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At this point, I would start Nick Baer

Doesn't matter so much about starting. McCaffery will play the guys that are producing. Two guys that I've noticed seem to start out games ready to go are Woody and Clemmons. So, if they are going to get some minutes, and they are, might as well use them right off the bat.
 
RockEyeState said:
I'd go with Gesell, Jok, Baer, Uthoff, Woody

Sapp, Uhl first off the bench.

Nick Baer went for 19 points tonight and he scores from inside and
Out. He's a good passer and moves very well without the ball.

#goHawks
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Baer is just where he should be....Iowa needs scoring from the 2nd unit as well as the 1st, scoring balance is what Iowa should strive for and it appears that is just want they have....don't change a thing....
 
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IllQChawk said:
Baer is just where he should be....Iowa needs scoring from the 2nd unit as well as the 1st, scoring balance is what Iowa should strive for and it appears that is just want they have....don't change a thing....
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Agree, I like him coming off the bench, and I say that thinking he's better than woody and Clemmons right now.
 
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He has played great, but I would not sit Sapp. He brings too much leadership, defense, and toughness to the table. We would create a defensive hole at the 2 position.
 
MSU is primed for a Baer trap game without Valentine, I like our chances IA handling them their first loss next week at Carver. Baer is stepping up for the 3rd outside threat with Uthoff and Jok. Plus, they still have Gesell, Clemmons, Uhl, and Ellingson, this is a good year for IA with their good outside shooting potential.
 
Baer hasn't done anything against any quality opponents yet. He's played way beyond expectations this season and has been a huge positive, but let's pump the brakes until he is able to produce against a big ten level opponent.
 
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I agree he hasn't done it in league play, but he has shown he plays under control, takes good shots, and isn't a turnover machine. His production will likely go down and yet he's got the kind of game where he can be a positive against good teams too.
 
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LaoHawk said:
MSU is primed for a Baer trap game without Valentine, I like our chances IA handling them their first loss next week at Carver. Baer is stepping up for the 3rd outside threat with Uthoff and Jok. Plus, they still have Gesell, Clemmons, Uhl, and Ellingson, this is a good year for IA with their good outside shooting potential.
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He played as close to a perfect game as possible last night. He just does no wrong. He did foul twice.
 
Agreed. I want the experience of a starter already had by the time next season rolls around.

My guess is we have an injury (hopefully minor for only a few games). That happens everyyear. Then Baer gets his start.
 
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Lots of times, in game planning, not bothering to stop "that unknown guy" off the bench ends up biting hard, and leads to a loss...perhaps he is best coming in under the radar. Less pressure, as well...

It is always exciting to see that guy at the bottom of the roster end up being a diamond...
 
gohawks7470 said:
Baer hasn't done anything against any quality opponents yet. He's played way beyond expectations this season and has been a huge positive, but let's pump the brakes until he is able to produce against a big ten level opponent.
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I wouldn't agree done anything...I mean there is a lot of talent out there that you play against. Keep in mind Baer was in competition for minutes when we had Dale Jones (which I believe was the first 6 games) .. he wasn't looked upon to score as much as he is now. Once Jones went down his role changed big time and I don't there is any doubt he has stepped up.

I definitely agree with you come B1G time...which is the case for any freshman. The B1G can humble a lot of people.

As far as starting..doesn't matter...other than we cant afford to have both senior points in foul trouble. When Mike got his 2nd early on in the Dayton game...it affected things a lot.
 
Baer looks great so far but we'll see how he does in conference play when teams/the games are faster. We saw how he only had 2 points and 2 rebounds, and was 0-3 from behind the arc against Iowa State, but he didn't even get 10 minutes of playing time.

Clemmons will need to guard the opposing teams best guard in B1G play. As others have said, it doesn't matter who starts, just who's on the floor in crunch time. Baer could be the 6th man who plays down the stretch like Ginobili, Jason Terry, Will Barton, Ryan Anderson, Lou Williams, etc (yes OP those are NBA players for you since I know how little you follow the Association).
 
I hope he is gaining confidence and finding new ways to score in the college game. Against quality opponents like the ones he will face in B1G play the game seems a little too fast for him and he is trying to catch up. However I see a Ryan Bowen type mentality in him and believe he can catch up to the talent quicker becasue of his basketball IQ.
 
The second line needs a scoring threat. Let him keep coming off the bench. And yes, people will need to tap the brakes a bit. He may very well go the rest of the year without having double digits in back to back games. Doesn't mean he's not a threat though.
 
RockEyeState said:
I'd go with Gesell, Jok, Baer, Uthoff, Woody

Sapp, Uhl first off the bench.

Nick Baer went for 19 points tonight and he scores from inside and
Out. He's a good passer and moves very well without the ball.

#goHawks
Click to expand...
Agree completely and I've been saying this for the last 3-4 games. Of course it matters who starts, they tend to get the most playing time and you always want to start a game with good energy. That's what Baer brings, and he has been playing that way all season against some good competition. The kid is the real deal and is only going to get a lot better with experience. Besides, I think Clemmons plays better coming off the bench. He did last year.
 
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Depending on match-ups, I don't think Sapp and Mike should be in the game together for more than a few minutes. Iowa has better combinations, and I think the offense flows better with only one of them on the floor.

And I know last night was a blowout, but Sapp made some pretty sloppy passes for a senior leader, including an ill-advised behind-the-back toss that landed in Fran's lap. Sapp immediately found a spot on the bench. Really, that just should not happen from a senior point guard.
 
