is anyone else as pumped

[Kurt Warner]

As I am about next season? Granted we have lost a truly great player in White and nice players in Gabe and Josh but with who we have coming back and with the huge new class it's exciting times ahead I feel with hawk bb. With so many new guys coming in and with Brady and Bair in the mix they're just so many unknowns.

It's gonna be very interesting to see the new guys and how they look in hawk uniforms. To see their strengths and weaknesses and to see if we have any stars in the making. Im truly more pumped about next year than any year since Fran has been here. Wish the season started tomorrow.

 

[LaoHawk]

Dan, did you spike Kurt's drink with serotonin? lol. First off, the appetizers will be serve this summer in the PTL. Spring and summer will go fast...

 

[Kurt Warner]

Lol, funny...for some reason some here think im a hawk hater. That couldn't be farther from the truth, I have been a hawk fan since I was a wee one. Longer than several on here have been alive. Yeah I can be critical sometimes as others are also but it doesn't mean I don't love the hawks.

 

[Hawkeyestate81]

Cannot wait. Fball needs to start and get out of way. 6 newbies. Someones got to redshirt?

 

[91hawki]

Its a shame we don't have White or Gabe back.

I think your PF and SF minutes will be primarily split amongst Uhl, JU, and Jones (and maybe Wagner at PF).

AW, Jones, and Wagner will get the post minutes. We really need AW to stay on the court for 25 minutes a game- enough of the stupid fouls.

Guard spots- AC, MG, and Jok will get the majority of the minutes.

There is your top 8: AC, MG, Jok, Uhl, JU, AW, Jones, and Wagner. Ellingson and the Oak Hill kid fighting for 10 minutes a game as zone busters.

I could see Moss, Williams, and Hutton red-shirting.

I am excited about the class though I think Fran went a little wing crazy- he needed to sign a post in this class to replace Gabe

 

[StormHawk42]

Quite excited, but soaking up the surprising baseball season for the time being. Football is going to be pretty awful this year I have a feeling, so I would love to skip from June to November.

However, the B1G is going to be very, very strong next year, with Michigan and Indiana probably coming back to the top half. I'm cautiously optimistic, but it will definitely not be the same team we saw this last year.

 

[hawk-i bob]

lots to be excited about ... always good to be cautious... Uthoff / Jones excite me at the forward spots with talent behind them in Uhl / Wagner...we go smaller when Woody is out but we get a lot quicker...Fran has a lot of post playing time to sell recruits in the class of 2016.

Jok / Moss / Hutton can all move to the so called 3 (SF) to get even more quicker...there is some rumpling that Hutton has red shirt possibilities.

Fleming / Ellingson will be interesting to see who moves ahead of who.

Gesell / Clemmons senior experience at Point...will Christian Williams get time at point? ... again Fran has a lot of point playing time to sell recruits in the class of 2016.

...minutes after the 1st 6 will be a battle between 7 guys

 

[ZaHawks]

Its a shame we don't have White or Gabe back.

I think your PF and SF minutes will be primarily split amongst Uhl, JU, and Jones (and maybe Wagner at PF).

AW, Jones, and Wagner will get the post minutes. We really need AW to stay on the court for 25 minutes a game- enough of the stupid fouls.

Guard spots- AC, MG, and Jok will get the majority of the minutes.

There is your top 8: AC, MG, Jok, Uhl, JU, AW, Jones, and Wagner. Ellingson and the Oak Hill kid fighting for 10 minutes a game as zone busters.

I could see Moss, Williams, and Hutton red-shirting.

I am excited about the class though I think Fran went a little wing crazy- he needed to sign a post in this class to replace Gabe

Barring injuries, the days of red-shirting at Iowa are over. Maybe some walk-on's will red-shirt. That will be all.

 

[CanadaHawk]

Quite excited, but soaking up the surprising baseball season for the time being. Football is going to be pretty awful this year I have a feeling, so I would love to skip from June to November.

However, the B1G is going to be very, very strong next year, with Michigan and Indiana probably coming back to the top half. I'm cautiously optimistic, but it will definitely not be the same team we saw this last year.

