Pressure off Fran and Hawks

[Locker67]

Apples n Oranges!!

I really don't care what a coaches record is for his entire coaching career I care what his record is at Iowa.

 

[SteveGarvey1]

Kirk Ferentz record as a head coach= 155-118 (56.7%) = Legend!
Fran McCaffery record as a head coach= 397-286 (58.1%)= Not Legend

A much greater percentage of Fran's wins come by scheduling cupcakes, perhaps 30%. Kirk schedules 2 cupcakes a year out of the usual 13 games we play which equals 15%.

Kirk = good, solid non-legendary coach
Fran = average coach overall

 

[Shivetts]

So Barta fires Fran.....then what? Do you think Conner sticks around after they fire his Dad?

 

[InGoodCo]

So Barta fires Fran.....then what? Do you think Conner sticks around after they fire his Dad?

No, and no Patrick, and guys will transfer out and maybe Joe W too. But that's the chance you take when you make a coaching change. You can't let recruiting hold you hostage. But Fran doesn't deserve to be fired like tomorrow - or this season, but he's on the brink. He should be firmly on the hotseat at the end of this season with expectations of NCAA, top 5 B1G finish and at least 1 NCAA win next season, though you'd like to see more, anything can happen in that type of matchup

 

[SheagleHawk]

I don't think a hole is being dug at all. We've got too many young players and good recruits to fall into another Lick type hole. Our program will still be fine if Fran gets fired next year. It really does suck that this happened tho. I really wonder what this year would look like if we would have lost to Maryland and Wisconsin last year. They might have come into the year hungry instead of arrogant. It might have made a difference.

Lol come on, man...time to admit you're wrong. Beating a few decent teams the previous year and supposedly being "arrogant" as a result does NOT cause even a decent team to lose 8 games to avg and below avg teams. Do you even watch the games? Even with maximum effort JorBo can't keep 99% of college guards in front of him. Maximum effort doesn't make Moss look like a competent 2 guard who can score or defend. Maximum effort doesn't make our slow plodding bigs more athletic. It's talent, and a giant lack thereof as to why we're starring down the barrel of a 20 loss season. You, InGoodCo and Nile bag on me for stating what most see as obvious, yet ALL through the game thread last night echoed pretty much exactly what I've been saying for a while now.

 

[InGoodCo]

I don't think a hole is being dug at alI, the opposite actually, I think Jordan, Cook, Pemsl, Moss, Nunge, Garza, Conner and Joe W make a pretty good team. The problem I have is Fran's 2013 and 2014 classes. I also think his rotation is garbage. I really don't have a big issue with the "talent" on the team as much as I do with those upper class recruiting classes and his management of the roster.

 

[kicker22]

I don't think a hole is being dug at alI, the opposite actually, I think Jordan, Cook, Pemsl, Moss, Nunge, Garza, Conner and Joe W make a pretty good team. The problem I have is Fran's 2013 and 2014 classes. I also think his rotation is garbage. I really don't have a big issue with the "talent" on the team as much as I do with those upper class recruiting classes and his management of the roster.

But in the same breath couldn't you also say that Fran's recruiting is what dug the hole. We're dependent on underclassmen who simply aren't ready to carry the team. They may eventually get to that point (I hope they do) but they aren't and as a result were falling further and further behind. Good teams play solid defense and regardless of our current talent level, they simply aren't talented enough on either end of the floor to play competitively for 40 minutes against decent teams.

 

[Fryowa]

. Just read an article where a former player at Iowa for Fran said they worked very little in practice on playing defense. Looks to me like that really shows.

Source? I’d like to read it.

 

[MWS604]

Anyone comparing Fran and Kirk are clueless as can be!!!

There is one comparison that I believe is appropriate. Stubbornness. Kirk refuses to change his offense (regardless of OC) and Fran refuses to change his defense. With Fran, our opponents know that if you penetrate, our team doubles on the penetration, leaving someone with an open look. For Kirk, it run on first and second down so everyone loads the box. And the few times we throw on first, it usually doesn't work and we run on second and long. The predictability of our coaching staffs and their hubris is their downfall.

 

[theboat]

We were pretty good 2 years in a row while losing almost every close game we played. I think the coaching is fine given in the right players. Average players who are young are not the right players.

The unfortunate thing is they've shown beyond a doubt that they will be nothing other than average players. That's not counting the freshmen. They still might end up good.

How can you say that good players lost every close game and the coaching is fine? That is on the coaching too.

Good players under Fran? Win 20 games and lose every close game.
Average players under Fran? Win 10 games and not even be in close games.

 

[theboat]

I think we're forgetting how bad Lickliter's teams were. I don't forget. I remember the athletic dept. giving away free pizza and hot dogs to get the students to come out. Aside from Gatens show me a player that would start on this year's team. I'll wait.

