McCabe...

McCabe should have never been put at the 5 spot. It produced nothing but negative overall results. It was incredibly stupid of Fran to put him there IMO, especialy at the end of games where teams were continually able to score over him.

Overall he is a defensive liability, he can't contest shots and does not move his feet

The only spot he should play IMO is at the 4 and unfortunately for him Iowa has two guys who are better at that spot.
 
this reminds me of a year ago post that Eric May wasn't any good, had no value, couldn't shoot very well, and should never see the floor except in blowouts........

To be fair, May did bring more tangible value to the team than McCabe seems to. But I don't think McCabe is worthless. He's just not a good fit defensively. It looks like the coaches are trying to find a way for him to maximize his effectiveness next season, which is good.
 
The biggest problem McCabe has is he has been recruited over. Not his fault, he gives 120%, he is just limited compared to the other bigs we have at this point. With White, Basabe, Woody, and Olesani manning the 4/5. Marble will play some point, but will spend time at the 3, as will Uthoff and maybe Jok.

Kind of a man without a position, and guys were brought in with more talent. This is a good thing for the program. No offense to McCabe, but we needed to recruit over him to improve in the BIG.
 
McCabe can get out of position on defense, but it has nothing to do with effort and everything to do with his not being blessed with lateral quickness. I think there are some decisions he makes away from the basket that aren't the most wise at times, but he brings something to the table.

If he is trimming down a bit, that would be great...Iowa needs shooters on the floor. Zach can also take a four off the dribble. If he trims down he might be more of a nuisance to opposing teams.

The minutes per game is going to be the challenge, but his fouls per minute could be at a career best next year...go in and play in spurts and go all out...

The number of lineups Fran will have to choose from will be crazy.
 
It's part of defense. But his all around defense in the post isn't good. It's not for a lack of effort by any stretch; anybody who watches McCabe knows he busts his *** in there. He struggles to stay with quicker posts, and he can get pushed around by the stronger ones. His attitude has some value, as does his outside shot when he's hitting. Which is why Fran keeps him in there. But let's remember that McCabe saw a pretty significant drop in minutes this year. He played a ton last year out of necessity.

Also, defensive statistics really don't tell the whole story. There are a lot more little things that good defenders do that won't show up in a box score than there are on the offensive end (hedging screens, good footwork in the paint, help side defense, contesting shots, etc.).

He has a role on this team, but defensive stopper ain't it.

I agree that he's not a defensive stopper. However, McCabe was called out for not playing defense and Stale said taking charges couldn't be mentioned. Taking charges is a part of the defensive puzzle/scheme...and it is McCabe's most significant contribution IMO.

I don't anticipate an increase in minutes for McCabe next season. I am a huge fan of the fact that he has bought into the system and team concept. He will do what he can to contribute when he's on the floor and didn't sit around and complain when his minutes were cut. He is now taking steps to get better and be more of an asset when he does play.

I love his toughness. He could be that guy that is coming off a screen to make the key basket for the win at the end of games this year. It seems like he's taken a few of those in the past and missed them but keeps taking them. Gatens also missed most all of those until his senior season. There is a place for McCabe on this team and he will make far more positive contributions than negative IMO.
 
He's on a strict nutrition and training regimen to lose weight and get quicker in the off season. I suspect we will see less of him in the post next year...take advantage of his outside shot more. I hadn't seen this anywhere and thought I would share. No...I don't have a link. I was in Sioux City all weekend and talked to some people in the know.

This is just a reminder of my original post. I'm glad McCabe is trying to get better, contribute and be the best player he possibly can be. I don't think more or less of McCabe than any other player on the roster. If I hear something solid about another player I might share...or based on how this thread evolved I may just keep it to myself. I'm not really seeing any controversy in my initial post.
 
I agree that he's not a defensive stopper. However, McCabe was called out for not playing defense and Stale said taking charges couldn't be mentioned. Taking charges is a part of the defensive puzzle/scheme...and it is McCabe's most significant contribution IMO.

I don't anticipate an increase in minutes for McCabe next season. I am a huge fan of the fact that he has bought into the system and team concept. He will do what he can to contribute when he's on the floor and didn't sit around and complain when his minutes were cut. He is now taking steps to get better and be more of an asset when he does play.

I love his toughness. He could be that guy that is coming off a screen to make the key basket for the win at the end of games this year. It seems like he's taken a few of those in the past and missed them but keeps taking them. Gatens also missed most all of those until his senior season. There is a place for McCabe on this team and he will make far more positive contributions than negative IMO.

Saying he doesn't play defense doesn't mean he does nothing of defensive value. But he's not a good defender. Even with the charges, he takes just as many or more blocking fouls. He's just a very poor defender in the post due to his physical limitations.
 
I agree that he's not a defensive stopper. However, McCabe was called out for not playing defense and Stale said taking charges couldn't be mentioned. Taking charges is a part of the defensive puzzle/scheme...and it is McCabe's most significant contribution IMO.

I don't anticipate an increase in minutes for McCabe next season. I am a huge fan of the fact that he has bought into the system and team concept. He will do what he can to contribute when he's on the floor and didn't sit around and complain when his minutes were cut. He is now taking steps to get better and be more of an asset when he does play.

I love his toughness. He could be that guy that is coming off a screen to make the key basket for the win at the end of games this year. It seems like he's taken a few of those in the past and missed them but keeps taking them. Gatens also missed most all of those until his senior season. There is a place for McCabe on this team and he will make far more positive contributions than negative IMO.