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gohawks7470 said:
Baer hasn't done anything against any quality opponents yet. He's played way beyond expectations this season and has been a huge positive, but let's pump the brakes until he is able to produce against a big ten level opponent.
Click to expand...
What did the others do against those less quality opponents?
 
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I love Anthony Clemmons, but as a coach, I don't start guys, just because they are Seniors.
This is the Big Time.

So it's settled then...........

Gesell
Jok
Baer
Ute
Woody

First off bench: Sapp, Uhl, Wagner
 
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Does anybody know when there would be an open scholarship to offer Baer? Obviously next years class is full, so assuming there aren't any transfers how many scholarships do we have open the following year in Connor's class?

Also, I get that Connor and in the future Patrick will be deserving of scholarships but why not have them walk on as Fran can clearly afford to pay tuition with ease. They changed the meal plan among other incentives so walk on players receive all the benefits that scholarship players do aside from tuition and housing.

I know Doug McDermott was a walk on his senior year so they could offer another scholarship...
 
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Let's pump the brakes until we see Baer do it against high-major athletes. Right now, his offensive game is pretty limited: spot up shooter and transition finishes at the rim. That's fine, assuming he can still do those things effectively against Big 10 athletes.
 
I wouldn't argue with that, RockEyeState. And Wagner, if given the chance, could be huge against a team like MSU. I'd like to see him in early to see what he could do.
 
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Steve Alford wasn't much but a spot up shooter, and he didn't do much finishing at the rim against anybody. But he did OK. Kent McCausland was mostly a spot up shooter, and he led Iowa and the nation, I believe, in 3-point shooting as a junior. Baer's game has a lot more to it than that.

I wouldn't worry about Baer, but I would worry about senior scholarship players who, for four years, have given away bunches of wins by choking at the end. Baer will be just fine. He actually plays hard, all the time.

I marveled at Uthoff's comment that "Baer was diving on the floor for loose balls in pick-up games," as if that was just plain crazy. Hell, Jerrod, THAT'S what you're SUPPOSED to do. Play the game 100% all the damn time. Wow. I hated reading that. So yah, give me Baer ANY time against ANYbody.
 
All this thread is really saying is that Baer is playing well- yep, he is. He's essentially filling the role I expected Jones to fill as a shooter, and being a Johnny on the Spot garbage man as well. I think Fran likes having the 2 PGs starting this year to keep the O flowing well. Otherwise, Uhl or Baer would have a chance at the starting unit. I expect Baer's effort to be there as the competition gets better. We'll see if he can keep up production. He'll probably be better than vs previous good teams this year as he's just a learning freshman.
 
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Hes the most fundamentally sound player Iowa has by a wide margin. Im anxious to see how he does in Big 10 play, but the beauty of him is hes only a freshman.
 
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.......meaning Baer providing what ever is needed by coming in off the bench. Maybe a 6th man award candidate, providing he maintains thru conference games.
 
EpenesaEpenesa said:
Hes the most fundamentally sound player Iowa has by a wide margin. Im anxious to see how he does in Big 10 play, but the beauty of him is hes only a freshman.
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Agree with Eppy, here. In terms of all around game, Nick Baer might be the most FUNDAMENTALLY sound player on the current team. Hats off to Baer's coaches at Bettendorf, who have done a tremdous job of developing this young guy. He is going to be a Hawkeye fan favorite for several years to come.
 
Some great comments. Interesting takes. And just because I might not agree doesn't mean I don't see some logic in other ideas. So, Merry Christmas and all that....

As McCaffery has said, good things seem to happen when Gesell and Clemmons are on the floor together. Another way to put that, imo, would be Jok is not a two guard and Gesell can use help being a point guard.

So, I actually enjoy having Clemmons at the two, especially at the start of the game for defensive purposes and to start out without the kind of turnovers or forced shots that can cause our carefully tuned offense to flounder.

See, the reason our less talent than many teams bunch wins more games than it should is we are greater than the sum of our parts. That's also, by the way, the reason that when it comes down to pure production at the end of games we often struggle.

Baer. Hot dang it's great to see a kid like he turn out better than expected. But just like every player that has a bad game gets run down by we fans, and every player that has a good game gts complimented. (And it can be the same guy in two games.) We are probably jumping the gun with Nick a bit. I prefer and hope he keeps coming off the bench.
 
One thing nice about a new player like Baer...since he is so young he can play more freely without the burden of past losses and implosions that the others are still wounded by. MG and Clemmons both tend to suffer from this end of game collapse PTSD... Panic, uncertainty, is it going to happen again eyes, are evident. Young players don't really know where they are yet and just enjoy the moment a bit more at times. My two cents.

My prayer is that the Lord will be on the side of our free throwers this year...at least the last couple of minutes during close games...don't want to get too greedy for something so insignificant.
 
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RockEyeState said:
Agree with Eppy, here. In terms of all around game, Nick Baer might be the most FUNDAMENTALLY sound player on the current team. Hats off to Baer's coaches at Bettendorf, who have done a tremdous job of developing this young guy. He is going to be a Hawkeye fan favorite for several years to come.
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Same thing I said watching him. He was very well coached in high school.
 
Too often our seniors disguise the fact that they have started most of the games for four consecutive years...
 
I am very interested to see Baer against some real competition. That will happen on Tuesday vs MSU. They are deep and talented. We will see how Baer can hang.
 
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