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40 years of being an Iowa fan is depressing....truly

J

JRHawk2003

HB King
Jul 9, 2003
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I got back to Scotty Thompson. I saw Ronnie Lester at the Field House.

Saw the loss to Toledo in 79.....I sat through the triple OT loss to Minnesota in 82.....Jim Bain.....

I should be used to disappointment....Its just flat painful being an Iowa Basketball fan. There is no other way to put it.
 
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then quit. They have never won a national title and likely never will. If losses get you down I would suggest switching to Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky or Kansas.
 
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I understand where the op is coming from, but at the same time you have to be realistic to what it means to be an Iowa fan. Iowa will likely never win a national championship at basketball or football. I'm not trying to start an argument, just my opinion. Iowa is not a bottom feeder but they certainly have a ceiling. It is what it is.
 
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I worked at the Highlander Inn when Chris Street, now that was the most painful time to be hawkeye bball fan.

The loses suck too.
 
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350 D1 teams. That is a lot of if only and the coach stinks type stuff. Think of it this way:
That's a dang woman and I fully admit she's got more nuts than me!!! Or maybe she's more nuts than me!?!? But my point is what she is doing is ultimately just as pointless as being a Hawkeye fan for life! Even the years we've won stuff? They went away the next day and we were back to wondering how things would go next year.

The big lie is "next year" is only for losing teams. No. Everything gets erased and one bad year, one good year, changes everything for some record book that collects dust and yet changes nothing for us!! What's that woman going to get when she reaches the top? She gets to climb down! There isn't some perfect life waiting for her up there. She doesn't get to stop.

Frankly, I don't know why she does it. And I don't know why I'm interested in Iowa basketball but that maybe all of us have to latch onto something.

So, JRHAWK2003, I enjoy your posts but give up if you have to! Find something else to do. Me? This tough to handle hoping a team wins a basketball game is about all I can take these days. I guess I'll stick with it.
 
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I too go back to that time frame. The loudest venue ever- the Old Fieldhouse with the steel seats re-purposed from the old Iowa Football Field where the EPB now stands, was the night we played Bobby Knight's undefeated '75 Indiana team. Scotty Thompson was on fire in the first half and would have scored 30 points if there was a 3 point line back then. The first half was deafening with every bomb Thompson made. We faded in the second half but my voice was shot for 2 days.
 
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It's true: Iowa gonna Iowa.

But . . . being a sports fan is always an exercise in disappointment. Ask Yankee fans or supporters of Manchester United. Those are supposed to be titans who win all the time and who people only cheer for because they win. Well . . . is it good times all the time even for those blessed organizations? Or are their periods of success as fleeting as any other?

We're all in it to win it, but did you choose to support the Hawks only to see them win it all? Or are there other reasons? Philosophically, we'd all be more at ease if we watch, hoping for something good to happen, and ready to move on quickly either way. Life will move on, anyway, and trophies do nothing but collect dust. Get into the game when the lights are on, cheer the success, grieve the losses, then get over it.
 
I never said I was quitting anything. I am a 3rd generation alum. One just gets tired of getting disappointed.
 
I'm rather disappointed with all the "Hey, were Iowa, not Duke...and never will be" type of comments. It all starts with baby steps. Back in the late '80s we had a helluva run going and the future looked bright. We seemed to be on our way to building something, but we didn't. Just couldn't sustain it long term. Maybe that is our lot in life? Short bursts of excitement and decent success followed by several years of mediocrity and heartbreak. Was really hoping this year would be a "burst" year and possibly something magical like a Final Four or Elite Eight.

Btw, is there really anything wrong with being royally ticked off that we blew a golden opportunity to end our drought of not winning a conference championship? Nobody, that I recall, was thinking national championship...just a conference championship. It was ours for the taking; we not only blew it, we completely collapsed.
 
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It has been said that "Cynics are optimists who can't stand being disappointed one more time." And "A pessimist is never disappointed."

I feel your pain, OP. I've been watching the Hawkeyes even longer...back to the early 60s and the days of Don Nelson. But it does seem that Iowa fans get their hearts ripped out more than most. It was easy during the Lickliter years. I didn't care. I didn't watch the games and, often, didn't even check the scores. Caring hurts.

