Okay, If this is the way it goes down...

[IATrainMaster101]

I completely agree that he is not a lock which is why I capped "IF". I honestly think Iowa continues after it's top pg option even if Wes commits. Conversly if Carter or Stokes would commit I think that would seal the PG recruiting for this season.

 

[HawkeyeRyno]

I have a feeling we may only get Washpun to commit at this point and that isn't even a lock. Looking like we could miss out on the others so scholarships may get banked until next season. That is worst case but could end being reality. Maybe we don't get ANY of these prospects - that would be unthinkable BUT could be a reality as well. While we may be going after all these recruits who says they will commit to Iowa? Lot better options for them but if PT is their number one need, then we can offer that. Just don't think that matters as much anymore, otherwise Paige would be a Hawkeye. Kids want to play for contenders.

 

[CAARHawk]

Ryno. If that happens, serious changes will have to be made. However, I do not believe better options are out there for Olaseni. For everyone else, I think you are correct, to an extent. But we are not competing against powerhouses. If the coaches lose these battles, Fran needs to enact some quick changes. Because he will have only until November to basically sign an entire team. If he misses out on that deadline. He is toast. Not immediately, but within a couple of years.

 

[tweeterhawk]

Ryno. If that happens, serious changes will have to be made. However, I do not believe better options are out there for Olaseni. For everyone else, I think you are correct, to an extent. But we are not competing against powerhouses. If the coaches lose these battles, Fran needs to enact some quick changes. Because he will have only until November to basically sign an entire team. If he misses out on that deadline. He is toast. Not immediately, but within a couple of years.

I sort of agree. The two previous coaches underestimated the difficulty recruiting to Iowa and the need to have a really top-notch recruiter on staff. It wasn't until Alford brought in Neal that better players started committing to Iowa (although some of them never made it to Iowa City). Lackluster seemed just plain lost and the caliber of players he brought in showed it.

If this staff struggles recruiting to Iowa, Fran needs to recognize that and take appropriate steps.

I'm hardly throwing in the towel. I'm excited to see what next year brings -- the program seems moving in the right direction. But recruiting is a concern area to watch.

 

[hawkIhoops]

What about Dillard's kid? No mention of him, but he is a combo guard from Frisco, TX with some mid majors schools after him. Walk on, backup scholarship???

 

[JHHawk]

Ryno. If that happens, serious changes will have to be made. However, I do not believe better options are out there for Olaseni. For everyone else, I think you are correct, to an extent. But we are not competing against powerhouses. If the coaches lose these battles, Fran needs to enact some quick changes. Because he will have only until November to basically sign an entire team. If he misses out on that deadline. He is toast. Not immediately, but within a couple of years.

Calm down.
Look at Tom Crean...he just finished his third year at IU,with a 10th,11th,11th finishes in the league. He had ''great'' recruiting classes his second year,and they still stunk....he has some ''great'' classes in the pipeline,so he keeps the natives at bay...for now.
IU is strictly a bb school...Iowa is not.
At IU,finishing last in the Big Ten the last two years is catastrophic..yet Crean is not ''toast''.

This is not an ''all or nothing'' business. You are saying that if Fran does not ''close'' next November,he is toast. What is the exact formula that defines ''closing''? ISU ''closed'' on a top 50 player,Brackins,early in Mac's run....and it got them exactly where? Got Mac outta town,thats where.

Not an exact science,gang. Winning on the court is more important than winning recruiting battles....always remember that. So,if Fran does not ''close'' to your satisfaction this November,but Iowa wins 20 games on the court....he will not be ''toast''.

 

[tm3308]

Calm down.
Look at Tom Crean...he just finished his third year at IU,with a 10th,11th,11th finishes in the league. He had ''great'' recruiting classes his second year,and they still stunk....he has some ''great'' classes in the pipeline,so he keeps the natives at bay...for now.
IU is strictly a bb school...Iowa is not.
At IU,finishing last in the Big Ten the last two years is catastrophic..yet Crean is not ''toast''.

This is not an ''all or nothing'' business. You are saying that if Fran does not ''close'' next November,he is toast. What is the exact formula that defines ''closing''? ISU ''closed'' on a top 50 player,Brackins,early in Mac's run....and it got them exactly where? Got Mac outta town,thats where.

