What is reasonable to hope for Iowa Basketball

L

longtimer

Well-Known Member
Of course we almost won it all back in 56 (i think) bill Russell took care of that. I was a freshman in 69-70 when we had a chance to play for it all Lute put us in position again and if Lester doesn't get hurt? Finally with Raveling recruits we again had a chance to go a long ways

Since then (and that's awhile ago) it seems we have sunk into the realization that a year like this one is about it. I hate to bring up the Clones but it's a comparison that needs to be made since they are an instate program. Clearly the expectations and hopes are much higher. Conference Championships Tournament Championships which they are on the verge of and the possibility of deep runs in the tournament are all reasonable goals.

So the question I have . What is it going to take to be happy with the program? There are many programs that would be happy with a year like we had Drake UNI Northwestern but even UNI played the second week of the tournament a few years ago. Would you be happy with the level that our friends out West have achieved?

For me I have been watching Iowa basket ball and Football for a long time and I will continue to watch and pull for the Hawks, but I really don't see the hope of a program or even a year of a high level of success. At least in my lifetime. With the coaching recruiting and overall support I just don't see it happening. I sure hope that for you fans that have come on board in the last 20 years you get to see a few teams like the ones I talked about above
 
Hope for Wisconsin and expect what we are doing now as a bare minimum. The difference between ISU and Iowa can probably be summed up in the difference between home court environments. If we ever get to Wisconsins level, enjoy it while it lasts because programs like Iowa and Wisconsin cant sustain that success forever.
 
I'm happy for the success the kids had this year, but I'm disappointed that we really haven't changed much in terms of finding those missing pieces. A good guard can mean a few more wins and less of a collapse during dry spells . A good guard can make an average player better. This creates a much better environment in the locker room and on the court. We are above average b/c our kids play hard and are smart. They just don't have the athleticism it takes to be better or at least like the MSU's or Michigan's. If Fran and Co can have Touissant do what we think he can, then maybe we can recruit another like him, or like a Ronnie Lester-type. We need big bodies that can run, rebound and play defense, a Ed Horton-type, or Reggie Evans. Time will tell my fellow Hawk fans, time will tell
 
longtimer said:
Of course we almost won it all back in 56 (i think) bill Russell took care of that. I was a freshman in 69-70 when we had a chance to play for it all Lute put us in position again and if Lester doesn't get hurt? Finally with Raveling recruits we again had a chance to go a long ways

Since then (and that's awhile ago) it seems we have sunk into the realization that a year like this one is about it. I hate to bring up the Clones but it's a comparison that needs to be made since they are an instate program. Clearly the expectations and hopes are much higher. Conference Championships Tournament Championships which they are on the verge of and the possibility of deep runs in the tournament are all reasonable goals.

So the question I have . What is it going to take to be happy with the program? There are many programs that would be happy with a year like we had Drake UNI Northwestern but even UNI played the second week of the tournament a few years ago. Would you be happy with the level that our friends out West have achieved?

For me I have been watching Iowa basket ball and Football for a long time and I will continue to watch and pull for the Hawks, but I really don't see the hope of a program or even a year of a high level of success. At least in my lifetime. With the coaching recruiting and overall support I just don't see it happening. I sure hope that for you fans that have come on board in the last 20 years you get to see a few teams like the ones I talked about above
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Serious question . Since we went to the sweet 16 last in 1999 how many times have the other in state programs been to the sweet 16?
 
smitharooney said:
Serious question . Since we went to the sweet 16 last in 1999 how many times have the other in state programs been to the sweet 16?
Click to expand...

Shotgun answer...I know of twice -
ISU Elite 8, mid-2000s (got screwed against that bee-atch Cleaves and the fighting Izzos)
UNI sweet 16 early this decade.
ISU might 've made 16 a cple other times?
 
There is no reason Iowa can’t do better.

Since the OP brought up ISU.... They are able to bring in better recruits. Why? Is Ames really all that attractive? Iowa should be able to bring in at least the same level, if not better.

