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5 year floor/ceiling for the program

Will Iowa win a regular season Big Ten championship in the next 5 years?

  • Yes

    Votes: 24 21.6%
  • No

    Votes: 87 78.4%

  • Total voters
    111

HawksAndChiefs24

Team MVP
Dec 21, 2016
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I am just wanting to hear everyone's opinion on the best/worst case scenario for the Hawks the next 5 or so years. I think it is clear that our freshman have been scouted and adjustments have been made. The good ones find a way to overcome this and are better for it. So, with the current roster and incoming recruits what is the realistic ceiling/floor?

Personally, I think after a few transfers clear up playing time for recruits and the core matures a bit we could be looking at a very dangerous team. I think the ceiling would be multiple Big Ten regular season championships and an elite 8/final 4 run. For this to happen we will need to learn to close out games, of course, which remains to be seen. We NEED a go to guy who can hit a big shot. Iowa has been desperate for a cold blooded finisher.

Floor wise, this young team never develops and incoming recruits have a hard time creating shots and with athleticism in general. The athleticism issues also hurt us defensively and we make a couple tournament appearances with early exits like the last group of young talent to leave the program (Gessell, Woody, etc.).

Realistic scenario, in my opinion: The hawks have two years where they contend for a Big Ten championship but never quite get it done. Probably will end up with a 3-5 seed in the NCAA tourney a couple times and sneak in once more. I do think we finally see a sweet 16 again and make an appearance in a BTT title game but I won't go too optimistic until I see signs of us being able to finish games.

Would love to hear other opinions on floor/ceiling and the general state of the program. We all knew this year was going to be extremely volatile with ups and downs so I am trying to not focus on the negatives and look forward to how they could develop in to positives.
 
Floor- You're looking at it.
Ceiling - I don't see multiple BIG championships, but I suppose a run for one might be in order provided Iowa can recruit an elite level PG. I think Iowa has the shooters on hand and have bigs coming in the can help, but until they get that jet quick distributor, they'll never be more than what they have been in the past.
 
Serious question: How much do you know about the other teams in the league? Do you watch other teams at all when they are not playing Iowa? Do you follow recruiting for other teams?

If not, I don't see how you can give any kind of meaningful answer to your question. It might be better to ask, has something changed with the program that would justify predicting anything better than past performance? Has your recruiting improved relative to the league leaders? Have your schemes improved? Has your strength/conditioning improved? Has any other relevant factor changed for the better?

If the answer is no, how can you justify predicting any higher ceiling than Fran has demonstrated so far? Is his kid really that good?
 
Next year we should be better, but we are really biding time until Weiskamp shows up. Add the younger McCaffery and we will have a very nice run for at least a few years.
 
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Programs, with very few exceptions if you control for cheating, just kind of continue being who they have been. So just look to the last 10 years and that's almost certainly what the next five will look like. That pertains to everyone.
 
Serious question: How much do you know about the other teams in the league? Do you watch other teams at all when they are not playing Iowa? Do you follow recruiting for other teams?

If not, I don't see how you can give any kind of meaningful answer to your question. It might be better to ask, has something changed with the program that would justify predicting anything better than past performance? Has your recruiting improved relative to the league leaders? Have your schemes improved? Has your strength/conditioning improved? Has any other relevant factor changed for the better?

If the answer is no, how can you justify predicting any higher ceiling than Fran has demonstrated so far? Is his kid really that good?

I consider myself a very educated fan of the Big 10 and Big 12. I watch nearly every televised game assuming the hawks aren't playing. My roommates are Big 12 fans so I kind of get suckered in to that.

My post was simply meant to make minds wander about possibilities. I in no way said that these are guarantees. I also made a point of saying that improvements WILL be necessary to reach my prediction and the hypothetical ceiling. I believe it is fair to say that recruiting will be picking up significantly with McCaffery brothers, Weiskamp, and the bigs next year. For me, it can't all fall on Fran. We need a true leader to emerge unlike the last group of seniors.

