Program Expectations and Reality
- Thread starter WindsorHawk
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ArvadaHawk
Well-Known Member
We made the NCAA last season and you're assuming we won't this season. That's the part that I don't get.
Fran has already out performed Alford's post season wins, at Iowa. Alford was 3-6 in 3 NIT's and 3 NCAA's in 8 seasons. Fran is 5-3, post season in 2 NIT's and 1 NCAA.
As far as being positive, I'm really just trying to be fair to Fran. Check out my football posts if you think I'm just trying to be positive. Personally, I think many are taking their frustrations out on Fran because kfootball is untouchable for at least 1 more season.
Fran IS doing a very good job. Has he been perfect? Nope. But he has us back to being a tourney team and that is what we were all begging for 6 seasons ago.
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BlackGold57
Well-Known Member
That's right, and I took a beating on this board about my opinion on Woodbury eye pokes and McCaffery "intelligent" showboating press conference. Go look at the posts. I said "lets play it out and see what happens". What happened???? Two stupid losses and a complete change from before the silly junk that took place.
Those two wanted the spotlight, they got it. His recent teams have a history, and people want believers, then go do something about it on the court. Personally, I don't see it happening - the players have no swager, and Fran, while capable of springing an upset at Sienna, is not a program changer.
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BigD
Well-Known Member
LMAO!!!!!!! Dat true!!!
BigD
Well-Known Member
Fair enough. Next year with a senior and junior laden team with FRAN RECRUITS needs to show us something.
D
DDThompson
Guest
Exactly.
If lick truly was the dead dog = black hole. How many dead dogs come back to life.
I like Mike Gesell and his play since he came here but I was expecting more improvement in year 3. What I mean is his ability to drive and dish to wide open 3 pt shooters. Part of the problem is the movement of guys who dont have the ball. But I expected Gesell's shooting and scoring to be better overall and more consistent. I still think he is an above avg point guard and if you put him on a team that had dead eye shooters his stats would look great.
My point though is this team needs a step up in point guard play for 40 minutes to get the needed consistency. Too many scoring droughts have lead to probably 8 losses this year.
My point though is this team needs a step up in point guard play for 40 minutes to get the needed consistency. Too many scoring droughts have lead to probably 8 losses this year.
theboat
Well-Known Member
The point. You missed it.
WindsorHawk
Well-Known Member
Please provide a link to the bracket projection you are seeing which doesn't have Iowa included. Thanks in advance!
HawkPrdatr40
Well-Known Member
I agree.
I find the OP comments lame and full of excuses! Even more disturbing is how many people gushed over the OP comments in agreement, I'm amazed by that. This program should no longer having be bringing up how the program was left to Fran we are in YEAR 5, what am I missing? Get over it, Fran needs to be held accountable and IMO that started at the end of year 3.
HawkPrdatr40
Well-Known Member
So your basis for Iowa being in good shape is because Bracketology has Iowa a 9 seed with an arrow in red pointing down indicating stock and seed falling? lol..
Dude I'm watching the product on the court, might want to try that..
Here's the way i see it. 2 years ago, we had 5 Big 10 games where we lost on late shots made by the other team. That is a ridiculous amount of games to lose that way. Especially when we only needed 1 or possibly 2 more wins to get in the tournament. We definitely didn't help ourselves out in close games much but for 5 different teams to hit clutch shots against us to steal wins is pretty unlucky. Imagine if we were lucky instead of unlucky and all 5 teams missed those shots. Fran would have coached the exact same games and the players would have played the exact same games and we would have ended up with a 14-4 conference record.
Last year we fought our way to a top 10 ranking after losing 3 close games in horrible fashion. Again we didn't help ourselves much but with a little luck we could have won 1 or 2 of them and climbed even higher in the rankings. We were a legit team that had a good chance to beat any team, anywhere. Who knows what happened that caused the meltdown. Maybe the roof falling in at indiana caused it. Maybe no one could stay focused once Fran's son was diagnosed. Maybe Fran just isn't a great coach.
The whole point to this post that is too long so no one will read is that hiring a new coach is a gamble and keeping Fran and hoping he does better is a gamble. If we had a sure thing coach i would be all for it but that's probably not going to happen. It wasn't easy to dig us out of the hole that we were in but Fran did it. He did it without catching hardly any breaks and while withstanding more than his share of bad breaks. In my opinion, we have a lot better chance of the bad breaks stopping and taking the next step with Fran than hiring a random coach and taking the next step with him. I wouldn't feel that way if i couldn't write a book on all the unfortunate things that's happened in the last couple years. I didn't even bring up how this year and the forseeable future would look if Kentucky didn't have to fallback to their 3rd option at point guard.
