Jon's new article

[tweeterhawk]

Jon's methodology in his latest article makes my hair hurt. Strikes me as someone who needed to write something positive about the basketball program during a really thin period.

https://www.hawkeyenation.com/basketball/iowa-basketball-program-rank-b1g

 

[Hawkfnntn]

That all depends on who we hire. If we hire an up and comer we will pay him less and if he succeeds we will increase him. Let’s reward sustained success. Whatever we do let’s not get to a point where we reward mediocrity, which is what many of us feel has been done with KF.

You’re really hung up on money, but that’s not the only thing. It was the unecassary extensions. Make KF coach with a fire in his belly. When the fire started getting hottest around here was right around the time KF put together a 12-0 run. Funny how that goes.

And again, none of this explains why UW is running circles around Iowa in athletics. You’re just basically saying we have enough money to pay our coach which is true. But how can we get to that level that UW has sustained for the last 15 years? That’s the question... and it remains unanswered.

You make really good points. The school with the last two extensions pretty much were just ensuring KF retired at Iowa. Win lose or draw down the stretch of his career. However much longer HE wants it to be that it'll be at Iowa. That is certainly where the debate of should the school or should they not have done that. There's certainly some middle ground between what they did and say letting his deal get under 4 yrs and having him become a 'lame duck' and hence making recruiting even tougher than what it is already. Hayden couldn't recruit worth a darn the last couple years he was there... Granted that was a different recruiting landscape of sorts but it was what you'd suspect an aging coaches classes to end up being.
As far as comparing us to Wisconsin goes I dunno what the answer is. Like everything in sports its not any one thing. It's a mix of coaching/recruiting/developing/scheduling/and even good ole fashioned luck. Do I think paying our coaches less is the answer? Be it KF or any other coach coming in I don't think that'd help a thing.

 

[tksirius]

Jon's methodology in his latest article makes my hair hurt. Strikes me as someone who needed to write something positive about the basketball program during a really thin period.

https://www.hawkeyenation.com/basketball/iowa-basketball-program-rank-b1g

Wow! I'm at a loss for words right now. It almost seems like he's actively trying to tear down the program in the eyes of Hawkeye fans. Maybe that's not his intentions, but that's exactly how it appears.

I guess it's a little reassuring to see people in the comments disagreeing instead of the usual ass kissing you'll see on Twitter.

 

[David79]

Good god, talk about excuses. The new article is even worse the the first one. College basketball is not the same as college football. You can turn around a program in one year with the right coach. Recruiting is about hiring the right guys and also being aggressive and not just recruiting HS players. Get the best players possible regardless if they are HS, JUCo or Transfer/grad transfers. And no one is saying that Iowa should be Michigan State.

 

[David79]

Wow! I'm at a loss for words right now. It almost seems like he's actively trying to tear down the program in the eyes of Hawkeye fans. Maybe that's not his intentions, but that's exactly how it appears.

Agree. It is like he is trying to say, Iowa basketball sucks and it won't get better so just accept it.

 

[tweeterhawk]

Wow! I'm at a loss for words right now. It almost seems like he's actively trying to tear down the program in the eyes of Hawkeye fans. Maybe that's not his intentions, but that's exactly how it appears.

As bad as his numerical rankings are, I got the sense Jon is trying to buttress his argument that all is not lost.

 

[tweeterhawk]

Agree. It is like he is trying to say, Iowa basketball sucks and it won't get better so just accept it.

We're just little ol' Iowa. Be happy with that.

 

[tksirius]

Agree. It is like he is trying to say, Iowa basketball sucks and it won't get better so just accept it.

He's really perfecting his defeatist attitude. I wonder if he approaches his personal/family life the same way.

 

[mopkins]

That all depends on who we hire. If we hire an up and comer we will pay him less and if he succeeds we will increase him. Let’s reward sustained success. Whatever we do let’s not get to a point where we reward mediocrity, which is what many of us feel has been done with KF.

You’re really hung up on money, but that’s not the only thing. It was the unecassary extensions. Make KF coach with a fire in his belly. When the fire started getting hottest around here was right around the time KF put together a 12-0 run. Funny how that goes.