As for coaching, I am sure there will be folks that will jump in and say no successful P5 coach would ever come to Iowa. Again....ISU was able to get Johnny Orr to leave Michigan for their (at the time) crap program.

Some folks say Iowa could never be an elite program. Why not? Have Duke and Michigan State always been elite? Why is Wisconsin so successful year in and year out? UCLA and Indiana used to be among the best of the best. Where are they now?

I think the problem lies in the administration at the University of Iowa. I firmly believe there is no commitment to winning. I would even go so far as to say the administration does not care about winning. As long as the money continues to roll in, and the fans don’t quit coming to games (Lickliter...and it took a player revolt for him to get the ax), then they are perfectly ok with mediocre results. That is why Barta hands out ridiculous contract extensions with huge buyouts, and the President signs off on them.
 
PCHawk said:
Hope for Wisconsin and expect what we are doing now as a bare minimum. The difference between ISU and Iowa can probably be summed up in the difference between home court environments. If we ever get to Wisconsins level, enjoy it while it lasts because programs like Iowa and Wisconsin cant sustain that success forever.
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^^^ Correct. What Wisconsin has achieved the past 20 years is a pretty good model for what we can be. I'd gladly take that. And I agree that the current product is the minimum we should be willing to accept

Gotta re-evaluate our recruiting. Especially if we lose Cook after this season, we may well have the least athletic team from any power conference. Slow, slow, SLOW.

Also gotta figure out how to teach defense. Or bring in a defensive specialist as an assistant that CAN. Status quo isn't going to do anything but produce more of what we've already seen. More athleticism may help here, too.

All just my opinion of course.
 
To the original question...
There is zero reason Iowa, with all its resorces and support, can't have bball do exactly what football has done.
-Usually top 20-30 and Always top 40.(Rare exceptions)
-Always play post season (60/40 NCAA/NIT)
-Always top 1/2 Conf.
-A serious title contender 2-4 / 10 years.
-Special seasons (Sweet 16 - E8) 1/10 years.

Accept they will not be Final4 in my lifetime and prolly never. Hate accepting below the rest but reality is, there's a HUGE chasm between here and there and it will NEVER be closed with the current staff's limited strategy, poor player development and horrible player management.
 
STILLBUSTER said:
To the original question...
There is zero reason Iowa, with all its resorces and support, can't have bball do exactly what football has done.
-Usually top 20-30 and Always top 40.(Rare exceptions)
-Always play post season (60/40 NCAA/NIT)
-Always top 1/2 Conf.
-A serious title contender 2-4 / 10 years.
-Special seasons (Sweet 16 - E8) 1/10 years.

Accept they will not be Final4 in my lifetime and prolly never. Hate accepting below the rest but reality is, there's a HUGE chasm between here and there and it will NEVER be closed with the current staff's limited strategy, poor player development and horrible player management.
Click to expand...
Why accept Iowa will never make a Final Four in your lifetime? Why not? In my lifetime Iowa has had a Final Four (‘80) and 2 legitimate national championship caliber teams (‘70, ‘87). There is no reason it can’t happen again.
 
I think we’re looking at it. NCAA appearances. Maybe a sweet 16 here/there. Middle of the pack/upper 1/3 of the conference finishes. Iowa isn’t a basketball school. Had some decent runs, but overall history says what we got this year (minus the extreme hot/cold stretches) is about average.
 
Iowa State has 2 Sweet 16s, an Elite Eight, two conference outright titles and 4, possibly 5 tournament titles since Iowa went to the Sweet 16, although the regular season titles were over 15 years ago now. Not impossible to duplicate. As was said the Wisconsin model is a better one to follow.
 
Could Iowa do better? Only if they get better players. After 30+ games, the most talented teams are sorted out. I'm not kicking Iowa's players, they are as good as they can be. I don't want to pick on any player, because that's not my point - each has a quality (qualities) that allow them to compete with teams in the Big Ten, and win (and even beat teams that are better from time to time). But, it's realistically too much to ask of this group of guys, as an assembled team, to win most of those games against better talent.

