This staff blew it

[Fryowa]

And to add to your points, with the economy and people having less $$$ in their entertainment budget, many may find the women's game more affordable at this current time. Let's face it, going to a football game and/or men's b-ball game is outrageously more expensive than women's b-ball. If a family wants to hit a few game to see some live sporting events or even to buy season tickets, at this point they may feel they are getting more for their $$$ going to a women's game. I think some of that is happening.

I'm seriously thinking about giving up football tickets after this year. Love going to games and nothing has changed about that, but the cost is crazy and my kid is getting pretty busy these days with cross country and working a job. We get the mobile pass and its $300 a piece ($43 per ticket per game) which isn't horrible, but it makes an 11 hour round trip plus hotel after getting shithoused by nebraska seem kinds blah.

I'm thinking about next year keeping my tailgate spot, and hit maybe 3 good games to save some travel expense. Right now each week costs my buddy and I each:

$50-ish for 1/2 gas
$86 for two tickets (we have 4 total)
$60-ish for 1/2 hotel
$25 for 1/2 tailgate spot
$60-ish for food and tailgate incidentals that we bring with us.

$281 each minimum each home game plus vehicle mileage, ends up being about $2K a year and 70-80 hours of driving. If we stop and eat at a restaurant once tack another $40-50 on that.

 

[MelroseHawkins]

I'm seriously thinking about giving up football tickets after this year. Love going to games and nothing has changed about that, but the cost is crazy and my kid is getting pretty busy these days with cross country and working a job. We get the mobile pass and its $300 a piece ($43 per ticket per game) which isn't horrible, but it makes an 11 hour round trip plus hotel after getting shithoused by nebraska seem kinds blah.

I'm thinking about next year keeping my tailgate spot, and hit maybe 3 good games to save some travel expense. Right now each week costs my buddy and I each:

$50-ish for 1/2 gas
$86 for two tickets (we have 4 total)
$60-ish for 1/2 hotel
$25 for 1/2 tailgate spot
$60-ish for food and tailgate incidentals that we bring with us.

$281 each minimum each home game plus vehicle mileage, ends up being about $2K a year and 70-80 hours of driving. If we stop and eat at a restaurant once tack another $40-50 on that.

Yea, you're pushing $2,600 a year for 7 games, and that is the low bar minimum by my estimation. I call you crazy and give you credit for logging the 11 hr round trips. That's dedication.

I mean you are pretty much giving up your whole weekend to attend a 3 hr game.

 

[thedukeofearl]

The 5-star players in the Portal might not want to share the limelight with Caitlin

That might be a major reason to go elsewhere

In addition to Iowa City in the dead of Winter

Bobby Knight said that he Hated Iowa City in the Winter

 

[thedukeofearl]

I'm seriously thinking about giving up football tickets after this year. Love going to games and nothing has changed about that, but the cost is crazy and my kid is getting pretty busy these days with cross country and working a job. We get the mobile pass and its $300 a piece ($43 per ticket per game) which isn't horrible, but it makes an 11 hour round trip plus hotel after getting shithoused by nebraska seem kinds blah.

I'm thinking about next year keeping my tailgate spot, and hit maybe 3 good games to save some travel expense. Right now each week costs my buddy and I each:

$50-ish for 1/2 gas
$86 for two tickets (we have 4 total)
$60-ish for 1/2 hotel
$25 for 1/2 tailgate spot
$60-ish for food and tailgate incidentals that we bring with us.

$281 each minimum each home game plus vehicle mileage, ends up being about $2K a year and 70-80 hours of driving. If we stop and eat at a restaurant once tack another $40-50 on that.

You could probably purchase a top-flight AV setup that would cost about the same

And in 4K Hi-Def would ease the pain of being there in person

The Atmosphere would be a bit different though

 

[Fryowa]

Yea, you're pushing $2,600 a year for 7 games, and that is the low bar minimum by my estimation. I call you crazy and give you credit for logging the 11 hr round trips. That's dedication.

I mean you are pretty much giving up your whole weekend to attend a 3 hr game.