And, Herkuleez, I agree. The Hawkeyes were 10-1, third in the nation with 11 votes for No. 1, and the "easy" part of the schedule coming up. Was it really too much to expect the most experienced team in the conference to bring a title home? I don't think so, especially when so much of basketball is simply effort. After starting 10-1, going 5-2 would have at least shared the title. After sweeping MSU and Purdue, was it too much to expect to win @ Penn State or to beat Wisconsin at Carver or to beat a mediocre Ohio State in Columbus? I don't think so.

Yet that was, once again, the fate of the Hawkeyes--to build up our expectations, only to rip our hearts out one more time.

Coming off the heartbreaking failure to win the Big Ten football title and the embarrassment of the Rose Bowl, well, it's so sad, too bad. Welcome to Hawkeye nation.
 
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Agree. That is part of why I gave up my tickets for last night. I just didn't want to see it.

Truly heartbreak city being a Hawkeye fan.

The only good thing is that it teaches you not to care that much anymore, I guess.
 
I have no come to the realization that I may very well never see another Big 10 regular season championship in my lifetime. I can't see it getting any better next year. Fran has done a good job, I am not going to kill him. Its better than the Alford or Lick eras.
 
Yeah, they help up a stat last night on Big Ten titles in hoops. Iowa is almost last, at 8. It's been since 1976?

If that's correct, I am 40 years old, and out last BT championship was when I was 1.

That's damn depressing.
 
Herkuleez said:
Btw, is there really anything wrong with being royally ticked off that we blew a golden opportunity to end our drought of not winning a conference championship? Nobody, that I recall, was thinking national championship...just a conference championship. It was ours for the taking; we not only blew it, we completely collapsed.
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I look at it this way is we have now proven we can get very close to a conference championship. Painfully close. With this group of kids they have had a tough time in pressure situations and there confidence can go quickly as we have seen the last 4 years. The coach and the kids got a lot out of what abilities they had but each guy has some fatal flaws that just could not be overcome at times. They still accomplished a great deal like winning at MSU in curb stomping fashion. Never thought I would have seen that and may never again.

This is all part of the experience. We'll have a new group of kids next year to begin building with and it looks to be some better overall athletes and might be mentally tougher / less fragile. They will be young and inexperienced but what is not to say we cannot get back to this same point in another season or two? The coaching staff now has the experiences both good and bad to draw on. Fran is starting to get more calls in the league now that he is established.... which we all know you get none as a new coach at schools like Iowa in the B1G. I am just not ready to throw the towel in even after this disappointment.

Was there last night in that environment and it was a hell of an exciting game.
 
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This year is just hard to stomach because the pieces were there for a good season. I remember back in November a lot of people saying this team was average and that they returned a good core, but no proven bench. The season started and I seriously thought after Orlando that we would be lucky to get to 10 wins in the conference. I was seriously thinking NIT maybe for this group.

The way they started conference play I could not believe it. 10-1 and everything was rolling along just fine. I was a little hesitant to start celebrating, but I thought hey there was no way we would lose 4 out of 5. Well low and be hold here we are. We have fallen flat on our face.

The biggest issue to me is, this was supposed to be a senior team. Fran talks how professional these guys are and how focused they are. The past 6 games I can honestly say they do not look professional. They looked rattled and nervous in the tight ball games. They started getting hesitant on both offense and defense and it costed them a championship.

The other issue is this championship was there for the taking. I mean not too many Iowa teams will get an opportunity like Iowa got last night. Playing for a conference title on your home floor. The other teams (MSU, Maryland, PU, and IU) all lost head scratchers for games. Just could not believe this team had it on a silver platter and couldn't take advantage it. Just sucks, i doubt I will ever see them win it all in the Big Ten.
 
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DavenportHawk8 said:
The other issue is this championship was there for the taking. I mean not too many Iowa teams will get an opportunity like Iowa got last night. Playing for a conference title on your home floor. The other teams (MSU, Maryland, PU, and IU) all lost head scratchers for games. Just could not believe this team had it on a silver platter and couldn't take advantage it. Just sucks, i doubt I will ever see them win it all in the Big Ten.
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It's sure disappointing but the fact of the matter is this team may have overachieved to get off to that start. When they were rolling confidence was high. Even at 10-1, that still left 7 games to go. A lot can and did happen. Teams got into our top 2 guns and they lost confidence. The bench disappeared for awhile. Pressure mounted. Other teams got hot or were playing for their tourney lives.

