MelroseHawkins
Well-Known Member
NEVER gets old!
You left this out: Good objective post....
That post/poster basically slams most of which resembles the notion that we have to hit threes and nothing else can be done and any question of that is stupid. And then you went on and talked about that things could be done to change things up (my paraphrase).
I don't get the defense of coaches on here (well maybe not Brian) and not seeing what is before us as to what is not being done.
Granted Fran is living it and yes no coach wins everything. He's still missing a championship.
My take is that aside from for a while not recruiting real point guards (now he has them), is that Fran coached teams miss certain fundamentals. And at that I am less critical than some (You have heard me say plenty of times to never underestimate KF or FM). Yet, when I bring up some real items that aren't being addressed some of you seem like Barta is going to monitor this forum and kick you all out of IC.
All coaches have blind sides. Some worse than others. Fran has had the talent in recent years to win the Big. We all would like to see that.
The biggest challenges I see for Iowa are:
Defensive body position is not fundamentally sound including arms, hands and feet.
Shooting fundamentals are lacking across the whole team (meaning some have good and others not so good)
Passing to the open 3 man doesn't consistently put them in the best position. Largely Iowa is decent at bounce passes to the post, but not as many as there should be. Not nearly as much given Iowa's successful shooting the past 2 games within the arc.
From a web site: Every pass you make to an open shooter will lead to the success or failure of the shot. A good pass to the player’s shooting pocket will lead to a rhythm shot. The shooting pocket is the spot where a shooter holds the ball right before they go up for their shot. A pass that is too low or too high will get the shooter out of his rhythm. It also gives the defense time to react and take away the shot opportunity.
Modern Basketball Fundamentals: Passing and Catching | SportsEdTV
Trust me, as a player and coach for over 45 years, I've learned (often the hard way) that violating these fundamentals leads to turnovers and easy baskets for your opponents.sportsedtv.com
I'm all for teasing and some friendly bickering. You seem like a high school kid trying to get points from the local bully who is also the gym monitor.
Back to the subject, Fran leaves out of a lot of the little things. He just does. His preferred method of getting his way seems to be blowing up.
I think we all do.Man you got issues.
Hawks are not going to lose out - I think the ceiling is 3-3 (MSU and Nebraska + 1 in B10T).This team isn't going to make noise in March. Kris is not near Keegan, yet. Many areas lacking. Hey, we lose out its all over anyway.
Let's not panic quite yet. We lost two road games to a team that will make the tourney with a decent seed and another who is on the bubble. We shot terrible.This sums up pretty well how I feel. I think some people got a little ahead of themselves when we won the 9 of 12 games. I've never thought that this was a "make-it-to-the-second-round" team but as InGoodCo points out, you never know what will happen. But I think we are trending to an 8-9 seed and would give us a tough matchup in the second round no matter who it ends up being (if we're lucky enough to advance to that round).
The last two losses are representative of what this team is. Not a great road team and pretty inconsistent. It probably plays out similar next Tuesday against Indiana on the road.
Look, I don't always agree with Fry's takes and attitude on the Board, but he doesn't pretend to know everyone/everything and he expresses himself in a way that is cogent/understandable. I know what he is saying on a given issue and I can readily agree or disagree with his positions. That is not true of all posters on this Board.....This one is prolly closer.
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Don't know who that would be. This is a discussion board. The Hawks aren't hitting 3s specifically. You seem to think it's just BB. I have no idea what you think of KF and "that's football". I express some coaching issues that I believe I see. Some on here don't think it's coaching but just being "that's BB". I disagree. Doesn't make me not understandable, nor a know it all.Look, I don't always agree with Fry's takes and attitude on the Board, but he doesn't pretend to know everyone/everything and he expresses himself in a way that is cogent/understandable. I know what he is saying on a given issue and I can readily agree or disagree with his positions. That is not true of all posters on this Board.....
The type of press Iowa runs now is not nearly as demanding as what Davis' was. I would actually like to see them be more aggressive with the press. With their length, I think it would be even more effective. The major concern is not having someone at the back to protect the rim.Iowa pressed the whole game. Iowa goes 7 deep since Bowen doesn't play, 8 when Dix gets a few minutes. Davis used 10 guys or more to press. It's no wonder guys were grabbing, reaching, and running into their man down the stretch. Guys had to be exhausted. Whisky made Iowa defend the entire shotclock and defended Iowa many times until the shotclock buzzer. Fran has been critiqued in the past for playing too many guys but this year he has been really negligent in developing a bench. I don't know why a big man hasn't been spelling Rebraca and why Bowen hasn't been given some more time. Portal will be busy after the season. I'm ready to see almost anyone from the bench at this point when the starters are struggling like last night. Also like to see guys pulled more ofter when they are hurting the team.