Not an exact science,gang. Winning on the court is more important than winning recruiting battles....always remember that. So,if Fran does not ''close'' to your satisfaction this November,but Iowa wins 20 games on the court....he will not be ''toast''.

Crean is a good recruiter, which is why he still has a job. Injuries and his own deficiencies as an actual coach are what have kept them in the cellar. He won't get more than one more year unless there is marked improvement, IMO.

But Fran will be toast if he's forced to try and sign the majority of a team by November with the same staff he has currently (by that I mean that if the staff whiffs this spring, there is little reason to believe they will fare better when they HAVE to sign even more quality players).

And sure, if we won 20 games next year, we'd be okay. But do you honestly expect to see 20 wins?

 

[JHHawk]

Do you expect them to ''whiff'' this spring?

Why are we dealing in hypotheticals at this point?
Pure speculation on this spring and next fall's recruiting right now.
I will concede that if the entire starting 5 leaves in June that we will be in trouble next year...or if a airplane crashes thru CHA during a shootaround and injures the whole roster that we will not win 20...ok?

I love the recruiting stuff,but have been around long enough to know that stuff changes quickly,like with MSU this year ,who looked like they would be a slam dunk to be in the FF again....but stuff happened.
Same with recruiting. If Iowa lands Woodbury,Gesell,and Niang next November,it will look different....or not.

 

[HawkeyeRyno]

A majority of these kids don't want to be part of a rebuilding project. And from the sound of a recent Woodbury article he isn't a sure get as it appeared a while ago. He's not sold on the time it will take Iowa to get back to the tourney. Unfortunately it's the mentality of a lot of kids in society these days - want everything given to them and not have to work. I see it first hand at school. Not all but a lot want instant gratification and that goes with athletics too - want to win NOW not have to work hard and lose. I think that is what Fran is realizing now, he is getting a lot of kids that want to win NOW.

 

[MisterLucky]

I am a dedicated pessimist by nature and while I like Coach McCaffery and feel he is a good coach, I cannot say that I have been overly impressed with his ability to get kids to sign on to his program. No doubt it is a tough sell given our past record, BUT we are in the Big Ten and therefore have a lot of national exposure. We do have a brand new, and by all accounts, very impressive practice facility being completed. But for some reason, and I know I will be counseled to practice more patience, this staff is having a tough time not only getting their primary targets to sign on, but their fall back targets as well. I realize Coach McCaffery struck gold with Basabe and Cartwright last year, and I am anxious to see White, in particular, in a Hawkeye uniform next year, but we need additional help immediately. But even with the all the advantages we can offer potential recruits, the least of which is an abundance of immediate floor time, we can't seem to convince any recruit of significance to don the black and gold. It has been a very frustrating spring. Now, we have two kids in Iowa, Woodbury and Washpun, who have professed to be lifelong
Hawkeye fans and we seen both of them waiting for better offers rather than committing to Iowa. I am certainly not in denial about how far our program has fallen, but if we can't even convince these kids to help turn the program around, it doesn't bode well for our overall recruiting efforts, in my estimation. I truly hope Coach McCaffery proves me wrong in the next few weeks.

 

[HawkeyeRyno]

I am a dedicated pessimist by nature and while I like Coach McCaffery and feel he is a good coach, I cannot say that I have been overly impressed with his ability to get kids to sign on to his program. No doubt it is a tough sell given our past record, BUT we are in the Big Ten and therefore have a lot of national exposure. We do have a brand new, and by all accounts, very impressive practice facility being completed. But for some reason, and I know I will be counseled to practice more patience, this staff is having a tough time not only getting their primary targets to sign on, but their fall back targets as well. I realize Coach McCaffery struck gold with Basabe and Cartwright last year, and I am anxious to see White, in particular, in a Hawkeye uniform next year, but we need additional help immediately. But even with the all the advantages we can offer potential recruits, the least of which is an abundance of immediate floor time, we can't seem to convince any recruit of significance to don the black and gold. It has been a very frustrating spring. Now, we have two kids in Iowa, Woodbury and Washpun, who have professed to be lifelong
Hawkeye fans and we seen both of them waiting for better offers rather than committing to Iowa. I am certainly not in denial about how far our program has fallen, but if we can't even convince these kids to help turn the program around, it doesn't bode well for our overall recruiting efforts, in my estimation. I truly hope Coach McCaffery proves me wrong in the next few weeks.