It is fair that maybe the better question would be to ask what has changed within the program that would justify lofty predictions. I don't have a response to that, necessarily. My hypotheticals were based on these improvements surfacing. I have not seen anything that points to these improvements on the court yet, but that is what makes hypotheticals fun... Isn't it? The league has adjusted to our young core so it will be interesting to see if they can re-adjust.

I consider myself to be a realistic fan but also like to have dialogue with other fans about hypothetical results in the future in the midst of a rebuilding year. If this makes me an uneducated fan then I guess I'll have to own it. Anything is possible, but it is interesting hearing different people's opinions on what is actually realistic.
 
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Maybe a couple of top 5 finishes during this next 5 years, but nothing indicates that we are B1G championship caliber with current or coming players. There is no PG that can take us to that level in that time window. Combine that with Fran's questionable coaching especially in close games (every championship team has a couple of games that end game coaching is the difference maker) and it wont happen
 
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Here are some things you can project. Fran's recruiting is what it is and won't get better. Other big ten teams will bring in better talent including NW, PSU, MN, and IL. Fran will continue his dogmatic insistence that we have a bunch of multi-position players who can really shoot it. This fantasy ends when the non-conference door mats give way to legitimate competition. Then we get exposed for lacking--too many things to mention.

We are now in a "wait until the freshman are seniors" mode with Fran much like we heard with MG, AC, AW and JU. That class got us two NCAA first round wins (Davidson and Temple) and two second round wood shed beatings. What's different is we are now getting taken to the wood shed by NW and IL.
 
Next year we should be better, but we are really biding time until Weiskamp shows up. Add the younger McCaffery and we will have a very nice run for at least a few years.

Why will you have "a very nice run for at least a few years."? Will a team with Weiskamp and McCaffery be significantly more talented than any of those Fran has coached in the past? Will such a team be more talented than most other teams in the league?
 
Why will you have "a very nice run for at least a few years."? Will a team with Weiskamp and McCaffery be significantly more talented than any of those Fran has coached in the past? Will such a team be more talented than most other teams in the league?
Yes and yes.
 
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It's all going to depend on the guards. I think Iowa will be pretty decent in 2 years - I think losing Jok really puts a lot of pressure on anybody with the ball on the outside, and IMO there just aren't the ballhandlers on this team to put pressure on teams with the dribble drive which is extremely helpful.

Weiskamp, P. McCaffery are great but they are big guys. You guys already have a lot of big guys. I don't think you can say for sure until you find out what the backcourt is going to look like the next few years.
 
A 6-4 170lb small forward from Muscatine is going to be better than most of the recruits added to most of the teams in the Big Ten?

I've never seen him play so I guess I'll have to take your word for it.
 
We have a great group of freshmen and sophmores who can get much better. Also when Jok leaves that opens the door for Isiah Moss who i see as a Dwayne Wade type talent. He is just waiting his "turn." I feel Bohannon can be a legit PG for us and what we need.

With Fran's boy coming in I feel that gives us another top 100 player combined with Cook getting another couple years of experience and you can see B1G championship level talent to get us there. NCAA are all about matchups but getting to the 2nd weekend is where i think we can get too.

Fran has to rethink his strategy of trying to run fast fast fast and sub in players to try to tire down the opposing teams. What happens with college kids with talent is they regroup over the "TV timeouts" and is not as big of an advantage as maybe when he was coaching at Sienna.

His offense works and once we show a consistant winning game recruits like TYLER COOK will continue to come in. Besides WOODY we haven't had the top 50 recruit in the Fran era. This year that changed.

I hope that gives the original poster the optimism he was looking for and others as well. GO HAWKS
 
We have a great group of freshmen and sophmores who can get much better. Also when Jok leaves that opens the door for Isiah Moss who i see as a Dwayne Wade type talent. He is just waiting his "turn." I feel Bohannon can be a legit PG for us and what we need.

With Fran's boy coming in I feel that gives us another top 100 player combined with Cook getting another couple years of experience and you can see B1G championship level talent to get us there. NCAA are all about matchups but getting to the 2nd weekend is where i think we can get too.

