My Two Cents

I personally think Iowa will be better next season, potential to return the other starting 4 and it's top 3 bench players with a couple of great front court additions. Comb's isn't the scorer BS is but very few PG's are. I feel like Ben will just retinker his strategy next season and learn how to win without a scoring 1. I feel like if Ben can take a D2 roster that played one season at Drake and make it a top half and .500 team in the B1G, he can probably take a step forward with his program in season 2 when he has a lot better idea of how to navigate the league.

I for one, don't imagine Iowa taking a step back next season and that's mostly because I don't think our coach is going to
 
InGoodCo said:
I'm not that concerned about PG next year with Combs as I think he'll be solid and is likely your day 1 starter unless they get some 3 or 4 star portal guy. Though they need another one, I'm just not sure you're going to find a portal PG that can just come in and play the way Ben wants in one off season. That position seems more like a "homegrown" slot for Ben. Iowa needs scorers, shooters and size. If Ben could change something this season, I bet it would be to play Trey Thompson. Iowa just needs scorers, could you imagine what a tandem Josh Dix and Bennet Stirtz would be? Iowa would be in the top 10
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McCollum has stated publicly that he'll be searching for a talented guard in the portal -- for only 1 year, if necessary. Might be a PG, might not, but he'll be trying to land someone as close as possible to Stirtz...someone who can handle the ball and score. Then he plans to get a top Fr PG/G recruit in the '27 class who he can groom for a few years. He certainly has a good story to sell in Stirtz to prospective guard recruits!
 
Hawkfnntn said:
I think this is the #1 question for next yr. We don't have any post presence. Or other wing players that can dribble drive and create. We have 6'7 to 6-9 guys that can catch and shoot outside when someone else sets em up sometimes. But that requires a guard that can do it and we won't have one next yr till Ben goes shopping in the portal.

If Thompson and next yrs freshman Harris both end up being as advertised that'll be icing on the cake. But without an above avg pg running the type of show Ben wants I think they'll be stuck in the mud and might not be as good next yr as they have been this yr.

And if I'm wrong about this I'd be happy about it. Cause that means some of the current guys have really taken leaps.
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Sage and Howard are both wings who are pretty good dribble driving and creating. Sage is just a Fr., and I think he's gonna develop into a BTen star because he's got a 3-level game.
 
Grady said:
McCollum has stated publicly that he'll be searching for a talented guard in the portal -- for only 1 year, if necessary. Might be a PG, might not, but he'll be trying to land someone as close as possible to Stirtz...someone who can handle the ball and score. Then he plans to get a top Fr PG/G recruit in the '27 class who he can groom for a few years. He certainly has a good story to sell in Stirtz to prospective guard recruits!
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right, the best PG's want to play for him, so maybe he'll have success there. In general, this season has risen my expectations for next season and the season after that. I did not think that Iowa was going to win 20 games this season, now that it has, so have my expectations of how it will progress. IMO, this will be one of Ben's worst teams at Iowa.
 
NorthKCHawk said:
Some how Cignetti made the playoffs last year with a James Madison roster.

I mean, if you take a group of kids that won the Missouri Valley last year and damn near made the Sweet 16, and you bring them over to a Big 10 school as a unit for the most part, I don't know that finishing 8th in the conference is all that lofty an expectation.

Like Cig, McCollum is just a winner and a great coach. I don't care the level. He followed the same rules and restrictions as everyone else in Division II and won multiple natties. In one year at Drake, he followed the same rules and restrictions as everyone else in the MVC, and bested them all. It may take him a couple years to get the roster he wants, but BM teams will overachieve and win.
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I'm not exactly sure what my point is anyway. Maybe it's because I don't understand what people necessarily mean when they say a Drake roster. Does that mean Ohio State and UCLA have Drake rosters? Do Indiana, USC, Oregon, etc. have sub-Drake rosters?
 
InGoodCo said:
right, the best PG's want to play for him, so maybe he'll have success there. In general, this season has risen my expectations for next season and the season after that. I did not think that Iowa was going to win 20 games this season, now that it has, so have my expectations of how it will progress. IMO, this will be one of Ben's worst teams at Iowa.
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I tend to agree. I don't think Ben wants to finish in the middle of the pack next year again, and now has a season to refine his plan.

That said, it proved difficult to attract/retain players last year. Hope this off season proves more productive, but worried that might be mostly hope...
 
thedukeofearl said:
Flaming NBA Slam Dunk Animation: Igniting the Basketball Court


Perhaps this Lad will suffice if the Unicorns are already taken
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That's pretty much what I was imagining...
 
InGoodCo said:
I personally think Iowa will be better next season, potential to return the other starting 4 and it's top 3 bench players with a couple of great front court additions. Comb's isn't the scorer BS is but very few PG's are. I feel like Ben will just retinker his strategy next season and learn how to win without a scoring 1. I feel like if Ben can take a D2 roster that played one season at Drake and make it a top half and .500 team in the B1G, he can probably take a step forward with his program in season 2 when he has a lot better idea of how to navigate the league.

