This is not an NCAA team. Why? Our guard play stinks.

tednugentfan said:
Marble is our best PG (again), but he is also our only scorer and appears to be injured and or scuffling. When he goes out of the game, the staff works on his back, hip, something--dating back to Bahamas. Gesell and Clemmons continue to underwhelm in virtually every aspect. Flip the channels, regardless of conference, and tell me who has worse guards than we do. It is almost impossible that entering year 4, FM has not addressed the most critical position on the floor. It makes for nice local news to talk about Olaseni, Woodbury, Oglesby, etc., but those guys are role players who need someone to set them up. Nebraska's guards had Gesell and Clemmons afraid to put the ball on the floor and when they did, they made awful decisions or got ripped.
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I agree with you halfway. Our point guard play is very average. Marble is fine and really isn't a point guard at all. If we are going to have anything better than a .500 Big Ten team, we really need gesell and Clemmons to step up. In 2 years, i am not convinced either player is really a Big Ten point guard. Both are still sophomores, so hopefully they improve. If not, then we really need a point guard in next year's class who can play day 1!
 
ryno said:
I agree with you halfway. Our point guard play is very average. Marble is fine and really isn't a point guard at all. If we are going to have anything better than a .500 Big Ten team, we really need gesell and Clemmons to step up. In 2 years, i am not convinced either player is really a Big Ten point guard. Both are still sophomores, so hopefully they improve. If not, then we really need a point guard in next year's class who can play day 1!
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To become a better than .500 team...don't pee games down your leg. PG play is not really the issue. Making FT's at the end of the game is and that is not based on one position.
 
sportstalent said:
To become a better than .500 team...don't pee games down your leg. PG play is not really the issue. Making FT's at the end of the game is and that is not based on one position.
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I think that point guard play is completely the issue. In football, the quarterback has become the most important player. In basketball, the point guard is arguably the most important position since he has the ball most of the time. If our point guards can't guard the other team's guards and can't handle the ball, can't make pressure free throws, then this team will be fighting for .500 in the conference. What will be interesting to see is how much Marble plays point in the Big Ten season. Frankly, i don't really like it, but He may be the best choice unless we see better play from gesell and clemmons.
 
ryno said:
I think that point guard play is completely the issue. In football, the quarterback has become the most important player. In basketball, the point guard is arguably the most important position since he has the ball most of the time. If our point guards can't guard the other team's guards and can't handle the ball, can't make pressure free throws, then this team will be fighting for .500 in the conference. What will be interesting to see is how much Marble plays point in the Big Ten season. Frankly, i don't really like it, but He may be the best choice unless we see better play from gesell and clemmons.
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Iowa's PG play is not the issue, hitting FT's when it matters the most is first and foremost as I already said. You don't like Marble playing PG, but here is my question, who is going to get the ball in crunch time for Iowa? Well, logic tells me, the guy that the staff thinks is the best player, Marble.

Gesell/Clemmons are solid players that continue to improve, PG play can be much worse and has been in the past. Gesell has been more aggressive offensively and Clemmons has some of those shake your head moments. The thing is, both are sophomores and there are going to be moments that make you want to shake your head. In the end, both are better than they were last year and continue to improve, their play is not going to make or break Iowa.

Since Fran has gotten to Iowa, half court offense has not been a strength and I can't attribute that to the PG play at all. Iowa hasn't had many guys who can create and there are still issues there, but it is changing.
 
ryno said:
If we are going to have anything better than a .500 Big Ten team, we really need gesell and Clemmons to step up. In 2 years, i am not convinced either player is really a Big Ten point guard
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This would concern me...if you knew anything at all about college basketball. Both of these guys can play. Point guard does not concern me in the least for the rest of this year and the next 2 years as long as both stay healthy.
 
ryno said:
I think that point guard play is completely the issue. In football, the quarterback has become the most important player. In basketball, the point guard is arguably the most important position since he has the ball most of the time. (1)If our point guards can't guard the other team's guards and (2)can't handle the ball, (3)can't make pressure free throws, then this team will be fighting for .500 in the conference. What will be interesting to see is how much Marble plays point in the Big Ten season. Frankly, i don't really like it, but He may be the best choice unless we see better play from gesell and clemmons.
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1. Both guys have been above average or better on defense since they arrived on campus. Clemmons is one of, if not the best on-ball defender we have, and Gesell's defense has been taken up a notch this year. When our defense has broken down, it's been a complete breakdown, not just one guy getting owned.

2. Clemmons definitely has his struggles with ball security and that needs to improve. But Gesell, other than the Nebraska game, has been a very reliable ball handler. But I don't want to get in the way of you overreacting to one game (and more specifically, two plays), so carry on.

3. How is this any bigger of a deal when it's a problem for the point guard than it is for the shooting guard or small forward? It isn't just the point guards missing free throws, and I don't think it's any more concerning that Gesell is missing them than it is that Marble is missing them.
 
Came here to brag that I'm going to the Iowa-MSU game at the end of the month but saw this thread and got distracted.

WOW - one of the dumbest threads I've read anywhere in a while. Iowa is clearly a tournament team this season, barring some sort of epic collapse or big injuries. Laughable after one game against a lame opponent on NYE a moron would think otherwise.
 
Seriously, Ted should be banned. He's all over the forum spewing mindless garbage when anything goes wrong, but he's nowhere to be found when the program gets its biggest win in years? The guy isn't a fan, he's a troll.
 
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