Fran's 2015 plans

[CanadaHawk]

Interesting article in the IC paper concerning next year.
http://www.hawkcentral.com/story/sp...ny-clemmons-dom-uhl-brady-ellingson/27053061/

In addition to the usual praise for his players Fran spoke about the below points that have been dicussed here.
There's been speculation about a redshirt for the incoming class. Fran confirms that it's likely.
"In comes a six-man class of Isaiah Moss, Ahmad Wagner, Andrew Fleming, Brandon Hutton, Christian Williams and Dale Jones. Someone will probably redshirt in 2015-16.

"There's a good possibility of that," McCaffery said."

There was a lot of clamoring for a back-up center with the last scholly. Fran says it was a choice to go with the best player available = Jones rather than a center.
"Many expected McCaffery to sign a backup center with his last scholarship. He opted for Jones instead.

"We looked at some," McCaffery said. "We decided to go with the best player available. If you get locked into getting a position, you miss on an opportunity."

A backup post is not necessary, McCaffery said, "if you're long. You give up two inches here, but you can make up two inches at another position."

When Woodbury goes to the bench next season, McCaffery said he'll go with three forwards. So that's how he plans to play."

 

[Vbeachawk]

It will be an interesting ride next season. Should be lots of fun watching all these young athletes playing for the Hawks for once.

 

[Ladell-hawk]

I heard Fran speak at an I-Club event last week and he sounded very confident that the Hawks will be strong again next season. Should be a fun season. Go Hawks!

 

[hooper56]

I think when you are going into the season with a Senior point guard (actually 2 of them) and a Senior post, you have to like your chances.

 

[hawkeyemark]

I think Fran gave us some pretty open insight into how he operates. His recruiting so far indicates that he will sign a traditional big man if he can run the floor. He ultimately wants length at the wing positions. He feels comfortable playing three forwards and yet without Woodbury on the floor next season we don't have anybody to match up defensively with the more physical interior players we see in the Big Ten. I like next season's team because of the strong senior class but really wonder how far we can go. Fran plays a different style than what we traditionally have had success with.

 

[The Sleeping Dog]

The minutes without a big center against the large B1G teams is terrifying.

 

[wondergrape]

The minutes without a big center against the large B1G teams is terrifying.

"You'll get over it."

-Michigan State Spartans, 2015 Final Four participants

 

[DanL53]

One thing I like about McCaffery, just speaking as an admitted couch coach, a "rank amateur" as Bob Bowlsby once called me and many of the fan base some years ago, is that things change from season to season. And by change, I mean how our team is utilized. You know, in the five seasons McCaffery has been coach we've seen one team fire up 668 three point attempts, another just 465.

We've seen players move like Clemmons from point to shooting guard, Marble from shooting guard to point, White from wing forward to power forward. Some have stayed at their new spots, some have moved back. We've seen teams that pushed the pace like the 2013/14 teams, and other years McCaffery pulled back on the reins, last year was one of those. Just from memory, I recall Coach McCaffery talking about wanting to get up open shots as soon as available. Wasn't the 2013/14 team known for taking shots with the first fifteen or twenty seconds of the clock? Then last year, Iowa had discovered what good could come from passing the ball and making the defense work.

I remind myself of all this and the point becomes that not since Lute Olson have we had a coach willing to adjust for talent more than Fran McCaffery. And it is an aspect of our Iowa program that I like. Not that I don't get perturbed now and then. Our team's Coach does things that frankly as the expert amateur that I am I get concerned about. The first was when I realized McCaffery had a thing for tall wing forwards. Length!?!?!? In a league where our opponents are often playing three guards here was Coach Fran playing Aaron White as a wing! And then he doubles down and adds Uthoff! Finally, we sign Uhl and by then I was convinced that this tall white guy once called White Magic would never play someone at the wing spot with the lateral quickness to stop anyone!

But dang if between a zone when needed and some kind of determination by our lengthy, lanky wings to use good technique, we ended up with a decent defense most of the time McCaffery has been here.

