Now that the thrill has worn off...

[HuckFinn]

I think the most humorous thing in this entire thread was REV trying to figure out how to criticize TC and still sound like he knows what he is talking about. News Flash: We are 19-5 and could even be in contention for the BT title, as well as an NCAA spot nearly guaranteed, and you are still trying to figure out a way to find fault. Look. TC makes this team a lot better than it would be without him; is he perfect, nope. If he was, he would already be in the NBA. If you cannot see that, you are blind. If you can, you are a troll.

 

[deanvogs]

You didn't mention that Cook got a lot of shots/touches and shot 38%. Jordan didn't get the touches for most of the game, they were going to Cook who had zero assists. Did you mention that? Lots of players can go for 19 if they get a lot of shots but it takes more of them if you miss a lot.

The point is, at least in this game, when the ball stopped going to Cook after Iowa was down by 15, and started going to the shooters JB/Wieskamp/Moss Iowa had a stunning victory. Shooters need the ball, the shots, that's how it works. Too much Cook clogs this team up too often. He has lots of strengths.

Scoring 19 points on 13 shots is pretty good. It isn't amazing, but it is good, and to throw him under the bus for his FG%, when he is still producing 1.46 points per shot vs Northwestern is kind of silly.

I don't think you can see the big picture. We feed Cook the ball, because he produces points from either getting the bucket or getting fouled. We do this because he is efficient and he is averaging 1.55 points on every shot taken. Garza gets 1.47 points per shot taken, Jordan 1.41 points per shot, Moss 1.24 points per shot and Weiskamp leads the team and gets 1.57 points for every shot taken (this is so, so impressive anytime, let alone out of a Fr).

Letting Cook work down in the post is NOT hurting this team in the slightest, and is actually a HUGE part of the reason why we have been so successful this year. I really don't understand why you think we should abandon the post game to shot outside more with Jordan and Moss when they don't produce as many points per shot as Cook does banging down low.

One last point. Ethan Happ has scored 439 points on 356 FG attempts or 1.23 points per attempt. Cook has 363 points on 234 FG attempts or 1.55 points per attempt. Bruno Fernando is getting so much hype, he is averaging 1.73 points per attempt, that is crazy, crazy good.

 

[RobHowe]

Perhaps you have "a deal with him" that slants your views?

I was referring to the most recent game where too much Cook nearly cost a game. My point is, our scorers need to shoot and score more. His statistics were pedestrian. He gets lots and lots of touches and that edges out others. there are only so many to go around.

He can win me over to more shots and accolades if he can produce against some top talent.

My views aside, I think he is a valuable asset to the team and wish him well. He is not unstoppable, by any means.

And, Iowa has seldom had such athletic talent in one player. He has a lot of upside if he becomes a reflex shooter and gains confidence, other than dunking.

All he does is dunk? The lefty and righty hooks over taller defenders in the lane and baseline must be a mirage.

You’re going to continue micro criticizing little pieces of a standout player’s game and not see the big picture regarding his value to this team.

I’ve supported my case with both statistics and basic basketball knowledge. I’m confident in my view of Cook and have talked to his teammates about how important they feel he is to their success

I’m not changing your mind and am done trying. Carry on.

 

[SidFarkas]

The thrill hasn’t worn off.
The shot was on my side of the floor, and I shall never forget being there.

 

[BigD]

I was wondering the same thing.

I am surprised that some on here think it was a clean play. It was not, it was a dirty play. Anyone who DVRed the game can review and see that Cook had the ball in the opposite hand and arm that the Northwestrn player went after. I’ve watched it over and over again. Though it could be argued that the Northwestern player was trying to keep cook from scoring anyone who watches the replay can plainly see that the Northwestern player was not making a play on the ball. He didn’t just miss the ball, he was no where near it. He clearly, deliberately clobbered Cook.

