Why All the Complaining

[ibahawkeye]

I think there is a pretty simple answer to this question... this is a game we should have won but didn't. That gives me plenty of reasons to complain or be upset.

 

[LivermoreHawk]

How sad we settle for another moral victory... I wonder if Tom Brands settles for moral victiories. Our expectations need to be higher. We have been bad for so long people are willing to settle for nice game.. good effort.. I say garbage.. we need ot not accept avg or pretty good. We don't settle for average in wrestling or football.. Why do we make excuses for hoops.. I did enjoy the game but still came away feeling empty.. I find no solace in losing a close game.

No one is settling for anything. What we're doing is taking the positives from the game and saying that we played good, but it wasn't good enough on that particular night. Would I have liked to win last night? Yes. But it's not like we played like crap and have nothing to look forward to. I believe we have plenty to look forward to. Just have to be patient with it.

 

[DFaceHawkeye]

Just like iowa shot out of their minds (12-24) from three vs NW...it happens. Iowa has not been any better than michigan from three...and last nite we were nearly as good as them from beyond the arc...neither team is good from 3...and it just so happened that both of them shot better than normal last nite.

Iowa 221-663 .333
Michigan 184-598 .308

When you shoot this many... .025 is actually a difference. 37x3=111 more points form 3. Plus the fact that shooting 33% from 3 is equivalent to shooting 50% from 2, when you take point value into consideration. I'm not saying a college team should only be shooting 33% form three, but don't put us with Meeechigan. We also should be shooting much better than 41% overall....

 

[azhawkphan]

I guess after watching last night's game I came away satisfied. Yes the outcome wasn't great but this was the best the team has looked in awhile. Last night we were organized, had an offensive plan, attacked in the paint, pushed the ball at times, and limited turnovers. This wasn't MSU, OSU, IL where the opponent looked disinterested and let us hang around as we junked up the game and made some trick 3-balls. We looked like a real basketball team, a team with balance, that had an offensive identify, and that made adjustments.

We are obviously short the horses (top-end talent and depth) and we can beat that death, and hopefully that improves next year and the year after. However, some of the players we do have, have shown noticeable improvement and have the potential to become legit Big 10 players. Fuller is developing into one of the better big men in the league. He has show he can isolate and score, finish effectively with either hand, and crash the boards. Payne showed some explosion (beating his guy off the dribble several times), the ability to get in the paint, and deliver excellent passes on the pick-n-roll. He had trouble finishing, but hopefully that develops with work and experience, because he has shown he can get to the rim. Gatens finally looked comfortable, and seemed to understand his role as a perimeter ball-handler and shooter. May's athleticism can influence games, and his shooting has improved.

There are fundamental things that need to improve. We have to fix our defensive scheme, the switching at the end of the game is not good basketball. We need to do a better job at the free throw line ect...

But all I read today is people complaining about minutia coaching decisions. I feel like people are complaining just to complain. Here are the most stupid complaints.

1.) Lick is an idiot coach for not fouling at the end of the game. This an extremely debated strategy. Many coaches elect to play it straight-up. I think it is fair to say deference should be given to the coach on this, and either strategy can work/not work dependent on execution.

2.) Lick is an idiot for not playing Cougill. I know Cougs is an Iowa boy and stuff...but he is not that good (at least not good enough to be up in arms about). Cougs has some major flaws in his game, and Brommer brings a different skill set. Cougs is a 10 minute role player right now, nobody goes ape sh*t when Winks doesn't play. Simms went 10-24 shooting, Cole and Brommer were reasonably effective on him...I guess we could have taken Fuller out. Maybe Cougs is better than Brommer, maybe last night he wasn't...either way its not that big of deal.

3.) Lick is an idiot for having Gatens drive on the last play. Certainly hindsight is 20-20, and the execution didn't work out but there was nothing inherently wrong with the strategy (going for a quick 2 over a contested 3). Also, UM switched Simms onto Fuller for that last play. Until then one of UM's little white dudes had been guarding Fuller. The play was an clearout pick-n-roll with Gatens and Fuller (our two-best players), since Simms was now guarding Fuller, they switched and he was able to bother Gatens' shot. Might be more a nice defensive adjustment then schematic error.

I'm neither for or against Lick. We need more and better players. But this team did play well last night, and the coaches had those guys ready to play. All the complaining is counter-productive and tired.

+1, great view and rational. I am neither for Lick or against him either... I would like to see what he can do when he gets some horses in here, but this years recruiting class (Brust, Marble, etc.) better be horses fast because he may not have much more time. That being said, here is why people are complaining IMHO...
1.) Some people on this board let their emotions get the best of them and let logic and rational thinking go by the wayside. These are the fire Lick contingent that act like he is the one that ruined an Iowa dynasty like we were Duke or North Carolina. These are the people that were dissatisfied with the Tom Davis era and ran him out. But now are yearning for a return to the "great Tom Davis" era. Realistically, the last time we Iowa had a successful bball program was 1979-1988 and before that the late 50s. The problem is, we did not invest in the bball program to capitalize on this success of the 80s, IMHO. Also in this group are the people that blindly think that Lick and his system is going to work given enough time (these people are way less numerous). I am willing to give him two more years to get us back in the top half of the BT, although I think Barta will keep him until his contract expires (like with Mr. Davis).
2.) People think his "system is like watching paint dry" so they are blind to the progress. We need more horses. I think Lick is trying to build a program like Ferentz did with the fball program. Install a system and recruit players that fit the system and want to be Hawkeyes. Two problems with this for the bball program: Lick doesn't have 85+ players to draw from so transfers and recruiting mistakes have a much larger impact when you only have 12 players obviously. Also, Ferentz has gotten the investment in the fball program where Davis/Alford/Lick have not. I believe there were fundamental issues with the basketball program before Lick arrived, he seems to be trying make change for the better for the long term, so I am willing to give him a couple more years as these things don't usually happen overnight. Again, I am not for Lick, I don't know if his system will work, but I believe we needed a program overhaul, and firing him now or in the next 2 years will set us back in $$$ and set the program back even further. I do see some progress, and think he can be successful (but he better hurry up). However, other people don't share this opinion, and will complain and refuse to see progress.

Anyways, my $.02... take it or leave it.