Can Connor Learn To Shoot This Off Season?

[Hawkeye Marching Band]

On the video, CMac's shot has a nice arch. At Iowa, it often has been too flat. It's hard for me to tell on the video, but he may be using that scissors stance rather than having his feet square. That doesn't matter much if his shoulders are square, which they are. He's ready and willing to shoot, and does so with confidence.

It's clear that he knows what to do and has demonstrated it in the past. From the outside, it is really difficult to know why he hasn't been shooting it well at Iowa. Injuries, bulking up, and lack of practice could all be factors. If he can recover from his injuries, then it's just a matter of putting in the work.

 

[EIHCGuy]

The answer to this question is also NO

Is there a like x a million option?

 

[Hawkeye Marching Band]

With Bohannon coming back this fall, a bigger question is: Can Bohannon learn to play DEFENSE?

A better question is whether Bohannon will WANT to play defense.

 

[natchrlman]

The hatred for this young man, who by all accounts is a very good student and a decent human being, just astounds me. Surely you can find something or someone else to express your distain.

yea usually he’s ragging about Brian Ferentz.....I’ve never seen a positive post from this troll.... he’s just stirring the pot....Mommy must not have given him enough attention when he was a kid

 

[bozotheclown]

He's already worked on his shot a ton, at nearly 23 years old I'd say what you see is what you get. Baffling a coaches kid could have that form

I agree, it seems crazy to me, my uncle was a very successful MN high school basketball coach, had 4 sons, 3 played college BB at various levels, all 4 had excellent shooting form. Baffles me that both of Frans kids don't really have good shooting form.

 

[hooper56]

He could improve...the question is if he will. I think that playing two sports makes it difficult to have the time to really work at the level you need to to progress in either sport at that level....that's just my guess.

I think just being healthy and relatively pain free will make a big difference in his shooting %.

 

[hooper56]

The answer to this question is also NO

Go watch the last 10 minutes of Ia vs Wisc in the last B1G tourney. JBO played excellent defense. Probably the reason we won the game.

 

[JayTheOkay]

Nope.
No.
Nein.
Nyet.
Aw HELL no.
What chu talkin bout Willis?
Boy, you must be outside your mind.

 

[MepoDawg#]

On the video, CMac's shot has a nice arch. At Iowa, it often has been too flat. It's hard for me to tell on the video, but he may be using that scissors stance rather than having his feet square. That doesn't matter much if his shoulders are square, which they are. He's ready and willing to shoot, and does so with confidence.

It's clear that he knows what to do and has demonstrated it in the past. From the outside, it is really difficult to know why he hasn't been shooting it well at Iowa. Injuries, bulking up, and lack of practice could all be factors. If he can recover from his injuries, then it's just a matter of putting in the work.

Maybe needing surgery on both hips has something to do with his form vs what it was like in high school.

 

[General Tso]

I have nothing against Connor as a person, but him taking a roster spot on this team has always felt icky.

 

[hawkeyeguy69]

Coached him and against him when he was in JR High and he was a pretty good shooter from 3. Has always confused me to see him struggle.

He shot at a pretty good clip in HS,didn't he? I thought he was close to 40% from 3...

 

[eyesofhawk]

Sure Connor had a rough season. Injuries probably contributed to that.

Yes, he probably got too many minutes, especially late in games while trailing.

But to hear people call his roster spot "icky" makes me feel far more than icky. He was a decently regarded recruit out of HS as a 6-5 pg. Despite not being a big scorer, Connor has had more than few high- impact games as a Hawk. And he LEAD THE NATION one season in assist/TO ratio.

So how on earth could someone debate Connor's roster spot? Oh yeah, his dad is the coach. So it actually isn't even a debate. Just a bunch of whinny-ass BS.

Has there ever been a team that included the coach's son that wasn't set up for intensely unfair scrutiny from the outside, a meltdown of chemistry on the inside, and ultimately failure to reach it's potential?

Some people are sad. Go find a little league umpire to yell at

 

[Ronman]

I have nothing against Connor as a person, but him taking a roster spot on this team has always felt icky.

Any time a player leads the country in a good stat, I would hardly call his presence "icky."

 

[cleotishaywood]

Do you think at this point he hasn't realized he could improve his shooting and he hasn't spent countless hours working on it? You either have it or you don't.

 

[Ronman]

With Bohannon coming back this fall, a bigger question is: Can Bohannon learn to play DEFENSE?

Way to go! Never miss an opportunity to take a shot at JBo as well! After all, what has he ever accomplished here?

 

[DodgerHawki]

We saw an improvement in Connor's 3 point shooting this year. Albeit a slight improvement, Connor started putting up 3's when wide open this year as compared to the previous season. I think we'll see a marked improvement this coming season. Connor knew Iowa had multiple 3 point shooters last year so his role was to set up Luka, JB, JW and CJ - his role will change next year.

