Zstatman
Well-Known Member
Fran and staff have played and coached a lot of basketball. From an Xs and Os perspective they know how to win. They've just never had the players to be able to execute that top tier winning basketball until this year. In listening to Fran's interviews over the years, mainly the post game interviews you could tell he knew what he was doing.
If you think back to just last year, who was the go to guy down the stretch? Right or wrong it was Tyler Cook. The team would try and get the ball inside to TC and let him use his athleticism to make a play. TC did have that one game in the NCAA against Tennessee I think, where he came out in the second half and played like we hoped he would play all the time. But TC just didn't have the offensive game to carry a team. If TC had come back this year Luka might not have had the season he has had.
So, fast forward to this year. Fran has to thank Frank and Luka Garza for this year. Frank challenged Luka to be the leader of this team, to think of himself to be the player t could be the guy at home and away that had the game to lead the team. Luka did his part and put in the work. Luka's emergence took the pressure off of everyone else, let the rest of them be the best they could be. But Luka has carried them. Fran and staff have done a great job of working with all this.
Fast forward to next year. Hawkeye Nation needs Luka to come back. Who will be the go to guy if he doesn't? At the beginning of the season we were thinking our incoming recruits were just so so, now we're thinknng these guys could be really good and none of them have to come in and be a savior. With the guys coming off injury next year quality depth shouldn't be an issue. Expectations will be sky high next year as long as Luka comes back. If Luka comes back Fran and staff will be a lot better coaches as a result.
go hawks
If you think back to just last year, who was the go to guy down the stretch? Right or wrong it was Tyler Cook. The team would try and get the ball inside to TC and let him use his athleticism to make a play. TC did have that one game in the NCAA against Tennessee I think, where he came out in the second half and played like we hoped he would play all the time. But TC just didn't have the offensive game to carry a team. If TC had come back this year Luka might not have had the season he has had.
So, fast forward to this year. Fran has to thank Frank and Luka Garza for this year. Frank challenged Luka to be the leader of this team, to think of himself to be the player t could be the guy at home and away that had the game to lead the team. Luka did his part and put in the work. Luka's emergence took the pressure off of everyone else, let the rest of them be the best they could be. But Luka has carried them. Fran and staff have done a great job of working with all this.
Fast forward to next year. Hawkeye Nation needs Luka to come back. Who will be the go to guy if he doesn't? At the beginning of the season we were thinking our incoming recruits were just so so, now we're thinknng these guys could be really good and none of them have to come in and be a savior. With the guys coming off injury next year quality depth shouldn't be an issue. Expectations will be sky high next year as long as Luka comes back. If Luka comes back Fran and staff will be a lot better coaches as a result.
go hawks
