Generally I agree.
You can almost see opponents eyes light up when they find themselves isolated on the perimeter against Patrick or Payton.
Ben Krikke-- 6'9 F COMMITS to IOWA / Rienk Mast-6'9 C visiting 4/6-7 / BJ Mack-- 6'8 C visiting 4/17-19
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You can almost see opponents eyes light up when they find themselves isolated on the perimeter against Patrick or Payton.
That was different era/outlier year with Fran using 100% zone defense---yeah it is only 7 years but 3pt shooting percentage/number of 3pt shooters on each team has gone up. You will just get lit up by 3-ball shooting relying on zone and torched giving up offensive rebounds to allow 2nd shots. The ability to defensive rebound out of zone is markedly worse because no one has an assigned player to box out and you end up with free runners crashing to the ball.
Who did you see in NCAA that did more than token zone? Everybody good plays man as their primary defense?
Iowa needs to be able to play man defense and be a top 60 type defense along with Top20 offense...that is setting reasonable goals...we all know Fran is going to coach/recruit/sub to maximize offense. I think this year's Iowa team was 150 or so in adjusted defense but maybe 3rd in adjusted offense? Fran needs to trade that off. Nobody every wins Final-4, i.e. becomes elite without much better defenses.
This year's Iowa team was last place in the B1G in both 2pt FG% defense and 3pt FG% defense and scoring defense in B1G.
Just because it can be done...doesn't mean it's likely to be done. Miami is the clear exception.
We drop a ton but will hedge on occasion. I'd like to see us hedge more on certain players/situations.
Maybe the collection of players that McCaffery has assembled are playing defense as well as they can. I seriously doubt he is coaching them to be poor defensively. IMHO, it's easier to be a good offensive player than it is a good defensive player even if you are athletically gifted.
I even said as much in my first post regarding this--"Miami is the worst defensive team to make the final four since Kemba Walker's UCONN." Again, I'm not arguing that Iowa's focus should not be to improve defensively. I'm just responding to the OP who said that "every elite 8 team this year was elite defensively" which was a lie.
Sometimes comments aren't deeper than just stating a simple fact. I'm not implying that Iowa should not improve defensively or that generally NCAA tournament runs are via defensive performance.
I know a lot of people are not going to like what I say , but Fran is not a good recruiter.
Yes he is in on a lot of really good players, but he doesn't get the close
Are we sure the offer was still on the table after the Krikke commitment?
Given the fact they're similar players and the timing, my sense is that Mast had the opportunity to commit during his visit but we went with Krikke after he chose not to.
Given the fact they're similar players and the timing, my sense is that Mast had the opportunity to commit during his visit but we went with Krikke after he chose not to.
I would also guess that Mast/Krikke was either/or, and either would have been a good addition. I had hoped Minor would at least make it to Iowa City, because VA was going to be tough to turn down. He was probably my most hoped for portal big. So, is Iowa still a strong contender for Mack, who also would be a very good addition?
No. Trust people that understand what they are watching when they tell you this is not the case. Its not complicated or hard to see if you know what to look for.
Bad fundamentals, bad communication, bad effort.
Fran is coaching them to be bad defenders by omission and by enabling.
Mack is visiting this Sun 4/16 - Tue 4/18 I believe. We're getting a visit at least and are in his final 5.
However, we're the only non-SEC school and he's lived in Southeastern US his entire life from what I can tell. We'd have to come up with the top dollar in the NIL to secure his services IMO. I don't like our chances but we'll see.
Krikke and Brauns aren't too bad of adds at the 4/5 spots IMO. Sure it would have been nice to get some of those more marquee bigs but they're tough to come by.
Fran Mac needs to embrace what is going on with NIL and the portal and roll with it. Load up NIL with sponsors and big donors. Until some different regulations are brought down this is what he has. If I were Fran I would hire a younger ambitious assistant with BB knowledge and PR experience to handle NIL and sponsorships. Why not try to make it work for the program? Recruits may also sense that the head coach is not embracing the current climate, and will be not impressed with the program in general.
so, you are saying we have a very slight chance to make a Final 4?
sweet.
gotta initially make a Sweet 16 with our lousy defense, however.
The last 8 champions were all not 10 top defenses? Sure about that? Heck, all you have to do is look at this past season to show this is not true. UConn finished with the #7 defense according to KenPom.
And here is more proof that your statement I put in bold above is wrong:
Here is the KenPom defensive standard for eventual national champion during the last 12 years:
* 9 of the 12 title-winning teams finished the season ranked in the top 10 in defensive efficiency
* Each of the 12 national champions finished #22 or better. 2022 national champion Kansas finished # 17.
* None of the 12 have been more inefficient than Baylor, which entered the 2021 tournament ranked 35th but finished 22nd, according to Pomeroy.
Fran is trying to embrace it as much as possible--he's fully embraced the collective and has been doing fundraiser events for NIL such as the Duke MSG experience they did this year and the recent Kings game in Dallas.
FWIW, I've heard that NIL was a big factor in landing Krikke as well. I also don't think Perkins returns unless he was compensated well--one of the first posts of the offseason that caught my eye was a picture of Perkins and the guy who puts together the MBB Swarm events having dinner together--I guarantee that they were discussing NIL during that.
One (good) problem to have is that right now many legit NIL opportunities (businesses wanting a college athlete to promote their business/product) in the state are going to the football and women's basketball programs as well. There isn't an unlimited number of these businesses to begin with, so splitting these opportunities up 3 ways means that MBB is going to have less financial opportunities than most schools who are splitting money 2 ways at worst (and for basketball schools all the money and opportunities go into 1 pool.)
You talk about teams having success in the NCAA Tournament and making Final Fours playing poor D yet there is no example B or C, is there?
