ADVERTISEMENT

20 years and 40 years

JoelBittner

HR MVP
Jun 14, 2010
1,233
725
113
20 years since we made a run.
almost 40 years since we won a conference crown.

I've got sons who compare favorably with lil Lick. Should I have them walk on so we can get this thing turned around??
 
image.jpg


If I'm not mistaken, Lil Lick won a state championship. Congrats to your boys for the same accomplishment.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TritonHawkeye
20 years since we made a run.
almost 40 years since we won a conference crown.

I've got sons who compare favorably with lil Lick. Should I have them walk on so we can get this thing turned around??

No, give them a scholarship and negate the competitive advantage.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JoelBittner
Qualifying for the tourney and making the second weekend are more important, to me. And qualifying for the tourney with regularity. Like 10 years in a row, regular.
 
20 years since we made a run.
almost 40 years since we won a conference crown.

I've got sons who compare favorably with lil Lick. Should I have them walk on so we can get this thing turned around??


And even that 1979 title was shared with Purdue and Michigan State. Our last outright Big Ten title was in 1970. Forty freaking Eight years ago!

The way things are looking, it might be well over 50 years until we win another one.

Damn...

Seems like the divide between the haves and have nots in basketball is approaching football levels of disparity. It will never be quite that bad because basketball is much easier to turn around but realistically... does anyone see the likes of Nebraska or Iowa or Rutgers ever catching up with the likes of Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, or hell ... even Purdue or Wisconsin?

Me either.

We just don’t have the institutional will to do it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: CarterHall
Iowa will win another BIG Championship in basketball and it will happen very soon. Joe Wiescamp will be the leader of that team.

If I'm wrong oh well. I won't ever stop believing.
 
And even that 1979 title was shared with Purdue and Michigan State. Our last outright Big Ten title was in 1970. Forty freaking Eight years ago!

The way things are looking, it might be well over 50 years until we win another one.

Damn...

Seems like the divide between the haves and have nots in basketball is approaching football levels of disparity. It will never be quite that bad because basketball is much easier to turn around but realistically... does anyone see the likes of Nebraska or Iowa or Rutgers ever catching up with the likes of Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, or hell ... even Purdue or Wisconsin?

Me either.

We just don’t have the institutional will to do it.

Institutional will plays a role. I get what Iowa is doing with the "Win, graduate, do it right" mantra but doing the right thing should be something you just do, you shouldn't have to say it. I would be just fine if Iowa was willing to go up to the edge of bending the rules rather than taking the holier-than-thou stance.

And it's just my opinion, but winning is not simply a matter of wanting to more. There is the reality of how many more good players are produced each year in Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Pennsylvania than are produced in Iowa. None of those players know anything about Iowa's history. All they see is Iowa has been to one Sweet 16 since 1990 (yes, one). And the really, really good players from the state of Iowa now get exposure to the elite level schools through the AAU circuit and shoe camps. Good for the players, but bad for Iowa's ability to retain the best in-state talent. A guy like Xavier Foster is known to every blue blood because they can see him compete directly against the best players from across the country. That wasn't the reality 30+ years ago. I sincerely hope he chooses to play at Iowa, but one can understand if guys choose to play at places where they are guaranteed to be surrounded by other top players in the country. Demographics are not kind to coaches at Iowa when trying to win the league or compete for national championships. People will just say I'm making excuses. That's really not my point, it's more that there are some things to overcome.

With that said, as recently as 2015 Iowa was in a great position to win at least a shared title. Going into a Feb. 11 game at Indiana that year, Iowa was 19-4 overall and 10-1 in the league, a No. 1 seed in all the bracketology sites. Also with 2 wins over Purdue and Michigan State each already. Iowa goes 2-5 the rest of the way and finishes tied for 3rd. So that team was certainly in a position to win. It can be done. When the opportunity comes along again for that team/coach, they need to take advantage of the situation.
 
Iowa will win another BIG Championship in basketball and it will happen very soon. Joe Wiescamp will be the leader of that team.

If I'm wrong oh well. I won't ever stop believing.


From your keyboard to God’s ear...

Land Carton and Foster and I’ll begin to believe.
 
  • Like
Reactions: VicHawkeye
ADVERTISEMENT