The Case for Fran to be B1G Coach of the Year

ModebaSan

ModebaSan

Well-Known Member
Fran should be B1G Coach of the Year.
And here’s why:

Last year Fran lost four significant players.
-Tyler Cook declared early for the NBA
-Nicholas Baer graduated
-Isaiah Moss transferred to Kansas
-Maishe Dailey transferred to Akron

This year Fran brought in 3 recruits.
-Joe Toussaint
-Grad transfer Bakari Evelyn
-Patrick McCaffery

Then shit happens.
-PMac sits out due to reaction to cancer meds
-Jack Nunge tears ACL against Cal Poly
-Jordan Bohannon shuts it down after ten games to undergo second hip surgery.

More shit happens
-Cordell Pemsl suspended for OWI
-Lose CJ Fredrick not once, but twice during B1G conference games
-Just about every player at one time or another miss some game or practice time due to various illnesses
-Pemsl suspended for one game for driving while license revoked.

But he still manages to have 6 wins vs. Top 25 teams
He also has one of the teams that have some of the most Quadrant 1 and Quadrant 2 wins.
He has a legitimate 1st Team All American in Luka Garza and possibly National POY
And all the while down to 7-8 scholarship players available to him

If there is another coach in the country that has faced as much adversity but still manages to have a Top 25 team and will finish in the upper part of one of the toughest and physical conferences in the country, I’d like to see him. Fran has done more with less this year. This is his best coaching performance of his career by far.
This is why I believe Fran should be B1G Coach of the Year and be in the running for National Coach of the Year. JMHO.
 
ModebaSan said:
Fran should be B1G Coach of the Year.
And here’s why:

Last year Fran lost four significant players.
-Tyler Cook declared early for the NBA
-Nicholas Baer graduated
-Isaiah Moss transferred to Kansas
-Maishe Dailey transferred to Akron

This year Fran brought in 3 recruits.
-Joe Toussaint
-Grad transfer Bakari Evelyn
-Patrick McCaffery

Then shit happens.
-PMac sits out due to reaction to cancer meds
-Jack Nunge tears ACL against Cal Poly
-Jordan Bohannon shuts it down after ten games to undergo second hip surgery.

More shit happens
-Cordell Pemsl suspended for OWI
-Lose CJ Fredrick not once, but twice during B1G conference games
-Just about every player at one time or another miss some game or practice time due to various illnesses
-Pemsl suspended for one game for driving while license revoked.

But he still manages to have 6 wins vs. Top 25 teams
He also has one of the teams that have some of the most Quadrant 1 and Quadrant 2 wins.
He has a legitimate 1st Team All American in Luka Garza and possibly National POY
And all the while down to 7-8 scholarship players available to him

If there is another coach in the country that has faced as much adversity but still manages to have a Top 25 team and will finish in the upper part of one of the toughest and physical conferences in the country, I’d like to see him. Fran has done more with less this year. This is his best coaching performance of his career by far.
This is why I believe Fran should be B1G Coach of the Year and be in the running for National Coach of the Year. JMHO.
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Preach

Even folks that don't like Fran all across the country in the media (which there happen to be some) couldn't deny any of that. Heck there's a part of our fan base that doesn't like him a whole lot. However those same folks with their bias will probably look another way. There are some other guys that have cases to be made. But none have as good of one to me as Fran.

Preseason we were predicted to be like what middle to the bottom of the BIG. Probably 8th -10th by most I suppose. I didn't think our D would have improved enough or with trying to replace Cook, Baer and Moss that our O would just keep on clicking. But here we are averaging almost 80 pts a game leading the league and playing way better D then in previous years. Have had a couple hickups there but not many.

He also gets some credit for Garza. When he saw him early on he knew he wanted him. 1st to offer and never wavered. Garza rewarded that with coming to us. Now sure Garza seems largely self made with his development and amazing work ethic. But when you hear him talk he does give Fran credit with his development too I'm not giving Fran a huge percentage of the credit for that part but he should get some nonetheless.