I am just not certain this opportunity was a one time thing. Yes next year no chance with youth but after another season or two how does anyone know we cannot get there again with possibly better athletes that might be mentally tougher. I see no reason just go give up. Take stock of where we are and move forward.
 
DavenportHawk8 said:
This year is just hard to stomach because the pieces were there for a good season. I remember back in November a lot of people saying this team was average and that they returned a good core, but no proven bench. The season started and I seriously thought after Orlando that we would be lucky to get to 10 wins in the conference. I was seriously thinking NIT maybe for this group.

The way they started conference play I could not believe it. 10-1 and everything was rolling along just fine. I was a little hesitant to start celebrating, but I thought hey there was no way we would lose 4 out of 5. Well low and be hold here we are. We have fallen flat on our face.

The biggest issue to me is, this was supposed to be a senior team. Fran talks how professional these guys are and how focused they are. The past 6 games I can honestly say they do not look professional. They looked rattled and nervous in the tight ball games. They started getting hesitant on both offense and defense and it costed them a championship.

The other issue is this championship was there for the taking. I mean not too many Iowa teams will get an opportunity like Iowa got last night. Playing for a conference title on your home floor. The other teams (MSU, Maryland, PU, and IU) all lost head scratchers for games. Just could not believe this team had it on a silver platter and couldn't take advantage it. Just sucks, i doubt I will ever see them win it all in the Big Ten.
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there is alot of truth to this....As the pressure to capture the conference title has risen our seniors have wilted w/the exception of Woody(cant believe I would ever admit that) and he is what he is...limited athletically/hustler/plays good D and rebounds. The other guys have not handled the pressure well at all. Dissapointing for sure. But hope springs eternal and Ill keep believing one day Ill see a conference championship before I take a dirt nap
 
jamesvanderwulf said:
I too go back to that time frame. The loudest venue ever- the Old Fieldhouse with the steel seats re-purposed from the old Iowa Football Field where the EPB now stands, was the night we played Bobby Knight's undefeated '75 Indiana team. Scotty Thompson was on fire in the first half and would have scored 30 points if there was a 3 point line back then. The first half was deafening with every bomb Thompson made. We faded in the second half but my voice was shot for 2 days.
Click to expand...


I was there that night too. Sitting in Obstructed Vision seats, but I was there.
 
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JRHawk2003 said:
I am a 3rd generation alumnus .
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FIFY-pet peeve. An alum is a powder.

Herkuleez said:
I'm rather disappointed with all the "Hey, were Iowa, not Duke...and never will be" type of comments.

Btw, is there really anything wrong with being royally ticked off that we blew a golden opportunity to end our drought of not winning a conference championship? .
Click to expand...
First part: we may need to adjust to our station in a new Big Ten, clogged with more teams, with some of the newcomers being stronger in either football or basketball. If we end up with 4 superconferences, a season where we're even in the fight for a conference title may be once in a blue moon. As the rich get richer in college sports, it's hard to imagine someone on the outside breaking in. One can take the attitude of seeking and pursuing perfection, and still be able to admit that the cold, clinical truth may not allow it.

Second part: nope. No problem at all. The discussion here is more in broad terms about life as a Hawkeye.
 
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Its not the same as football. Some years have had good endings with bowl game wins. 2009 was a great year. We won a BCS Bowl. There have been some other good years too. For whatever reason Hawkeye basketball has been mostly heartache.
 
Well, unfortunately, out of how many Division 1 basketball teams only one fan base is not disappointed come April. (Unless you count the NIT winner.)

With that said, I think I understand what the OP is getting at. Of all the seasons, far and few between in which Iowa basketball had generated lofty expectations, all of them ended in bitter disappointment. At least in recent memory.

As crazy as this may be, when Iowa gets into the tournament anything can happen. This team still has the potential to have an offensive explosion at any time. If they get hot and remember how to play defense with passion (that generated the early conference win streak), it is possible for them to have a deep tournament run.

Is it likely? No. But it's not a complete impossibility either. There is not a dominant team in college basketball this year and Iowa has proven they have the ability to beat just about anyone.
 
The last four years on Kenpom? 25th, 28th, 19th and at this moment 17th. All four years 20 or more wins. Yes, we've got two stretches where we took it on the chin, and one of them happens to be right now. But we've also had two stretches where we were among the top 10 ranked teams in the country.
 