Fran has to rethink his strategy of trying to run fast fast fast and sub in players to try to tire down the opposing teams. What happens with college kids with talent is they regroup over the "TV timeouts" and is not as big of an advantage as maybe when he was coaching at Sienna.

His offense works and once we show a consistant winning game recruits like TYLER COOK will continue to come in. Besides WOODY we haven't had the top 50 recruit in the Fran era. This year that changed.

I hope that gives the original poster the optimism he was looking for and others as well. GO HAWKS

Wow!
 
That's my eye test, he is for real. Time will tell. Look at Wade when he was at Marquette. Size is similar, similar jump shot, athletic ability in transistion. It's all there.
 
You have a Dwayne Wade level talent "waiting for his turn?" Wow! I had no idea Iowa was so deep!

In Wade's first eligible year at Marquette, he led his team in scoring. In his second year, he took them to a Final Four.

I can see why you're so optimistic.
 
To be fair, in my realistic prediction, I did say that I think we flirt with a couple regular season titles but never actually get one. It'll take significant improvement in regard to closing out games to even flirt with one.

What I don't understand is all the negative talk about our recruiting. The recruits I am referring to:

Tyler Cook 4* (74)
Weiskamp 4* (43 and rising)
Garza 4* (117)
C. McCaffery 4* (112)
P. McCaffery 4* (60)

All of these guys have potential in which can't just be written off as "same old, same old" recruiting. Why is it so ridiculous to see these guys matching up with other B1G recruits? It's not like we are recruiting against Kentucky. I realize Gessell and Woody didn't work out as we all had hoped but I'm not willing to just write off all of these guys. That is why it is a hypothetical thread. Not to mention, I really like Moss and Bohannon.

I don't quite see the Moss to D Wade comparison except style wise. Moss is a natural scorer who will become more and more confident the bigger role he has. I think that by the time he is a RS junior he will be more than capable of scoring at a high rate consistently. It's been awhile since we have seen the brilliant flashes from Bohannon but we have seen them nonetheless. He is a gifted shooter who can take care of the basketball. We MUST get another PG because Williams is simply a liability out there.

With these incoming recruits and our current young core I think it is fair to dream big. Does that mean I think it is going to happen? No. We can all agree we need to see evidence before fully buying in to a University of Iowa athletic team. Even then, don't do it.
 
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We have a great group of freshmen and sophmores who can get much better. Also when Jok leaves that opens the door for Isiah Moss who i see as a Dwayne Wade type talent. He is just waiting his "turn." I feel Bohannon can be a legit PG for us and what we need.

With Fran's boy coming in I feel that gives us another top 100 player combined with Cook getting another couple years of experience and you can see B1G championship level talent to get us there. NCAA are all about matchups but getting to the 2nd weekend is where i think we can get too.

Fran has to rethink his strategy of trying to run fast fast fast and sub in players to try to tire down the opposing teams. What happens with college kids with talent is they regroup over the "TV timeouts" and is not as big of an advantage as maybe when he was coaching at Sienna.

His offense works and once we show a consistant winning game recruits like TYLER COOK will continue to come in. Besides WOODY we haven't had the top 50 recruit in the Fran era. This year that changed.

I hope that gives the original poster the optimism he was looking for and others as well. GO HAWKS

Pass around whatever you're smoking.
 
I think it will happen in year 4 of this current freshman class. I think the Pieces are there to be a solid group. They will take their lumps and I hope for god sake they practice and work hard.

Nunge & Garza seem to be legit players and everyone is comparing Nunge to Uthoff which is nice, but I hope fran doesn't plan on playing him at the 3 spot. Having 6-9 wings is not good in the Big Ten. Teams find smaller guards who can work right around that and its a mis-match liability on defense. I am hoping Garza can be that 5 spot guy who can pull his man away from the basket.

Weiskamp will be a nice addition, but if you think he is going to come in and score 15+ppg as a freshman your wrong. He is a nice player, but there is an adjustment period for any freshman. I think he will be a high major recruit possibly top 30, but he will not come in and score double digits every game. He is a nice player who with a solid PG, could be a great player.

