Ronnie Lester
- Thread starter tm3308
- Start date
HawkeyeRyno
Banned
Would be nice to get him on staff. Not sure what Sherman Dillard has added to this staff so far. Considering he ran several Nike camps he hasn't used those connections. If Kyle Meyer is his only contribution then he has failed so far, especially compared to the assistants in Ames. I say can Dillard and bring in Lester.
MinnHawk01
Well-Known Member
Dillard was lead recruiter for White I believe. He also got Cezar to look at IA. Some success there. More than Francis I believe - not a knock on Francis as I think he is actively recruiting & will be bringing them in soon.
That being said, if Lester is interested, you find a way to get him on the staff. I'd be surprised if he is interested though.
That being said, if Lester is interested, you find a way to get him on the staff. I'd be surprised if he is interested though.
tm3308
Well-Known Member
I'm not sure how interested Lester would be, either. Just that the latest story about the circumstances around his firing got me thinking about the possibility.
Also, if you follow Francis on Twitter, you notice that the dude gets around. He's almost always in a hotel or on a plane. And even if he's not bringing a feast to the table when it comes to recruiting, I like what he brings as an actual coach. He did some really good work with Cole (who credited Francis for the development of Cole's 15 footer), and Brommer showed quite a bit of improvement on the offensive end (still made the foolish fouls on the other end). With a guy who could be a solid project on the roster (Stokes), I wouldn't mind keeping a guy like Francis around.
ColumbusHawk
Well-Known Member
Lester brings nothing to the table. While he is in the top Iowa four players I've ever seen play for Iowa, it has been thirty-two years since he played for Iowa.
tm3308
Well-Known Member
That's not where I expected him to have pull with recruits. He's spent the last 20 years working in the Los Angeles Lakers front office. It seems that Hoiberg at the very least appears to offer something to recruits because of his NBA connections. I have a hard time believing that Lester's connections wouldn't be better.
hawkeyemark
Well-Known Member
I probably watched every game Ronnie Lester play at the Fieldhouse in my college days and think highly of him. I don't necessarily think we need him on the staff and Ronnie can still help us from behind the scenes. Fran since the day he got here has made an effort to reach out to our former players and make them part of the family.
Fran IMO did a terrific job putting together this coaching staff and I don't really understand the doubting this early in the game. I write that even feeling that they dropped the ball in not signing a point guard in this class. This staff works their tails off, has a sharp eye for under the radar talent and in one season has shown signs of well above average player development. We have every reason in my mind to appreciate what we have.
Fran IMO did a terrific job putting together this coaching staff and I don't really understand the doubting this early in the game. I write that even feeling that they dropped the ball in not signing a point guard in this class. This staff works their tails off, has a sharp eye for under the radar talent and in one season has shown signs of well above average player development. We have every reason in my mind to appreciate what we have.
sportstalent
Well-Known Member
It would be nice to see Ronnie take over as Director of Basketball Operations; Strom has been at Iowa a very long time...not sure how much longer he will be around.
As for your comment on Sherman Dillard, he has brought Aaron White and Kyle Meyer...don't judge until their careers are over, that is absurd. You harp on Meyer about how he didn't have other offers and tried to get a Clemson offer and didn't...does that make him a bad player? Meyer is a kid Iowa got on early and really wanted, he wanted to decide early and he did. If you look at how he has done this Spring and Summer, you need to pay attention.
Also, why are you so infatuated with Ames, I think you know more about what ISU is doing than Iowa. Hoiberg has chosen a way to build his program and so has Fran.
Fred is setting himself up for success earlier, but I am not so sure long term, Clod fans do not jump on this because I have zero issues with Hoiberg, he will be fine, I just see ups and downs until he establishes a roster without so many transfers, I could be wrong and it won't be the first time. I just like the way Fran is building for long term, he has brought in six freshman and now only one transfer. The freshman got nothing but better and all indications have improved over the offseason. Surrond that with one of the most experienced staffs around, so the coaching aspect of this staff is getting overlooked. Iowa right now is trying to bring in the best players it can get on campus. The Hawks have about 10 active targets in the Top 150, with the open scholarships available it would be nice to see Iowa land three of those, is it going to happen...who knows. The thing that I really look at is the the next wave of players they are recruiting...check out those targets that have Iowa on their list, no real slouches there either. Fran and staff are looking at top players and they are looking at players that are considered under the radar. Iowa cannot afford to just recruit the highly ranked kids, but if they continue to bring in 3* players like Basabe, White and Meyer, then add some top 150 kids like Oglesby, I am fine with that.
One thing nobody on this board can deny is that Fran was left with not even half of a roster when he got here. There is only one possible way to fill the roster and that is go sign players just to fill a roster, Fran hasn't, he is looking at the future and he has too. Would a PG in the 2011 class been nice, sure, but so would have a top rated Center. It is going to take Fran two full recruiting seasons, plus his first class just to get the roster filled with depth accross the board.