Roster
Player # Class Pos Height Weight Hometown Summary

Matt Gatens 5 SO G 6-5 212 Iowa City, IA 12.2 Pts, 4.3 Reb, 3.3 Ast
Aaron Fuller 21 SO F 6-6 235 Mesa, AZ 9.7 Pts, 6.2 Reb, 0.7 Ast
Eric May 25 FR G 6-5 219 Dubuque, IA 9.0 Pts, 4.6 Reb, 1.4 Ast
Cully Payne 1 FR G 6-1 180 Schaumburg, IL 8.7 Pts, 3.0 Reb, 3.8 Ast
Jarryd Cole 50 JR F 6-7 250 Kansas City, MO 8.1 Pts, 5.2 Reb, 0.5 Ast
Anthony Tucker 1 SO G 6-4 200 Minnetonka, MN 11.9 Pts, 3.5 Reb, 2.9 Ast
Brennan Cougill 44 FR F 6-9 265 Sioux City, IA 4.0 Pts, 3.0 Reb, 0.5 Ast
Devan Bawinkel 15 SR G 6-5 210 Winnebago, IL 3.1 Pts, 0.9 Reb, 0.4 Ast
John Lickliter 34 FR G 5-11 170 Iowa City, IA 1.9 Pts, 0.3 Reb, 0.7 Ast
Andrew Brommer 20 SO F 6-9 247 Rosemount, MN 1.7 Pts, 1.3 Reb, 0.4 Ast
Nick Neari 13 FR G 6-2 185 St. Charles, IL 0.1 Pts, 0.1 Reb, 0.3 Ast

This teams defense would make Bawinkel a stud. He could just sit in the corner and knock down 3's.

 

[HawkPrdatr40]

A much greater percentage of Fran's wins come by scheduling cupcakes, perhaps 30%. Kirk schedules 2 cupcakes a year out of the usual 13 games we play which equals 15%.

Kirk = good, solid non-legendary coach
Fran = average coach overall

His hate for KF blinds him and TK will pull any meaningless stat that supports his stance.. Fran couldn’t hold KF jock..

 

[Robowe]

There is one comparison that I believe is appropriate. Stubbornness. Kirk refuses to change his offense (regardless of OC) and Fran refuses to change his defense. With Fran, our opponents know that if you penetrate, our team doubles on the penetration, leaving someone with an open look. For Kirk, it run on first and second down so everyone loads the box. And the few times we throw on first, it usually doesn't work and we run on second and long. The predictability of our coaching staffs and their hubris is their downfall.

Most coaches, especially successful ones, at some level, are very stubborn. If they have been successful at some point (Fran has been successful at other jobs), they believe their system works and that is why they are hired. When they interview for the next job, they will lay out how their system has worked at previous places and how it will work at the new place.

I would agree that the best coaches adjust at some point, but sticking to what they know is very common in coaches and teachers at every level. At this point, Fran has his system (up tempo offense, lots of players in the rotation, defense overhelps and gives up a lot points). It will be interesting if anyone can convince him that the current roster will not be successful with this system.

 

[tksirius]

His hate for KF blinds him and TK will pull any meaningless stat that supports his stance.. Fran couldn’t hold KF jock..

Winning Percentage = Meaningless Stat

 

[HawkPrdatr40]

Winning Percentage = Meaningless Stat

Just go take a peak at what Fran’s Big ten record In Fact go exclude Frans cupcake wins and look at that Winning%

 

[BILLYBOBSTEXAS]

Source? I’d like to read it.

Chad Leistikow, D Rag/Hawk Central, today.

 

[tksirius]

Just go take a peak at what Fran’s Big ten record In Fact go exclude Frans cupcake wins and look at that Winning%

Shall we do the same for Kirk?

 

[Joshbrown]

A much greater percentage of Fran's wins come by scheduling cupcakes, perhaps 30%. Kirk schedules 2 cupcakes a year out of the usual 13 games we play which equals 15%.

Kirk = good, solid non-legendary coach
Fran = average coach overall

Both of whom would never pull down the $$$$$$ they make at Iowa anywhere else. (otherwise they would already be gone)
And yes I'd be happy if their salary was cut in half cuz hopefully that means they would quit. And Iowa could go about the business of moving from irrelevant to relevant.
Of course this scenario requires the firing of Barta for it to work.

 

[HawkPrdatr40]

Shall we do the same for Kirk?

Go for it.. Fran couldn’t hold a candle to KF accomplishments at the manor division level. It could change but based on what I’ve seen out of Fran, I highly doubt it. Fran has coached at the mid majors for 14 out of his 22 years and appears he is that a Mid Major level coach..

 

[Gibsonian]

It's Lick ball reversed. High scoring games with horrible D.

Lick was low scoring games with horrible O.

Same result in W-L, but better to watch the current product.

Tommy D. could've coached these kids to at least an NIT, maybe a bubble NCAA. Sure miss his teaching clapping presence on courtside. The rebounding and defense was nice touch too.