Player Development

[WinOneThisCentury]

Fran's not even remotely close to having his butt get warm. I'm sorry, but we can't play defense when the other team has great guards who can penetrate and score or dish. Our defense sucks against smaller quicker guards which sets up everything for the other team. Penetrate and they get stuff going to the basket or they kick it out for the open three. How often have you seen that.

Next year, hopefully Marble improves at stopping penetration and we add a defensive guy who can stop smaller guard play. Having a 7 footer with mobility is also going to help...less need to leave the perimeter of the defense to help out on penetration.

I feel sorry for Gatens as if Iowa had one more perimeter threat with consistency, he'd be getting alot more open looks. He's really elevated his game. I'm hoping Gessell is a step up on the offensive end next year.

 

[RocknRollface]

McCaffrey's future at Iowa hinges on next year's class. If he can't get us NIT eligible (NCAA too lofty IMO) next season, then his seat will begin to warm. He needs to hit a home run with his last scholarship and get a transfer or juco who can have an immediate impact next year. It's hard to predict what the freshman will do in year one, especially with all the expectations around Woodbury and Gessell.

This year is rapidly digressing from cautious optimism to "here we go again". I don't see us winning another game this season and see Sunday's game against IU as a beatdown special waiting to happen. Lots of 3 point shooters, deep bench with athletes and Zeller? Not good.

Yes an athletic 3 or a big glass cleaning 4 ala Reggie Evans would help this team tremendously next year.

The 3 would be most ideal.

 

[gohawks71]

Wow...three years and done? I am willing to give him five years before i even start to worry because of how bad this program was left in.

McCaffrey's future at Iowa hinges on next year's class. If he can't get us NIT eligible (NCAA too lofty IMO) next season, then his seat will begin to warm. He needs to hit a home run with his last scholarship and get a transfer or juco who can have an immediate impact next year. It's hard to predict what the freshman will do in year one, especially with all the expectations around Woodbury and Gessell. This year is rapidly digressing from cautious optimism to "here we go again". I don't see us winning another game this season and see Sunday's game against IU as a beatdown special waiting to happen. Lots of 3 point shooters, deep bench with athletes and Zeller? Not good.

 

[sportstalent]

Yes an athletic 3 or a big glass cleaning 4 ala Reggie Evans would help this team tremendously next year.

The 3 would be most ideal.

I will take a roster with more than 10 scholarships filled and depth at every position before I begin to wish what position Iowa should fill next...all of them is job one; that appears to finally been accomplished.

Defensively, Iowa doesn't challenge penetration, I am not talking about blocking shots, just getting in someone's way and a defender rotating to challenge.
For whatever reason, I think it has to do with the lack of overall size on the roster, Iowa collapes far too often when the ball goes to the post. Against teams like Penn State, Nebraska and others, let thier big guys beat you instead of leaving shooter wide frickin' open. Again, I think it is for the lack of size in the program, that will change next season, so let's see if that changes.

Iowa will be in the NCAA tourney conversation next year...I am predicting they go and surprise a lot of people. Outside of Gatens, Iowa's best players return and the freshman fill the monster holes on the roster.

 

[Hawkcrush]

It was told to me like this when i was a kid. "You can't polish a turd". Now I'm not saying the players are all turds, but in order to develope the talent they must first posess a ceratin amount of it, meaning athletecism, in most cases. Tell me who you think in the roster tight now that is not a Fresh or Soph has talent left to be developed. I like Mc Cabes game at times, but he is not a 3 too slow of foot, and certainly not a 4 too small, ne barely clears paper when he jumps, so how is Mc C going to develope that. Say what you want but players like White used to be the rule not the exception, Koch, Bowen, Lookingbill and on and on all have more talent then most of the guys in the upper classes. I like that they are hawkeyes and I feel bad that Gatens will never get to play in the post season, but it is what it is. I have hope that in 2 years we will be in the tournament, because I beleive Mc C will develope the talent that is coming in, players that have atheleticism, size, and speed to fit his system. The main problem I see this year is making a square peg fit in a round hole, possibly if we slowed it down and played some d we would win the games, like PSU, but that is not Mc C's style so we will have to wait for now.

 

[hawkfan33]

McCaffrey's future at Iowa hinges on next year's class. If he can't get us NIT eligible (NCAA too lofty IMO) next season, then his seat will begin to warm. He needs to hit a home run with his last scholarship and get a transfer or juco who can have an immediate impact next year. It's hard to predict what the freshman will do in year one, especially with all the expectations around Woodbury and Gessell.

This year is rapidly digressing from cautious optimism to "here we go again". I don't see us winning another game this season and see Sunday's game against IU as a beatdown special waiting to happen. Lots of 3 point shooters, deep bench with athletes and Zeller? Not good.

Fran has at least three years before his seat will start to get warm. If this team still hasn't won 20 games by the time the incoming freshman are juniors, his job security might start to be in question. To say his seat will get warm next year is just idiotic.

 

[VAHawkFan]

It was told to me like this when i was a kid. "You can't polish a turd". Now I'm not saying the players are all turds, but in order to develope the talent they must first posess a ceratin amount of it, meaning athletecism, in most cases. Tell me who you think in the roster tight now that is not a Fresh or Soph has talent left to be developed. I like Mc Cabes game at times, but he is not a 3 too slow of foot, and certainly not a 4 too small, ne barely clears paper when he jumps, so how is Mc C going to develope that. Say what you want but players like White used to be the rule not the exception, Koch, Bowen, Lookingbill and on and on all have more talent then most of the guys in the upper classes. I like that they are hawkeyes and I feel bad that Gatens will never get to play in the post season, but it is what it is. I have hope that in 2 years we will be in the tournament, because I beleive Mc C will develope the talent that is coming in, players that have atheleticism, size, and speed to fit his system. The main problem I see this year is making a square peg fit in a round hole, possibly if we slowed it down and played some d we would win the games, like PSU, but that is not Mc C's style so we will have to wait for now.

I agree that, yes, our uppper classes save for Gatens are devoid of D1 talent. But it's way too early to make claims about McCabe's development or any of the underclassmen for that matter (and foot speed can be developed...there are entire workout regimens that exist around it). Certainly some players reach their ceilings early and there isn't a lot more growth to their game, but the only way you can know that is hindsight. The history of the program is filled with guys who bloomed late. Les Jepsen...almost unwatchable through his first three years. I used to literally groan when he checked into the game. Yet he dominated the middle defensively as a senior. Acie Earl had some game when he arrived, but he didn't really hit his stride until he was a junior and then really went out on a high note as a senior. And since Bowen was mentioned specifically, McCabe is playing better as a sophomore than Bowen did. Bowen was just a blip on the roster until his junior year when he came seemingly out of nowhere to show that he could play.

So again I'll say, way too early to write any of the underclassmen off. Until they graduate you never know who might step up to contribute.