It comes down to guard play and we simply do not have it. Fran has to find 1-2 guards who are able to attack the lane and be a treat to score or dish it off. Right now we have zero of that. Its tough when your entire offense is around the 3pt line. getting low post touches is nice, but you have to have a guard break the defense down and kick out to open shooters. Also our guards can't get into the paint unless a screen is set. Other teams guards do a cross over and are by our guys.

In order to be relevant an upgrade at the guard position must occur if Iowa wants to improve.
 
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It's all going to depend on the guards. I think Iowa will be pretty decent in 2 years - I think losing Jok really puts a lot of pressure on anybody with the ball on the outside, and IMO there just aren't the ballhandlers on this team to put pressure on teams with the dribble drive which is extremely helpful.

Weiskamp, P. McCaffery are great but they are big guys. You guys already have a lot of big guys. I don't think you can say for sure until you find out what the backcourt is going to look like the next few years.
Weiskamp is a guard all the way. A big guard. I would like to see us add a quicker point to compliment Bo.
 
It's all going to depend on the guards. I think Iowa will be pretty decent in 2 years - I think losing Jok really puts a lot of pressure on anybody with the ball on the outside, and IMO there just aren't the ballhandlers on this team to put pressure on teams with the dribble drive which is extremely helpful.

Weiskamp, P. McCaffery are great but they are big guys. You guys already have a lot of big guys. I don't think you can say for sure until you find out what the backcourt is going to look like the next few years.

It is guard game and Fran seems to be better at recruiting bigs than guards. I do see us returning to middle of the pack in B1G in 3 years. Next year looks like another challenge.
 
Another issue I see with this current team, along with guard penetration, is the bigs inability to spread the defense out. Neither can shoot to save their life which is what makes Kreiner a nice change of pace. Good bigs are effective down low with post moves but the great ones can stretch the defense in the high post. I feel like we have abandoned the high post this year and it is because we simply don't have the players to be effective with it. TC and CP both have good looking jumpers (moreso CP). It is a matter of them gaining the confidence to take them. This will come with practice and time. If Adam Woodbury can develop a decent mid range J I think about anyone can.

On Weiskamp, I don't think anyone expects him to come in and average 15 PPG his first year. Especially with how our roster might look at that time. I do believe that him and the McCaffery brothers have a chance to leave quite a legacy here at Iowa (Notice I said "chance"). By the time they are upper classmen I would hope that they will have developed into consistent scorers and that we have an elite playmaking PG to distribute. If we don't then that is just a damn shame. This is a glaring hole that needs to be filled and I see no reason it won't be in the next couple classes assuming we have some guys transfer out, which seems to be a foregone conclusion at this point.
 
So we cant expect Weiskamp to come in a score in double figures in every game his freshman year ...but we expect this years freshmen to?? Remember 60% of this years starting line up were playing high school ball last year at this time. Be patient early playing time for freshmen pays off big-time down the road!!
 
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So we cant expect Weiskamp to come in a score in double figures in every game his freshman year ...but we expect this years freshmen to?? Remember 60% of this years starting line up were playing high school ball last year at this time. Be patient early playing time for freshmen pays off big-time down the road!!

My post was to say calm the expectations on him. While he is a solid player, Every freshman goes through a learning curve unless you are top 10 recruit and NBA Lottery Pick. I think he will come in and play right away, but those who think he's going to put up large #'s is insane. I mean look at Tyler Cook (#49 rated player in 2016 class). Not really doing much outside of a couple of good games early on.

Also my frustration is not entirely meant to be towards the freshman. I realize they are young and are learning the college game. I know they will take their lumps and have off nights. I am more upset with the guys returning from last years squad. I would of thought we would of seen some sort of improvement from those guys. Sadly I think Jok (health issues) was better than last year. Everyone else seems the same or a little worse. I mean guys who have been in the program 2-3 years and have nothing to show for it. That's not good in Big Ten Play. You need those guys to step up and be leaders when the freshman have their off nights. Sadly Iowa does not have the luxury and that's why you are seeing this team struggle. NW, Illinois and Nebbie are not all better than Iowa. All 3 of those teams caught Iowa on a night where none of their players showed up. This team can play with anyone but sadly they can also get blown out or beat by anyone as well.
 