No panic at all. Not sure where you're getting that. I have said for some time that we just are not a good road team and we've shown that. I don't think we have a snowball's chance in hell of beating Indiana next Tuesday. I hope I am wrong on that. But the home games, we should win both. And I think the B1G tournament could hold some surprises. We could get hot and win some games.Let's not panic quite yet. We lost two road games to a team that will make the tourney with a decent seed and another who is on the bubble. We shot terrible.
There are three games left, two of which are at home, and against teams that are all playing well. We probably need to get 1 to ensure we are in the dance. 2 and we are in. 3 and we have a decent seed.
Were these games a sign of the fabled Fran fade or just a blip? Time will tell, but let's not panic yet.
Yeah it's head scratching how tight the bench is. Either he's experimenting or he's got no confidence in the guys on the bench. I kinda lean towards the later. Myself I'd want to be playing Dix and Bowen more. They are the future and actually have potential. Ulis is so hit or miss and usually he's not playing all that great. I'd be fine with him playing 20 mins or less instead of 30ish. With the McCafferys not shooting so hot lately (putting it nicely) I'd be up for going to a 3 guard look off the bench with Dix Bowen and Perkins at times but I don't know if they've ever done that.Iowa pressed the whole game. Iowa goes 7 deep since Bowen doesn't play, 8 when Dix gets a few minutes. Davis used 10 guys or more to press. It's no wonder guys were grabbing, reaching, and running into their man down the stretch. Guys had to be exhausted. Whisky made Iowa defend the entire shotclock and defended Iowa many times until the shotclock buzzer. Fran has been critiqued in the past for playing too many guys but this year he has been really negligent in developing a bench. I don't know why a big man hasn't been spelling Rebraca and why Bowen hasn't been given some more time. Portal will be busy after the season. I'm ready to see almost anyone from the bench at this point when the starters are struggling like last night. Also like to see guys pulled more ofter when they are hurting the team.
If Iowa is the worst at the differential, what are the possibilities? Last night IL after getting smoked in the 1st half with dismal 3 point chucks at the rim, went to more of an inside game and drive game...and beat NW badly in the paint.I must say it is near amazing how all of our team can be on the same page at the same time missing 3's at an incredibly high rate. Open 3's for the most part too as teams learn as the game progresses that guarding outside the arc is unnecessary. It simply is astounding to me we can be this bad as a team in games shooting the ball, like the main function of a bball player. They did show a stat showing we are like the worst in the country at PPG home vs away. We have team mental issues that is for sure.
Running up and down the court without playing defense is not that great when you’re playing a half court team that plays defense.The type of press Iowa runs now is not nearly as demanding as what Davis' was. I would actually like to see them be more aggressive with the press. With their length, I think it would be even more effective. The major concern is not having someone at the back to protect the rim.
I don't have that answer.If Iowa is the worst at the differential, what are the possibilities? Last night IL after getting smoked in the 1st half with dismal 3 point chucks at the rim, went to more of an inside game and drive game...and beat NW badly in the paint.
It's easy to say....well we don't shoot well on the road...like a lot of teams. Get that. What does one o to offset that issue???
Wow, saw the length of whatever this is and didn't get past the first sentence. I doubt anyone else did. Yawn.Don't know who that would be. This is a discussion board. The Hawks aren't hitting 3s specifically. You seem to think it's just BB. I have no idea what you think of KF and "that's football". I express some coaching issues that I believe I see. Some on here don't think it's coaching but just being "that's BB". I disagree. Doesn't make me not understandable, nor a know it all.
IL beat NW last night on the road. They were down 18 in first half. Iowa had the IU game like that. The IU game for Iowa was largely on Sandfort. With IL last night NO one was hitting. Shannon hit 2 three pointers. The rest of his 26 points came within the arc.
The key to IL last night was that they didn't keep doing the same thing.... chucking up 3s. IL chucks up more threes typically than Iowa does.
My only points in this are:
Dont keep doing the same thing in the same game against the same team and expect different than the same results. That is my opinion and doesn't make me a know it all.
Iowa is limited because of the significant minutes of a player that came into Hawkdom with bad shooting skills. Yes he does occasionally hit for decent numbers, but he has a whole bunch of 0 to 3-point games in his 6-year career. Yes, he brings a lot of other attributes that are positive, but if you have 1 guy on the floor who is not a natural scorer, you'd better have 4 guys that are. PM came in with more of a scorer mentality, but he came in with a push shot. It was like someone didn't coach him on his shot from 5th grade on. With that shot, he has to be WIDE open as he and his brother can not really from the outside go up and over an opponent. I love PMs attacks on the basket, but against NW and W, the opponent clogged up the middle to keep drives from happening because Murray and Flip were being played tight with both tying up 3 defenders leaving someone wide open who wasn't hitting. PM can hit wide open. CM is all over the place of shooting wide open. At best he looks awkward, a bit like Mark Gannon from the outside.