It would get a lot more attention if Cook would have stayed lying on the floor with a season ending injury or career ending injury, then what would people be saying? A two, and a player ejection would have been appropriate even though Cook got up off the floor under his own power. You have to give Cook credit for not going after player. He put the win before his own safety and emotions.

 

[Locker67]

I hope going forward we learned some things. I am no coach, but this is what I would take away from this game:

1. Just suck it up and play zone. We are not a good man to man team, we don't communicate switches, we dont help on the back side and pretty much every team has quicker guards than us that penetrate the lane and put pressure on our bigs, which puts us in foul trouble, which negates our advantage. If the other team shoots 50% from three, just tip your hat to them. But know our opponent has a problem, because if they put shooters on the floor, that means more than likely they can't guard our height on the defensive end. Our opponents shoot 30% from three with us in a zone, I like our chances.
2. I would like to see us press and trap more, then drop into the zone. I think that 3/4 press just wears on a team over the course of a game and gets them out of their game plan. It certainly takes time off the shot clock and hinders the other team from getting into their offense.
3. We have some great shooters in Jbo, Wiesy and Moss. Let them shoot more early. Encourage Cook and Garza to play a little inside out because everytime, and I mean everytime they get the ball in the post they are making a move. I know that getting the other team in foul trouble is a big advantage for us, but our offense would be more fluid with a balanced offense.

Have to score so you can press.

 

[revkev73]

Scoring 19 points on 13 shots is pretty good. It isn't amazing, but it is good, and to throw him under the bus for his FG%, when he is still producing 1.46 points per shot vs Northwestern is kind of silly.

I don't think you can see the big picture. We feed Cook the ball, because he produces points from either getting the bucket or getting fouled. We do this because he is efficient and he is averaging 1.55 points on every shot taken. Garza gets 1.47 points per shot taken, Jordan 1.41 points per shot, Moss 1.24 points per shot and Weiskamp leads the team and gets 1.57 points for every shot taken (this is so, so impressive anytime, let alone out of a Fr).

Letting Cook work down in the post is NOT hurting this team in the slightest, and is actually a HUGE part of the reason why we have been so successful this year. I really don't understand why you think we should abandon the post game to shot outside more with Jordan and Moss when they don't produce as many points per shot as Cook does banging down low.

One last point. Ethan Happ has scored 439 points on 356 FG attempts or 1.23 points per attempt. Cook has 363 points on 234 FG attempts or 1.55 points per attempt. Bruno Fernando is getting so much hype, he is averaging 1.73 points per attempt, that is crazy, crazy good.

I am not saying "abandon" working down to the post. I said that at times, when Cook gets too many touches, it hurts the team. He had zero assists in the game. Iowa had fallen down by 15 with time running out with the "get it to Cook" game plan. Cook missed terribly the front end of two one and ones. When the team switched to getting the ball to the shooters (who are very good) the game opened up and Iowa hit some shots and won the game. Cook-First slows down the flow of the game for Iowa a lot of the times. There are only so many touches, shooters need to touch it and get good looks. The team can work for those opportunities as well. Jordan didn't "disappear" for most of the game, the team was spending their minutes "Cooking." A bit less Cook, makes Iowa more balanced. That's my point.

 

[ssckelley]

Make no mistake about it, I think TC is a HUGE part of Iowa's success but I can see some of the points revkev is making. TC was about the only one rebounding in the Northwestern game grabbing 11 of the teams 23 total rebounds. But when he's in the game it seems like he can suck the life out of the offense, if he's not hitting those 3 foot shots the offense comes to a stand still. It felt like this during the 2nd half of the NW game, Iowa kept feeding him the ball and he wasn't making the shot. Missing those front ends of 1 and 1 to me is as bad as a turnover, and he did this twice. Under 4 minutes to play Fran was forced to change the offense, he knew they needed the 3 ball to have any chance to get back into the game, which is when the magic happened.