And1Hawk said:
It's sure disappointing but the fact of the matter is this team may have overachieved to get off to that start. When they were rolling confidence was high. Even at 10-1, that still left 7 games to go. A lot can and did happen. Teams got into our top 2 guns and they lost confidence. The bench disappeared for awhile. Pressure mounted. Other teams got hot or were playing for their tourney lives.

I am just not certain this opportunity was a one time thing. Yes next year no chance with youth but after another season or two how does anyone know we cannot get there again with possibly better athletes that might be mentally tougher. I see no reason just go give up. Take stock of where we are and move forward.
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I'd rather believe that they are underachieving now, instead of over achieving earlier in the B1G season. If you sweep MSU & Purdue, esp by double digits, you are not over achieving. ..
 
JRHawk2003 said:
I have no come to the realization that I may very well never see another Big 10 regular season championship in my lifetime. I can't see it getting any better next year. Fran has done a good job, I am not going to kill him. Its better than the Alford or Lick eras.
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Alford got closer to a regular season league title, and did win the postseason tourney twice, something Fran hasn't even sniffed.
 
Beating Georgetown to go to the Final Four, Oklahoma to go to the Elite 8. Winning the B1G tournament twice. Winning at Illinois after being behind by 25, beating MSU on the toad after being down by 15 with 3 min to go (1st game after Chris Street died), winning at NC, twice. Getting to the NIT finals, beating MSU when they were ranked #1, and then doing it again on the road.

You can't have great disappointment without expectations. The basketball team has had some great moments too.
 
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jamesvanderwulf said:
the NCAA Tourney determines a true champion.
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So a six-game winning streak trumps a 30-game regular season? A team can theoretically go winless all year, flip a switch to win their conference tournament for an auto bid, then become national champion. And you're OK with this?

The tournament decides a true tournament champion, but is no better than the football system at determining the national champion. Not when it's flooded with teams that have no business competing for that trophy.
 
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JRHawk2003 said:
I never said I was quitting anything. I am a 3rd generation alum. One just gets tired of getting disappointed.
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I don't think you are being an idiot or some kind of spoiled brat. Maybe the Hawks will never win a national championship, but com'on not a Big Ten individual title in 40 years? No shared titles close to 30 years? Is it right to have some expectation of winning a Big Ten every once in awhile? Maybe a Great 8 every few years? I hear ,and understand, your frustration.
 
Dauminator said:
So a six-game winning streak trumps a 30-game regular season? A team can theoretically go winless all year, flip a switch to win their conference tournament for an auto bid, then become national champion. And you're OK with this?

The tournament decides a true tournament champion, but is no better than the football system at determining the national champion. Not when it's flooded with teams that have no business competing for that trophy.
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I was referencing the contrast between FB and BB as to how a bowl win can keep the OP happy in FB, while all but one in BB wonder " what if " after the season is over.

Your hypothetical 0 - 30 turned 10 - 30 National Champion? Seriously? March madness trumps all the politically and monetarily motivated bowl games in my book. The football playoff remains a very flawed system which would need federal intervention to be equitably devised. Two straight years of back to back semi final blowouts prove that.
 
I've said this before but I consider it a good sign when things like Big Ten Championships and long runs in the tournament are needed to satisfy the masses.

Not long ago, we were wishing we could get NCAA invites.

I also consider it a good sign that the nerves don't show up but for a few times a season. 20-7 and however we got here it's 20-7. Yes we went into a funk and that's twice in six years we've done so. Concerning? Naturally. All the better as now we recognize a funk. Wasn't long ago we were always in one! :D

Bottom line, if we can consistently field competitive teams we increase the odds from one or two times a decade that we have a chance at anything good, to maybe up to eight times a decade. That puts us with the Michigans, Wisconsins.....right there where sooner or later it all comes together.
 
JRHawk2003 said:
I got back to Scotty Thompson. I saw Ronnie Lester at the Field House.

Saw the loss to Toledo in 79.....I sat through the triple OT loss to Minnesota in 82.....Jim Bain.....

I should be used to disappointment....Its just flat painful being an Iowa Basketball fan. There is no other way to put it.
Click to expand...

You want depressing? Be a gopher fan..... Your depression does;t hold a candle to what is going on up here and I love it.
 
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