GhostofBTT
Banned
That's crazy talk!
Latest ESPN Top 100 - Woody and Gesell still there
- Thread starter storminspank
- Start date
That's crazy talk!
we were a game away from winning the big ten title, won the BTT, and went into the NCAA as a #3 seed just six years ago...and THIS is the most excited youve ever been for the basketball program?
that explains a lot of the issues our program was facing.
tm3308
Well-Known Member
I don't think that's outrageous. We're getting to the point where a large portion of the fanbase has only experienced disappointment and misery when it comes to Iowa Basketball. We were much better 6 years ago, but I'm more excited now than I was then. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't be. But the last 6 years have hardly been normal.
GhostofBTT
Banned
Ummm, nope.
MisterLucky
Well-Known Member
I totally agree with gohawks. The team you are referring to was a ton of fun to watch, but the season ended on a somewhat predictable sour note. This year's team played with a lot of heart and won so many thrilling games down the stretch that even after the inevitable finale, they left me wanting more. I can't wait to see the new recruits perform in the PTL and next year's basketball season can't get here soon enough for me.
SpiderRico
Well-Known Member
There's a difference in being excited for the "program" vs being excited for a particular team or season. The 2006 season (until the predictable upset vs NW State) was a fun season to watch.....with the hometown kids to root for and the thunderdunks from Thomas and the great run through the BTT.
However, Alford was such a devisive figure for so many people that you automatically had 50% or so of the fanbase that was never really all that excited for the program and it's direction.
However, with Fran on board and having seemingly the entire fanbase behind him and supporting him, it's easy to see why so many people are genuinely excited for the "program" for maybe the first time since Alford was hired back in '99 and we just came off a Sweet 16 appearance.
However, Alford was such a devisive figure for so many people that you automatically had 50% or so of the fanbase that was never really all that excited for the program and it's direction.
However, with Fran on board and having seemingly the entire fanbase behind him and supporting him, it's easy to see why so many people are genuinely excited for the "program" for maybe the first time since Alford was hired back in '99 and we just came off a Sweet 16 appearance.
GhostofBTT
Banned
Huh? Since when does team =/= program?
SpiderRico
Well-Known Member
Easy. When 50% of the fanbase hates a coach and thinks the direction of the program sucks, but likes a particular team because it has guys you can root for easily (Horner, Haluska, Brunner), then you've got people who are excited for that particular team, but hate the direction of the program and aren't excited at all. That's why you saw such a huge dropoff in attendance from 2006 to 2007.
GhostofBTT
Banned
Tough not to catch your eye:
Not sure why Iowa fans would comment on other teams' basketball player's appearances.
HawkeyeMike23
Banned
Why not?
tm3308
Well-Known Member
Where did I say a majority? But pretending that almost every Iowa fan 25 years old or younger has experienced all kinds of success is pretty delusional. So is considering that demographic to be of utterly insignificant size.
For fans my age, the pinnacle of our Iowa basketball fandom came with 8:29 left in the game on March 17, 2006. That's when our lead against Northwestern State reached 17 points. It's been all downhill since that Erik Hansen free throw fell through the net.
That's not even counting all the fans who felt things were getting stagnant with Davis. Stagnation doesn't exactly scream excitement.
jacknicholson
Well-Known Member
I really like to watch Dekker play. He is very good, and I will hate his stinking guts each and every year he plays for BO.....
GhostofBTT
Banned
What is your argument here? You said a large portion of the fanbase has never experienced success, and that was wrong. The under 20 crowd is not a large portion of our fanbase. That is all I said.
tm3308
Well-Known Member
The age group goes beyond 20 years old. I said disappointment and misery. I'd say earning a #3 seed, only to be bounced on a buzzer beater in the first round qualifies as disappointment. The whole Pierre Pierce fiasco would also qualify. Everything since has been misery.
You've got a good-sized portion of the fanbase that's experience very little, if any real success. The rest have much higher standards, and suffered through the past 6 years knowing how it used to be (which is even worse then never really knowing much better).
Those two things, combined with the program's movement in the right direction, produce a level of excitement that's not been seen very much in the last 15 years. That's my argument.
GhostofBTT
Banned
This is hilarious!
tm3308
Well-Known Member
You're right. We've been going to the Final Four every other year, and there's no significant change in the excitement level. How could I have been so foolish to believe otherwise.
GhostofBTT
Banned
I think by your standards, every single season since 1987 has been miserable or disappointing.
That means I have been miserable and dissapointed the entire time I have followed Iowa. Good to know. Now I can get over the disappointment of our loss in 2006, and get uber-excited over our 17 win NIT berth.
RocknRollface
Well-Known Member
The two are not necessarily related.
tm3308
Well-Known Member
We sure as hell didn't accomplish much under Alford. And I didn't say I was disappointed with the job Davis did. But he was run out of town to get the program to the next level. Obviously, a lot of people felt the program's growth had stunted and were getting frustrated.
And it's the meaning of those two games that's important, not that winning an NIT game, in and of itself, is better than making the Dance. The NWST loss was the symbol of the Alford tenure. The NIT win is the first tangible sign of life from the program, and we have a lot of momentum moving forward now.
