Miller: Iowa Basketball & It's Return to Relevance

I think it is still way up in the air. Yes after this year they will have nice height on the front line but the guards are still way up in the air. Losing Cartwright and Gatens after this season I would be worried that Gessel will have to start as a True Frosh and with not much depth around him.

I still think Iowa is 3 years from having a shot at the post season.
 
Thanks, Jon. Totally agree. We will now start to get attention and consideration nationally and from recruits. Times are changing.
 
Same here I hoped on there site there not to high on this class saying there all over rated and that freds got a better class oh well we would be saying same thing.
 
I think it is still way up in the air. Yes after this year they will have nice height on the front line but the guards are still way up in the air. Losing Cartwright and Gatens after this season I would be worried that Gessel will have to start as a True Frosh and with not much depth around him.

I still think Iowa is 3 years from having a shot at the post season.

So are you once El Mayor's band of refugees revert to form and start getting arrested in LAmes.
 
lack of depth ? you got to be kidding me, we will have

Gesell at pt as a freshmen
Marble at sg as a jr
May at sf as a sr
Basabe at pf as a jr
Olaseni at c as a sophamore


we will be young but i see 2 jr's and a sr on the floor with him, plus Fran has 2 rides to give he may hold 2 or he may hold 1 and get a juco
Olgesbe a so
Ingram a fr
White a so
McCabe a jr
Meyer a fr
Woodbury a fr
 
I think it is still way up in the air. Yes after this year they will have nice height on the front line but the guards are still way up in the air. Losing Cartwright and Gatens after this season I would be worried that Gessel will have to start as a True Frosh and with not much depth around him.

I still think Iowa is 3 years from having a shot at the post season.

From an ISU fan, but Gatens has hardly been the catalyst he was supposed to be when he was brought it. Part of that is coaching carousel, etc, but the point is Iowa is a young team and is building their talent base. These signings help that. Losing Cartwright was a bandaid as a JUCO transfer to get to the 2012 class. Even if Gessel starts as a freshman, that's not a bad thing (Horner for PG, but Brunner and others have done this as well). If the young guys grow together that will make them even more potent. Will there be growing pains? Absolutely, but Iowa basketball will be relavent in the postseason picture and in recruiting since they have now gone toe to toe with Roy Williams and won.
 
And I would not expect anything less from a Clown fan.

Strictly talking about the NCAA tourney, I think he's probably correct. ISU has a solid shot this year, but that's mainly because of the transfers. CFH has recruited some nice high school talent, but it is going to take time for them to play upto the level they need to be at to compete with the country's best.
 
Count me as one who went "who?" when Fran was announced as head coach. Once I started reading about him, the more excited I became about the direction of the program. So much so, I bought a basketball season ticket last year for the first time in my life.

Watching Fran and the team last year did nothing to temper my enthusiasm. Once Fran gets the players he wants....we'll be back in the NCAA tourney.

Iowa basketball is fun to watch again.....and the crowds at Carver are responding.

I can't WAIT for BB season...and I haven't felt that way in many, many years.
 
I think it is still way up in the air. Yes after this year they will have nice height on the front line but the guards are still way up in the air. Losing Cartwright and Gatens after this season I would be worried that Gessel will have to start as a True Frosh and with not much depth around him.

I still think Iowa is 3 years from having a shot at the post season.

I am not saying they will be dancing this year or the next...this is a complete and total rebuilding process, and Iowa is in the national discussion (even if briefly) for the first time in 5 and a half years. Every successful journey has a first step.
 
That's what I was trying to say in this post in "Football / Basketball" thread:

Quote:
Originally Posted by iowamike21 When Roy Williams comes to your house in Sioux City and flashes his national championship hardware and the tradition of the Dean Dome and Carolina Blue and the ACC, and two days later you say, "No thanks, Coach Williams. I'm heading over to Iowa City to play some Fran ball" -- yah, I think that's a pretty super-sized story...

Now if only we could get Fran to convince Kirk it's OK to be flashy, aggressive and not just talk about playing to win, but actually DO something that shows you're playing to win, that might be almost as big a story.


Right there.

For me and maybe others, the incredible underachievement of 2010 + watching the same tired, predictable coaching blunders deny the Hawks one more chance at a W have taken a toll. (Don't spew muck about "odds" or "what ifs" - everyone watching that game at that time knew OT heavily favored ISU. Kirk not only dropped his sword, he picked it up and handed it to Rhoads.) There are times, situations and places to take smart risks -- 2 opportunities to do so at ISU -- but more often than not, this staff seems oblivious to the situation and / or cowers away from it.

You know that ISU is not the first and far from the last time that those decisions / strategies will turn a possible W into an absolute L. You realize that, if Iowa can only muster 7 wins with 1/3 of its starting roster consisting of NFL caliber talent, championships are pretty much a pipe dream. You start putting the pieces together and see that Kirk Ferentz led Iowa football has peaked. What you've seen is what you will get, nothing more.

This is no indictment of KF, just a conclusion. This is not hopelessness, just acceptance. I LOVE Iowa football and am a fan of Kirk Ferentz, the man. Reality is, his overall success here will be only above average.

Guess what I'm saying is, while football is still #1 by a wide margin, it is stagnant. Yes, we are proud of our coaches as ambassadors and for their integrity. Yes, we appreciate that Iowa is a "program". Yes, we get excited about and expect to win 7-8 games every year. As long as we have a respectable late December vacation to 75+ degree weather to play a team that everyone knows who the mascot is.

Again, I'm not whining -- most of us are pretty satisfied with this -- I'm just describing.

On the other hand, basketball is dynamic right now. You've got obvious progression in both the style of play, talent of players and, most importantly, a head coach who is unashamedly boisterous about winning. We've already seen evidence of adaptability on both ends of the court. Something tells me Fran would never vary from his attack in order to protect a lead or out of fear of a turnover in the final seconds that might give the opponent a chance.

It's a matter of KF plays to win until he gets a 2-score lead, then plays not to lose it. Fran plays to win, then keeps playing that way because it allowed him to get a lead. KF tends to operate under a philosophy that is derived from football theory. Fran tends to operate under the circumstances of the particular game situation, flow and opponent.
 
Iowa basketball is fun to watch again.....and the crowds at Carver are responding.

I can't WAIT for BB season...and I haven't felt that way in many, many years.

I think the crowds in Carver, once these guys get on solid footing, may be as boisterous and formidable than ever...because people want it back so badly. They dont take it for granted any more
 
I think the crowds in Carver, once these guys get on solid footing, may be as boisterous and formidable than ever...because people want it back so badly. They dont take it for granted any more

I think Carver can get 10,000 this season because of what you pointed out Jon and add to the excitement and progress even though this class won't be there yet fans just are ready for Iowa hoops again.
 
Things are looking GREAT!! That being said,we have to be realistic,Gessell and Woodbury are gonna be greenpups that first year, and there's alot of good classes all around the BIG. We will find our way(babysteps) this year and next,after that we should be back to where we all want to be( a contender).We shouldnt put to much on these kids and coaches, we were in a DEEP hole and have finally found a ladder 2013-14 we should be climbing out of it. I'm not saying we shouldn't see some post season(i hope to make NIT this year) but 2013 Basabes sr year we should be where we want to be,
 

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