The next thing that bugged me was trying to play an eleven guy rotation. Alright, that one boggled my mind. But I have to admit that when we were sitting at 19-6 that season I had stopped questioning it. And yes, a 1-7 finish stunk but I can't find reason to blame it on the rotation, it WAS working. Had to be something else than. Last year by the way we were down to nine players seeing the court.

What I'm getting at in all this, is I am presuming our mysterious three forwards lineup when Woody sits has some method sewn into it. Me, I've seen too much success where I didn't expect it to doubt again.

You know, Indiana was rather small last year and they had the leagues most potent offense. Maybe if their guys, one through five, all the spots on the floor, had played a little defense they'd have had a better year. Maybe a better example is the upcoming Wisconsin Badger team? They've got about four guys in the 6'8"-6'9" range listed between 225 and 235. Not exactly Goliaths. And we know Bo has success. Did he fail by missing on Stone and get caught with no backup plan? Bo!?!? How about Beilein winning the Big Ten playing smaller guys just two seasons ago? A fluke?

I'm trying to look at things optimistically, because my experience has been when I do since McCaffery has been coach, the optimistic view ends up being right most of the time. I suspect, that as Coach Fran has said Uthoff is going to have a fantastic senior year, notable on a national level. I think that something about how we play will negate some, most, often enough, of the advantages teams with a big mule in the middle should on paper hold over us. What that will be, what method we use, is unknown to me at this time. I suspect it will be more zone, and when in man-to-man much fronting and help defense. I also think we're going to open up the offense and run, take more shots including from the three. We'll crash the boards en mass and wear out the big bodies.

It'll be a lot about mindset. I'm asking myself, in the dark waters of the amazon who would win, a caiman crocodile, or that croc's weight in hungry piranhas?

Again, yeah, I'm more a rank amateur who has seen Iowa win with bigs. And my instincts are we're going to miss Woody when he sits. When I was a kid my instincts told me not to eat mushrooms, they looked gross. Turns out I like mushrooms. I'm willing to bet that these little fish McCaffery is going to play turn out to have big teeth. I'm willing to have a taste of that plan before I decide if I like it or not.

 

[hooper56]

Also, I seem to recall that the school west of Iowa city with the great tasting water started a 6'8" Center and they went really small when he was out. Big isn't always better, friends.

 

[mtdew_fever]

Winning with smaller guys can and does work. It's not like they will lack size as Woodbury is a good start on defense in the paint.

 

[TJHawkeye]

Without a true big on the floor guys like Haas at Purdue at 7 ft and 275 will score at will since the B1G officials have allowed these guys with bulk to back their way in ala Shaq. Without size and weight, you are at a severe disadvantage.

 

[CanadaHawk]

Without a true big on the floor guys like Haas at Purdue at 7 ft and 275 will score at will since the B1G officials have allowed these guys with bulk to back their way in ala Shaq. Without size and weight, you are at a severe disadvantage.

How do you explain Purdue losing to North Florida this past season, a team whose 2 biggest guys were 6'7" and 6'8"?
https://iowa.rivals.com/bboxscore.asp?Game=70997
https://iowa.rivals.com/cbroster.asp?Team=NORTHFLA

 

[hawkeyeguy69]

How do you explain Purdue losing to North Florida this past season, a team whose 2 biggest guys were 6'7" and 6'8"?
https://iowa.rivals.com/bboxscore.asp?Game=70997
https://iowa.rivals.com/cbroster.asp?Team=NORTHFLA

Exactly. Apparently some people have not seen quicker guys blow passed these bigs for boards and points. Nor have they seen ball denial defense.

 

[RocknRollface]

Without a true big on the floor guys like Haas at Purdue at 7 ft and 275 will score at will since the B1G officials have allowed these guys with bulk to back their way in ala Shaq. Without size and weight, you are at a severe disadvantage.

Who else in the big ten is like Hass besides Hammons?

 

[hawk-i bob]

...recruiting means you get the talent when its staring you in the face...once Dickerson announced he quit the team...that open things up with Christian Williams...a talent that has a very high ceiling...as do any of the other freshman recruits this year.