There's a reason that Iowa went to the finals against USF, and the '70 team was probably good enough to get to the Final Four (save a last second tip-in), and to the Final Four when Ronnie Lester was the PG, and while they were a half away from beating UNLV in 87 - they had a lot of talent on those teams. Iowa will get better when they upgrade the talent. It's really that simple. To think otherwise is just to wistfully hope for a different result.
 
Denverhawk1 said:
I think we’re looking at it. NCAA appearances. Maybe a sweet 16 here/there. Middle of the pack/upper 1/3 of the conference finishes. Iowa isn’t a basketball school. Had some decent runs, but overall history says what we got this year (minus the extreme hot/cold stretches) is about average.
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Iowa isn't a basketball school only because the past two decades have made it so.

It could be, though. Just need commitment from the powers that be. Therein lies the problem.

If this year is about average, then by the nature of averages, we should also have some years better than this, yes?
 
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Instagram-Guys-theyre-making-a-Saved-By-46365f.png


Or Fran's Defense.
 
longtimer said:
Of course we almost won it all back in 56 (i think) bill Russell took care of that. I was a freshman in 69-70 when we had a chance to play for it all Lute put us in position again and if Lester doesn't get hurt? Finally with Raveling recruits we again had a chance to go a long ways

Since then (and that's awhile ago) it seems we have sunk into the realization that a year like this one is about it. I hate to bring up the Clones but it's a comparison that needs to be made since they are an instate program. Clearly the expectations and hopes are much higher. Conference Championships Tournament Championships which they are on the verge of and the possibility of deep runs in the tournament are all reasonable goals.

So the question I have . What is it going to take to be happy with the program? There are many programs that would be happy with a year like we had Drake UNI Northwestern but even UNI played the second week of the tournament a few years ago. Would you be happy with the level that our friends out West have achieved?

For me I have been watching Iowa basket ball and Football for a long time and I will continue to watch and pull for the Hawks, but I really don't see the hope of a program or even a year of a high level of success. At least in my lifetime. With the coaching recruiting and overall support I just don't see it happening. I sure hope that for you fans that have come on board in the last 20 years you get to see a few teams like the ones I talked about above
Click to expand...

Until we are willing to get into the "dirty" side of recruiting like the top programs which essentially are paying for top talent either directly or by giving relatives jobs for nothing in lieu of direct payment we will always be a 2nd tier program. I've come to accept that but I would also be more aggressive if I was the AD. just enjoy the break the games offer you from your day to day grind, enjoy beating rivals and understand the culture here at Iowa will never produce national championships but we will also never be like USC on and off probation every few years.
 
STILLBUSTER said:
Shotgun answer...I know of twice -
ISU Elite 8, mid-2000s (got screwed against that bee-atch Cleaves and the fighting Izzos)
UNI sweet 16 early this decade.
ISU might 've made 16 a cple other times?
Click to expand...
I looked it up . Since we went last Northern Iowa once and Iowa st 3 times . We are officially 3rd in ranking in the state of Iowa when it comes to relevance
 
I don't see why we couldn't do this type of success, say, 7/10 years in a decade. (7-9 seed, 20+ wins)
One of those years we don't make the NCAA...the other two we go in with a 5-6 seed, play the 2nd weekend.
 
HawkeyezBull said:
Until we are willing to get into the "dirty" side of recruiting like the top programs which essentially are paying for top talent either directly or by giving relatives jobs for nothing in lieu of direct payment we will always be a 2nd tier program. I've come to accept that but I would also be more aggressive if I was the AD. just enjoy the break the games offer you from your day to day grind, enjoy beating rivals and understand the culture here at Iowa will never produce national championships but we will also never be like USC on and off probation every few years.
Click to expand...

Good God, now every program that recruits well and wins is dirty? Give me a break. We lack talent, and athleticism. We have a coach that can't recruit, and makes very questionable coaching decisions. Until we get a coach that can recruit better, then we will be right where we are at. Not every successful program in the nation is cheating.
 
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