What did you think of Gabe last night?

[herbyhawk]

until Woodbury and Meyer step foot on the court we have no idea if they are/will be better than Gabe next year.
as for the RS from what the rumor is, that had Brommer been healthy and ready to go Gabe would have been RS, considering this is his 5th year of playing BB, i liked him before and i still like him, he will end up being a contributor down the road,
Meyer will be a 4 that can play the 5 when needed, just as White is a 3 that can play the 4,
with the way Marble and McCabe improved from last year to this shows his ability to coach up his players, even Gatens has improved. Basabe is a mystery, i feel Fran can and will get the most from Gabe, and everybody else that puts in the time and effort will improve

 

[hawkeye12345]

Offering Gabe was a play to get the other kid that signed with ND. It was also a chance at landing a prospect that could develop as a big. It hasn't worked out yet. Gabe will develop but I doubt he sees meaningful minutes ahead of Meyer, Woodbury and McCabe going forward.

 

[jackl]

McCaffrey isn't in a position to fill any scholarships with additional project players like Olaseni. If he didn't think the kid could play, he should have red shirted him. He didn't, so wasting a year on the bench seems pointless. A juco capable of contributing down low would have made more sense IMO. Short term vs. long term I guess, but this team would be a bubble NIT team if they had a physial presence down low...even if just to rebound and defend. Scoring isn't our biggest problem.

There are other possible reasons why they didn't redshirt him.

 

[jackl]

until Woodbury and Meyer step foot on the court we have no idea if they are/will be better than Gabe next year.
as for the RS from what the rumor is, that had Brommer been healthy and ready to go Gabe would have been RS, considering this is his 5th year of playing BB, i liked him before and i still like him, he will end up being a contributor down the road,
Meyer will be a 4 that can play the 5 when needed, just as White is a 3 that can play the 4,
with the way Marble and McCabe improved from last year to this shows his ability to coach up his players, even Gatens has improved. Basabe is a mystery, i feel Fran can and will get the most from Gabe, and everybody else that puts in the time and effort will improve

If you're giving Fran credit for "coaching up" McCabe and Marble, shouldn't he get criticism for the regression of Cartwright and Basabe?

 

[Hawkcrush]

No doubt earned more P.T. better than both Archie and Brommer at the 5 so just play him already, this developement thing is kinda a farce to me, he has the ability the only way he is going to get better is through playing, it's not like he is any more of an offensive or defensive liabliity than any other options we have and he is more athletic.

 

[herbyhawk]

you can't coach up a player if he doesn't put in the effort, and with Cartwright it has been injuries, that hurt him as he improved over the course of last year from beginning to end, Basabe has had his issues as well he started out of shape and overweight.
then he had a groin injury that hurt him,
i expect him to comeback strong next season. i also expect Gabe to get more than 5 minutes a game next year, i think in the end he will prove to everybody that Fran made the right choice

 

[sportstalent]

Offering Gabe was a play to get the other kid that signed with ND. It was also a chance at landing a prospect that could develop as a big. It hasn't worked out yet. Gabe will develop but I doubt he sees meaningful minutes ahead of Meyer, Woodbury and McCabe going forward.

I know it happens in football, but it doesn't happen all that much in basketball as you only 13 scholarships to work with. I understand your angle there, but it is doubtful given Katenda all but said yes to ND when he was on their campus for his official visit. The other thing to consider with Katenda is that ND was his only official for about four months, I just don't think Iowa had that great of a shot at him once he went to ND.

Fran has said he wants no projects. Gabe is not a project and he will be far more than a 5 minute a game player in his career.

Meyer is more of a PF, so that leaves Gabe and Woodbury as the true Centers on the roster. As Gabe comes along he is going to be a force on the defensive end, something Iowa really needs.

I guess the thing I don't understand when people analyze Gabe all they seem to focus on is how raw offensively he is...this just in, most big men are as they have such a significant height advantage. Where Gabe is going to contribute for Iowa as I have already said, is defensively, his offense will come and Iowa is going to have one heck of a Center combination.