My post was to say calm the expectations on him. While he is a solid player, Every freshman goes through a learning curve unless you are top 10 recruit and NBA Lottery Pick. I think he will come in and play right away, but those who think he's going to put up large #'s is insane. I mean look at Tyler Cook (#49 rated player in 2016 class). Not really doing much outside of a couple of good games early on.

Also my frustration is not entirely meant to be towards the freshman. I realize they are young and are learning the college game. I know they will take their lumps and have off nights. I am more upset with the guys returning from last years squad. I would of thought we would of seen some sort of improvement from those guys. Sadly I think Jok (health issues) was better than last year. Everyone else seems the same or a little worse. I mean guys who have been in the program 2-3 years and have nothing to show for it. That's not good in Big Ten Play. You need those guys to step up and be leaders when the freshman have their off nights. Sadly Iowa does not have the luxury and that's why you are seeing this team struggle. NW, Illinois and Nebbie are not all better than Iowa. All 3 of those teams caught Iowa on a night where none of their players showed up. This team can play with anyone but sadly they can also get blown out or beat by anyone as well.
Again, you are assuming this years freshman will get better from Fran's coaching. What has happened in the last 6 years to suggest this will happen. White is the only player under Fran that I can say improved his game and based upon what I have heard this was due to Aaron's work more than anything. So this group will not get much better and you are saying not to expect too much from next years group because they are freshman and need time to develop. How long can we get caught in this waiting for players to develop. We are relying too much on guys that dream of being Hawks rather than being top level recruits.
 
Fran needs to mix up his staff to get better recruiters. .

We have four 4-star commitments over three classes including two from out of state. Not landing a stud PG isn't because who we have on staff.

You never know when we could win a title. It could have happened last year. in addition If last years iowa team lands in this years big ten they would have had a great shot as well. The immmediate impact of recruiting along with unbalanced schedules almost makes it a crapshoot.
 
Serious question: How much do you know about the other teams in the league? Do you watch other teams at all when they are not playing Iowa? Do you follow recruiting for other teams?

If not, I don't see how you can give any kind of meaningful answer to your question. It might be better to ask, has something changed with the program that would justify predicting anything better than past performance? Has your recruiting improved relative to the league leaders? Have your schemes improved? Has your strength/conditioning improved? Has any other relevant factor changed for the better?

If the answer is no, how can you justify predicting any higher ceiling than Fran has demonstrated so far? Is his kid really that good?

I think it is hilarious that you chose today to make your reappearance on our board. You must be pretty emboldened by that big home win last night.

We really appreciate your concern for our program, but perhaps you should take some hard facts into consideration.
The past five years, the Illini are 90-69 (.566) and 32-48 (.400) in the Big Ten. McCaffery, by comparison is 100-58 (.633) and 45-34 (.570) in the Big Ten. Your program under Groce has been on a steady downward path, while Iowa has been on the rise until this season. Every season you guys toot about your great recruiting and every year, you get worse. McCafffery tends to find players that outperform their ratings and have been in the postseason all five years, while the Illilini have sat at home the past two seasons. Groce has been on the hot seat for a couple of years now, while McCaffery, despite the bitching by some on this forum, is solidly secure.

In short, your concern about Iowa's future is touching, but if I were an Illini fan, I wouldn't be worried about the future of Iowa's program except to wonder if you might be able to reach our level. As it is, your great victory last night allowed you to catch us at 3-5 in the league in the worst season we've experienced since McCaffery took over the dumpster fire that Lickliter left him.
 
A 6-4 170lb small forward from Muscatine is going to be better than most of the recruits added to most of the teams in the Big Ten?

I've never seen him play so I guess I'll have to take your word for it.