Here is what I have seen from Iowa under Fran so far...staff with loads of experience and a team that improved about as much as anyone in the country from game one to the end, no matter what their record ended up being. The fans like the style and the coaches attitude, he actually has a personality. Iowa is bringing in kids that can play basketball, are they in all cases going to be major contributors as freshman, no, but judge them throughout their career and not just their first year. Iowa is going to be fine so long as us the fans don't get overblown with our expectations. It is nice to think that Iowa could win 20 games next year, but a winning record would be a nice start, then go from there. One prediction I had was that this will be Fran's only losing season, even with the loss of Hubbard, I still like that prediction.
Also, people want to harp on Iowa having four starters back from a 20-loss team, like that is a terrible thing...my thought, Iowa has four starters back for the first time in how long? The roster turnover and defections have done nothing but leave Iowa in the position that Iowa was when Fran got here. The starters were never really the problem last year, having no capable bench players really hurt Iowa in some games that they could have been more competitive in.
hawkeyemark
Well-Known Member
This staff doesn't need new blood although in regards to Ronnie Lester I would welcome sportstalent's idea of him coming in as Director of Basketball Operations if he had any interest in doing so. It takes a great deal of patience supporting a team in total rebuild mold like ours and constantly comparing what we do to other programs just leads to frustration. Knocking the recruitment of Kyle Meyer not only pre-judges the kid before he ever sets foot on campus but it misses the bigger picture. This staff has immediately made inroads into Atlanta, one of the hotbeds of high school basketball. Meyer plays on a great AAU team and if he has a good experience at Iowa others may follow.
sportstalent
Well-Known Member
Another state Iowa is getting serious looks at from kids is Texas: Jelon Hornbeak, Prince Ibeh and Daniel House are all Rivals 150 kids, House has eliminated Iowa, but have made Hornbeaks initial cut to nine schools, Ibeh has not done an intial cut, but he seems to be A&M bound, but who knows. This staff is also getting in on kids in old stomping grounds of Illinois and Michigan, being in Michigan I didn't realize just how many Hawkeye fans there are out here. Iowa is getting into Indiana as well, the Indianapolis area and Gary area, both traditionally have quality basketball.
The job at Iowa from the start had the deck stacked against Fran...that said, I expect Iowa to bring in a big class, maybe not in total ranking, but kids that will contribute and develop as Iowa will have at least three starters back, how many 2012 class kids start will be the question, who Iowa brings in, in addition to Meyer will be interesting. There will be no rush to judgement on any of those players. If Iowa misses on Gesell and Woodbury, the world will come to an end, but for me, it just keeps going. Fran will bring in guys that can play, the only question is how much can they contribute their first year on campus. What matters is how those players end their career, Iowa is a complete rebuild project.
BigD
Well-Known Member
Fire someone after one year? Maybe after three but one year is clearly not enough time. I do understand some of the lack of patience though. Even after Steve's last two seasons there were people who still wanted to keep him around. The same was true for Lickliter, but even all those things considered........fire a guy after one year? From what some have pointed out it sounds like he is doing fine to me.
jacknicholson
Well-Known Member
Very nice posts, Sportstalent. Insightful to the gills.
busabus114
Well-Known Member
Another well thought out post from Ryno
Safe to say you have no clue what Dillard has done
HawkeyeRyno
Banned
I like this idea better! Well said and fair point.
Just can't stand seeing ISU have instant turn around while we struggle especially given both teams have been on same level recently. If Fred is able to succeed immediately, this will make recruiting to Iowa even MORE difficult. I've personally seen their guys play in CCL and they are legit. Royce White will be best player in state and a one-and-done. Just dont undersand why Fran can't get that kind of talent. But I guess it's the opposite in football...
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sportstalent
Well-Known Member
Iowa had a coach that followed this plan, bring in transfers to jumpstart a program. The question I have is this: how did that work out long term? It is not sustainable, unless the few freshman that are brought in are home runs, Iowa's at that time either left or were not home runs. It just doesn't, look at programs like Cincinnati who relied so heavily on transfers, the coach leaves and they have no freshman in the program to develop for a few years. That is kind of where Iowa was left, except Iowa had some seniors when the change took place and nothing behind them. Iowa has been in the toilet and I like seeing a different philosophy on how Fran is building the program. Is Iowa going to take chances on kids, yeah as they did with Hubbard. However, when it came down to doing what is right and cutting ties with someone, he did.
The one thing with you focused on ISU, means that the fanbase is shifting its attention and disdain that Drake/UNI are better programs that both Iowa/ISU. That is a small, but positive sign that both programs are moving forward again and not backwards.
hawkeyemark
Well-Known Member
Ryno, I don't have much I can add to the many good comments sportstalent has made but will say this. I've survived in tough working enviornments in the military and government for many years not worrying about what other people do and taking care of my own business and doing things right. I think that philosophy applies well to alot of things in life including this. Don't worry about Hoiberg and Iowa State and keep your focus on Iowa and the way Fran approaches re-building our program. People do things differently in virtually all apsects of life.