D@mn, well said. Wish I could have stated my thoughts this way. Totally agree this is the same way I feel too. Well said.

 

[sportstalent]

I am a dedicated pessimist by nature and while I like Coach McCaffery and feel he is a good coach, I cannot say that I have been overly impressed with his ability to get kids to sign on to his program. No doubt it is a tough sell given our past record, BUT we are in the Big Ten and therefore have a lot of national exposure. We do have a brand new, and by all accounts, very impressive practice facility being completed. But for some reason, and I know I will be counseled to practice more patience, this staff is having a tough time not only getting their primary targets to sign on, but their fall back targets as well. I realize Coach McCaffery struck gold with Basabe and Cartwright last year, and I am anxious to see White, in particular, in a Hawkeye uniform next year, but we need additional help immediately. But even with the all the advantages we can offer potential recruits, the least of which is an abundance of immediate floor time, we can't seem to convince any recruit of significance to don the black and gold. It has been a very frustrating spring. Now, we have two kids in Iowa, Woodbury and Washpun, who have professed to be lifelong
Hawkeye fans and we seen both of them waiting for better offers rather than committing to Iowa. I am certainly not in denial about how far our program has fallen, but if we can't even convince these kids to help turn the program around, it doesn't bode well for our overall recruiting efforts, in my estimation. I truly hope Coach McCaffery proves me wrong in the next few weeks.

Before going into the bold/underlined. Iowa won 12 games last season and 10 the year before, recruits are not knocking down doors to come here.

1. Look at Northwestern, who is a lifetime BIG team that has never been to the NCAA, how are those advantages working for them? Penn State is a program that has been less than average since joining, how is that working for them?
2. Oglesby and White were primary targets. The staff has tried to hit a few home runs and have missed so far, but there are a lot of quality kids they haven't missed on yet.
3. Don't prejudge the two mentioned in #2 just yet.
4. Are you forgetting the 2010 class, can't judge anyone else yet for at least a year.
5. Fran is offering kids and if they don't commit, he isn't just going to sit and wait, if those two don't come, they don't come, oh well. You can't hold hopes on childhood memories, even though they may be Iowa fans, it means nothing, they want the best situation for them and their motives are their motives.

One year in to the tenure and people are questioning recruiting, what you should be focused on is what the team looks like on the floor and how players are developing. Iowa looked like a team, they need some shooting and an infusion of athleticism, on paper White/Oglesby provide some of each. Iowa is in better shape heading into next season than they were heading into this season and it is because of what Fran and Company have done on and off the floor.

 

[TheNebraskaHawk]

Before going into the bold/underlined. Iowa won 12 games last season and 10 the year before, recruits are not knocking down doors to come here.

1. Look at Northwestern, who is a lifetime BIG team that has never been to the NCAA, how are those advantages working for them? Penn State is a program that has been less than average since joining, how is that working for them?
2. Oglesby and White were primary targets. The staff has tried to hit a few home runs and have missed so far, but there are a lot of quality kids they haven't missed on yet.
3. Don't prejudge the two mentioned in #2 just yet.
4. Are you forgetting the 2010 class, can't judge anyone else yet for at least a year.
5. Fran is offering kids and if they don't commit, he isn't just going to sit and wait, if those two don't come, they don't come, oh well. You can't hold hopes on childhood memories, even though they may be Iowa fans, it means nothing, they want the best situation for them and their motives are their motives.

One year in to the tenure and people are questioning recruiting, what you should be focused on is what the team looks like on the floor and how players are developing. Iowa looked like a team, they need some shooting and an infusion of athleticism, on paper White/Oglesby provide some of each. Iowa is in better shape heading into next season than they were heading into this season and it is because of what Fran and Company have done on and off the floor.

