My reason for starting this thread is: I don't think it's very hard to understand why Iowa is losing so many close games. Fran is consistantly putting the team in the position to lose. Is it Fran's way of making the team more talented by putting them in more of these types of '50/50' win situations to give them experience, who knows? Maybe that's the whole thing.
Also, recruiting is but a micro portion of coaching. That's the difference between Fran and that guy who coaches Butler. The Butler coach gets more with less or, at least, gets the potential out of his players. That's a sign of a good coach. Hopefully he recruits better than Iowa's Butler coach did...
I'm beginning to wonder if Fran is becoming a Ferentz. You know, making the athlete fit the program rather than trying to fit the program to the athlete.
This has got to be one of the most ignorant things I have seen posted in some time. Seriously, in year 3 and you are going to compare what he does to Ferentz?
Fran recruits kids that can play in his "system" whatever that really means, good basketball players can play in any system (see Dekker at Wisconsin).
It is funny that people didn't question Fran losing to Purdue twice last year because they swept Wisky and Minnesota.
More than anything I think Fran is trying to find the right combination for that particular game or moment in time because the team lacks completeness, or shall I just say a full allotment of talent.
There are some things that you can look at and question and it is understandable, but keep this in mind. People a couple of years ago and even this year were saying Tom Crean is questionable, I can't compare Iowa's recruits to the caliber that Indiana is getting now, but he has been there all of six years now I believe and look at where they are. The exact same thing can be said for Belien at Michigan.
I love all the rushing to judgement in year 3, it is funny, especially when you look at the big picture, if you are hopeful he can recruit better than the Butler coach did, then you're and idiot and haven't seen he did with his first class.
Also, if you are worried about Fran's coaching, there isn't a lot of nights where Iowa actually has better players on paper than their opponent in the Big Ten.
Iowa was the worst program in the Big Ten when Fran took over: He opened the doors to see what was there and nothing, not even a cricket was chirping. The only thing that was there was Matt Gatens, seriously, think about it.
Question what you will and I have on some things, but this is over the top, comparing him to Ferentz after 3 years...laughing stock.
