Who plays the 4 next year?

L

lightning1

Well-Known Member
Nicholas Bear? Will Uthoff and Uhl end up in some hybrid role? I don't know if either are big enough to defend a classic 4. Can Ukah play the 4?
Just curious what people's thoughts are?
 
I think it has to be Uhl. He won't play the minutes white did but we need him to evolve quickly. If anything we need him to rebound and play defense. We can't have Uthoff play the 4. That's a foul trouble situation and we cannot afford Uthoff to be in foul trouble.
 
ibahawkeye said:
Uthoff will play 30 plus minutes per game at the 4 spot.
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While I expect (hope) this will ultimately be the case, the first attempt to build the 4 will be with Uhl. He was the main sub for White at the 4, this year.

Ideally, you just get 30+ from JU and it really doesn't matter if at the 4 or the 3. You can still emphasize his outside shooting from the 3 with Woody, Uhl, Jok and Clemmons / Gesell. Would love to see him assume the role of White against the zones -- sneak in from the back-side baseline for the lob-dunk, by going Woody, Jok, Gesell, Clemmons.

Looking at next year, the bigger concern is who is going to be the backup 5. While Woody works hard, I can't see him out growing his incredible inconsistency to produce.

It's one thing to have the guards have an off night -- you still have Uthoff and Jok to offset that. It's quite scary to think that the entire team will go as Woody goes. Based on this year, it's a crap shoot, or, at best, 2 forward / 1 back. Hopfully, either Moss or Fleming can contribute to allow JU to help out inside, when those inevitable nights occur.
 
I think it all depends on how Wagner looks when he gets to campus. He's listed at 6'7" 215 right now, so he has pretty good size coming in. Also, we have to see how Dom develops in the off season.
 
Right now, Uthoff, Wagner, Uhl and Baer would all get minutes there, hopefully we get a grad transfer who can play both the four and five spots.
 
acharipar35 said:
I think it all depends on how Wagner looks when he gets to campus. He's listed at 6'7" 215 right now, so he has pretty good size coming in. Also, we have to see how Dom develops in the off season.
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Wagner is an intriguing 4 prospect. He has the frame to add some weight too.
 
Fran needs to secure a 6'-10" or taller big that can play right away. I think we will need that (as yet unknown big, (perhaps the Rakovacic kid) and we'll see some form of Woody, unkown big, Wager, Uhl and JU playing the post. Granted Uhl really is too small for the 4, he's gonna have to to help make ends meet. We may have to play more zone next season to protect Woody. We're definitely thin at the 4/5.

I wouldn't mind a lineup of Woody, JU, Uhl, Jok and MG. That is going to be our best offense next season.
 
lightning1 said:
Nicholas Bear? Will Uthoff and Uhl end up in some hybrid role? I don't know if either are big enough to defend a classic 4. Can Ukah play the 4?
Just curious what people's thoughts are?
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I don't think Baer is an answer at the 4. He's listed at 6'-7" 190. That is too small. At leas Wagner is 6'7" 210/215.
 
ArvadaHawk said:
Fran needs to secure a 6'-10" or taller big that can play right away. I think we will need that (as yet unknown big, (perhaps the Rakovacic kid) and we'll see some form of Woody, unkown big, Wager, Uhl and JU playing the post. Granted Uhl really is too small for the 4, he's gonna have to to help make ends meet. We may have to play more zone next season to protect Woody. We're definitely thin at the 4/5.

I wouldn't mind a lineup of Woody, JU, Uhl, Jok and MG. That is going to be our best offense next season.
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Rakocevic is a 2016 recruit so he's a ways off if he even comes to Iowa.

I think Uhl/Uthoff will both have to spend time at the 4. Uhl has never really shown the ability to bang around inside though, he seems more like a Uthoff clone at this point. Hopefully Wagner can step right in. Otherwise Fran has to be targeting a JUCO or 5th year transfer post player. They are bare there after Woody and in 2016 they are empty.

Iowa won't exactly be Indiana when it comes to size, they'll still have decent length, but after Woody they will really lack a pure post player who can hang with the Hammons/Haas of the world
 
mopkins said:
Rakocevic is a 2016 recruit so he's a ways off if he even comes to Iowa.

I think Uhl/Uthoff will both have to spend time at the 4. Uhl has never really shown the ability to bang around inside though, he seems more like a Uthoff clone at this point. Hopefully Wagner can step right in. Otherwise Fran has to be targeting a JUCO or 5th year transfer post player. They are bare there after Woody and in 2016 they are empty.

Iowa won't exactly be Indiana when it comes to size, they'll still have decent length, but after Woody they will really lack a pure post player who can hang with the Hammons/Haas of the world
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Thanks mo, I thought Rackocevic was a '15. That makes what you say the most likely. But who is out there at this point?
 
Which leads to the bigger problem, IMO. Who's gonna go to the basket in 2016? Who's gonna give Iowa all those FT chances in 2016? Woody? He'd better become a better inside player. Uthoff? An outside guy? Who? IMO, Iowa FTs will be wildly lower than 2015 with Whitey and Gabe gone.
 
Bigtenchamp said:
Woodbury, Gesell, Jok, Uthoff, Clemmons could very well be the starting line up next year.
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I think this starting line-up [Woodbury, Uthoff, Jok, Clemmons, Gesell] will see a lot of floor time next year. It puts our best returning shot-blocker (Uthoff) close to the basket. It puts Jok at the SF position where he's not likely to make as many turn-overs. PJ's shown signs of being a good rebounder as well, which could help at SF. It's tempting to put Uhl in as a starter, but then who comes off the bench at 4-5? Wagner? Possibly. But he's an untried freshman. Uhl will likely put on muscle easier than JU because his frame is a little wider. We will need someone reliable to come in at 4-5 when Woody gets in foul trouble. I expect Moss or Fleming to see significant minutes at SG/SF as well. But they'd have to show unexpected maturity to start. IF we find a big who's ready to play next year, this could change. But that's a big IF...
 
There are some questions about Wagner being really 6'7" even. He is a great athlete though. Utoff is going to have to play some 4.

We also need to spend our 2 schollies on bigs. If Woody gets in foul trouble who is the 5 & rim protector? That is a recipe for major issues next year see Indiana, Michigan, etc. this season.

I would look for a graduate transfer big and/or JUCO.
 
lightning1 said:
Uhl is not a 4. He's a 3. He's skinny as Uthoff but shorter.
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I didn't say it would be a success. I'm saying it's just what Fran will try to do because Uthoff is more valuable outside and he really doesn't have any better options than to try to turn Uhl into a 4.
 
STILLBUSTER said:
I didn't say it would be a success. I'm saying it's just what Fran will try to do because Uthoff is more valuable outside and he really doesn't have any better options than to try to turn Uhl into a 4.
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Yep. That's a valid point. And you are probably correct.
 
At times i think we get too hung up on our assumptions about what it takes to play the 3, 4, 5. Some of the teams that drove us crazy this year had 3 guard line ups. Other teams that were pretty good did not really have a true 5. I think we will simply see our best players on the floor. I think Gesell, Sap, Woody, Jok, and JU could create some real matchup problems for a lot of teams. I think Fran will continue to bring Dom along, as he has done very well with him this season. If we have Jok, Gesell or Sap, Dom, Jok, and JU on the floor, we still have that annoying length everybody hates about us on the floor. My biggest worry: depth.
 
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