You saved me some time...agreed 100%

 

[MisterLucky]

I understand the points you are trying to make, but I haven't made any disparaging remarks about the two kids that have committed. I said before, I am looking forward to seeing White, in particular in an Iowa uniform. But you are making my point when you state that we are needing an injection of athleticism. It is the lack of that injection this year that worries me. We have three scholarships to fill and all I have seen so far are the kids we have targeted either signing on elsewhere or dragging their feet on signing on here. I am fully aware that the two late signees last year turned out very well for us, but here we are a year later and I am sure the staff has been working hard on certain kids all year. Yet, we seem to be having difficulties filling out our roster, even with a kid that claims to be a lifelong fan and who was obviously not one of out frontline recruits. And simply pointing out that turning around this program is a tough task is really pointless. It is this coaching staff's main responsibility to do just that. I am discouraged with the lack of good news from a staff that I truly believe is working extremely hard. Hopefully, they will get this turned around in the coming weeks.

 

[coonhawk]

I don't think we are going to be good next year, but I would be okay with better than this year. We need a guard bad. As it stands right now if Cartwright (heaven forbid) went down we would have a hard time getting across half court.

 

[sportstalent]

I understand the points you are trying to make, but I haven't made any disparaging remarks about the two kids that have committed. I said before, I am looking forward to seeing White, in particular in an Iowa uniform. But you are making my point when you state that we are needing an injection of athleticism. It is the lack of that injection this year that worries me. We have three scholarships to fill and all I have seen so far are the kids we have targeted either signing on elsewhere or dragging their feet on signing on here. I am fully aware that the two late signees last year turned out very well for us, but here we are a year later and I am sure the staff has been working hard on certain kids all year. Yet, we seem to be having difficulties filling out our roster, even with a kid that claims to be a lifelong fan and who was obviously not one of out frontline recruits. And simply pointing out that turning around this program is a tough task is really pointless. It is this coaching staff's main responsibility to do just that. I am discouraged with the lack of good news from a staff that I truly believe is working extremely hard. Hopefully, they will get this turned around in the coming weeks.

I will go back to opening statement, Iowa won 10 games the year before and 12 this year, it will not happen overnight.

I didn't say you said anything discouraging about the two signees, because you didn't. The point with the two was they were the first two true targets of the staff and they came to Iowa. Ogelsby is a Top 150 player and White is a guy that is going to surprise, so on paper it looks good. Each guy gives Iowa something they desperately need, shooting ability.

Now, the athleticism part, both signees are underrated in that category as well. What I would really like to see with the now three scholarships is this. The JUCO PG that will be a sophomore, Glover, I think is his name. Then two freakish athletes that none of us have heard of, unless Fran can swing the Katenda/Olaseni duo, which can't be ruled out yet.
When it comes down to it, there are programs that get lots of talent every year, but don't perform as a team, insert your team of choice.

On the floor last year, Iowa played together, that is very important to remember. Work ethic and player development will get Iowa back for the long term more than one recruit like Cezar or Carter, not that I would turn them away if they wanted to be at Iowa. One player can have a significant impact on a program, but it takes a team to truly turn it around, insert team here.
Iowa has to build the program with players that want to be there, not players that fans just want to be there.
In the end, it doesn't matter who Iowa brings in, if that kid and the staff want them at Iowa, then that is all I need.

One thing that Iowa can't rely on is discovering kids so late, Basabe was a find that Fran already knew about and Cartwright was a player that fell in Iowa's lap. That isn't going to happen every year.
The excellent news is that Iowa has one 2012 commit and he is not one of the "blessed" Iowa kids, who would have thought that?
Now your reference on the Iowa kids not being at Iowa right now, not a big deal to me again, because kids today are different. Those loyalties don't matter when it comes to making those choices because it isn't just them making those choices. There have been a few memorable stories about kids making a college choice, but the parents say otherwise.
The influences of making that choice is many and it just takes that one arguement from that one parent or friend to change a kid's mind.
Just look no further than the good kids that have left the state even though most of those kids were Iowa/ISU fans growing up, it simply doesn't matter in most cases anymore.

Lastly, this is just recruiting, there are no givens, it is a wait and see game.