff has underachieved, but they have overachieved, and the fans have lost their perspective. The fans have given certain players crap for the last few year, but a lot of the crap is because the see the improvement of the team but have over expectations.