I think Bielein is the best offensive coach in the league and izzo is the best defensive coach, but Fran is really showing he might be the best all around coach in the league. This team had DRASTICALLY improved defensively since the beginning of the season and they are absolutely humming along right now offensively. Very impressive. They are disciplined and we'll coached and a matchup nightmare for just about anyone on both sides of the court.
Best coach in the B1G
- Thread starter broth87
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MSU I think is feeling a bit of the effect of rule changes keeping them from hand checking. They do a good job of having a hand up, but without the hand checking Iowa has been much more in flow on offense compared to prior years.
This x 1000
Izzo is a good coach, and will adjust eventually. It's hard to blame him, as he has previously succeeded in riding the officials until they cave and stop making calls. To this point, the officials have (for the most part) continued to make the calls they have directed to make. From some of his post-game comments (not just against Iowa), it seems that he has been baffled by this new development.
It is interesting that some people are now recognizing how good of a coach Fran (and his staff) really is but it has taken a special season developing to get that understanding. He's been a witch from day 1 when he took this job and in the process has resurrected a once proud program that had absolutely fallen off the college bball landscape thanks to Lick. What is lost is how close we were in previous seasons and just could not hit the most critical shots or make the most critical plays down the stretch. The B1G has also been a meat grinder loaded with great teams and coaches so that did not help and Fran was a new coach to league and it takes time to earn respect from officials.
What I think is undervalued and makes him an excellent coach is his ability to make in game adjustments. He'll find something that works and ride it until it does not. Then work to find the next thing. He's not locked into only one system or one style of play. That's a mark of a great coach to me.
What I think is undervalued and makes him an excellent coach is his ability to make in game adjustments. He'll find something that works and ride it until it does not. Then work to find the next thing. He's not locked into only one system or one style of play. That's a mark of a great coach to me.
To piggyback off And1Hawk, having a roster of versatile players makes in-game adjustments possible, and Fran has recruited with this in mind. It seems like trouble when Woody has to leave the game with four fouls. But Fran throws it back in their face by playing Uhl at the five and making them guard five perimeter shooters. At the other extreme, I think there was a little while in the first half when Woodbury and Wagner were in the game at the same time with Uthoff at the 3.
Also be mindful that most good in-game adjustments aren't made on the fly. They are planned for by anticipating what to do if and when particular situations arise.
Also be mindful that most good in-game adjustments aren't made on the fly. They are planned for by anticipating what to do if and when particular situations arise.
I was thinking recently that I can't really think of any players under Fran that didn't improve our regress from their freshman year. Well, I can think of one who was a really good 3 point shooter his first couple years, and then really lost his shooting touch his last couple years. That's the only one I can remember and don't think it had anything to do with coaching.
Fran has grown as a coach since he started at Iowa. His first few seasons were not great defensively but the last few we've seen naked improvement in our teams ability to defend, especially while switching defenses.
He's also a good offensive coach.
Izzo is terrific defensive coach. There's a whole series of him teaching defense on YouTube and he does a masterful job of teaching the defensive side of the ball. His players play physically. That's been the big ten brand for decades so don't know how anyone can fault him for it. I think he's a hell of a good coach and I would let my kid play for him any day, although I prefer he play for Fran
He's also a good offensive coach.
Izzo is terrific defensive coach. There's a whole series of him teaching defense on YouTube and he does a masterful job of teaching the defensive side of the ball. His players play physically. That's been the big ten brand for decades so don't know how anyone can fault him for it. I think he's a hell of a good coach and I would let my kid play for him any day, although I prefer he play for Fran
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