There are a lot of reasons people come on these boards. Fran is building the program, and its going to attract a lot of negative types.
Lost Another One
- Thread starter MisterLucky
- Start date
There are a lot of reasons people come on these boards. Fran is building the program, and its going to attract a lot of negative types.
hawkeyemark
Well-Known Member
Jack, I think most fans like Fran even the ones who don't like some of the courtside stuff. I've felt from day one that Fran fits Iowa way better than the last two coaches we have hired and very want much want him to succeed. I've had my doubts about his game management and have felt like we under achieved the last couple of seasons. I now have growing concerns about his ability to replace our two quality big men both graduating over the next two seasons. I try to look at things with my eyes wide open and don't see that as negativity.
Five seasons in we have reached the point where we need to judge Fran on his own record and not in comparison to Lickliter. I think we can all agree that Fran has worked hard to bring the program back to respectability. The question at this point becomes where do we go from here? Does Fran have what it takes to make us a regular in the NCAA tournament and occasionally compete for a Big Ten championship or even make an occasional run in the tournament? We have yet to win a game in the NCAA tournament and have only made the play in round once in the first four seasons. I haven't seen enough from Fran to convince me yet that he can take the program further and the time seems now to move forward.
Only time will tell how successful Fran will be, but I haven't seen anything from Fran to convince me that he won't take the program further. There isn't an aspect of his being a head coach where I haven't seen him giving a 100%. He is obviously a really intelligent guy, and his efforts will pay off. A coach at Iowa has to work harder than at least half of the conference schools to recruit with them. He has proven to have an eye for talent,and if Iowa can sign a couple more really athletically gifted players this year, Iowa basketball is going to look a lot different in a couple of years.
jacknicholson
Well-Known Member
I am also very concerned about acquiring a big man, not just a big man, but a beast. I am very positive about this season and hope it plays out well. We have a very difficult preconference schedule that should prepare us for the B1G. I don't anticipate the meltdown that cast a dark shadow on last season despite being in the Top 25 the entire regular season. I am not certain that is all Fran's fault. Team dissension, unreal lofty exspectations from the media, putting us in the Final Four, team chemistry lacking, and especially the situation with Patrick McCaffery, all probably had a hand in the problems. I don't anticipate all that happening this season, and believe that we have gained valuable experience from last year. We shall see....
Nice post, Hawkeyemark, you address the concerns most of us have.....
BigD
Well-Known Member
I hope no one thought that
i was saying Fran's chair throwing incident was hurting our recruiting. I was just pointing out that I wouldn't put it past teams that are recruiting the same players to point it out to them in an attempt to paint Fran in a bad light.
Even though i was disappointed in the way the last half of conference play turned out I think Fran has done a good job of bringing our program out of the pit of darkness. (I thought I saw the Michigan football coach looking for the exit door down there.)
Recruiting and player development is vitale to any college basketball program and Fran has shown he can do it with Gesell and Woody. If we are still talking like this in two years then Houston we may have a problem. At this point I am still 100% supportive of Fran. This upcoming season could be a fun team to watch as the go to guys emerge and show themselves and help their teammates along the way.
Joins the long list of guys we targeted but missed on....frustrating.
If we miss on Anunoby, then it is down to Bordreaux....who visited Harvard or Yale this weekend.
Iowa must not be selling itself well enough...we have missed on 30-some straight top 150 type of recruits from 2013-2015.
deanvogs
Well-Known Member
It is a complete head scratcher really. When your coach has to always bring in his 2nd or 3rd choices, that is not a good sign. I don't need * rankings to make me happy in recruiting, as long as the coach is getting the guys he identifies and wants early. So with Hutton, Fleming, and Wagner, they aren't some eye popping top 100 kids, but they are Fran's first choice, and they were top/first choices for Wisconsin, Memphis, Florida, UNLV, Minnesota as well. So I'm confident these guys will be good, but I'm a bit worried about the next 2. If Fran snags Anunoby, and holds one til Spring, I'd be OK with that.
Fran has been after Boudreaux for a long time.
Everybody was after Boudreaux 2 years ago. Interest in him as a prospect is a lot lower now than it was then, but the point is valid.
A huge difference is IZZO and Pitino have won national titles.
jacknicholson
Well-Known Member
I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for the Hawks to win a national championship. The last chance we had since Lute Olsen with Ronnie Lester was Mr. Davis's first year. My favorite Hawkeye team ever....
I don't even think of us winning a national championship, no matter who is coaching and recruiting. If we do I will be overjoyed.....
BILLBUCKNER
Well-Known Member
FRom the development front,it cannot hurt that we finally are graduating senior class of 3 or more. I'll take a team of Jr and Sr players that have played with each other and know the system inside and out over a class of diaper dandies that are one and done. That being said. This is a huge year for Fran. He has to make the tourney this year for realz. We haz to have tourney run.
TheIowaHawkGuy
Well-Known Member
Looks like this class is done with now. Evan B. no longer considering Iowa he tweeted. Guessing it was mutual. So two scholarships remaining. Going to have to get a couple impact transfers or JUCOs. This class is extremely disappointing given it's Fran's 5th year.
Unless we land OG, looks like we will end up banking the schollys for spring....not the end of the world. I am relieved that we did not get Bordreaux.....we did not need another Zach McCabe type of player on this roster right now. Players will be available in the spring....we need to land one, and maybe a transfer.....