And again, none of this explains why UW is running circles around Iowa in athletics. You’re just basically saying we have enough money to pay our coach which is true. But how can we get to that level that UW has sustained for the last 15 years? That’s the question... and it remains unanswered.

I think Wisconsin has a few things going for it that Iowa doesn't. Certainly none of it is insurmountable though. Things that come to mind:

- Wisconsin has nearly twice the population of Iowa
- Wisconsin has zero competition in-state so almost every kid grows up a Badger
- Walk-on program. Iowa's is good, Wisconsins is better. Probably due to the factors listed above. Every kid dreams of playing for the Badgers
- proximity to Michigan and Chicago.
- Wisconsin's AD is a former head coach. He seems to care ONLY about football success and nothing else.

Something worth noting... Wisconsin's 2017 and 2018 recruiting classes haven't been as good as they usually are.

 

[HawkGold]

He's really perfecting his defeatist attitude. I wonder if he approaches his personal/family life the same way.

 

[tksirius]

On second thought, maybe Jon is trying to wake up the powers that be at UofI. I think we can all agree that Gary Barta needs to be fired. Was this article supposed to be a push in that direction?

 

[revkev73]

Rebuilding year at the AD office...no changes expected.

 

[tksirius]

Yeah, I probably won't be around much longer for that one. Oh well. It was a serious question though. I've never understood why people approach things with that type of attitude.

 

[DJL]

Saying this or that won't ever happen isn't based in reality. It's a defeatist attitude.

Right it's saying, "we've always been mediocre, so we shouldn't try to be anything more". This is a loser's mentality in my opinion. But I could be crazy or unrealistic.

 

[83Hawk]

Good god, talk about excuses. The new article is even worse the the first one. College basketball is not the same as college football. You can turn around a program in one year with the right coach. Recruiting is about hiring the right guys and also being aggressive and not just recruiting HS players. Get the best players possible regardless if they are HS, JUCo or Transfer/grad transfers. And no one is saying that Iowa should be Michigan State.

Agreed.

With the right coach, there is absolutely NO REASON why Iowa can't be competitive on a routine basis. As far as players...Lute and Raveling were able to attract pretty darn good talent. If Hoiberg at Iowa State could attract really good players, then Iowa should be able to, also.

I am sick and tired of the excuses that are constantly be given as to why Iowa can't compete. Because that is what they are: excuses.

 

[mopkins]

Right it's saying, "we've always been mediocre, so we shouldn't try to be anything more". This is a loser's mentality in my opinion. But I could be crazy or unrealistic.

The athletic department is profitable. That's what the university cares about. So in their minds, they're winning

 

[tksirius]

The athletic department is profitable. That's what the university cares about. So in their minds, they're winning

On an individual level, they are. In the end, it's all about the green in your pocket.

 

[revkev73]

North Carolina State...no chance...Champions

Vegas Golden Knights...if they win 26 games it will be a miracle...30 wins at mid season...

Trump...not electable..shoe in for Hillary with him running...president (no a political statement...just a fact)

Rams in 2001...no chance...250-1...Superbowl Champions

Iowa sports...awe shucks...hope our boys can compete...we don't have any chance to be the best...let's be happy with what we have...if we complain our coaches might leave and we won't be able to find another one.

US Hockey team at the Olympics..."Do you believe in miracles?" Answer?

 

[tweeterhawk]

Rebuilding year at the AD office...no changes expected.

 

[BryceC]

One thing that confuses me about this is all of the talk of Big 10 finish. To me it's almost irrelevant unless you win it all. The Big 10 plays very unbalanced schedules, so who cares if you finish 3rd or 5th. I've said it a million times but the bar in college basketball is making the NCAA tournament.

Also, there are a lot of people arguing like it's championships or bust and others like this kind of year is acceptable. Again I'm an ISU fan, I just don't expect championships. I think it'd be nice but I'm certainly not going to hold my breath on it. But there is a huge chasm between expecting championships and being okay with being arguably the worst team in the league. There would be some gripers because there always are but if ISU was on it's way to an 8-10 seed in the tourney most people would be very happy with that.