The things that frusterates me the most in the Fran era...

[QuadCityHawkeye]

Is seeing non-conference teams Iowa has played over the years who have really developed into good teams. Virginia, Baylor, and Notre Dame have all improved a great deal as of late. Then you have the in-state opponents in Iowa State and Northern Iowa who are both enjoying great seasons this year. Iowa State has gotten better every year Fred has been there too.

I still like Fran but just hate seeing teams that Iowa has beaten or played well in the past just shoot past them in terms of improvement. I'm not saying Iowa should be a top 10 program, but it's very frustrating to see some team stay consistently ranked over the course of a season, and makes the NCAA's and Iowa just seems to still be a bubble team. I know there is a lot of season left, but I was hoping this team would be a little further along then they are. I just want 20 win seasons with consistent NCAA trips. Hopefully that can happen but again, seeing teams Iowa has beaten in the past (Virginia and Notre Dame) ranked in the top ten really shows the gap of improvement/development/recruiting that exists right now between Iowa and other successful teams.

I'm happy Fran is Iowa's coach but this just sort of bugs me. I know Iowa has improved and things are better then when Lick was here, but this bugs me and Iowa might just be a bubble team again for the NCAA's.

 

[linus19]

Mid-major coach is a mid-major coach; Siena was a perfect place for him. Fran is coaching out of his depth.

 

[Xerxes]

For me its frustrating watching UNI be a legit 20 team with a roster full of Iowa guys and be able go 10 deep against another legit top 20 team. There are at least 3 players on Iowa roster that get significant playing time who would struggle to be in the rotation at UNI. There is just no excuse for this.

I'm with you. I like Fran. He's got a couple of Chicago's top players coming next year and down the line his own kid is ranked very highly in his class. But at some point he needs to land a PG that can lead this team. The kind of player a coach is forced to play 30+ because he just that good. Right now we just don't have that.

 

[QuadCityHawkeye]

For me its frustrating watching UNI be a legit 20 team with a roster full of Iowa guys and be able go 10 deep against another legit top 20 team. There are at least 3 players on Iowa roster that get significant playing time who would struggle to be in the rotation at UNI. There is just no excuse for this.

I'm with you. I like Fran. He's got a couple of Chicago's top players coming next year and down the line his own kid is ranked very highly in his class. But at some point he needs to land a PG that can lead this team. The kind of player a coach is forced to play 30+ because he just that good. Right now we just don't have that.

Agreed. I too like the class coming in but they really do need that PG who can be reliable. Tyler Ulis is a dirty word in Iowa City but he would have made this team a top 20 squad hands down.

I'm just baffled how bad Iowa can look at times right now and they way they lose games. Very frustrating this far into the Fran era.

 

[Xerxes]

Agreed. I too like the class coming in but they really do need that PG who can be reliable. Tyler Ulis is a dirty word in Iowa City but he would have made this team a top 20 squad hands down.

I'm just baffled how bad Iowa can look at times right now and they way they lose games. Very frustrating this far into the Fran era.

The whole Ulis thing sucks. Can't blame him for going to Kentucky. But if I'm not mistaken, Iowa has right there with him late. Kentucky lost out of Mudiay to SMU at the last moment and gave Ulis the late offer. Then Mudiay decides to go to China. If thats not Iowa's luck, I don't know what is.

If Mudiay had just went to Kentucky like all the other elites do and then decided to do his China thing, Kentucky would have moved on as they always do with their 10 Mc All Americans, SMU would be no different than they are now and Iowa would have a PG.

 

[RocknRollface]

The thing that frustrates me is his players look poorly coached.

They don't box out, they can't make post entry feeds, they don't recognize mismatches. They pass up good shots to get bad ones.

They just generally make a bunch of stupid mistakes that that you never see a team like Wisconsin make.

 

[longtimer]

The thing that frustrates me is his players look poorly coached.

They don't box out, they can't make post entry feeds, they don't recognize mismatches. They pass up good shots to get bad ones.

