This program is kind of a disaster....

I don't think the program is a disaster (Lickliter,& Schultz).
I don't think it is a success (Miller & Olson).
It is sort of like treading water - just enough wins to not be fired.
And if - after 9 years - it is still treading water, it is time for a change.
I would like the program to aspire to something higher than this.

What you have stated is the worst kind of disaster. A program just mediocre enough to not change anything or make any moves to get better. Just blah. Maybe better to be very bad and shuffle things around to give some hope...
 
But we get to hear our name mentioned on Selection Sunday!
Some of Lute's best teams, especially in the Sky King era, didn't even hear their names mentioned for the NIT, let alone the NCAA. It was much tougher to get into postseason play in the mid 1970's. Those teams would be solid six or seven seeds today.
 
When a true freshman is the best player on the team and a former walk on is one of the top players it is pretty telling.
Ranking...Cook<Garza<Wieskamp<Patrick

And this doesn’t include Joe T the much needed and climbing in the rankings PG. And Baer was a recruited walk on. He didn’t just show up one day. If you are suggesting an obvious improvement in recruiting you’re right...telling.
 
What you have stated is the worst kind of disaster. A program just mediocre enough to not change anything or make any moves to get better. Just blah. Maybe better to be very bad and shuffle things around to give some hope...
They have a saying for teams like that in the NBA.

Hell.

I brought something up about a month ago that won't happen, but should. Axe one or two of the these assistant coaches and replace them with young rising stars who are motivated to be head coaches in five or six years. That's what Izzo did in the late nineties to get traction in his program. He had Tom Crean and Phil Heath on his staff. Gene Keady had Bruce Weber and Matt Painter for a decade, albeit not at the same time.
 
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Wisky started winning big in Bball when they went to suffocating, practically illegally mugging, defense. They got away with it for years and won big. The hawks could really help themselves by continuing to improve on defense and the defensive glass.
Half right. Defense and offensive efficiency/low TOs.
 
Threads like this are definitely an overreaction. If you want to see a disaster, just look at Fran's predecessor.

At least Fran has made the tournament a few times, and probably again this year. Could be a lot worse. Last year was basically a flukey bad season.

That said, I'm tired of being teased with the possibility of great seasons, just to see it frittered away the last month of the season, time and time again. Fran's tenure IMO can be summed up in two words:. Missed opportunity.
 
Threads like this are definitely an overreaction. If you want to see a disaster, just look at Fran's predecessor.

At least Fran has made the tournament a few times, and probably again this year. Could be a lot worse. Last year was basically a flukey bad season.

That said, I'm tired of being teased with the possibility of great seasons, just to see it frittered away the last month of the season, time and time again. Fran's tenure IMO can be summed up in two words:. Missed opportunity.
He can start redeeming himself next week by winning on Thursday, then pulling an upset or two.

It won't completely vindicate him but it would be a start. Have we really gone well over a decade without making it to Saturday in that thing, and to Friday only once? You know, it's awfully hard to do that without trying.
 
We went from winning 4 games in the B1G last year to at least 10 this year.

A lot can happen over the offseason. I’m not sure what will happen but who knows. It’s possible we are actually a better team next year.
I sure hope we are a better team next year. Here's our roster for next year.
Cook - SR (4 yr starter)
Bohannon - SR (4 yr starter)
Moss - 5th yr SR (3 yr starter)
Kreiner - SR
Dailey - SR
Garza - JR (3 yr starter)
JW - SO (2 yr starter)
Pemsl - 4th yr JR (1 yr starter in 2017)
Nunge - RS SO
CMaC - SO
CJF - RS FR
PMaC - Hopefully redshirt
Joe T - FR
That's a ton of upper classmen and experience. Even if Cook leaves, that team should be much better.
 
Half right. Defense and offensive efficiency/low TOs.

Yes I agree with you about the offensive efficiency and lowering turnovers. But it seems most of Fran's teams come out running and gunning, scoring well in non-conf and thru the first half of the Big 10 season. Then just like pitchers and hitters get a book on each other, and defenses get a book on what types of passes a QB is bad or good at, it seems coaches and players around the Big 10 start shutting he hawk offense down in Feb. The players and coaches start to get the book on what Iowa is doing and what the strengths and weaknesses of each player. It is the smart thing to do. If a player is not a great 3 point shooter you can play off of them and clog up the offense, if they dribble better one way then take that away, if they dont like getting bodied up then do that and frustrate them.

