Somebody please give me some hope!!

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I think what is happening to Iowa basketball (Lick and Fran) is that they are pretty good coaches, but they don't seem to realize how much talent you really need to compete in the Big Ten. We just don't have the players (yet). If McCaffrey can recruit, we will be ok. If he can't, then nothing will change.

You can win with any type of system (slow, as in Lick, or fast, as in Fran) if you have enough talent. We just don't have the talent.
 
Tonight is the first night I have really questioned whether McCaffrey knows what he is doing. We were awful last year and IMO, a 911 emergency should have gone out to get better players in here (jucos or recruits). I don't get how keeping Archie, offering Olaseni (an afterthought to Katenda) and rolling the dice on Hubbard makes sense. Sick of hearing about all these guys that don't get offered etc., who are players, yet we seem addicted to projects.

Short on hope myself.

Yeah, I'm sure Fran never thought of that. Good grief.

We have an unfilled scholarship, so I'm not sure what getting rid of Archie would have accomplished. We didn't get Katenda, so unless you wanted to have two open scholarships, you've got to give it to someone. And rolling the dice on Hubbard was an attempt to accomplish exactly what you're asking for: getting better players.

Two of the three freshmen Fran brought in (Oglesby and White) have had immediate impact. Our recruiting class for next year is ranked in the top 20. This year has sucked, but it's not about this year-- and it really isn't about next year either. It's about building the foundation for a solid run of continuous success, and not sacrificing that for a bunch of juco guys that will get you to 18 wins right away but won't be here long enough to really change the program.
 
I think what is happening to Iowa basketball (Lick and Fran) is that they are pretty good coaches, but they don't seem to realize how much talent you really need to compete in the Big Ten. We just don't have the players (yet). If McCaffrey can recruit, we will be ok. If he can't, then nothing will change.

You can win with any type of system (slow, as in Lick, or fast, as in Fran) if you have enough talent. We just don't have the talent.

What further evidence do you need to demonstrate that Fran can recruit pretty damn well?
 
I think what is happening to Iowa basketball (Lick and Fran) is that they are pretty good coaches, but they don't seem to realize how much talent you really need to compete in the Big Ten. We just don't have the players (yet). If McCaffrey can recruit, we will be ok. If he can't, then nothing will change.

You can win with any type of system (slow, as in Lick, or fast, as in Fran) if you have enough talent. We just don't have the talent.

This was the exact problem with Greg McDermott at ISU. Obviously he can coach, ala UNI and now Creighton. One or two pretty nice players and some disciplined ball can get you wins in those conferences or at least enough to develop a reputation and pick up some recruiting momentum. However, when you're in a major conference, you need 7-8 athletes capable of scoring and playing D/rebounding in order to win consistently. Luckily for McDermott, his son also happened to be an awesome player, right at the perfect time in his career, and has probably set his dad up for a decade of success.

Anyway, not all of these mid-major coaches can pick up the talent that they need to compete in a major conference. Maybe they just underestimate the talent needed, or maybe they aren't able to recruit it, but either way it's a problem.
 
Kids haven't been lining up to play for Iowa folks. The fact that Fran has been able to have a top 20 class already is amazing. The program has been garbage. It will take time to pull out of the dive.
 
Jury is still out on Fran. If after the 2013-14 season its not turned around, he won't do it.
At this point, I'm almost convinced that Alfraud purposely wrecked the program.

Better get off the Alfraud kick. Lickliter left this program in shambles. Sorry but that is the TRUTH...

Fran is the right guy and he will be given time. He is IMO on the right track. Hence highly touted class coming in next year, something Lickliter COULDN'T DO.
 

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