You could probably purchase a top-flight AV setup that would cost about the same

And in 4K Hi-Def would ease the pain of being there in person

The Atmosphere would be a bit different though

We love our tailgate neighbors, and our (my buddy and I) kids are at the age where they aren't jaded like us and they love the experience every week. It's worth it for the memories. I could never pout a monetary price on watching Iowa beat Penn State with my son two years ago. That was magic.

But my kid will be 17 this year and is really taking XC seriously, so he has training runs on the weekend and two part time jobs. At some point we may pare it down, never know. I do know that at some point like all of us, life is going to get busy for him as a 20 something. I just hope (and I've told him this) that he tries to do the same for his own kids if he's able to.

I don't make a ton of money, $70K ish including my coaching salary as a single income, but I'm also aware that there are tons of people who can't afford to do even the trips that we do. That's not lost on me and I try to make sure it's not lost on him either. There's no way in hell my parents could've ever made it work; they were too busy working and trying to feed and clothe four people.

 

[Fryowa]

The 5-star players in the Portal might not want to share the limelight with Caitlin

That might be a major reason to go elsewhere

In addition to Iowa City in the dead of Winter

Bobby Knight said that he Hated Iowa City in the Winter

I don't think there's anything on this earth Bobby Knight didn't hate.

And I love Bobby Knight.

 

[HawkPowerlifter]

The 5-star players in the Portal might not want to share the limelight with Caitlin

That might be a major reason to go elsewhere

In addition to Iowa City in the dead of Winter

Bobby Knight said that he Hated Iowa City in the Winter

I think the first comment speaks volumes. If you look at the focus of the offense, it's centered around CC and sprinkled in contributions from other role players. I think there was a stat that CC was involved somehow in 80% (or maybe higher) of the Hawkeyes scoring in some way.

It's no fault of CC or in some way the coaching staff. You do what works and what wins ball games. But it's a double-edged sword. Players often enter the portal to be the CC of said team. If they came to Iowa, I think they are relegated to a role of second banana.

Bluder and her staff would have to sell the opportunity to win a NCAA championship or etc to convince a player to come to Iowa because (as previously) mentioned you would be in the shadow of CC for the next couple years. And right now, that's a big shadow with her popularity.

Hoping O'Grady and Stuelke make some big strides in the off season. With the focus on CC, I think Monica did not get the credit she deserved for the role she played. Granted, she also benefitted from playing with a caliber of player like CC.

 

[PCHawk]

Most years the 1 seeds are basically unbeatable. This year was kinda a down year where UCONN and South Carolina were the only dominant teams. UCONN had injuries and we played a 1 in 25 game to sneak out a win against South Carolina. The stars lined up perfectly for us with the other 1 seeds losing too. That's why it's so unfortunate the LSU game played out the way it did. Both with foul trouble and the random girl going off from 3. The stage set up perfect and it didn't happen at the end. It's highly unlikely we make it back the next two years.

That said, Clark is unbelievable and it is possible she can will us to a couple wins against teams way better than us.

 

[Northside Hawk]

I don't think there's anything on this earth Bobby Knight didn't hate.

And I love Bobby Knight.

Indiana was the unfortunate opponent the weekend the January 1979 blizzard shut I-80 down from the Quad Cities to Des Moines. Because they somehow got in Friday night and were already in town, they were still able to get a scheduled Saturday game played on Sunday and prevent a return trip later in the season.

Veteran TV meteorologist Terry Swails, now in the Quad Cities, was at KWWL in Waterloo as a young weatherman at that time. He still calls that storm to this day the worst blizzard of his career in terms of snow, wind, and cold.

My wife was twelve and lived on a secondary farm lane. She said it was five days before they saw a plow on their road. Her mom and dad had to take her and her three siblings one at a time by snowmobile to the county road to meet the bus for school.

 

[Northside Hawk]

I think the first comment speaks volumes. If you look at the focus of the offense, it's centered around CC and sprinkled in contributions from other role players. I think there was a stat that CC was involved somehow in 80% (or maybe higher) of the Hawkeyes scoring in some way.

It's no fault of CC or in some way the coaching staff. You do what works and what wins ball games. But it's a double-edged sword. Players often enter the portal to be the CC of said team. If they came to Iowa, I think they are relegated to a role of second banana.