Iowa doesn't need another scorer at this point, the need tenacity and toughness down low in someone that is taller than 6'7".

 

[Foval21]

gabe has played bball for what 5 yrs? he is most definitely a project. meyer is a 4 & 5 because we need him to be. if gabe is more than a 5 min guy next yr it is because 1) we are so far ahead he gets to play or 2) meyer and woodbury are as good as advertised.

 

[sportstalent]

gabe has played bball for what 5 yrs? he is most definitely a project. meyer is a 4 & 5 because we need him to be. if gabe is more than a 5 min guy next yr it is because 1) we are so far ahead he gets to play or 2) meyer and woodbury are as good as advertised.

We'll see, but you have to define project...he is not a project on the defensive end. He has decent form at the line and made a couple of post moves.
Projects do none of those things, if he goes in and then we all question "Why even put him in?" then he is a project.
Gabe showed some things, yeah he is raw, but you view of a project is skewed.
What Iowa needs most from Gabe is shot blocking, defense and rebounding...so the weakest part of his game is on the offensive end then fine, Iowa has plenty of scoring, but nowhere near enough rebounding.

I could care less if last year was his first season as a basketball player, it is just a bit extreme to call him a project. Is he a player that could be a star, obviously he hasn't played enough. Can you see a whole lot of potential in him, absolutely.
My prediction for him without ever seeing him was to start as Basabe did as a freshman, but he isn't ready. One season watching and learning what the BIG is about and you never know what can happen next season. Maybe he leads Iowa in rebounding and blocked shots.
Don't count him out as a five minute player when everyone was laughing at Brust last year when he played very little. Is he all-BIG today, no, but he is a real contributor in his sophomore year when Ryan didn't redshirt him and he got spot minutes. Big men take longer to develop and actually I think with Gabe's athleticism and his lack of play is a good thing, how many bad habits can you pick up on really in 4 years of playing organized ball?

 

[herbyhawk]

i agree that Gabe was not bait to lure Katenda here, and sports opinion on Gabe is spot on, he is not a 3 year project, he is going to get more playing time as the season ends, with Sampson the 3 coming up then Leonard, i could see about 4-5 minutes per half the rest of the season and not garbage minutes, Fran is not going to throw this kid to the wolves

 

[jackl]

If Gabe isn't a project,then nobody is. Good grief. He is the very definition of one.

 

[Foval21]

definition of project was asked for. project in sports is a player with more potential than substance. even his defense and rebounding is raw and unpolished. he does everything through pure athleticism and is still learning the game. i think he has potential but he is a 5 min man right now. maybe he makes huge jumps next year but he will be going against 2 players that have played more basketball in 1 or 2 yrs than he probably has in his 5 yrs. that is definitely a project.

 

[RocknRollface]

Of course the downside to redshirting him is that you're stuck burning a scholarship on a five min a game player. Fran will hopefully be bringing in players better than him every year, no worse in tying up a scholarship for another year.

No, not if you tell him to stay on track to graduate after 4 years.

By year four you will know whether he is a player or not. If he is, great bring him back for another year, if not see ya.

At this point there is allot of upside to the guy but along way to go.

Plus big guys often get exponentially better as they mature.

 

[RocknRollface]

If Gabe isn't a project,then nobody is. Good grief. He is the very definition of one.

There are certainly more obvious projects.

Often a project has size but lacks skill and athleticism/coordination.

Gabe at least has both the size and athleticism and coordination.

All he really needs to do to be able to make a big impact is mentally figure out defense.

He may never figure it out or he may become great at it.

Once Iowa gets to the point with their guards where they can legitimately push the ball up the court at a high level, (which is coming soon) a big guy who can run with them and finish above the rim can be just as valuable as one who has good post moves in the half court.

 

[sportstalent]

If Gabe isn't a project,then nobody is. Good grief. He is the very definition of one.

Do you know who Colton Christian is?

He is probably one of the most athletic kids I have ever seen, in warm-ups. Watch him in a game and you wonder why he has a scholarship...and he is a sophomore now.

Les Jepsen was a project.