Last year we fought our way to a top 10 ranking after losing 3 close games in horrible fashion. Again we didn't help ourselves much but with a little luck we could have won 1 or 2 of them and climbed even higher in the rankings. We were a legit team that had a good chance to beat any team, anywhere. Who knows what happened that caused the meltdown. Maybe the roof falling in at indiana caused it. Maybe no one could stay focused once Fran's son was diagnosed. Maybe Fran just isn't a great coach.
The whole point to this post that is too long so no one will read is that hiring a new coach is a gamble and keeping Fran and hoping he does better is a gamble. If we had a sure thing coach i would be all for it but that's probably not going to happen. It wasn't easy to dig us out of the hole that we were in but Fran did it. He did it without catching hardly any breaks and while withstanding more than his share of bad breaks. In my opinion, we have a lot better chance of the bad breaks stopping and taking the next step with Fran than hiring a random coach and taking the next step with him. I wouldn't feel that way if i couldn't write a book on all the unfortunate things that's happened in the last couple years. I didn't even bring up how this year and the forseeable future would look if Kentucky didn't have to fallback to their 3rd option at point guard.
If you think the OP has a ton of excuses then i advise not reading mine. And FWIW, the Lick excuse still aplies but only when people say there has only been one tournament appearance in 4 years. Where Lick left us has absolutely nothing to do with what happens this year or even last year. But these last 3 years (the ones that matter) Fran has us pretty much exactly where Davis had us. A bubble team that sweats selection sunday.
So your basis for Iowa being in good shape is because Bracketology has Iowa a 9 seed with an arrow in red pointing down indicating stock and seed falling? lol..
Dude I'm watching the product on the court, might want to try that..
Fran was still the coach last week when we looked like we could blow through our schedule. I wouldn't say we are in good shape but we probably have a 50&50 chance to make the tourney. Probably about the same odds as we had when the season started. If we do make it, we will have been one win short 2 years ago from making it 3 years in a row. I know, that's a lot of if's.
HawkPrdatr40
Well-Known Member
Have you fallen and hit your head? You really think that Fran has us where Davis had us these last 3 years? My response is NO WAY!
Tom Davis last 4 season Iowa's finished 4th, 2nd, 5th and 3rd place in the Big Ten. Fran's best finish is 6th place. In Mr. Davis's 13 seasons as coach at Iowa the Hawks finished 5th or better in 10 of those 13 season. A bubble team that sweats selection Sunday? Out of Tom Davis 9 visits to the NCAA Tournament I can think of maybe 3 seasons where we as fans were sweating. In 1998-1995 and 1991. IMO Iowa got screwed in 1998.
NEIChawk
Well-Known Member
My expectations are to watch a core group of kids come into the University that can make a difference in attitude by creating a winning atmosphere and I'm seeing these kids not get any better than when they started, so, to me that's the reality. I am also saying the same thing regarding Fran. Fran should not be happy with what he sees on the court, and the players should feel the same regarding their coach. We are faltering and no one seems to have an answer...
blubberhawk
Well-Known Member
Get back to me when Fran wins an NCAA tournament game. (no comparisons to Tom Davis, please)
blubberhawk
Well-Known Member
So after 5 years, you are good going into seasons thinking we have a 50/50 chance at the NCAA tourney? Not exactly a ringing endorsement for a program turn around.
I would say that this year, Fran is lucky that there is only one team in the Big 10 that is a legitimate final 4 contender. Most years there are 2 or 3 in addition to 3 or 4 others that are possible sweet 16 teams. The Big 10 is a bit down this year and yet we are still riding the bubble. (if we are lucky) I still find it hard to believe that at 15-10, Iowa is still considered to be "in".
Iowa has had much better teams than this one, left out.
deanvogs
Well-Known Member
Last year at this time we were 18-6 and ranked #16 in the AP poll. We just destroyed #10 Michigan at home. We then went on to lose to 4 teams that didn't make the NCAA. So you will have to excuse me while I go wait for the other shoe to drop. Bracketology means nothing right now, as if it did we would have been a 4 or 5 seed last year instead of a #12 seed.
I'm not "good" with it. But for most teams, the year after losing your best player is a bit of a down year. What I'm really not good with is how we finished last year. I just don't know the reason why so i would rather gamble on Fran building another top 10 team that doesn't collapse than gamble on a new coach to simply get us into the tournament. Fran wasn't just a win or two from getting into the field of 64 the last two years, he was really close to having huge years.