Let's be clear. One team, your example A, has made the Final Four in the last 12 years with a defense ranked worse than 70th in the nation.
1 team (not teams, as you stated) out of 48. Two percent. No myths in those numbers.
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you told us several days ago that Minor was heading to Virginia.
I appreciate your accuracy
Agreed. A lot of things have to go very well next season for the Hawks to be more than a middle tier B1G team, if we don't add more than Krikke and Brauns, who do at least give us a fighting chance. Maybe the freshmen will be as good as we hope, a year or two earlier than expected. Maybe Mulvey will bring the passion he shows cheering on the bench to floor. Maybe Patrick will embrace that he should be a 4, and be able to get stronger physically and mentally. Maybe Bowen will show he can play through opponents being aggressive with him physically... This is definitely the perfect year to have an overseas trip in the off season.
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I'm not sure what "HawkOn15" thought was funny, I've seen a lot of social Media with Coach Fran blasting NIL and saying scouts are shopping players. Shocking! I know. Who couldn't see that coming. I do have to laugh at my post though since I realized I may have given JBO or Connor Mac they're next job application. Both have a PR side to them and have a social media following. Both certainly know BB.
I don’t think you’re 100% understanding what Fran is “blasting”. I’ll give you a little hint, it’s the same thing he was “blasting” long before NIL was legalized.
I understand completely. The bluebloods have been accused for many years. How has that affected their programs? Finally NIL and sponsorships to pay players within the rules comes in....why blast it in public instead of keeping it in the inner circle(coaches, A.D. etc.)? It can only hurt recruiting, especially inner city recruits, or those from minimal means. Look at the recruits coming in and the transfer portal players coming - so far. This is an opportunity for a clean program to even the field more so than before. Embrace it and get after those recruits from Chicago and players before maybe Iowa had no chance to get.
Nope. Still not understanding what Fran is saying here. He’s upset with the tampering and he was upset with that long before NIL. NIL makes it more prevalent.
You're probably right. However tampering was also going on long before NIL. Even if NIL makes it more prevalent why not use it to the advantage of Iowa? NIL provides an opportunity for Iowa to bring in better recruits and athletes. There's no reason Creighton - Marquette - Xavier - Nebraska( I've been to Lincoln many times) are getting 4-5* recruits over Iowa. I admit Fran Mac has been blessed with some no name gems that were not highly recruited. What could he do with some 4-5* recruits(well and a Defensive coach)? So far he has a 1 yr. and done guy and a backup player at best(from reviews of those who saw him play) in the portal, to go with some frosh that in the B1G will be interesting how they adapt.
The OPs comment who I was responding to was talking about the elite 8--I wasn't just talking about the Final 4 in my comment. There's multiple teamS most years who are bad defensively that make the Sweet 16 and even a handful that make the elite 8. Yes, I know your stat about Final 4, that's why I literally mentioned the other team in my post.
We're into semantics now about what you classify as "winning in March" which is what my comment said--but since this board is rightfully hungry for making it to the Sweet 16, that's more of what I'm referring to.
Not trying to get into a back and for here, but, actually, as seen at the end of this post, you replied to Gunner, who was NOT discussing making the Elite 8, as you wrote; he was discussing making the Sweet 16 for the first time in 24 years. And yes, we know many teams have made the Sweet 16 with poor defensive efficiency.
Then, in the next sentence of your post, you pivoted, discussing Miami, with its poor D, making a Final 4, comparing Miami's D to Iowa's. That's when I responded & brought up the fact that one team has made the Final Four in the last 12 years with a defense ranked worse than 70th in the nation. 1 team out of 48. Two percent. What Miami did is extremely rare.
Here's what you replied to, followed by my response:
I don't know who crapped in your coffee this morning and this feels like a weird back-and-forth. But this was the original message I responded to. I used the most recent example of a team that won some games to illustrate the point--it's not anything deeper, I promise.
Or AC Earl or Erek Hansen?Rebraca was listed as 6’9”, 230. Krikke is listed as 6’9”, 235. Essentially identical.
Garza was measured 6’10” (barefoot) and 243 at the nba draft - and was heavier than that in college.
Point being, I never would have considered Garza a “rim protector” but I did think he did a helluva job banging, positioning, and eating up space on defense. Done mostly through hustle.
I think Rebraca was much the same in the hustle department - but he sure gave up a lot of size (height and weight) to typical BIG centers. Krikke is going to have the same challenge. Not saying it can’t be done - but Rebraca did a pretty damn good job for being an underdog in most of those battles.
It would be nice to have a shot-blocking rim protector, but in the BIG I think I’d rather have a space eating enforcer type than a finesse shot blocker at center. Does Ed Horton have any sons!?
My coffee tastes great! Sounds like you are having a bad morning, however.
Again, Gunner made his post, you replied and then I replied. Then you said Gunner was talking about the Elite 8, which was not true; he was talking about the Sweet 16. Then you started talking about ONE bad defensive team (Miami) making it to the Final 4, which, of course, is extremely rare. You even compared Miami's D and their run to the Final 4 to Iowa's D, which was strange. Everyone can see for themselves.
Why do you respond to some people so aggressively? This is a weird hill to get upset on, arguing semantics and trying to interpret deeper meaning behind a message board post. This place can get so toxic so fast, and you're contributing to it by creating one of the silliest internet arguments I've ever been apart of.
Have a nice weekend dude.
There's workarounds--basically he has to go to Canada and do all of his endorsement stuff while there. While he's in the states, he is unable to make money. It sounds like the Swarm is accommodating him to make it work.
That’s what Fran does consistently; many posters over many years over the most banal commentary.
With Mast and Minor off the board and Kirkke in the bag, perhaps time to update the subject line to: "and then there was one..."
