Who is patient enough to weather 0-18?

I think we could see improvment next year if everyone stays. That was part of the problem with Lick's team, each year the best player left. Having to constantly start over with freshman and sophmore's is too difficult in any conference. Especially considering these guys aren't 4-5 stars.

I really hope Fran can recruit. Adding a playmaker or two in the F/C position is crucial. I do think losing Cully hurt this team too. Could have given Cartwright a rest or move him over the the #2 position, and give the team two guys who can dribble the ball.

I'm disappointed with the results of this season, but I also wasn't expecting anything great. I hope they can keep up the effort, and if they can put together a low turnover game, chances of winning will go way up.
 
Depends who you are talking about. Me, yeah I'll always watch and go to a game or two. People who don't post on here or only watch when we are good, probably not. But that is where winning comes in. Time will tell. Fran knows what he is doing but time will tell if he can get the players in here to get it done. I liked the effort against Minny, fought hard and we were in it late. They were just too much. Keep playing like that and we may win a few. Stay with it Hawks.
 
busabus114 said:
I dont see much of a difference between 0-18 and 3-15

All fans knew this year was going to require a lot of patience before the season started
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Ehh, idk about that Bus. You, I and rational thinking people did, but it amazes me the number of people that *****, whine, and complain (it's not always here that I see it) like they were expecting some overnight turnaround. Lick left Fran an absolute mess and I'll always have a very strong dislike for Lick. From what I've gathered the guy didn't recruit a PG that hard so little John could have more PT. That really really pisses me off. Anywho, back to the main point. I see this team getting at least two more wins, maybe 3. And I think one of them will be a pretty big upset. Heck, even Lick upset MSU one season so it can happen. I get as frustrated as the next guy watching them run around like chickens with their heads cut off somtimes when it comes to running their offense, but all you have to do is compare our talent level to the other B10 teams and you can see that we are heavily out-matched by pretty much everybody. As much as I don't want to say it, I am patient enough to weather 0-18 though because I do believe that Fran can get this thing turned around. It's just going to take lots and lots of patience.
 
Re: I don't mind it at this point...

Lonoclone said:
Agreed. If a coach is consistently getting T'd up, he runs the risk of it losing its effectiveness, because the team will come to expect it. It can become a cliche from the player's perspective.
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Give me a heartbeat, I will show you life.
 
neverahawk said:
What if it's an O-fer next year? Will we start to be concerned then???
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0-18 would be fine with me next year if Fran brought in a couple of huge transfer players that were sitting out the year because of transfer rules. Either that, or he had a Fab Five type class committed in the early signing period.
 
CAARHawk said:
0-18 would be fine with me next year if Fran brought in a couple of huge transfer players that were sitting out the year because of transfer rules. Either that, or he had a Fab Five type class committed in the early signing period.
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I don't think I'd be fine with Fran starting the Big Ten 0-36. Regardless of our level of talent. If that happens next year, I think it would mean that either A) a lot of players left the program. Again. Or B) nobody on the current roster shows one speck of improvement from this year to next. Which I would also view as a problem.

0-18 this year would be tough to stomach, but given what he inherited and the strength of the conference this year, I wouldn't totally rule it out. I would be pretty disappointed in that though. I'm looking for improvement and competetiveness this year, and I can't believe we would be seeing that if we lose every last game from here on out.

But next year, we MUST show at least SOME improvement. And I'm expecting us to make a little bit of headway on the recruiting front as well.
 
A few miscellaneous thoughts. It would have been huge to have Fuller returning. Basabe will develop more quickly w/o him, however. Cully's injury has been a big thing. He will help next year. I think this team will vastly improve from one year to the next under this coaching staff. I still am in disbelief that our video coordinator is a Hawkeye who spent many years in the NBA. It will be a strange thing for us to not have a player or two leave at the end of the year. Continuity will be key. Also, the Big 10 is a pretty solid conference with some great upperclassmen. We'll be ok, but it's tough thinking about next year with so much basketball left to be played. It would be amazing for these kids and staff to steal one in the Big 10 tourney. That would make my year and set the tone for next year. Go Hawks!
 
Right now the projected power players next year are Brommer, Archie, and tweaker McCabe. You can't win in this conference with that, unless you come up against a team that just plays like crap and, sorry, but that is nothing to get excited about.

So, you either require Fran to get ready to play power players in spring, or you are okay with the Hawks losing next year with the promise that it means a banner 2012 group of incoming starters. Expecting anything other than either of these options is just not logical.

I understand the desire to see improvement, but look at what is coming back and coming in. We have good players at 1, 2, and 3. We are bringing in a 2 and a 3. So, while we can expect improvement at the spots where we currently have players, there isn't any real chance of improvement where the team really needs it without recruiting advancements.
 
