McCaffrey is a very interesting player

[thedukeofearl]

I get what you are saying...I really do. In the past...when Iowa teams have started well...and they get into the toughness of B10 play, they tended to wilt. Playing night in and night out in tough arenas and in physical contests...Iowa was just not up to the task. Put simply, we were soft and couldn't handle the physical nature of the way things go...the physicality continues to get ramped up as the year goes on.

Now...with this team...I see a difference. Cook ain't backing down from any contact and isn't getting pushed around by anyone. He's going to take it to whomever lines up against him...the light has gone on with him...you can see it. Garza is a gamer and and has proven...he just plays better when the bright lights come on. He's not intimidated in the least...he knows his game and he's good at it. Kreiner is another one, that looks much, much more physical than last year. I've been impressed with the way Kreiner has played, especially in New York. He was patient down low...and schooled Bol as he should have. I think those three are difference makers in the front court.

The emergence of Connor McCaffery is huge. He's 6'5" and his handle is proving to be B10 ready. Oregon and UConn had quick guards and he handled the pressure...and took it to the basket because he was a mismatch. Fran also isolated him down low a few times for points and fouls. This is a dimension we haven't had. Connor also shows mental toughness. Giving Bohanon rest and going with three guards that are 6'5" or 6'6" that will be secure with the ball is big time.

Lastly, Weiskamp's body is not your typical freshman. Damn, he's athletic. He had a tough go in New York...but he's a gamer too...and can handle the physicality. He's used to having teams set up to stop him. He's going to be really freaking good.

Point...from what the first four games have shown...this is a much different team than Fran has had. I'm hopeful.

Kriener is a very savvy player. In the middle of the second half, he was guarded by Bol under the basket and he looked at Connor and nudged Bol softly in the small of the back and Bol moved a couple of steps. Connor immediately threw the ball to Ryan for the dunk.....

In the first half when a Hawk was shooting two free throws, After the first one, Connor walked up to each player and told them to get back immediately on D as soon as the ball was released. He is becoming a floor general, and the team listens to him.....

Things are under control when he is running the show. No panic so far this season. Bo and Connor should be able to handle the pressure as they did at the Garden.....

I also noticed that we are racing back on D every time. Our D is generally set when the opponent is bringing the ball upcourt. Huge difference from last season. I don't anticipate a ton of demoralizing steals or breakaways for highlight monster slamdunks this season.....

Fran's substitution patterns are very good this season, much better than before. He seems almost relaxed so far. His timeouts are somewhat timely now. We shall see. The late in the season fade is always in my mind. Hope we keep it together for the long brutal Big grind.....

 

[CP87]

Amen! Good team defense gets me pumped up. It's always about the little, fundamental things. If you are a great natural athlete, you can get by without the commitment to details. Athleticism can overcome a lot. If you aren't a great athlete, you better pay attention to the details. Especially on the defensive end.

You seem to know what you are talking about, so let me ask you...Cook has looked awesome in many regards, but he has been spotty with helpside D, right? I see the other bigs rotating over and positioning themselves between the ball and the basket, getting tall, generally making for a difficult layup attempt. Then I see Cook doing a flyby while swiping at the ball, or jumping sideways seemingly to avoid a foul. Are you seeing this too?

Again, Cook has been great overall. He has been solid on-ball, his passing is leaps-and-bounds better than previous years, and he looks borderline unstoppable when he attacks the rim.

 

[lightning1]

You seem to know what you are talking about, so let me ask you...Cook has looked awesome in many regards, but he has been spotty with helpside D, right? I see the other bigs rotating over and positioning themselves between the ball and the basket, getting tall, generally making for a difficult layup attempt. Then I see Cook doing a flyby while swiping at the ball, or jumping sideways seemingly to avoid a foul. Are you seeing this too?

Again, Cook has been great overall. He has been solid on-ball, his passing is leaps-and-bounds better than previous years, and he looks borderline unstoppable when he attacks the rim.

