Small Ball

[HawkAssassin]

I will state off the bat that I did not go to the game tonight. I've only seen the box score. This game doesn't change what our players are capable of... this team still has every opportunity to play big games in March.

At first glance the stats on both sides seemed to be relatively even, but the rebounding numbers definitely stood out to me as I read the box score. Iowa was outrebounded by 7 boards total and by 2 on the offensive glass by a division 2 school.... that should never happen.

I recall an article from ESPN insider that I saw from Dakich near the end of last year. Within that article, Dakich referenced that he had talked with some B1G players who claimed that the toughest B1G team that they had played was not Wisconsin (either the best or second best B1G team in the last decade), Michigan State (a final four team lead by a once in a generation coach), or Maryland (a team with an All-B1G backcourt). Some stated that IOWA was their toughest opponent. It was astounding to me that we could receive such praise considering the talents of some of these teams. Iowa did not earn that praise due to being the most talented or aesthetically pleasing team. We earned that praise because we had a unique team identity and had players that fit our identity on both ends of the floor. We relied on our height to dominate the boards and create mismatches on offense and defense.

In our quest to fix our shooting woes from the last couple of years, it seems to me that we have forsaken what has gotten us to this point. We no longer start a lineup that can dominate competition on the glass like before. Making a transition like this is fine if you had the proper players to pull it off. I don't believe we have the personnel to spread the floor, beat players 1 on 1, and make three's like ISU or some other such team. Despite going with a smaller lineup tonight, we still shot below 40% from the arc and 45% overall. What little we've gained in shot making capability is offset by a massive downgrade in rebounding and defense.

Going to a smaller lineup has stripped us of any UNIQUE TEAM IDENTITY that made us tough to play against. There is nothing that I can point to when the starters are on the floor that I think would be top tier in the B1G whether it be athleticism, shot making, rebounding, defense, ball handling, and so on as a whole unit.

I have nothing but respect for Sapp, but I would rather see Uhl, Jones, or even Baer in the main lineup at some point. I think it would be the best thing for the team and Sapp could also help stabilize the bench somewhat.

Go Hawks!

 

[NikeHawk21]

I agree 100% and I felt that way even before the loss last night. I think Uhl and Jones are both capable outside shooters as well, so in theory we could still have 4 3pt shooters in our starting five. I've always loved AC but I just think starting him alongside MG has proven to not be a sound strategy. Also, I think AC can be a rock on the second unit and will benefit Wagner in the pick and roll and Fleming in the drive and kick game.

 

[PCHawk]

Why did Uhl only play 2 minutes? Hopefully there is a reason because if it's because that's all he deserves, we're in trouble.

 

[ibahawkeye]

I agree. I like Clemmons coming off the bench. Add some senior leadership to the bench and if Uhl is going to be the back up big man, he can be first to sub out and get a breather before coming back in for Woody.

 

[Stanzi]

You'd better get used to being out-rebounded unfortunately. We just don't have much size, and the size we do have (Woodbury) can't rebound. Small ball is our best option quite frankly, but Woodbury needs to ride the pine. Roll out Jones and Uthoff as our "bigs" and have Jok, Gessell and Uhl out there as well. Clemmons is a good sixth man off the bench. Woodbury only hurts us as a starter. He can't score. He doesn't rebound. He doesn't block shots. He pokes people in the eyes.

 

[HawkAssassin]

You'd better get used to being out-rebounded unfortunately. We just don't have much size, and the size we do have (Woodbury) can't rebound. Small ball is our best option quite frankly, but Woodbury needs to ride the pine. Roll out Jones and Uthoff as our "bigs" and have Jok, Gessell and Uhl out there as well. Clemmons is a good sixth man off the bench. Woodbury only hurts us as a starter. He can't score. He doesn't rebound. He doesn't block shots. He pokes people in the eyes.

I actually agree with your idea of putting Jones out there in place of Woody if you're going to play small ball. Jones might struggle defending, but at the very least when your lineup is on the floor there is something I can point to that will be tough for opponents to play against. That team, in theory, could be good from 3 and doesn't lose much creativity off the bounce from the lineup we're using now. I'd argue we might actually improve in the long run on defense and rebounding.

As I stated before, with our current starting lineup, there is nothing out there that is top tier in the B1G and puts fear into opposing coaches. Other than getting back on defense, I don't know what exactly other coaches would be worried about with our starters on the floor. Hell, we don't have White or Olaseni to run the floor who put pressure on the defense to always be alert in getting back.

 

[HawkPrdatr40]

Woodbury has started 104 out of 105 games at Iowa. Mindboggling Stat.

 

[HawkAssassin]

Why did Uhl only play 2 minutes? Hopefully there is a reason because if it's because that's all he deserves, we're in trouble.

I can't say that I know the situation fully and it's probably a little unfair to say anything without inside info, but I'm a little mad at Fran for how he treated not just Uhl, but all the other newcomers in this game.

I'm a huge believer that most players at this level and beyond improve some by practice/ offseason work, but most player growth comes from playing in games and learning from your playing experience. There are two examples that exemplify this that we're all familiar with in White and Marble. Both of them we're asked to contribute right away as freshman starters and I believe that they became better players by taking their lumps.

I remember when I first saw White against Creighton and UNI his first year. He avoided contact like the plague and threw up the weakest shots in those games. Eventually, he figured out "Hey, I can't continue to play weak if I want to be out there playing" and changed. He sought out contact around the rim, got to the free throw line consistently, and finished with authority around the rim. Aaron didn't really learn any new tricks in his time here, he learned how to maximize his strengths and contribute to the team. Similarly with Devyn, he was asked to do a lot of ballhandling/decision making early on and it wasn't always pretty. He made mistakes, studied them, worked his butt off to become better, and led Iowa's resurgence into the tournament.

Fran stated that he would keep next year in mind this year knowing that he'll need the youth to start growing if we want to make the dance. Exhibition results don't matter, they should be used as opportunities to give players game experience to build on. If any of the newbies are going to be starter caliber players next year, it will not be because they sat on a bench all year long or did really well in practice, otherwise Uhl would already be Michael Jordan and Josh Oglesby would be draining threes for the Hawks.

 

[BigD]

Woodbury has started 104 out of 105 games at Iowa. Mindboggling Stat.

I will say this is a worrisome stat. It's been said that it takes the BIGS longer to come around and develope their game. Woody by his Junior year likely had as much experience as most senior BIGS on other teams. He needs to play BIG for us this year and be a leader on this team.

If he is going to be that type of player it should show up from game one. If not put Uhl, Jones, and Uthoff at the post positions together. Rebounding might not be the best and defense under the basket may not be the best but that should be one hell of an offensive scoring threat from the post as all three of those guys can shoot and drive. I am not judging Woody at this time as we haven't played a game that counts yet. Come on Woody!!!!!!! Be the MAN in the middle that we all hoped you would be when you committed to IOWA!!!! Go Hawks!!!

 

[SteveGarvey]

You'd better get used to being out-rebounded unfortunately. We just don't have much size, and the size we do have (Woodbury) can't rebound. Small ball is our best option quite frankly, but Woodbury needs to ride the pine. Roll out Jones and Uthoff as our "bigs" and have Jok, Gessell and Uhl out there as well. Clemmons is a good sixth man off the bench. Woodbury only hurts us as a starter. He can't score. He doesn't rebound. He doesn't block shots. He pokes people in the eyes.

Disagree. The other teams respect his size and it alters their ability to get to the rack. He isn't a star but he is still a presence in there and isn't a terrible rebounder. And we'll only be playing small ball the ten minutes per game he's not on the court.