Actually, those were his measurements as a h.s. FRESHMAN. He is apparently up to about 6'7" and about 200lbs. (link below shows ht/wt progression from Sophomore year). Not saying he is LeBron, but he is getting bigger and stronger. People tend to write him off because of obvious reasons. Not predicting anything for him, but he has done extremely well against top competition and is only a junior.

http://www.espn.com/college-sports/basketball/recruiting/player/_/id/211975/joe-wieskamp
 
I think we have a bright future if we can get through this year. There is no way that a young team playing a bunch of first and second-year players with their only senior ailing with a back injury is going to amaze and dazzle all the fans of Iowa basketball. Then our other starting guard is weak as a cat and also can't really go hard and makes a fourth of his shots. If Jok and Bohannn are healthy, we would be talking about a good road win.

Here's my assessment a little over halfway through the season. A lot of it has been posted before.
1. We've got one really good player-- Jok- and he's hurt more than we want to admit. Huge problem, especially since his defense is suspect.
2. The rest of our guards, except for Bohannon, are not consistent or are flat-out borderline, compared to what we're facing from other teams' guards. Jordan is a gamer, and he'll fight off the flu and be ready for Ohio State, but in reality he's still learning the ropes.
3. Baer is our most consistent player, but once in a while he lapses, or gets overly-tired from all-out effort. Have to love the kid. He's a hybrid player and can play multiple positions. He just needs to come in and out, both to give himself a rest, and the other player when he goes in the game.
4. All our bigs are a mix and match group with similar effectiveness. Part of the problem is that nobody gets extended playing time and they get substituted in and out so much that player chemistry is disrupted.
5. Fran is trying to keep everybody happy and that doesn't work. Even the announcers at the Illinois game commented about Iowa playing twelve guys. Fran's got to get his rotation down to about nine guys. I like these guys, but they have shown me little-- Dailey, Ellingson, Jones and Uhl. Uhl has his moments, but they don't usually involve going to the basket. If Ellingson would shoot more, I'd switch him off the list. Williams doesn't look all that smooth or confident to me, but we need a sub for our guards. I just don't think he should have extended minutes by any means.
6. Moss is an enigma. He often plays super in the first half, and then has a tendency to diasappear. Fran should use him just like Baer, about 20- 25 minutes a game, but to sub for a big or a guard who is tired. He's an energy guy, like Baer, just not as consistent.
7. That leaves Cook, Pemsl, Wagner and Kriener, who each brings something positive to the game. Those four guys need to play a lot, each about 20 minutes a game, at least, and more if they seem effective.
8. Cook is the slam guy with good hands. He just has to pick up his defense, which isn't all that stellar. Have to be a little patient with him.
9. Pemsl is in the top three on the team in four statistical categories- points, rebounds, field goal percentage and blocks. He's got to play, but about the same as the other three bigs. Cordell needs work with his FTs and to cut back on fouls.
10. Ryan Kriener deserves to play nearly the same minutes as Cook and Pemsl and Wagner. He's a good rebounder, one of our better shooters, and has a quickness we need. I like Ryan. He needs some experience to raise his ceiling, and has to watch fouls.
11. Wagner actually keeps getting better, and deserves the increased playing time he's getting. He seems to be improving offensively each game. Good quickness and developing a nose for the basket.
12. I like that Fran says he has to evaluate his own coaching. A positive statement. He's got to play no more than nine players unless we are in a blowout, either way. WE NEED TO RECRUIT A REALLY GOOD GUARD--not like we have been, but a stud, somehow, somewhere. That's so obvious it shouldn't have to be mentioned. We have to hone our offense and defense to make them sharper. He needs to plan substitutions so that kids who play well together are in at the same time, if possible. Fran loves his players, but he's got to make some tough decisions regarding playing time.
13. And we fans have to be supportive and patient. In this day and age, kids and families read what we post. If we are true fans, we'll support our Hawkeyes, rain or shine.
 