How about his own kid CM. It'd be easy to bring up JW and all he does but he's an Iowa kid that was going to be a Hawk pretty much no matter what. CM is the motor. He's the leader in the huddles and on the floor. He's been amazing at doing some of the things Baer did but CM handles the ball more. Has a toughness and attitude to him. Some of the fouls he commits I shake my head at but I'd be nit picking to downgrade that too much or his lack of scoring. We are till putting up like 78 plus a game as a team. He'll get even better too.

So yeah to echo your thoughts on Fran he's COY in my book too.
 
eveningnewsteam said:
If the Hawks run the table in the last 4, it’s a no doubter.
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I agree with the OP, but Chambers, Turgeon and maybe even Underwood will get votes it isn't a slam dunk(no pun intended). I could see the media voting one way(Turgeon) and the coaches voting another way(Fran).
 
I’ll admit after following up what at least appeared to a disaster of a recruiting class at the time (it still may be) with the demoralizing showing at the DePaul game, it was the final straw for me. I absolutely did not see what was coming after that game and am happy to be wrong. If Iowa can finish by winning at least the 2 home games, FMac should be the B1G COTY. If PSU Finishes strong and then comes into CHA and wins, it'd be hard to argue with what Chambers has done at PSU. IL has also turned it around. If they win out, you could make a solid argument for Underwood too. I’m sorry but MD is loaded with NBA talent. Turgeon has had a nice year winning the B1G outright but it doesn’t compare to what FMac, Chambers and Underwood have had to do.
 
trj said:
I agree with the OP, but Chambers, Turgeon and maybe even Underwood will get votes it isn't a slam dunk(no pun intended). I could see the media voting one way(Turgeon) and the coaches voting another way(Fran).
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turgeon could get it, but he's loaded with talent. but, since MD is going to win the conf, he's prob the front runner. but, if he doesn't, then i'd say it would be between, fran, chambers and underwood. good call on that. so, if one of those three finishes in 2nd place, then i think they win it. if none, do, then they hand it to turgeon. i don't think a 3rd place coach wins COY. now, taking politics out of it, fran has done the best job of coaching in the lead all season, considering everything in the OP. but, let's take it one step further. 2 of his starters had never played a second of D1 hoops prior to this season and one of them is now his starting pg.
 
FirstDownHawkeyes said:
I’ll admit after following up what at least appeared to a disaster of a recruiting class at the time (it still may be) with the demoralizing showing at the DePaul game, it was the final straw for me. I absolutely did not see what was coming after that game and am happy to be wrong. If Iowa can finish by winning at least the 2 home games, FMac should be the B1G COTY. If PSU Finishes strong and then comes into CHA and wins, it'd be hard to argue with what Chambers has done at PSU. IL has also turned it around. If they win out, you could make a solid argument for Underwood too. I’m sorry but MD is loaded with NBA talent. Turgeon has had a nice year winning the B1G outright but it doesn’t compare to what FMac, Chambers and Underwood have had to do.
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I do think the COY will be the winner of the Iowa/Penn tilt. Both great stories, but Fran has come from further back than Chambers and had a much more difficult road to travel.
 
trj said:
I agree with the OP, but Chambers, Turgeon and maybe even Underwood will get votes it isn't a slam dunk(no pun intended). I could see the media voting one way(Turgeon) and the coaches voting another way(Fran).
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I would think Greg Gard would deserve just as much consideration as any of the aforementioned coaches.

1. His lead assistant tragically lost his wife and daughter in the off-season and hasn’t coached all year. Every other point is secondary

2. Lost leading scorer and most talented player (Kobe king)

3. Situation with his strength coach resigning

4. Micah Potter not being granted a waiver to play after sitting out 1.5 seasons and having to miss 1st 10-games

If wisconsin wins on Sunday they would be 10-6 in the Big 10 and tied with Iowa for 3rd. Victories over Maryland and at Penn State.
 