I agree. This reminds me a lot of how things turned out with Eric May. May (like McCabe) is/was a role player who bought into his role on the team and was a valuable asset even if he wasn't necessarily the best player on the team, or the guy who played the most minutes. I am hoping for the same type of results out of McCabe next season.

Not to start bashing Lick again, but players like May and McCabe were recruited to play significant minutes, where now, on a more talented roster, their roles are to come off the bench and provide a spark, or to hold down the fort while the starters are getting a breather. Not being a starter or all-Big Ten material doesn't mean you can't still be a valuable part of the team, though.
 
This is just a reminder of my oroff seasonst. I'm glad McCabe is trying to get better, contribute and be the best player he possibly can be. I don't think more or less of McCabe than any other player on the roster. If I hear something solid about another player I might share...or based on how this thread evolved I may just keep it to myself. I'm not really seeing any controversy in my initial post.

Continue to post...I enjoy reading what is going on in the offseason.McCabe is a hard worker, but I don't give him a free pass for it in his game...if that were the case no player should ever be analyzed as most work their butt off.

McCabe needs to hit 3's if getting in better shape is what it will take I don't think anyone out there will be upset. I simply stated he hasn't played defense...okay he tries to play it he just isn't good at it. Again I can't give a free pass on that aspect of his game when someone makes a statement that they hope better conditioning doesn't hurt hi is defense...had the statement been I hope it helps his defense then all good.
If you think taking charges is so important why do Iowa's other post players contest and try and block shots?...because they can.
 
I agree. This reminds me a lot of how things turned out with Eric May. May (like McCabe) is/was a role player who bought into his role on the team and was a valuable asset even if he wasn't necessarily the best player on the team, or the guy who played the most minutes. I am hoping for the same type of results out of McCabe next season.

Not to start bashing Lick again, but players like May and McCabe were recruited to play significant minutes, where now, on a more talented roster, their roles are to come off the bench and provide a spark, or to hold down the fort while the starters are getting a breather. Not being a starter or all-Big Ten material doesn't mean you can't still be a valuable part of the team, though.

The OP's comments reinforce my belief that Woody and Gabe will get almost all of the minutes in the post next season. McCabe's role will be a spark off the bench. He will play fewer minutes but be more effective with less weight. Between McCabe, Oglesby, Jok, Uthoff, one of those guys will have a good shooting night every given night. The roles are starting to get more defined by what guys are good at. It's good to see.
 
Guys like Zach are key to a winning program.
As a frosh he played the 3/4.
Then he bulked up his soph year and played some 5 and 4.
He bulked up even more to play the 5/4 as a junior.
Now,we have established some good true big men to handle the 5 and 4,so now Zach is being asked to trim down to play the 3 again.

Thats called being a great teammate.

I predict that Zach will shoot the ball from the arc very well like his soph year,next year,and have a great senior season.
 
He is a great teammate, doing what he can to be an asset to the team. JHHAWK has it right, he will not be asked to play the 5 very much if at all next year.
 
He is a great teammate, doing what he can to be an asset to the team. JHHAWK has it right, he will not be asked to play the 5 very much if at all next year.
I will be VERY surprised to see Zach play the 5. I believe you'll see JU or KM with more minutes at the 5 than ZM.

Just my $.02 .. ..

GO HAWKS!!!
 
Please clarify this statement by explaining when the last time you saw McCabe play defense and I don't mean taking a charge. If Zach has been playing defense the last three years, I must have missed it.

McCabe for whatever reason couldn't hit a 3 to save his life until very late in the year; hope that changes this season, Iowa needs all the outside shooters they can get. Two unproven commodities adding the the sharp shooting Iowa had last year doesn't make me feel that good about it improving overnight in this offseason as a team.

I never stated he played top notch defense, if you read carefully you will see I said it won't "hinder" his current defense by losing weight because he plays with toughness. <-- when have you ever seen him back down from an opposing player that is much bigger than him?
 
I never stated he played top notch defense, if you read carefully you will see I said it won't "hinder" his current defense by losing weight because he plays with toughness. <-- when have you ever seen him back down from an opposing player that is much bigger than him?

I didn't claim you did either. My point is "hinder" what, his ability to take charges?

I appreciate players that don't back down from opposing players, but I really don't think Zach is the only guy on the roster that doesn't back down from opponents, but he seems to be celebrated for this.

So the question at hand is: Does McCabe get celebrated for his "toughness" and work ethic because he is limited in a lot of areas of the game, or am I just nuts? Do people identify themselves with Zach because of his attitude? I don't know the answer to those questions, but whatever they personally may be for each of us on this board to each their own.

He needs to be a leader this season, just as Marble and Basabe need to be as Seniors, without that it is difficult to build anything. Whatever is contributed on the floor can be looked over if a player is a great example of what a teammate should be and Zach has been a kid who has bought into the Iowa program and has sacrificed and done what he needs to do to fill a role. If that is bashing a kid then I am guilty.
 
I'm just saying that it won't hurt his defense any and will actually probably help him keep his guy in front of him. The toughness comment was about him having the toughness to guard guys that are posting him up without losing any ground compared to what they usually cause with his current weight. So ultimately it's a win win for the guy IMHO. In no way shape or form am I saying McCabe is anything more than he is, just that this will help his game and the team as a whole. He is still a role player that can be a huge factor if he gets hot. The added quickness can only increase the frequency of that happening.
 
I will be VERY surprised to see Zach play the 5. I believe you'll see JU or KM with more minutes at the 5 than ZM.

Just my $.02 .. ..

GO HAWKS!!!

If Uthoff sees one minute at the 5 then something has gone terribly wrong next basketball season.
 
Does this mean we see less of White at the 3?
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