But his presence on the court is extremely valuable, Rob is right on the last play NW double teamed TC which contributed to Connor to getting the ball to JB (with the help of a double screen). The 19 points were great, we needed every one of them, but it did come with 8 missed shots so it seemed like he should have had more.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[revkev73]

All he does is dunk? The lefty and righty hooks over taller defenders in the lane and baseline must be a mirage.

You’re going to continue micro criticizing little pieces of a standout player’s game and not see the big picture regarding his value to this team.

I’ve supported my case with both statistics and basic basketball knowledge. I’m confident in my view of Cook and have talked to his teammates about how important they feel he is to their success

I’m not changing your mind and am done trying. Carry on.

I have talked about his nice moves with his left hand many times. I noted what a great jumper he had at the end of the game vs Indiana. I have noted how great he is to have on the team. (These are big picture things) My point, once again, is that too much Cook, often can hurt the team. The shooters get less opportunities. The flow of the game bogs down. Also, the move away from Cook in critical moments is important because he has proven, like it or not, that he isn't a "prime time" shooter under pressure at the FT line or from the field. His two misses of front ends of one and ones were huge, making the hole deeper. They were shots that were "pressure misses." Short armed with zero chance of going in. I am analyzing his game, not criticizing him. Every player has weaknesses and strengths, every coaching philosophy has strengths and weaknesses. Too many Cook touches weakens Iowa's chances at times. I would like to see Iowa help Wieskamp get clear shots, as a focus, he is the most talented, fundamentally sound, and efficient player we have, IMHO. And the more Iowa does this, the more clean, one on one chances Cook and Garza will have.

 

[deanvogs]

I'm not sure what you guys expect out of any post player? A good post player is gonna take a second to see if he is double teamed, if he is double teamed then he is to pass it out of the post, and if he isn't doubled, then he is going to make his move at the basket. That is what Cook does, that is what Garza does, that is what a post player does. A post entry isn't designed to hurry up and get everyone else involved, it is designed to take advantage of a 1 v 1 matchup down low that you are confident your post will win more time than not.

So sure, if you want the ball being passed crisply and never stop moving, then yeah a post entry pass does stop that. Yet we are very weak at attacking the basket so if our offense was strickly passing on the perimeter we would be setting for contested jump shots all game long. A post entry is a 1 on 1 matchup with one of either Cook, Garza or Kriener going against a single man. I like our odds in those matchups.

 

[revkev73]

I think the most humorous thing in this entire thread was REV trying to figure out how to criticize TC and still sound like he knows what he is talking about. News Flash: We are 19-5 and could even be in contention for the BT title, as well as an NCAA spot nearly guaranteed, and you are still trying to figure out a way to find fault. Look. TC makes this team a lot better than it would be without him; is he perfect, nope. If he was, he would already be in the NBA. If you cannot see that, you are blind. If you can, you are a troll.

Winning teams analyze their strengths and weaknesses constantly to get better. That's why they review the tapes and break the game down. It isn't "finding fault" it is called, trying to improve every day. Identify the weaknesses, work on them, don't take it personally, we want you to get better, we want to be a better team. Winning coaches talk about it all the time, coaches who don't, make excuses or blame others. Cook is a great asset to have, but each player needs to be used in the most efficient way. Every successful organization constantly evaluates, analyzes for change to get better. Those who don't remain average or disappear. Topic-Discussion-Positives-Negatives-Ways to Improve

 

[revkev73]

If I have this confused, apologize, but didn't CM hit a three pointer after earlier launching a hideous air ball three pointer? That is tough to do.

 

[SteveGarvey1]

To me their plan looked like

1) letting Iowa miss all kinds of bunnies,

2) Cook with his TM couple of missed dunks,

3) JBo not shooting in the first 35 minutes.

4) getting Garza to foul

You make it sound like Iowa missed a bunch of layups as if they were as easy as layups in the layup line during pregame warm ups. Most of the bunnies they missed were contested, altered and hurried shots. NW also guarded the 3 point line well, until the last four minutes or so, obviously.

