Zach McCabe...

FreddyBrown

Moderator
...had 24 pts in three quarters in a blowout first round tournament game last night.

This kid could earn some PT as a freshman. He is tough.
 
Last edited:
McCabe could be special at Iowa. I really believe it comes down to how much he develops physically. He is basketball smart, and has incredible skills. If the Lick "system" truly exists, then based on the premises I have read, McCabe will be the best fit. If he develops physically, he can be the 4 that Iowa needs. He will stretch the floor on defenses as he steps out to screen, as he can absolutely fill it up. He also if a very skilled passer and ballhandler.

If he doesn't develop physically, I am afraid he won't be able to play the 4 spot effectively in the Big 10. Consequently, he plays out of position his entire career, something that has been too common so far in the Lick era.

I have high hopes, as most of the players in Lick's era have developed physically. He is a special talent, and I think he and Brust are the keys to Lick being at Iowa much longer.
 
I have watched him play 3 times this year and i highly doubt he will play the 4 in college. I am guessing the 3. I don't think he is near big enough to play the 4 in the Big Ten
 
I don't even know if he is the best player on his team, let alone become a solid bench player at Iowa when kids like , May, Fuller, Marble, Gatens, and Larson will go in ahead of him.
 
McCabe could be special at Iowa. I really believe it comes down to how much he develops physically. He is basketball smart, and has incredible skills. If the Lick "system" truly exists, then based on the premises I have read, McCabe will be the best fit. If he develops physically, he can be the 4 that Iowa needs. He will stretch the floor on defenses as he steps out to screen, as he can absolutely fill it up. He also if a very skilled passer and ballhandler.

If he doesn't develop physically, I am afraid he won't be able to play the 4 spot effectively in the Big 10. Consequently, he plays out of position his entire career, something that has been too common so far in the Lick era.

I have high hopes, as most of the players in Lick's era have developed physically. He is a special talent, and I think he and Brust are the keys to Lick being at Iowa much longer.

He is listed at 6'6'' right? I thought he would be a small forward. Is he not quick enough for that position or what? I assume that we can put some muscle on him,but Fuller barely gets by at 6'6'' and he has a huge frame and body...is he really just a 4 in college..thought he was playing some pg this year?
 
He is listed at 6'6'' right? I thought he would be a small forward. Is he not quick enough for that position or what? I assume that we can put some muscle on him,but Fuller barely gets by at 6'6'' and he has a huge frame and body...is he really just a 4 in college..thought he was playing some pg this year?
He is more like 6'8". He is long and lean. Can't see him ever go inside and bang. Although he is certainly cacapable of taking his man inside on a mismatch. But he is a good shooter,passer and has a good BB IQ.
He and Coug's were very good at the inside/outside game keeping the opposition off balance even though neither one of them are unbelievable athletes.
 
Quite possibly. But a team of solid role players working there hardest and as a team can do some very special things.
Baldies...I sure appreciate your optimism. However, having coached for years and I will be the first to tell you TALENT wins 99.9% of the time. Now not always, chemistry is important. However, in our league you have to have big time playmakers...we don't. It isn't like football where you can say for 6 seconds we are just collectively going to work harder then you....A team that struggles to be competitive this year is still going to struggle next year. Because every team above is getting better and reloading...it is not like everyone just stays the same....hell most teams have better benches then we do. Throw in about 4 top 20 recruiting classes next year and we will struggle to be .500. However keep thinking positive....
 
Remember when he was blowing up AAU this past summer, his coach -- Sullivan -- said he should be a top 50 recruit, and everyone was enamored with this kid? Would anyone watching Ames high think Harrison Barnes is the #1 recruit in the nation? I know I wouldn't. (for the record -- I've seen Heelan and Ames play in person 3+ times each) McCabe was earning all tournament team honors with other elite HS players, that is all I need to know.
 
How would you rate him vs. Cougill? Is he a better get or not?

Two entirely different players. Just picture Cougill going against Iowa, 3A, competition! :) It got pretty ugly at times. McCabe can shoot, finish in the paint, and pass quite well. How he fills out will determine a lot. Not sure how his defense is. Look at our most recent 2-sport star who chose basketball. Worked pretty well for May.
 
What I am clinging to is that McCabe performance in Milwaukee last summer in an AAU tourny where he supposedly dominated a top 50 forward who was highly touted.
Maybe it was just a good weekend for Zach, but I know that it prompted some interest from big schools.
 
He is listed at 6'6'' right? I thought he would be a small forward. Is he not quick enough for that position or what? I assume that we can put some muscle on him,but Fuller barely gets by at 6'6'' and he has a huge frame and body...is he really just a 4 in college..thought he was playing some pg this year?

You know those recruiting services...they always list your height a few inches shorter than you really are.

If they say he is 6'6" 200lbs (like Rivals does), then it means he is really 6'8" 220lbs, and is clearly ready to play Big 10 PF.
 
Baldies...I sure appreciate your optimism. However, having coached for years and I will be the first to tell you TALENT wins 99.9% of the time. Now not always, chemistry is important. However, in our league you have to have big time playmakers...we don't. It isn't like football where you can say for 6 seconds we are just collectively going to work harder then you....A team that struggles to be competitive this year is still going to struggle next year. Because every team above is getting better and reloading...it is not like everyone just stays the same....hell most teams have better benches then we do. Throw in about 4 top 20 recruiting classes next year and we will struggle to be .500. However keep thinking positive....
Its obviously more difficult to have teamwork be THE determining factor in a sport with 5 players compared to 11 but good TEAMS win alot of games. My own kid played on a team loaded with talent. Likely the best set of players in their sport in a 5 state region. But they still got beat when they didn't work hard and play together. It was especially difficult toward the end of their final season in summer, out of school and all had signed letters. Pretty hard to keep focus.
I understand your feeling about talent and will not discount that.But you do have to remember we are not talking about Kansas or Duke here. We CAN get some good players if the staff works at it and we have some success but we don't have a tradition in BB to get all elite level players. Most schools don't so you have to teach teamwork to have success. I just think Lick bases his whole system on that and well it just won't work in D1 BB.
 
"This kid will at best be a solid role player in the B10...that is it."

What makes you say this? Have you seen him play? Just curious.
 

Latest posts

Top