I think the thing Fran is banking on is better shooting on offense and quickness on D. With Uthoff/Jok returning and all the shooters coming in with 2 senior PGs, we need to be top 3 in the league for 3pt shooting to have a chance to compete for the top half of the league.

 

[hawkeyemark]

Barring injuries, the days of red-shirting at Iowa are over. Maybe some walk-on's will red-shirt. That will be all.

I think Fran likes to stay away from red shirting unless it involves a big man who needs more time to develop. That said I think we have an abundance of wing players who may not all stick around. Any type of big could have come right in and got playing time. Maybe he hopes to sell that in this next recruiting class which I think really matters because this team seems on the verge of getting awfully small.

 

[hawk-i bob]

I think the thing Fran is banking on is better shooting on offense and quickness on D. With Uthoff/Jok returning and all the shooters coming in with 2 senior PGs, we need to be top 3 in the league for 3pt shooting to have a chance to compete for the top half of the league.

agree 100%...looking forward to seeing Uthoff ... Jones ... Jok...that's potentially quite a 3 some..

 

[Jumpshot00]

I love the amount of senior experience coming back and I love the fact there will be six new players (7 if you count RS Ellingson) added to the mix. It will be interesting to see who emerges from the new group. I am guessing a couple step up and get minutes early, but who knows who is going to come in and be physically and mentally ready. Will also be interesting to to see if any of the returnees add to their game-will Jok make more progress again, will Uhl be ready to handle more minutes and be able to utilize his skills, will the seniors each have their best season? Under Fran I would say White, Marble, May, Cole and Gatens each had their senior season be their best. Basabe was decent. McCabe and JO not as much. It is all definitely fun to look forward too.

 

[CO_hawk]

It is kinda neat seeing this team transform throughout Fran's tenure, while still winning games.

 

[anon_89hvcc2uyzmki]

Extremely excited for next season. Funny how just a few short years ago it was all football all day everyday. Hoops at Iowa had really bottomed out. Fast forward to now and it's a complete flip to the script. I feel like Iowa football is now about bottoming out and Iowa hoops has steadily improved every single season under Fran. Fun to watch the basketball program soar under Fran and staff!

 

[DanL53]

I am excited about 2015/16. Actually, I'm pretty much excited year round about Iowa basketball! From following recruiting, the PTL, things may slow down especially in May and then August and September. But otherwise there is usually something to read about.

Just amazing to me how fast time has gone by, this will be McCaffery's sixth season as Iowa's coach. I was thinking about an old debate about how long it takes to rebuild. And I wonder, would anyone say we've reached our peak just yet? Not me. Now that we've made a couple of NCAA's and enjoyed a good year in the Big Ten, it can only help our recruiting.

Still don't know how far McCaffery and staff can elevate the Iowa program. But that may be the most exciting part, watching the build and wondering how far we can get.

 

[HoustonREDHawk]

Extremely excited for next season. Funny how just a few short years ago it was all football all day everyday. Hoops at Iowa had really bottomed out. Fast forward to now and it's a complete flip to the script. I feel like Iowa football is now about bottoming out and Iowa hoops has steadily improved every single season under Fran. Fun to watch the basketball program soar under Fran and staff!

It is great that Fran has made Iowa basketball fun again. I am cautiously optimistic about next year. This past year, we had good depth and experience at all of the positions. This coming year, we are extremely thin and inexperienced on the inside, except for Woody. It will be interesting to see how the coaches cope with our limited size, and to watch how the new players fit into the rotation. I think it will be critical that DJ have the ability to step in as a regular contributor at the 4/5. It would be better IMO, if Uthoff and Uhl can play many of their minutes at the 3, but the coaches might not have that option. It also will be critical that we get much more consistent outside scoring from the off guard position. Pete and one of the new guys need to be able to hit open shots and play consistently good defense. Any big-time contributions from the true freshman will be a big bonus.

Overall, competition in the B1G looks even tougher. Maybe there won't be an elite team, like Wisconsin this past year, but there could be 8 or 9 potential top 30 teams in the B1G. It is hard to predict where the Hawkeyes will fall.

 

[SIXERS24]

Its sad that Gabe never redshirted!!

 

[2bagger22]

I could see Moss, Williams, and Hutton red-shirting.