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Actually, those were his measurements as a h.s. FRESHMAN. He is apparently up to about 6'7" and about 200lbs. (link below shows ht/wt progression from Sophomore year). Not saying he is LeBron, but he is getting bigger and stronger. People tend to write him off because of obvious reasons. Not predicting anything for him, but he has done extremely well against top competition and is only a junior.

http://www.espn.com/college-sports/basketball/recruiting/player/_/id/211975/joe-wieskamp

Looks legit. 6th best in the country at his position is no joke. And yet... Wisconsin commit Herro is rated higher. This is what I mean about having to look at other teams recruiting. Just because your team improves doesn't mean that the rest of the league stands still.

Still, looks like a great get for iowa. The flagship school should always get the best players in the state. If Fran can consistently do that, you'll be alright. Illinois has seldom been able to do it, regardless of who's coaching.
 
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I think it is hilarious that you chose today to make your reappearance on our board. You must be pretty emboldened by that big home win last night.

We really appreciate your concern for our program, but perhaps you should take some hard facts into consideration.
The past five years, the Illini are 90-69 (.566) and 32-48 (.400) in the Big Ten. McCaffery, by comparison is 100-58 (.633) and 45-34 (.570) in the Big Ten. Your program under Groce has been on a steady downward path, while Iowa has been on the rise until this season. Every season you guys toot about your great recruiting and every year, you get worse. McCafffery tends to find players that outperform their ratings and have been in the postseason all five years, while the Illilini have sat at home the past two seasons. Groce has been on the hot seat for a couple of years now, while McCaffery, despite the bitching by some on this forum, is solidly secure.

In short, your concern about Iowa's future is touching, but if I were an Illini fan, I wouldn't be worried about the future of Iowa's program except to wonder if you might be able to reach our level. As it is, your great victory last night allowed you to catch us at 3-5 in the league in the worst season we've experienced since McCaffery took over the dumpster fire that Lickliter left him.


The best season you've had under Fran (last year), Illinois still beat you in March no less. Illinois -- a program at its lowest point since the early 70s led by the worst coach it has had probably ever but at least the last 50 years. Other BT coaches have dominated Groce. Not Fran. Think about it...
 
The best season you've had under Fran (last year), Illinois still beat you in March no less. Illinois -- a program at its lowest point since the early 70s led by the worst coach it has had probably ever but at least the last 50 years. Other BT coaches have dominated Groce. Not Fran. Think about it...

There are always some college matchups that are one-sided that don't make a lot of sense. Given that, I've thought about it and I still would take McCaffery over Groce every day of the week.
 
So we have not won a title in 35+ years and 5 coaches ago. Would I like one yes but do not seeing that as a realistic goal especially in a league known for bball and 14 teams.

I'd much rather have a sweet 16 or final 8 appearance. A sweet 16 is much more realistic and just as meaningful in today's game.
 
So we have not won a title in 35+ years and 5 coaches ago. Would I like one yes but do not seeing that as a realistic goal especially in a league known for bball and 14 teams.

I'd much rather have a sweet 16 or final 8 appearance. A sweet 16 is much more realistic and just as meaningful in today's game.

A sweet 16 appearance -- winning 2 games in a tournament -- is just as meaningful as winning a season long conference championship? No way. Ask players what means more.
 
Until Iowa has a true point guard who can break a defender down with the dribble, and either stop and pop a short jumper or kick to the open man, they will never be a serious Big 10 or Elite 8+ contender.
 
Until Iowa has a true point guard who can break a defender down with the dribble, and either stop and pop a short jumper or kick to the open man, they will never be a serious Big 10 or Elite 8+ contender.

I would take a Bryce Cartwright clone right now. The kid wasn't the best player on the floor, but damn he could get into the lane and dish off and also finish. I realize his outside shooting was a liability, but damn the kid could handle the ball. I hope Fran can somehow work some magic and find a player like him.
 
I would take a Bryce Cartwright clone right now. The kid wasn't the best player on the floor, but damn he could get into the lane and dish off and also finish. I realize his outside shooting was a liability, but damn the kid could handle the ball. I hope Fran can somehow work some magic and find a player like him.
Andre Woolridge, Dean Oliver, BJ, Ronnie Lester......

Why can just about every other team find a decent PG, but Fran can't?
 
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