Bigtenchamp
Well-Known Member
alford is just such a horrible person - its not really his coaching that made him so hated here.
The Alford Stuff
- Thread starter JonDMiller
- Start date
I think most fans were okay with the Alford hire. However many fans have selective memories. He was coming off a Sweet 16 appearance at SWMS, blowing out Tennessee & Wisconsin on the way there. Had Iowa not already had a handshake deal in place that January they would have been in a bidding war for Alford that March.
I still think it was the right move by BB. Iowa's program was not going to progress under Davis anymore. He had topped out what he was capable of. BB took a gamble on Alford and lost. It happens to programs bigger and better than Iowa.
Davis did a solid job at Iowa but far too many make him out to be far more than he was. If you need any evidence of how good of a coach he really was, look at how many schools went after him after he left Iowa?
linus19
Well-Known Member
The more things change, the more they stay the same. How many times did we, as fans, hear that same excuse. It's almost verbatim. I wonder if he gave away the team's post-game meal last night, too.
New Mexico fans can cling the Fraud at their own peril, but they will come to know the man and his myth the same way we do, in time.
wundergrape
Well-Known Member
I agree that a lot of people were pleased with the Alford hire.
This puzzled me then, and still puzzles me today. Maybe it was just me, since my formative Bball fan years were the late-80s, but hiring Steve Alford was tantamount to high treason. I couldn't believe it.
It would be like firing Fran and hiring the dude who drained the three for Northwestern State against us in 2006. Or Bo Ryan. Or Jim Hightower.
It's still appalling.
ssckelley
Well-Known Member
I do not remember that at all, you confusing him with Beas Hamga? He was another highly rated recruit that backed out after Alford left but he was not going to qualify at Iowa anyway.
LawVHawk
Well-Known Member
Alford urinated away a possible $125,000 bonus last night.
Lobos make early exit against surprising Harvard
Too bad. He could have given the money to his church. Or used it on hair gel.
Lobos make early exit against surprising Harvard
Too bad. He could have given the money to his church. Or used it on hair gel.
HawkeyeMHA
Well-Known Member
That wouldn't touch his hair product budget
ssckelley
Well-Known Member
Yeah you are right, but I remember Collison had second thoughts of coming here after it was announced that Davis's contract would not be renewed. I don't think Collison had ever officially committed to Iowa but he has even said with his own mouth that he was coming to Iowa had Davis not been let go.
ssckelley
Well-Known Member
Wow, not sure how his family is going to eat. I think the fans and the businesses down there should pass a hat to collect some money for him since he did lead them to a MWC championship.
Billso
Well-Known Member
Exactly. He also tweeted "Yo @ScottDochterman..kinda arrogant to judge others..don't ya think??"
Physician, heal thyself.
Finally, it's hilarious that Dakich, and some on this board, are lecturing us to "let it go..." when it's Dakich that keeps bringing it up.
ThunderHawk
Well-Known Member
The proper way to deal with Tom Davis was not to screw the program by hanging him out to dry, it was to compel him to hire assistants who could recruit. Davis was a great X and O coach, a pioneer of sorts. It's the recruiting that led to mediocrity. Bowlsby should have laid down the law and forced Davis to jack up the recruiting. If Davis refused, then it would have been appropriate to show him the door. Bowlsby thought Alfraud was All That. A lot of people did. I wasn't displeased with the hire, but I was wary about it and I hated how it went down with Davis.
Pretty much the same for me, just a little earlier. I remember GR as coach but not well. I do remember thinking Tom Davis was off the charts during his first year because of how good Iowa was.
I liked Davis as a coach, great person. I felt bad for him for how he left. But getting blasted in the 2nd round of the NCAA tournament every year wasn't good to me. Was much better than Alford & Lick years but nothing to puff your chest out about. Maybe it was because i was used to seeing Iowa get to the NCAA and win a game. I understood and respected BB gamble to get better. It failed horribly but at least he gave it shot.
Davis was the equivalent to a FB coach who gets his team to the Insight & Alamo Bowls each year but never threatens to get to the BCS. Better than many others but not taken seriously by the big boys.
Also Ferentz is often forgiven for 1999 & 2000 because the "cupboard was bare". Yet many still give Davis credit for 1986-87, 1987-88, & 1988-89 when he had players GR brought to Iowa.
ThunderHawk
Well-Known Member
Somebody should point out to Dakich that the common factor in Iowa's NCAA FAIL and UNM's NCAA FAIL is a certain Munsterish individual.