Bluder and her staff would have to sell the opportunity to win a NCAA championship or etc to convince a player to come to Iowa because (as previously) mentioned you would be in the shadow of CC for the next couple years. And right now, that's a big shadow with her popularity.

Hoping O'Grady and Stuelke make some big strides in the off season. With the focus on CC, I think Monica did not get the credit she deserved for the role she played. Granted, she also benefitted from playing with a caliber of player like CC.

Anyone who passes because Caitlin is the Batman of the team needs their head examined. She elevates the play of everyone around her and absorbs all the double and triple teams. Post players have wide open posts because of her. Shooters have wide open looks because of her. And she finds people.

 

[Fryowa]

Indiana was the unfortunate opponent the weekend the January 1979 blizzard shut I-80 down from the Quad Cities to Des Moines. Because they somehow got in Friday night and were already in town, they were still able to get a scheduled Saturday game played on Sunday and prevent a return trip later in the season.

Veteran TV meteorologist Terry Swails, now in the Quad Cities, was at KWWL in Waterloo as a young weatherman at that time. He still calls that storm to this day the worst blizzard of his career in terms of snow, wind, and cold.

My wife was twelve and lived on a secondary farm lane. She said it was five days before they saw a plow on their road. Her mom and dad had to take her and her three siblings one at a time by snowmobile to the county road to meet the bus for school.

I frickin love your trivia knowledge. Not being sarcastic.

Like I’ve known some dudes who are pretty good at remembering shit, but you take it to a whole different level.

Most people would say something like, “Yeah I think it was like ‘79 or ‘80 when Indiana about got stuck in town during a blizzard but I think they got the game in,” and I’d be pretty impressed.

You remember the blizzard, the area it struck, the date, the meteorologist, where the meteorologist works 42 years later, your wife’s age at the time who you hadn’t even met yet, and how many days it took her family to get dug out.

That is seriously impressive, my friend. You have a talent. If you asked me I had for supper last night I’d have to think about it for a bit and there’s a fairly decent chance I’d get it wrong.

Bravo.

 

[Fryowa]

Anyone who passes because Caitlin is the Batman of the team needs their head examined. She elevates the play of everyone around her and absorbs all the double and triple teams. Post players have wide open posts because of her. Shooters have wide open looks because of her. And she finds people.

I still think players shy away because they want to be the big dog in town.

 

[Northside Hawk]

I frickin love your trivia knowledge. Not being sarcastic.

Like I’ve known some dudes who are pretty good at remembering shit, but you take it to a whole different level.

Most people would say something like, “Yeah I think it was like ‘79 or ‘80 when Indiana about got stuck in town during a blizzard but I think they got the game in,” and I’d be pretty impressed.

You remember the blizzard, the area it struck, the date, the meteorologist, where the meteorologist works 42 years later, your wife’s age at the time who you hadn’t even met yet, and how many days it took her family to get dug out.

That is seriously impressive, my friend. You have a talent. If you asked me I had for supper last night I’d have to think about it for a bit and there’s a fairly decent chance I’d get it wrong.

Bravo.

To be honest I didn't know about the interstate getting shut down until maybe five years ago.

1979 to this day is the benchmark that Iowa Winters are measured against. We had a Thanksgiving week snowstorm, then a bad ice storm, then January and February were brutal. I also credit that winter as part of the perfect storm, pun intended, that helped Iowa basketball reach a whole new level of popularity.

I got ahold of the numbers one time and did the deep dive. There was a seven week stretch of that winter in Dubuque that would have been the equivalent of an average winter in International Falls Minnesota.

Terry Swails has been all over eastern Iowa, then left the state, and now has returned as he gets close to retirement age. An Iowa City native and huge Hawk fan, I want to say he was a classmate of future Chicago Bear Jay Hilgenberg.

My wife was born in September of 1966. That's easy math to figure out how old she would have been in January of 1979. She has told me about the snowplow/snowmobile dilemma so I will have to take her word for it.

That winter was my first as a paper boy and was nearly my last. And back then you also had to go out and collect door to door unless the customer paid through the office.

Of course April of 1973 was a pretty legendary blizzard as well......