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neverahawk said:
What if it's an O-fer next year? Will we start to be concerned then???
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It really depends on the recruiting. I think everyone realizes the talent level right now and for next year is at or near the bottom of the league, thanks to the ineptitude and recruiting inability of the previous staff. Iowa has only one player who could start for most other B10 teams, Basabe, and thank God Fran got him to come along for the ride.

It concerned me when Fran's recruiter didn't join him in Iowa City (although I understand the reason), and I have yet to see proof this staff can recruit. I would love to be wrong. But it seems to me we've lost out on some key players who could help; I'm not counting Barnes or Paige on that list as they were long gone before Fran's arrival.

If we have above average recruits or transfers coming the following year, that will be evidence the program is on the right track and I think Fran gets more latitude. If we don't and the year starts out 0-7 or -8 in conference, the fan base will start to get really, really ugly, I fear. O-fer in 2011-12 with no obvious increase in talent will put pressure on Barta to re-evaluate where the program is at.
 
Stating the obvious here but Fran really needs to bring in a higher level of recruit. We like to say how athletic Gatens may be or May, but tonight (OSU) we saw how non-athletic we are. Fran really needs to land some good recruits. The talent gap right now is similar to the talent gap the football team experienced during Hayden's last year or two. It was like we were fielding a junior college team.
 
I haven't really followed basketball very closely. Does Fran have a recruiting assistant that has a track record of bringing in good recruits?
 
tiberius said:
I haven't really followed basketball very closely. Does Fran have a recruiting assistant that has a track record of bringing in good recruits?
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My sense is he doesn't, although I don't know for sure. Others may have a better handle on it.
 
DesMoinesHawki said:
Stating the obvious here but Fran really needs to bring in a higher level of recruit. We like to say how athletic Gatens may be or May, but tonight (OSU) we saw how non-athletic we are. Fran really needs to land some good recruits. The talent gap right now is similar to the talent gap the football team experienced during Hayden's last year or two. It was like we were fielding a junior college team.
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One thing to think about here is that Gatens/May made body transformations by being in a different kind of shape this season. It can take the better part of a year or a full year for a player to get truly comfortable with themselves. Payne would be going though this too if not for the injuries.
I am only using examples, not saying Gatens/May is that type of player. Did anyone see Jared Sullinger as a Junior in HS, then a Senior in HS and now as a freshman in College. Total body transformation from Jr. to Sr. season in high school and even moreso in his Fr. season this year, completely different player. A similar transformation is going on with Kevin Love as a Fr. at UCLA, he looked out of shape, then he declared lost a bunch of weight and was in better shape, had just an okay rookie year and look what he is doing in year two. Again, not saying, Iowa's players are the elite players, but there is a transition they are going to have with the different style of workout and play they are in today.
Look for year two for all the players to just be better and more comfortable with the staff and the style of play. I just don't think Iowa will start off the same way next season as they have this year.
Also, I don't think Iowa will be 0-18.
 
Losing like Iowa had been losing permeates all aspect of life for some teams. On the court it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. You lose your fan base as they see no hope that they will see a victory, the coaches stop looking for things that will work and start talking about things like players getting better individually and also the need to upgrade the roster. Basically, the expectations get lowered across the board to the extent that the only chance of winning comes from a colossal breakdown by the other team.

Just seems hard to imagine that the upperclassman on this team could really ever truly overcome that mindset. The good news is you lose about half the team by the end of next season. The bad news is that the current younger players are developing in the same climate.

Best case scenario would be for the team to find a real leader type player as a spring signee to galvanize the younger players around him. Basically, the younger players need to see the light at the end of the tunnel and they have to believe it isn't just an oncoming train.
 
There is no way that Iowa goes 0-36 in Big Ten play this year and next. If that happens then Fran is gone. It ain't going to happen.

I hope he can recruit one difference maker this year.
 
jo12208 said:
There is no way that Iowa goes 0-36 in Big Ten play this year and next. If that happens then Fran is gone. It ain't going to happen.

I hope he can recruit one difference maker this year.
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I hear you. If he goes into next year with Archie and Brommer as his only posts, it will be hard to compete in this conference.
 
jo12208 said:
There is no way that Iowa goes 0-36 in Big Ten play this year and next. If that happens then Fran is gone. It ain't going to happen.

I hope he can recruit one difference maker this year.
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CAARHawk said:
I hear you. If he goes into next year with Archie and Brommer as his only posts, it will be hard to compete in this conference.
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What if the team has a 2 year road losing streak? I would argue that is more of the reality facing the program at the moment. And if it does happen I think Coach Fran would need to be fighting for a tourney spot (NIT does not count) in year 3.
 
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