Skeets77
Well-Known Member
- Great points and insights. I know Mr. Davis had a HUGE edge after coming into Iowa his first year and winning 30, Holy Smokes how many coaches ever had that happen to them. Chris Street's death was devastating but not sure how bad that impacted Dr. T career or Iowa's recruiting success and mishaps. Mr. Davis was almost 50 by the time he got to Iowa and had been coaching for since 71. I don't think he had much left in his tank after leaving Iowa when he got to Drake, but he sure paved the way for Keno. I loved watching Mr. Davis's team move the ball around, fundamentally sound, and those players perfected the BOUNCE PASS.
99topdawg
Well-Known Member
Here's an editorial by a retiring Lobo writer after 33 years. He's not happy:
Loboland.com - Longtime sportswriter says farewell
Loboland.com - Longtime sportswriter says farewell
PalmettoHawkFan
Well-Known Member
All under the bridge, but as for recruiting:
top 100s and parade or mcdonald's all americans
davis:
AA's
thompson
murray
kingsbury
settles
okey (transfer)
top 100
millard
range
koch
oliver
davis
walker
moses (was all-time career scoring leader in cali)
jenkins (non-qualifier, signed)
woolridge (transfer)
14 in 13 years
Alford
AA's
recker (transfer)
pierce
top 100
rhodes (flake)
reiner
worley
brunner
horner
thompson
smith
haluska (transfer)
10 in 8 years
slight edge to Alford on blue chip talent
big edge to Davis on developing 3 stars into quality starters
street
earl
bullard
bowen
jepsen
bartles
Davis got good talent -- just not Raef.
he also had a good eye for kids who would can and would get better under his staff. player development was huge for TD and a huge weakness for Davis.
Anyway, Fran seems to have a good eye for talent and so far, develops it. Needs to prove he can land the AA big fish, though.
top 100s and parade or mcdonald's all americans
davis:
AA's
thompson
murray
kingsbury
settles
okey (transfer)
top 100
millard
range
koch
oliver
davis
walker
moses (was all-time career scoring leader in cali)
jenkins (non-qualifier, signed)
woolridge (transfer)
14 in 13 years
Alford
AA's
recker (transfer)
pierce
top 100
rhodes (flake)
reiner
worley
brunner
horner
thompson
smith
haluska (transfer)
10 in 8 years
slight edge to Alford on blue chip talent
big edge to Davis on developing 3 stars into quality starters
street
earl
bullard
bowen
jepsen
bartles
Davis got good talent -- just not Raef.
he also had a good eye for kids who would can and would get better under his staff. player development was huge for TD and a huge weakness for Davis.
Anyway, Fran seems to have a good eye for talent and so far, develops it. Needs to prove he can land the AA big fish, though.
okeefe4prez
Well-Known Member
Well, it is what it is, man. Getting blasted in the second round of the tourney means your team is prolly somewhere between 17 and 32 in the rankings come the end of the year (with some luck component built in). Honestly, that is about the high water mark for our program, maybe we land a guy or have some luck here and there that can get us to the Sweet 16 or the Elite 8, but that would be pretty rare. The problem is if we land a really, really solid coach, odds are he is going to bail to a higher tier program (Self at Illinois is a good modern example) and fan expectations just don't comport with reality.
okeefe4prez
Well-Known Member
- Great points and insights. I know Mr. Davis had a HUGE edge after coming into Iowa his first year and winning 30, Holy Smokes how many coaches ever had that happen to them. Chris Street's death was devastating but not sure how bad that impacted Dr. T career or Iowa's recruiting success and mishaps. Mr. Davis was almost 50 by the time he got to Iowa and had been coaching for since 71. I don't think he had much left in his tank after leaving Iowa when he got to Drake, but he sure paved the way for Keno. I loved watching Mr. Davis's team move the ball around, fundamentally sound, and those players perfected the BOUNCE PASS.
After watching roughly a decade of guys dribbling into corners, throwing the ball to the second worst FT shooter on the court in a clutch situation at the end of a game and constantly throwing jump passes, I long for those Davis bounce passes.
okeefe4prez
Well-Known Member
Davis got serviceable talent. Everyone got spoiled when Raveling walked into Illinois and Michigan and landed some damn legit ball players. I'm sorry, but there is a big difference between JR Koch and the guys closer to the top of the top 100 list coming out of bigger states. And one downside of the Davis era was Pearl - has Iowa landed a single legit stud out of Illinois (who is not currently on a sex offender registry) bince the Deon Thomas incident? Joey Range out of Galesburg? Oh wait, I said legit stud. Iowa's name is still mud with the HS and AAU coaches in Illinois and that was decades ago. So that's another big issue Alford had to deal with that Davis didn't have to deal with when he walked in.
