Pulling the starters

[olivecourt]

That game really stung, and obviously most of the talk is going to be about the last 30 seconds. But I would argue that Fran's move to pull all of the starters 5 minutes in was absolutely huge and tells us everything we need to know about where he can take the team. I'd compare it to the way Lick would just stand and fume while we would get buried. I think it shows us that:

A. Fran is not going to stand there and watch crap.
B. He can challenge his players without losing them or wrecking their confidence.
C. Every single player on the team has respect for him and trusts his decisions.
D. He has brass balls.

Hopefully in the near future this game will be long forgotten and we will be reaping the rewards of these traits. For now it is a very refreshing change even though the results aren't there yet.

 

[BALDIES7980]

Frankly I was concerned after they got down big with the 2nd 5 in and then all of a sudden McCabe got ****** and put them on his back and they fought their way out of the corner. Impressed me.

 

[storminspank]

It worked. Props to the staff.
Part of me thought it was a last ditch effort that was going to result in a 20+ pt loss. I thought it was nearly hopeless when Iowa was down 22-9.

Turned out to work for Fran and his team.

 

[TheNebraskaHawk]

I agree Stormin and even asked the question if the team had given up at that point.I really did like the fact that Fran pulled the entire starting five and agree with the OP, the fact that the team came back and fought shows the difference from last year and this year!

 

[Thawki]

Isn't it funny that intelligent basketball people, I'll put myself in that category although I wasn't thinking that quite yet at that time, can think the game is over when we are down by 13 in the first half? That just shows how downtrodden we were as a fan base going into this season.

 

[hawkIhoops]

The starters needed to get pulled and props to McCabe for stepping up. I have been critical of him throughout the season and he still makes some really poor decisions with the ball, but he showed some fire last night when we needed it. May is a complete liability on the floor and needs to lose his starting job. I would love to believe Archie can contribute more than hustle, but the dude has awful hands and is possibly the worst free throw shooter in college basketball.

Having Payne last night woudl have helped, as NW exploited our lack of ballhandling and we looked crap against their half court trap all night. Not hard to figure out that you need to pass the ball before you get double and triple teamed. Nice comeback, but really poor decision making late in the game (again). If not for Cartwright putting the team on his back, we lose by 15+/.

 

[hawkeye2188]

It worked. Props to the staff.
Part of me thought it was a last ditch effort that was going to result in a 20+ pt loss. I thought it was nearly hopeless when Iowa was down 22-9.

Turned out to work for Fran and his team.

I didnt get to watch the game but checked the score on my phone and when I saw it was 22-9 and the team already had 4 or 5 fouls I was thinking FML, glad to see the team was resiliant and fought back even though it was a tough loss.

 

[Herkeynerd]

The starters needed to get pulled and props to McCabe for stepping up. I have been critical of him throughout the season and he still makes some really poor decisions with the ball, but he showed some fire last night when we needed it. May is a complete liability on the floor and needs to lose his starting job. I would love to believe Archie can contribute more than hustle, but the dude has awful hands and is possibly the worst free throw shooter in college basketball.

Having Payne last night woudl have helped, as NW exploited our lack of ballhandling and we looked crap against their half court trap all night. Not hard to figure out that you need to pass the ball before you get double and triple teamed. Nice comeback, but really poor decision making late in the game (again). If not for Cartwright putting the team on his back, we lose by 15+/.

I see a trend here. Every time a player gets called out by the fanbase, they come back within a few games to really put together a nice game.
Early on some called out Basabe saying he looked young and overwhelmed. Later we called out Gatens when he was slow to recover from the hand injury. McCabe had a bad stretch and people were saying he gave the team nothing just this week (and what happened last night?). Now we are calling out May, saying he needs replaced and that he's a liability.

I don't know if this message board stuff gets to the players, but it seems like they have responded every time we see a lack of production. Hopefully there is enough season left to finish strong, because if May picks it up, he is the difference maker. (Not to be echoing what the announcers say, but they are correct, I've noticed that trend as well.)

 

[HawkPrdatr40]

I see a trend here. Every time a player gets called out by the fanbase, they come back within a few games to really put together a nice game.
Early on some called out Basabe saying he looked young and overwhelmed. Later we called out Gatens when he was slow to recover from the hand injury. McCabe had a bad stretch and people were saying he gave the team nothing just this week (and what happened last night?). Now we are calling out May, saying he needs replaced and that he's a liability.

I don't know if this message board stuff gets to the players, but it seems like they have responded every time we see a lack of production. Hopefully there is enough season left to finish strong, because if May picks it up, he is the difference maker. (Not to be echoing what the announcers say, but they are correct, I've noticed that trend as well.)

Something is up with May. Not quite sure if it's a confidence thing right now, but he is struggling..

 

[homes]

That game really stung, and obviously most of the talk is going to be about the last 30 seconds. But I would argue that Fran's move to pull all of the starters 5 minutes in was absolutely huge and tells us everything we need to know about where he can take the team. I'd compare it to the way Lick would just stand and fume while we would get buried. I think it shows us that:

A. Fran is not going to stand there and watch crap.
B. He can challenge his players without losing them or wrecking their confidence.
C. Every single player on the team has respect for him and trusts his decisions.
D. He has brass balls.

Hopefully in the near future this game will be long forgotten and we will be reaping the rewards of these traits. For now it is a very refreshing change even though the results aren't there yet.

My ears were burning and I was 500 miles away. Good for him AND good for the team - they need to have their backside roasted when they're not giving full effort.

 

[icwesthawkeye]

I thought taking out the starters was one of the best things I've seen from coach all season. I think he got some people's attention and got them to play at a higher level. It could have easily gone the other way and a 13 pt deficit could have grown to 20 but it worked the way coach wanted it to and we got back in the game. My guess is that we come out and play hard next game, may not win, but at least start hard from the beginning. I really hope we sign 2 more guys that can make a difference next year and we become relevant again. Iowa basketball needs to be relevant for me to survive the long winters and to enjoy the NCAA tourney again.

 

[sportstalent]

I like the fact that he bench ALL of them, there have been times when Fran has gotten on some players, even though none of them were playing well. Congrats to McCabe for contributing something, too bad someone from the bench didn't step up in the 2nd half and contribute. Good for Stoermer for hitting a tough 3-pointer when Iowa hadn't scored and looked lost, that got Iowa going.
It takes a lot to just put your whole starting five down, but he called a 30 sec timeout about four possesions earlier and reamed them, the only thing I could read lips on and repeat was "what are you doing?" I think he asked each player that was on the floor. What do the starters do...go out and give up 3 more 3-pointers and the light shone down on Fran and he benched them all.
The spark the bench gave was huge, why isn't it there all the time, there are some other games Iowa could have won with energy like that from the bench.
When Cully is back next year, there is the true ball handler that Iowa needs off the bench and everyone plays their proper positions. If Iowa can sign Shaquille Stokes, he seems on paper like a Cartwright clone, but needs weightroom work, which is to be expected. That would give Iowa's bench more versatilty at every position.
Anyway, back to the original point...the move was great and it hopefully opened some eyes. Also, I am still not sold that Iowa has to go recruit a C based on all that I have seen from Brommer/Archie, not just last night, but all season.