Against both W and NW, IOWA just did NOT change things up to draw 3 defenders away from the basket which would open up the driving lanes which would fit, Perkins, Ullis, and PM. From a coaching standpoint, many won't understand that. It's like FB continually running up the guy for 2 downs and passing on 3rd with an immobile QB.
Lastly, Iowa is not great at defense. IL is. If you can't shoot, ramping up D intensity is a way out of it. Iowa can't do that.
Lastly against W, Iowa responded by taking minutes away from Murray instead of figuring out how to get him the ball closer in. Murray and Flip had 18 between them. In my opinion that is a bigger issue than the 3 percentage as the Hawks didn't do much to open those guys up which would happen if the others could/would drive to the basket. Certainly Iowa has contingencies for that when the opponent is clogging the lane but some on here think that is not what the Hawks do and it can't be rectified late in the season or at half time.
Simple as that. Sorry you think it is a no it all attitude.
Where I might be a little smart is in saying that I don't understand how 2 players of a D1 Power Conference coach get to this level with a push set shot and an awkward unnatural shot. I will never understand that. I doubt Fry doesn't teach basic fundamentals of baseball to his son such as how place the hands on a bat or from outfield lining the body up on a fly catch to throw home with minimal time and maximum force.
The game was actually played at Illinois.Don't know who that would be. This is a discussion board. The Hawks aren't hitting 3s specifically. You seem to think it's just BB. I have no idea what you think of KF and "that's football". I express some coaching issues that I believe I see. Some on here don't think it's coaching but just being "that's BB". I disagree. Doesn't make me not understandable, nor a know it all.
IL beat NW last night on the road. They were down 18 in first half. Iowa had the IU game like that. The IU game for Iowa was largely on Sandfort. With IL last night NO one was hitting. Shannon hit 2 three pointers. The rest of his 26 points came within the arc.
The key to IL last night was that they didn't keep doing the same thing.... chucking up 3s. IL chucks up more threes typically than Iowa does.
My only points in this are:
Dont keep doing the same thing in the same game against the same team and expect different than the same results. That is my opinion and doesn't make me a know it all.
Iowa is limited because of the significant minutes of a player that came into Hawkdom with bad shooting skills. Yes he does occasionally hit for decent numbers, but he has a whole bunch of 0 to 3-point games in his 6-year career. Yes, he brings a lot of other attributes that are positive, but if you have 1 guy on the floor who is not a natural scorer, you'd better have 4 guys that are. PM came in with more of a scorer mentality, but he came in with a push shot. It was like someone didn't coach him on his shot from 5th grade on. With that shot, he has to be WIDE open as he and his brother can not really from the outside go up and over an opponent. I love PMs attacks on the basket, but against NW and W, the opponent clogged up the middle to keep drives from happening because Murray and Flip were being played tight with both tying up 3 defenders leaving someone wide open who wasn't hitting. PM can hit wide open. CM is all over the place of shooting wide open. At best he looks awkward, a bit like Mark Gannon from the outside.
Against both W and NW, IOWA just did NOT change things up to draw 3 defenders away from the basket which would open up the driving lanes which would fit, Perkins, Ullis, and PM. From a coaching standpoint, many won't understand that. It's like FB continually running up the guy for 2 downs and passing on 3rd with an immobile QB.
Lastly, Iowa is not great at defense. IL is. If you can't shoot, ramping up D intensity is a way out of it. Iowa can't do that.
Lastly against W, Iowa responded by taking minutes away from Murray instead of figuring out how to get him the ball closer in. Murray and Flip had 18 between them. In my opinion that is a bigger issue than the 3 percentage as the Hawks didn't do much to open those guys up which would happen if the others could/would drive to the basket. Certainly Iowa has contingencies for that when the opponent is clogging the lane but some on here think that is not what the Hawks do and it can't be rectified late in the season or at half time.
Simple as that. Sorry you think it is a no it all attitude.
Where I might be a little smart is in saying that I don't understand how 2 players of a D1 Power Conference coach get to this level with a push set shot and an awkward unnatural shot. I will never understand that. I doubt Fry doesn't teach basic fundamentals of baseball to his son such as how place the hands on a bat or from outfield lining the body up on a fly catch to throw home with minimal time and maximum force.