There's no conceivable way all three redshirt.

 

[perryhawk]

I can't wait for the PTL and then the season....I think the B10 is going to be brutally tough next year.....and that the Hawks will get over looked. I like that. I think the team next year will be very good.

 

[Ronman]

Can't wait for PTL this year. Have all the new recruits committed to play yet?

 

[jdv77]

I am very excited by this class and for next year. The one caveat is that no coach goes 13 deep with his rotation, so as we look at the roster 3-4 of these scholarship guys are not going to have appreciable minutes this year.

It is very hard to project who those 3-4 are going to be. Nor does it mean that those 3-4 are not going to be good players for us down the road (I don't see us redshirting players consistently, a la Wisconsin, but I think that we could see guys that have to pay their dues for a couple of years before they see significant minutes).

 

[hawkjt]

My prediction for best bet for red-shirting, in order:
1. Christian Williams....least physically mature who will need to learn pg position.

2. Hutton....physically ready, but skills need refining.....maybe a 30% chance of red- shirting.

I cannot envision all our wings staying 4 years with so little playing time unless they red shirt at least one.

This is a huge season for Fran...has to make the Dance with a tough league and a bunch of newbies...he will need all his coaching acumen to make it .

 

[buttermypancakes]

I am excited about 2015/16. Actually, I'm pretty much excited year round about Iowa basketball! From following recruiting, the PTL, things may slow down especially in May and then August and September. But otherwise there is usually something to read about.

Just amazing to me how fast time has gone by, this will be McCaffery's sixth season as Iowa's coach. I was thinking about an old debate about how long it takes to rebuild. And I wonder, would anyone say we've reached our peak just yet? Not me. Now that we've made a couple of NCAA's and enjoyed a good year in the Big Ten, it can only help our recruiting.

Still don't know how far McCaffery and staff can elevate the Iowa program. But that may be the most exciting part, watching the build and wondering how far we can get.

Haha in your eyes Bo Ryan is still rebuilding Wisconsin because they're getting better. The foundation is already set. I think Fran can adapt styles as well as any coach based on who he thinks is the best available player each year.

 

[DanL53]

Haha in your eyes Bo Ryan is still rebuilding Wisconsin because they're getting better. The foundation is already set. I think Fran can adapt styles as well as any coach based on who he thinks is the best available player each year.

Nah, I think Wisconsin is a program in it's prime. I don't think that of Iowa. We just established some success in Chicago, opened up a contact with Oak Hill Academy, have something going with Tyler CC. To me, the rebuild isn't complete until we either peak and it becomes clear that we have, or we reach previous levels of historical success. I may be hoping for too much but I think if everything goes well we could get back to basketball like we enjoyed in the 1950's to some point in the 1980's.

 

[hawksense]

I have to agree with a previous poster that Fran is not in the redshirting business. Obviously, injury necessitates redshirt consideration.

I think he wants his players available to play. I think it drives them to get better in practice so that they have a chance to see the floor. With the logjams at some positions, maybe some guys learn a new one, if at all conceivable?

This I know. This giant class of six new recruits and Ellingson and Baer...not all will make it to Senior Day. I'm not hoping guys transfer. It's just modern day college basketball. Kids want to play and if they're struggling to get PT, some will take the convenient way out. And that's a good thing. We want competitors.

 

[The Sleeping Dog]

Very cautious about the upcoming season but very excited to see some action from the six new guys. Its been a long time since we've seen this many new faces, with a need for at least a couple to see some pretty significant minutes.

 

[seer_hawk]

My prediction for best bet for red-shirting, in order:
1. Christian Williams....least physically mature who will need to learn pg position.

2. Hutton....physically ready, but skills need refining.....maybe a 30% chance of red- shirting.

.

Those were my top 2 as well. One of the Lounge posters, who has seats as close to midcourt as you can get, says Hutton WILL redshirt for multiple reasons. He didn't spell out the reasons, but I have no reason to doubt him.

 

[HawkinCarmel]

We got a decent shot next year. This team is gonna play fast and go the rack, I think the shooting will be better as will the perimeter D, the interior D could be interesting. Gonna be fun to watch. A couple of the young guys are gonna get a shot.