I for one, don't imagine Iowa taking a step back next season and that's mostly because I don't think our coach is going to
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Well i dont know about better, but we definitely have a good core. We'll have AL F with a big ten season under his belt with" better hands" (hopefully) and strength next year Cam who i think is underrated, possibly a return of Banks (they are trying for another year) The three Freshman Sage, Koch, Thompson all with a BIG season under the their belt (Thompson in practice) Combs and Howard with good playing time and learning the conference. New kid from Washington (not sure if he's a true power forward or a stretch like our other long guys but has length. Jirak with a year of strength and maturity (needs footwork) . There is a core there. Now we need a True Big.. and point guard from the portal, and hopefully a Good PG and BIG recruit. We should be pretty competitive. This is where we'll see how good the coach really is... getting us a couple good recruits and coaching up our three freshmen stretch player into true scorers.
 
Grady said:
Sage and Howard are both wings who are pretty good dribble driving and creating. Sage is just a Fr., and I think he's gonna develop into a BTen star because he's got a 3-level game.
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Sage has potential. He's done some good things here and there. He's a great off the ball cutter. Howard however is so gun shy half the time now. I'd like to think they could recruit/portal over him next yr.

I like the nucleus of forwards they have. Sage, Thompson, and Harris coming in with Koch gives them pretty good group of versatile 3s and 4s. Ben likes the tweener guys that can shoot cut and drive to the hoop. What their needs for next yr beyond that are is more size from the 5 spot and a PG to run the show.
 
Hawkfnntn said:
Sage has potential. He's done some good things here and there. He's a great off the ball cutter. Howard however is so gun shy half the time now. I'd like to think they could recruit/portal over him next yr.

I like the nucleus of forwards they have. Sage, Thompson, and Harris coming in with Koch gives them pretty good group of versatile 3s and 4s. Ben likes the tweener guys that can shoot cut and drive to the hoop. What their needs for next yr beyond that are is more size from the 5 spot and a PG to run the show.
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Sage is not getting recruited over and he will be a bigger part of the rotation next year. He has been solid as a true Frosh. He can play defense, drive, and shoot; and he is an oddly long 2. I predict Tate has one of those freshman to sophomore leaps next year. He is a BM type guy. He ain't going anywere.
 
NorthKCHawk said:
Sage is not getting recruited over and he will be a bigger part of the rotation next year. He has been solid as a true Frosh. He can play defense, drive, and shoot; and he is an oddly long 2. I predict Tate has one of those freshman to sophomore leaps next year. He is a BM type guy. He ain't going anywere.
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I was talking about Howard being recruited over not Sage.
 
Grady said:
Sage and Howard are both wings who are pretty good dribble driving and creating. Sage is just a Fr., and I think he's gonna develop into a BTen star because he's got a 3-level game.
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Sage is almost guaranteed to have a good season

And I like Howard who has had some solid games and with the experience this year will probably
continue to be a factor off the bench

Ben should be able to attract a solid point guard

One thing he has going for him is having developed Bennet to All American Status and a projected
first round NBA pick

That should be incentive to possible recruits

:cool:
 
I'm not sure about all these numbers, but I believe Iowa has 14 players right now, and can carry 15 total on the roster. They lose 3 seniors, so down to 11, but add Harris, so up to 12 for next year.

So assuming everyone comes back (not necessarily the case), Iowa could still theoretically pick up 3 players in the portal. Seems pretty obvious they could use a PG and also some size. If that took up two of the spots - minimum - then I think Ben would also want a third spot for best player available. Can't turn down a great player, regardless of position, if you get a shot to add one.
 
SwirlinLingerie said:
I'm not sure about all these numbers, but I believe Iowa has 14 players right now, and can carry 15 total on the roster. They lose 3 seniors, so down to 11, but add Harris, so up to 12 for next year.

So assuming everyone comes back (not necessarily the case), Iowa could still theoretically pick up 3 players in the portal. Seems pretty obvious they could use a PG and also some size. If that took up two of the spots - minimum - then I think Ben would also want a third spot for best player available. Can't turn down a great player, regardless of position, if you get a shot to add one.
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Anyone know Iowa BB's cash situation for NIL? IF we could get a really good PG and a solid big man, it could be a very big deal for us.
 
SwirlinLingerie said:
We can call it a Drake roster, but it is currently in the top half of an 18 team Big Ten, right with UCLA and Ohio State, and ahead of a bunch of teams with better combinations of history and resources like Indiana, USC, Oregon, Maryland...

This roster is right where Iowa has been on average - if not a tad higher - over the past 35 years.
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Isn't that where we'd expect a very good non-P5 roster to be if they played a full B1G season?

I don't see that as a put down, but also desire for BMC to recruit better.
 
Well with this season under thier belt Sage Koch Al F and if Banks comes back should all be able to average double digit scoring 12 to 15 ish Cam could be right there also. Without having to depend on Bennett thier offensive game should grow into this... add that portal PG and or center and we should have a more balanced scoring team with the same defensive intensity. Don't get me wrong on how important Stirtz is , but we knew from the start it was a one season deal .
 
Fryowa said:
Who the hell is Pryce Sandfort? You talking about Bruce Landferd? She’s nowhere near what we want on this team.
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I kinda admire your weird level of hate for anyone associated with Nebby, even if it's a former Iowa player who is probably a good kid.
 
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