They just generally make a bunch of stupid mistakes that that you never see a team like Wisconsin make.

I guess Im not sure why so many like Fran so much. In 5 years I cant see where he's done a great job in either facet of the game Recruiting or game coaching. When I see a guy like Jakobsen at UNI take a bunch of Iowa players that were not recruited by "Iowa Level" programs and mold them and coach them into a legit top 20 team that's great coaching. Lets quit giving him a pass because he's better than Lick and by the way Lick probably recruited as well as Fran. Marble turned out to be pretty good and Brust went to Wisconsin and played very well.
Im not a big McCaffrey fan but I think he deserves another year. If we are having this same conversation next year at this time then something has to change.

 

[BILLBUCKNER]

Alot of bb yet to be played. The back half of the Big slate will be much easier. But if we falter and lose a bunch of games we shouldn't,then I will question Fran's tenure as well. As mentioned above, this team doesn't have a high BB IQ. Poor shooting and poor guard play. We settle for contested jumpers too much.Any way..just make the tourney this year. Wait and see what the Chicago kids look like.

 

[BigD]

I guess Im not sure why so many like Fran so much. In 5 years I cant see where he's done a great job in either facet of the game Recruiting or game coaching. When I see a guy like Jakobsen at UNI take a bunch of Iowa players that were not recruited by "Iowa Level" programs and mold them and coach them into a legit top 20 team that's great coaching. Lets quit giving him a pass because he's better than Lick and by the way Lick probably recruited as well as Fran. Marble turned out to be pretty good and Brust went to Wisconsin and played very well.
Im not a big McCaffrey fan but I think he deserves another year. If we are having this same conversation next year at this time then something has to change.

If??? You are going to lose Aaron and Gabe due to graduation. When Woodbury gets in his typical foul trouble our post interior defense and offense is going to be UGLY!!!!! Luckily we will have our all Big Ten guards to bail us out........ no wait...... We be screwd. I see a lot of 6'5" 6'6" guys coming it. That was one of the knocks on Lickliter in that he couldn't recruit the towers needed to compete in the Big Ten.

Look I am usually a very wait and see type of person with optimistic tones but I am having trouble feeling that way at this point with Aaron and Gabe leaving. Now if one of these 6'6" freshmen coming in goes Michael Jordan on us then that changes things but I don't see that happening.

 

[ryno]

1 new president = 1 new athletic director = 1 new foot ball coach = 1 new basketball coach. next year will be the deciding year for both football and basketball. I don't like where either program is heading. At least Brands' and bladders' jobs are safe.

 

[hawkeyemark]

1 new president = 1 new athletic director = 1 new foot ball coach = 1 new basketball coach. next year will be the deciding year for both football and basketball. I don't like where either program is heading. At least Brands' and bladders' jobs are safe.

I've suggested the same thing over at HR where I normally post and I don't think this thought has really sunk in very much with people when it comes to basketball. I like Fran but he really hasn't accomplished much in his five seasons and I would think a new AD would want to clean house. Fran really needs to move the needle this season and I see us staying stuck in neutral. Fran when he grows old may end up wishing that he had never left Siena where he fit and had a nice run.

 

[hawkeyebob62]

Is seeing non-conference teams Iowa has played over the years who have really developed into good teams. Virginia, Baylor, and Notre Dame have all improved a great deal as of late. Then you have the in-state opponents in Iowa State and Northern Iowa who are both enjoying great seasons this year. Iowa State has gotten better every year Fred has been there too.

I still like Fran but just hate seeing teams that Iowa has beaten or played well in the past just shoot past them in terms of improvement. I'm not saying Iowa should be a top 10 program, but it's very frustrating to see some team stay consistently ranked over the course of a season, and makes the NCAA's and Iowa just seems to still be a bubble team. I know there is a lot of season left, but I was hoping this team would be a little further along then they are. I just want 20 win seasons with consistent NCAA trips. Hopefully that can happen but again, seeing teams Iowa has beaten in the past (Virginia and Notre Dame) ranked in the top ten really shows the gap of improvement/development/recruiting that exists right now between Iowa and other successful teams.