 

[DDThompson]

You make it sound like Iowa missed a bunch of layups as if they were as easy as layups in the layup line during pregame warm ups. Most of the bunnies they missed were contested, altered and hurried shots. NW also guarded the 3 point line well, until the last four minutes or so, obviously.

No. You’re projecting your thoughts into words I actually said.

A bunny by definition is an uncontested shot. Some guy throwing a hand up 3 feet away from a shooter at his release or after is not a contested shot. Iowa missed all kinds of those.

And most of the baskets in the last 4 minutes were contested, altered, and hurried shots — bunnies or bombs.

Iowa just started making both kinds.

 

[dirtwrap]

On the final play, I don't see where anyone thinks that NW doubled Tyler. They were man to man and Jbo set a screen for Tyler, Tyler's man fought over the top of the screen which made Jbo's defender hesitate and allow the space for Jbo to get the shot off. Why the guy from NW was guarding Tyler out at the 3 point line with 3 seconds left is the mistake because he never should have been caught on top of the screener there.

To finish my point, which is a lot of the same as revkev is saying, is that our team is definitely better with Tyler Cook on it. There is no way we are close to as good or better without him on the court. His athleticism and physicality is by far the best of anyone on this team, and he is constantly active as a post player, rebounder, screener, etc. He is a nightmare to guard.

However, as one poster said that you want a post player to receive the ball and take a moment to assess the defense, if the double is coming and where it is coming from, and he is absolutely right. However, I don't think Tyler is there yet to make positive plays from that position. He is best at receiving the entry pass deep in the post and immediately making a move. Within 5 feet of the rim, he is over 70% from the field, and this does not include the foul trouble that he puts on the opponents, so his win rate here is amazing. Within 12 feet in the lane, he is right at 50%, still a great win rate. However, outside of the lane beyond 5 feet, which includes both wings and beyond 12 feet in the lane, his field goal percentage is less than 20% and I am sure that he doesn't draw as many fouls out there on the wings. What we saw in the NW game in the second half was a lot of feeding him from the wing, where he was 12-15 feet from the rim with his back to the basket. I don't think this is his game right now. A player like Lebron that can both do damage from this area and assess where the open man is when the double comes, it makes sense.

When we get the flowing action where we swing the ball on the perimeter and feed Tyler as he comes across the lane is when really good things happen for us. But the stagnant, lets slowly dribble the ball up the court, get in a half court set and then softly pass the ball to a stationary Tyler and let the offense run through him isnt how we are going to win games.

 

[SteveGarvey1]

No. You’re projecting your thoughts into words I actually said.

A bunny by definition is an uncontested shot. Some guy throwing a hand up 3 feet away from a shooter at his release or after is not a contested shot. Iowa missed all kinds of those.

And most of the baskets in the last 4 minutes were contested, altered, and hurried shots — bunnies or bombs.

Iowa just started making both kinds.

I guess we just watched different games.

 

[Robowe]

On the final play, I don't see where anyone thinks that NW doubled Tyler. They were man to man and Jbo set a screen for Tyler, Tyler's man fought over the top of the screen which made Jbo's defender hesitate and allow the space for Jbo to get the shot off. Why the guy from NW was guarding Tyler out at the 3 point line with 3 seconds left is the mistake because he never should have been caught on top of the screener there.

To finish my point, which is a lot of the same as revkev is saying, is that our team is definitely better with Tyler Cook on it. There is no way we are close to as good or better without him on the court. His athleticism and physicality is by far the best of anyone on this team, and he is constantly active as a post player, rebounder, screener, etc. He is a nightmare to guard.