If there is anyone who should be getting a "of the year award" this year it is Luka Garza. Fran has not won anything substational as of yet and imho owes a lot to Garza for this year's successes. If the year ends in a title so be it, but that still remains to be seen.
 
Linesetter said:
I would think Greg Gard would deserve just as much consideration as any of the aforementioned coaches.

1. His lead assistant tragically lost his wife and daughter in the off-season and hasn’t coached all year. Every other point is secondary

2. Lost leading scorer and most talented player (Kobe king)

3. Situation with his strength coach resigning

4. Micah Potter not being granted a waiver to play after sitting out 1.5 seasons and having to miss 1st 10-games

If wisconsin wins on Sunday they would be 10-6 in the Big 10 and tied with Iowa for 3rd. Victories over Maryland and at Penn State.
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Point well taken. An hour or 2 after I posted that I was looking at the conference standings and was thinking Gard will have a case as well.
 
Maybe Izzo should win it. He had to start Hoiberg's kid the last game, afterall. Plus, the poor guy has to coach while everybody's raping each other in East Lansing. I bet the refs aren't helping him out any as well. :cool:
 
trj said:
Point well taken. An hour or 2 after I posted that I was looking at the conference standings and was thinking Gard will have a case as well.
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Lots of basketball to be played yet. Will be interesting to see how last 4-5 games play out and that will likely determine COY. Typically it goes to coach whose team finished better relative to expectations.

I’d have to go back to see where PSU, Illinois, Wisconsin and Rutgers were expected to finish. I know where Iowa was picked. I wanna say Wisconsin was picked around 8th?
 
Linesetter said:
Lots of basketball to be played yet. Will be interesting to see how last 4-5 games play out and that will likely determine COY. Typically it goes to coach whose team finished better relative to expectations.

I’d have to go back to see where PSU, Illinois, Wisconsin and Rutgers were expected to finish. I know where Iowa was picked. I wanna say Wisconsin was picked around 8th?
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Yep. The last 4 or 5 games will determine it. If you get a chance take a peak at the previous winners. Richard Pitino won it 3 years ago. Holtman won it after Matta stepped down. Unless the wheels completely fall off I can see how Fran could be the sexy pick here.

Imo, it will be interesting if the media and the coaches are on the same page. Good chance it gets split? Turgeon and a 4 way battle among Fran, Underwood, Gard and Chambers?
 
They have been beaten by probably the worse team in the conference in Nebraska. Its hard to imagine he has the resume to be coach of the year. Maybe if they win the rest of their games.
 
Obviously you haven’t read the OP. I don’t think there isn’t a B1G team that hasn’t had at least one bad loss against a lesser opponent.
 
ModebaSan said:
Obviously you haven’t read the OP. I don’t think there isn’t a B1G team that hasn’t had at least one bad loss against a lesser opponent.
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Considering NW and Nebraska only have 3 conference wins and one was against each other I would say only one other team has a bad loss like us and that’s Purdue who also lost at Nebraska. The other 12 B1G teams are all in the KenPom top 40 and rated well in the NET so those aren’t “bad losses”.
 
I think Fran is in the discussion for certain. I’m guessing it will be Chambers or maybe Underwood depending on the finish. Gard might be making a late push which is kind of funny because there were some “fire gard” murmurs in Madison earlier this year.

It’s weird to me, because on one hand having a Wooden Award type player you absolutely should be near the top of the conference. But Fran also recruited and helped developed said player.

If the season ended today with Iowa in second he’d be in great shape. I guess I’m kind of self handicapping but I think we lose at least two more games, and at that point will probably end 4-5th in the conference, knocking Fran out of the race. That hasn’t happened just yet though.
 
IMO, the race is still very much in play with the names mentioned. The last 4 games of the season will break the logjam. IF, the voting occurred today, I think Fran deserves the nod given preseason predictions and the amazing amount of injuries and losses from last year's team. But, Iowa may go 1-3.

So, like Garza on POY, I think Fran has a slight edge right now, but the last 4 games will be the tale of the tape.
 
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