I'm happy Fran is Iowa's coach but this just sort of bugs me. I know Iowa has improved and things are better then when Lick was here, but this bugs me and Iowa might just be a bubble team again for the NCAA's.

It seems like we just can't quite get over the hump. We win 3 in a row, or get big road win, then get blown out or lose in a stupid way. Or get a couple injuries, or lose a couple games "late".

Yes, it's better than when Lick was here, but really on par with Alford. Which, for those who were too young or don't remember, did NOT "raise the bar" from the Tom Davis days.

I guess we're getting more consistent in our improvement, i.e., we have improved from a "crap" program to a program that will perennially nee either a couple big NC/road wins or a deep run in BTT to make NCAAs. We are not yet close to being an annual shoo-in for NCAAs. And we still, for some reason, have a "moral victory" mindset in pockets of the fan base.

I like the style of ball Fran seems to WANT to play. I just wish we were better or more consistent at actually playing it.

 

[Benddontbreak]

The in-game coaching is really what frustrates me. #1 is the unwillingness to exploit mismatches. Kaminsky fouls Woody on our 1st possession of the game. Woody has 6 points right off the bat but we refuse to feed him in the post to get FK in foul trouble, then Woody sits for about 9 min. #2 is the substitution patterns which are horrendous. We use an outrageous number of lineups that often result in a group with no offensive firepower. Can we seriously believe were going to beat Wisc with our entire 2nd group on the court for extended minutes? #3 Use of timeouts is way too conservative, especially during scoring droughts which we seem to have at the exact. same. time. every. game.

I can recognize that the roster has slowly improved in quality, and the guys we’re bringing in will be great contributors, but the in-game coaching could limit how far we climb under Fran.

 

[theboat]

Is seeing non-conference teams Iowa has played over the years who have really developed into good teams. Virginia, Baylor, and Notre Dame have all improved a great deal as of late. Then you have the in-state opponents in Iowa State and Northern Iowa who are both enjoying great seasons this year. Iowa State has gotten better every year Fred has been there too.

I still like Fran but just hate seeing teams that Iowa has beaten or played well in the past just shoot past them in terms of improvement. I'm not saying Iowa should be a top 10 program, but it's very frustrating to see some team stay consistently ranked over the course of a season, and makes the NCAA's and Iowa just seems to still be a bubble team. I know there is a lot of season left, but I was hoping this team would be a little further along then they are. I just want 20 win seasons with consistent NCAA trips. Hopefully that can happen but again, seeing teams Iowa has beaten in the past (Virginia and Notre Dame) ranked in the top ten really shows the gap of improvement/development/recruiting that exists right now between Iowa and other successful teams.

I'm happy Fran is Iowa's coach but this just sort of bugs me. I know Iowa has improved and things are better then when Lick was here, but this bugs me and Iowa might just be a bubble team again for the NCAA's.

When Iowa beat Virginia back in the NIT, it felt like both teams were on a solid upward trajectory but Iowa was ahead in the race. That clearly was not the case.

 

[racerhawk]

The in-game coaching is really what frustrates me. #1 is the unwillingness to exploit mismatches. Kaminsky fouls Woody on our 1st possession of the game. Woody has 6 points right off the bat but we refuse to feed him in the post to get FK in foul trouble, then Woody sits for about 9 min. #2 is the substitution patterns which are horrendous. We use an outrageous number of lineups that often result in a group with no offensive firepower. Can we seriously believe were going to beat Wisc with our entire 2nd group on the court for extended minutes? #3 Use of timeouts is way too conservative, especially during scoring droughts which we seem to have at the exact. same. time. every. game.

I can recognize that the roster has slowly improved in quality, and the guys we’re bringing in will be great contributors, but the in-game coaching could limit how far we climb under Fran.