However, as one poster said that you want a post player to receive the ball and take a moment to assess the defense, if the double is coming and where it is coming from, and he is absolutely right. However, I don't think Tyler is there yet to make positive plays from that position. He is best at receiving the entry pass deep in the post and immediately making a move. Within 5 feet of the rim, he is over 70% from the field, and this does not include the foul trouble that he puts on the opponents, so his win rate here is amazing. Within 12 feet in the lane, he is right at 50%, still a great win rate. However, outside of the lane beyond 5 feet, which includes both wings and beyond 12 feet in the lane, his field goal percentage is less than 20% and I am sure that he doesn't draw as many fouls out there on the wings. What we saw in the NW game in the second half was a lot of feeding him from the wing, where he was 12-15 feet from the rim with his back to the basket. I don't think this is his game right now. A player like Lebron that can both do damage from this area and assess where the open man is when the double comes, it makes sense.

When we get the flowing action where we swing the ball on the perimeter and feed Tyler as he comes across the lane is when really good things happen for us. But the stagnant, lets slowly dribble the ball up the court, get in a half court set and then softly pass the ball to a stationary Tyler and let the offense run through him isnt how we are going to win games.

As you said, it wasn't necessarily a double on Cook. However, Jordan's defender had to sag because if he stays close to Jordan, then it's a lob pass to Cook for an easy 2. In retrospect, maybe NW was better off with that result. However, there is no doubt that Cook's presence helped spring Jordan open for the pass.

The first play in the Tweet below (from the Indiana game) is exactly what Tyler has done multiple times this year (he is 3rd on the in assists). It didn't happen vs NW, because they didn't double right away like Indiana was at times. Cook draws a lot of fouls as well. He had the entire NW frontcourt in foul trouble which helped in the comeback because we were able to score a couple of times from the FT line because we were in the bonus with 12 minutes to go in the game.

 

[dirtwrap]

As you said, it wasn't necessarily a double on Cook. However, Jordan's defender had to sag because if he stays close to Jordan, then it's a lob pass to Cook for an easy 2. In retrospect, maybe NW was better off with that result. However, there is no doubt that Cook's presence helped spring Jordan open for the pass.

The first play in the Tweet below (from the Indiana game) is exactly what Tyler has done multiple times this year (he is 3rd on the in assists). It didn't happen vs NW, because they didn't double right away like Indiana was at times. Cook draws a lot of fouls as well. He had the entire NW frontcourt in foul trouble which helped in the comeback because we were able to score a couple of times from the FT line because we were in the bonus with 12 minutes to go in the game.

Rob, I agree with you on the play that you are referencing shows one of the values of Cook to this team. He knew he was doubled before he received the pass and knew he had to do something with it. He is very unselfish which is another great quality of his game as well. It also illustrates what I am talking about. He caught the pass about 6 feet from the basket, and if Jbo's man collapses he passes it if he doesn't Tyler either makes a move and dunks it or gets fouled, both winning plays. It just cant be 15 feet from the basket. It seems like when Tyler makes quick decisions we flow as an offense, a big point of what we are saying.

 

[Robowe]

Rob, I agree with you on the play that you are referencing shows one of the values of Cook to this team. He knew he was doubled before he received the pass and knew he had to do something with it. He is very unselfish which is another great quality of his game as well. It also illustrates what I am talking about. He caught the pass about 6 feet from the basket, and if Jbo's man collapses he passes it if he doesn't Tyler either makes a move and dunks it or gets fouled, both winning plays. It just cant be 15 feet from the basket. It seems like when Tyler makes quick decisions we flow as an offense, a big point of what we are saying.

I would agree he is more effective close to the basket. However, I don't think he can do that every possession, especially with Garza and/or Kriener on the court as well. Iowa's offense is predicated on passing the ball side to side and exchanging the post men (high/low or into the post), so one of the big guys will be inside posting while the other is on the wing. Remember the Indiana play, Garza actually makes the post feed to Cook.

Cook also draws a lot of the fouls against him when he faces up and takes his man to the hoop from 15 feet. I am OK if he shoots 1/2 jumpers a game to see if he makes one. That will also open up the drive where he is almost unstoppable from scoring or drawing a foul. I think limiting his game would not be wise at this point.

 

[DDThompson]

I guess we just watched different games.

I guess.

Different dictionaries too.