I would say that what is needed is for the coaching staff to have more alternate cuts, screens, etc to put in the offense the second half of the season.

Defense is defense, you have to have super concentration, skills to see the ball and your player at the same time, great footwork and anticipation to beat the other player to a spot and recover when a player starts to get by you. You can tell great defensive players by how the recover when other players get beat and let up on the play.
 
3.5 every 5 years seems about right. One of those times need to be a top 4 seed or better. I think the past 7 years, Fran has had us almost exactly where I expect, with the highs being a little too low. If he would have won 2 more games in two out of the three years he tanked late, he would be right at my expectations.

That said, I think he deserves a little leeway based on how low the program was when he took over. Its one thing to raise a program up to expectations for a short period of time. It's another to sustain it. I think that's what happened the last two years. Fran got us back to respectable, but recruiting to a shitty program was too difficult at the time. Hence the last 2 senior classes. Recruiting seems to be better now so we shall see if he can maintain success and hopefully build on it.
I would argue that under Mr. Davis I always felt we had a chance. If not for the bad luck Mr. Davis seemed to have where he played the eventual NC, his record would have been even more impressive. Not a single team of Fran has made me believe they could make through the weekend. The only team I believed in was the team that lost to Tennessee.
 
What you have stated is the worst kind of disaster. A program just mediocre enough to not change anything or make any moves to get better. Just blah. Maybe better to be very bad and shuffle things around to give some hope...
Yes I agree with you about the offensive efficiency and lowering turnovers. But it seems most of Fran's teams come out running and gunning, scoring well in non-conf and thru the first half of the Big 10 season. Then just like pitchers and hitters get a book on each other, and defenses get a book on what types of passes a QB is bad or good at, it seems coaches and players around the Big 10 start shutting he hawk offense down in Feb. The players and coaches start to get the book on what Iowa is doing and what the strengths and weaknesses of each player. It is the smart thing to do. If a player is not a great 3 point shooter you can play off of them and clog up the offense, if they dribble better one way then take that away, if they dont like getting bodied up then do that and frustrate them.

I would say that what is needed is for the coaching staff to have more alternate cuts, screens, etc to put in the offense the second half of the season.

Defense is defense, you have to have super concentration, skills to see the ball and your player at the same time, great footwork and anticipation to beat the other player to a spot and recover when a player starts to get by you. You can tell great defensive players by how the recover when other players get beat and let up on the play.
Miscommunication is one of the Hawks biggest concerns right now and it has me scratching my head. Hawks only have one freshman, most of the players are sophs and above. In the last three games, in particular, I've seen missed rotations, missed defensive switches or just stupid ones, and horrible passing. This late in the season it's maddening to see this type of mental breakdowns. Oh, and lots of downcast faces with their hands on their hips.
 
And the recruiting is improving. Wieskamp is the best player on the team. Patrick is highly regarded. Hopefully the upgrade in talent leads to more postseason success.
Is the talent improving overall? Not this year. Next year is a maybe.
 
We've made the tournament 4 out of the last 6 years with one year being first 4 out. That's far from disastrous.
So basically Iowa under Fran has been on the margins as the 64th to 68th best team in the land four out of six years, lower in the other two, and you’re satisfied with that?

Wow. Mediocre much?
 
Patrick is highly regarded. Hopefully the upgrade in talent leads to more postseason success.
And he’s steadily falling down the recruiting rankings as people realize he’s going to be 180 lbs soaking wet when he gets here.

His type isn’t what Iowa needs. It’s what’s prevented us from being any better than what we are now.

If you want to be a Wisconsin/Purdue/MSU, a bunch of skinny, white AAU heroes ain’t gonna get it done but that’s all Fran goes after. Big fish—small pond-itis. Unfortunately this program has a long, storied history of missing the best instate talent, and these late season flops aren’t going to improve the situation.
 
Because he's that good or because his dad wants him to play?
Of course only Dad knows best.
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