 

[#1DieHardHawk]

To be honest I didn't know about the interstate getting shut down until maybe five years ago.

1979 to this day is the benchmark that Iowa Winters are measured against. We had a Thanksgiving week snowstorm, then a bad ice storm, then January and February were brutal. I also credit that winter as part of the perfect storm, pun intended, that helped Iowa basketball reach a whole new level of popularity.

I got ahold of the numbers one time and did the deep dive. There was a seven week stretch of that winter in Dubuque that would have been the equivalent of an average winter in International Falls Minnesota.

Terry Swails has been all over eastern Iowa, then left the state, and now has returned as he gets close to retirement age. An Iowa City native and huge Hawk fan, I want to say he was a classmate of future Chicago Bear Jay Hilgenberg.

My wife was born in September of 1966. That's easy math to figure out how old she would have been in January of 1979. She has told me about the snowplow/snowmobile dilemma so I will have to take her word for it.

That winter was my first as a paper boy and was nearly my last. And back then you also had to go out and collect door to door unless the customer paid through the office.

Of course April of 1973 was a pretty legendary blizzard as well......

I recall the '73 blizzard very well. There is a picture of me on top of a drift right next to the school, and the drift is actually higher the the two-story roof of the school.

As for ice storms, I recall one that really sticks out in my mind. I believe it was the day before thanksgiving or thanksgiving morning in '91. As I was driving on 30 from mid Iowa heading east, I saw vehicles literally being pushed by the wind into the ditch and oncoming lane. There were at least 10 cars stranded over the course of about 50 miles. The ice was building up so bad on my car that the antenna became encased to the point where it gradually kept bending over and eventually completely snapped off.

 

[HawkPowerlifter]

Anyone who passes because Caitlin is the Batman of the team needs their head examined. She elevates the play of everyone around her and absorbs all the double and triple teams. Post players have wide open posts because of her. Shooters have wide open looks because of her. And she finds people.

I don't disagree and from a fan or observation standpoint, you are 100% correct, but we are talking about athletes. Type A personalities. A lot of athletes have been "The Show" at their perspective high school or possibly at other programs.

That treatment and status becomes a bit intoxicating and addictive. But we all know ego often plays into it. I would say most athletes (especially the top tier ones) possess and ego. They exude confidence and sometimes even an air about them.

My comment is just that some players don't want to be second banana. So they choose to go elsewhere to maintain the spotlight.

But absolutely, players benefit from CC's play. 100%. The example I used was Monica. I think her draft stock rose in light of playing with CC. Take nothing away from her, but she definitely benefitted from playing with CC.

 

[HawkPowerlifter]

Welp, Van Lith to LSU. I figured she was either going to SC or LSU.

 

[Hawkboys]

You remember the blizzard, the area it struck, the date, the meteorologist, where the meteorologist works 42 years later, your wife’s age at the time who you hadn’t even met yet, and how many days it took her family to get dug out.

Bravo.

He still remembers the exact shape of every single he saw that night!

 

[NCHawker]

I'm disappointed but I'm looking at the way Iowa was painted by Coach Staley and the national media. They really painted Iowa as racist without calling them racist. Everything was implied, makes me sick how the coaches and players manipulated the whole event and used Iowa as a backdrop for a national narrative about race. Iowa has always recruited minority athletes but it's just not easy in a state without large population centers. Now it's time for the coaches to look for the transfer that is being overlooked by the major powers and fits into what Iowa does. Better to have a player who wants to be here anyway. It really is unbelievable with all the positives that Iowa brings to the table that the best don't want to come here. The player I can't believe is Morrow. LSU or SC are so loaded in the frontcourt her minutes will be limited for either school.

I don't think coach Staley was ever speaking about Iowa. I recall a reporter from the Houston Chronical asking questions to her - relating to the whole season. Then the coach talked about things she heard were said by members of the media.

I don't recall any thing related to Iowa what so ever.

 

[Bigtenchamp]

yeah don't buy for one sec that players "didn't want to share the limelight" with CC.

It is a failure of the staff - but not shocking at all....

 

[HaydenHawk56]

Welp, Van Lith to LSU. I figured she was either going to SC or LSU.

So, far Lisa is not landing the big fish the team needs.