Dale Jones ... from the sounds of things was being pursued by a number of D1 schools..."after" Fran was in on him... Jones is that unique stretch 4 ... you just can't pass on. I would rather have the talents of Jones..then to recruit size...that may be "a medium" talent at best.

 

[1BigGalloot]

6-8, 220 that can shoot is a good thing. The best thing perhaps about 99 treys last year means Jones should be deadly from 15-18. Elvin Hayes was the tallest on his college & NBA teams but was a jump shooter. It may be hard for fans to get used to seeing the tallest Hawk on the floor standing behind the 3 point line and firing, but anytime Woodbury is on the bench & Jones is on the floor, that could happen.

Sure, Lohaus did it. Usually coming down late on the break to the top of the key, but that team had rebounders (Horton, Lorenzen) and cat quick wings (Marble, Gamble) who could battle & run down misses. This year's team should have plenty of the latter.

The best thing fans can expect to see are outside jump shots actually going in. Good shooting takes care of a lot of things.

 

[RocknRollface]

6-8, 220 that can shoot is a good thing. The best thing perhaps about 99 treys last year means Jones should be deadly from 15-18. Elvin Hayes was the tallest on his college & NBA teams but was a jump shooter. It may be hard for fans to get used to seeing the tallest Hawk on the floor standing behind the 3 point line and firing, but anytime Woodbury is on the bench & Jones is on the floor, that could happen.

Sure, Lohaus did it. Usually coming down late on the break to the top of the key, but that team had rebounders (Horton, Lorenzen) and cat quick wings (Marble, Gamble) who could battle & run down misses. This year's team should have plenty of the latter.

The best thing fans can expect to see are outside jump shots actually going in. Good shooting takes care of a lot of things.

Utoff

 

[mtdew_fever]

All teams regardless of size can win if they can.....
- Win the turnover battle
- Score easy buckets in transition
- Drive the lane to create free throw opportunities.....and hit them
- Hit enough 3 pt shots to space the floor
- Floor spacing also opens up rebounding opportunities for the smaller guys

 

[hooper56]

I kind of think next season will be the first where we actually have the talent and skill set to play the style Fran prefers.

 

[nu2u]

I kind of think next season will be the first where we actually have the talent and skill set to play the style Fran prefers.

which is?

There has been some discussion about this before. The consensus seems to be that Fran prefers an uptempo offense that pushes the ball in transition and takes advantage of fast break opportunities. But his half court offense has usually been more conventional (high post pick and roll, e.g.). I'm wondering if Fran is inclined to spread the half court spacing more (ala Wisconsin et. al.) now that the roster includes a number of tall forwards who can shoot from beyond the arc.

What style of defense does he prefer? I always thought he would play a more aggressive press and trap defense, not quite as frenetic as Tom Davis but certainly more than the passive 3/4 court token press we've seen the past few years.

 

[wondergrape]

which is?

There has been some discussion about this before. The consensus seems to be that Fran prefers an uptempo offense that pushes the ball in transition and takes advantage of fast break opportunities. But his half court offense has usually been more conventional (high post pick and roll, e.g.). I'm wondering if Fran is inclined to spread the half court spacing more (ala Wisconsin et. al.) now that the roster includes a number of tall forwards who can shoot from beyond the arc.

What style of defense does he prefer? I always thought he would play a more aggressive press and trap defense, not quite as frenetic as Tom Davis but certainly more than the passive 3/4 court token press we've seen the past few years.

McCaffery is known as a master of the 3/4 court 1-2-2 press. It is certainly not passive nor token. His press, unlike Davis' is not designed to create turnovers through traps, but to force poor passes and disrupt offensive flow through spacing and the elimination of outlets. You might find this instructive from the man himself:

 

[SSG T]

I kind of think next season will be the first where we actually have the talent and skill set to play the style Fran prefers.

That's pretty much what I've been thinking. A bit more aggressive in both the half and full court on defense. Faster paced on the offensive end. More attacking from the wings and either finishing at the rim or drop passes inside or kick outs for 3s.