Great points. I agree with everything you said. At one point in the second half, I looked at the "platoon" on the floor and thought WTF, there is no way this group is scoring against Becky. Sometimes, you just have to leave the good players in, and take the risk on them becoming fatigued or fouling out. Oglesby may play good D, but he and Clemmons are offensive liabilities.

I feel like we're watching the football team. We make it easy for other teams to beat us, IMHO.

 

[eveningnewsteam]

The thing that frustrates me is his players look poorly coached.

They don't box out, they can't make post entry feeds, they don't recognize mismatches. They pass up good shots to get bad ones.

They just generally make a bunch of stupid mistakes that that you never see a team like Wisconsin make.

THIS. My god THIS. They are so fundamentally poor it isn't even funny. No boxing out, half assed screens, cuts offensively. Defensively getting pealed off screens, standing straight up. No boxing out, everyone watches the ball instead of finding someone to box out. A team like Wisconsin, that does all those things well, really exposes how poor fundamentally Iowa really is.

 

[uihawk82]

The in-game coaching is really what frustrates me. #1 is the unwillingness to exploit mismatches. Kaminsky fouls Woody on our 1st possession of the game. Woody has 6 points right off the bat but we refuse to feed him in the post to get FK in foul trouble, then Woody sits for about 9 min. #2 is the substitution patterns which are horrendous. We use an outrageous number of lineups that often result in a group with no offensive firepower. Can we seriously believe were going to beat Wisc with our entire 2nd group on the court for extended minutes? #3 Use of timeouts is way too conservative, especially during scoring droughts which we seem to have at the exact. same. time. every. game.

I can recognize that the roster has slowly improved in quality, and the guys we’re bringing in will be great contributors, but the in-game coaching could limit how far we climb under Fran.

Really spot on, it looked like Woody wanted to make a point and he started well on offense but then just cooled off on the bench. When you are playing the #5 team in the country your bench players need to play limited minutes to give your best players a rest.

Uhtoff needed to be on the court more yesterday to play through some issues he was having and he was making quality defensive and rebounding moves. He is one of our top players.

I will add that I think there are some real defensive liabilities on this team. Players have some really bad footwork on defense.

 

[SteveGarvey]

The whole Ulis thing sucks. Can't blame him for going to Kentucky. But if I'm not mistaken, Iowa has right there with him late. Kentucky lost out of Mudiay to SMU at the last moment and gave Ulis the late offer. Then Mudiay decides to go to China. If thats not Iowa's luck, I don't know what is.

If Mudiay had just went to Kentucky like all the other elites do and then decided to do his China thing, Kentucky would have moved on as they always do with their 10 Mc All Americans, SMU would be no different than they are now and Iowa would have a PG.

Well if this doesn't epitomize Iowa's luck I don't know what does. Gosh, now I feel even worse about things.

 

[SteveGarvey]

Really spot on, it looked like Woody wanted to make a point and he started well on offense but then just cooled off on the bench. When you are playing the #5 team in the country your bench players need to play limited minutes to give your best players a rest.

Uhtoff needed to be on the court more yesterday to play through some issues he was having and he was making quality defensive and rebounding moves. He is one of our top players.

I will add that I think there are some real defensive liabilities on this team. Players have some really bad footwork on defense.

Jok made a nice three to get us within 2 at 32-30, then comes down and tries to play 1 on 1 defense vs. Gasser. Gasser just blows by him without Jok even moving his feet for a layin and foul. He makes the free throw and gets the conventional 3 pointer. So, effectively, Jok's 3 is negated by his own really bad footwork on defense. I'm sure he'll continue to improve but he's such a liability on defense right now.

 

[hawkdrummer1]

1 new president = 1 new athletic director = 1 new foot ball coach = 1 new basketball coach. next year will be the deciding year for both football and basketball. I don't like where either program is heading. At least Brands' and bladders' jobs are safe.

Why would you take a shot at Bludder, next to Brands she has the best team and program on campus.