I'd have to go back and look at him specifically. For the most part, the rotations have been really good by this team, the last 2 games. I'm not willing to nit pick anyone for the minor lapses at this point. Players are late or out of position from time to time, in every game. That's part of basketball. If it's a continuous problem, the other team will exploit it and it'll be obvious to everyone. I haven't seen that yet.
I'm big on effort and intensity. If we're getting beat badly, I'll start to look for lack of effort. If I don't see lack of effort, then I start to look at the coaching and the match ups. The effort and intensity the last 2 games are way better than the first 2 games. It's refreshing to see that was addressed and corrected, quickly. It was allowed to linger all of last season and it wasn't addressed until the off season.
I'll go back and re-watch the Uconn game and let you know what I see from Cook.

 

[Hawkfnntn]

CM is as mature of a (RS) freshman as we'll ever have. Being a coaches kid and just growing up as he would have is an intangible most don't have. He not only plays the game with his physical attributes but his head. He sees the game as a coach. Playing situational basketball and finding and exploiting mismatches on the floor in real time is huge. Their things we often didn't do last yr.
Both Jbo and CM fed Kreiner the ball when he had Bol on his back. We almost should have played Kreiner more as he was just having his way against him and we exploited that. It's fun to watch smart aggressive play and that's what CM is bringing. He may not jump over and dunk on guys but he'll still get to the lane and draw fouls and knock down free throws. Attributes every team wants.

 

[lightning1]

Kriener is a very savvy player. In the middle of the second half, he was guarded by Bol under the basket and he looked at Connor and nudged Bol softly in the small of the back and Bol moved a couple of steps. Connor immediately threw the ball to Ryan for the dunk.....

In the first half when a Hawk was shooting two free throws, After the first one, Connor walked up to each player and told them to get back immediately on D as soon as the ball was released. He is becoming a floor general, and the team listens to him.....

Things are under control when he is running the show. No panic so far this season. Bo and Connor should be able to handle the pressure as they did at the Garden.....

I also noticed that we are racing back on D every time. Our D is generally set when the opponent is bringing the ball upcourt. Huge difference from last season. I don't anticipate a ton of demoralizing steals or breakaways for highlight monster slamdunks this season.....

Fran's substitution patterns are very good this season, much better than before. He seems almost relaxed so far. His timeouts are somewhat timely now. We shall see. The late in the season fade is always in my mind. Hope we keep it together for the long brutal Big grind.....

I've seen a lot of games lost because players didn't get back quickly enough on defense. It really irritates me when it happens and those players are coming out right now.

 

[N8theGr8]

CM is as mature of a (RS) freshman as we'll ever have. Being a coaches kid and just growing up as he would have is an intangible most don't have. He not only plays the game with his physical attributes but his head. He sees the game as a coach. Playing situational basketball and finding and exploiting mismatches on the floor in real time is huge. Their things we often didn't do last yr.
Both Jbo and CM fed Kreiner the ball when he had Bol on his back. We almost should have played Kreiner more as he was just having his way against him and we exploited that. It's fun to watch smart aggressive play and that's what CM is bringing. He may not jump over and dunk on guys but he'll still get to the lane and draw fouls and knock down free throws. Attributes every team wants.

I wanted to make a comparison of CM to another recent PG we'd all be familiar with, but after thinking about Koenig, Craft, Monte Morris, and a whole host of others, I haven't been able to come up with anyone. You hit the cliche on the head with him seeing the game as a coach. And not only does he seem to diagnose and exploit weaknesses real time, he also has the physical tools to do it well and play solid defense. I'm not quite ready to anoint him as our savior, but if he keeps playing like he has, we should seriously think about starting him at point guard.

 

[Hawkfnntn]

I wanted to make a comparison of CM to another recent PG we'd all be familiar with, but after thinking about Koenig, Craft, Monte Morris, and a whole host of others, I haven't been able to come up with anyone. You hit the cliche on the head with him seeing the game as a coach. And not only does he seem to diagnose and exploit weaknesses real time, he also has the physical tools to do it well and play solid defense. I'm not quite ready to anoint him as our savior, but if he keeps playing like he has, we should seriously think about starting him at point guard.

Yeah I'm not coming up with any apt comparisons for him either. A 6'5 lefty with the playing style he does. I agree on tapping the breaks a little on calling him a savior he's still a young player yet. But with that his ceiling may be higher than most thought including myself.

 

[Northside Hawk]

Yeah I'm not coming up with any apt comparisons for him either. A 6'5 lefty with the playing style he does. I agree on tapping the breaks a little on calling him a savior he's still a young player yet. But with that his ceiling may be higher than most thought including myself.

Matt Painter?