2019-2020 - 34% from 3, made 33 of 97. Also shot 78% on free throws, 50 of 64, more than 2 FT attempts per game.
2020-21 - same amount of games, goes 18 of 65 from 3 (28%), 59% on free throws (17 of 29). That is not improvement.

My guess is much of it is due to the injuries. The FT % and the lack of FT attempts is kind of a giveaway there.

 

[Jumpshot00]

Connor's value to this years team would be versatility, experience, intelligence:
-play 15-20 minutes per game total at the 1, 2, 3, or 4 spot-wherever needed.
-Be the guy to throw the ball in bounce, especially at critical junctures
-Hit 75% or better FT's so he can be an extra ball handler with a lead down the stretch
-Get the team on the court organized when things start getting out of control
-expend energy to max out what he can do on defense. Like a lot of starters the last few years, they seem to just pick their spots to defend. With reduced minutes and increased health he should be able to improve his D. To his credit he was one of the few guys I saw last year willing to take a "smart" foul in certain situations.
-Any offense will just be gravy, but if he can hit 35% or better on uncontested 3's that would be acceptable.

 

[hopstiguy61]

Connor's value to this years team would be versatility, experience, intelligence:
-play 15-20 minutes per game total at the 1, 2, 3, or 4 spot-wherever needed.

Not at the 2.. anywhere but at the 2.

 

[UncannyNanny]

I always found it strange that both PMac and CMac have unusual shooting form for being coach's kids.

 

[IowasLaw]

The hatred for this young man, who by all accounts is a very good student and a decent human being, just astounds me. Surely you can find something or someone else to express your distain.

What can possibly be deemed "hatred for this young man" by asking if it's possible for a 5th year senior, former 4 star shooting guard & son of a coach, can improve upon his 27% 3 point shooting and 58% free throw shooting? Is all statistical discussion "distain" if it doesn't include mindless praise? If so, perhaps Ronman is better suited for the Disney message boards.

To those saying "sure, our shooting guard was a shooting liability, but he got a lot of assists," I ask: when 80% of those assists were bounce passes to the National Player of the Year, do the numbers really equate to amazing passing? I'm willing to bet my next paycheck that his assist numbers drop when he's feeding those same bounce passes to the likes of Riley Mulvey next year.

Some have suggested that Conner's talents are more suited for the baseball field. To that, I'm going to have to disagree. At Iowa, he's a career .238 batter with 1 home run, and he doesn't pitch.

 

[blhawk]

Connor's value to this years team would be versatility, experience, intelligence:
-play 15-20 minutes per game total at the 1, 2, 3, or 4 spot-wherever needed.
-Be the guy to throw the ball in bounce, especially at critical junctures
-Hit 75% or better FT's so he can be an extra ball handler with a lead down the stretch
-Get the team on the court organized when things start getting out of control
-expend energy to max out what he can do on defense. Like a lot of starters the last few years, they seem to just pick their spots to defend. With reduced minutes and increased health he should be able to improve his D. To his credit he was one of the few guys I saw last year willing to take a "smart" foul in certain situations.
-Any offense will just be gravy, but if he can hit 35% or better on uncontested 3's that would be acceptable.

Lots of good points here although I think 15-20 minutes might be wishful thinking. Iowa is going to need his leadership but I don't necessarily agree that anything he does on offense will be gravy....this team is going to be desperate to replace the scoring it lost. I think he fit in MUCH better surrounded by 3 of the best scorers/shooters in school history in CJ/JW/Luka.

I don't see how the assist numbers don't go down with his golden goose gone. If he struggles similarly shooting the ball I think extended minutes are going to be really hard to justify if others don't significantly pick up the slack. If jbo is our lone real shooting threat I don't think it will be that hard to stop. I'm hoping CM bounces back and is more like they guy we saw 19-20 but his role on this team will be interesting either way

 

[Ronman]

So, my "mindless praise" includes calling Connor an excellent student (Academic All-Big Ten honoree… Academic All-District First Team… Big Ten Distinguished Scholar… Fall and Spring Semester Dean’s List honoree) and decent human being (Iowa’s Male Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honoree), which is true and pointing out he led the country in assists to turnovers, which is also true and a pretty nice stat to have.

OK, I'll try to tone it down.

 

[HawkLogic]

The hatred for this young man, who by all accounts is a very good student and a decent human being, just astounds me. Surely you can find something or someone else to express your distain.

Lot of people think CMAC seems like good young man, but he only played big minutes because his daddy was coach. That is his Dad's fault for being selfish and mediocre coach. He's a role player talent that started every game that he was healthy last year.

 

[Hawkeye Marching Band]

Lot of people think CMAC seems like good young man, but he only played big minutes because his daddy was coach. That is his Dad's fault for being selfish and mediocre coach. He's a role player talent that started every game that he was healthy last year.

CMac was an ESPN Top 100 recruit in 2017, ranked 8 spots ahead of Luka. He's got more than "role player talent." He started every game last season, which means he started when he wasn't healthy. What we don't know is how much the injuries affected him. No doubt he also took some punishment on the defensive end playing against bigger opponents at the 4.

The formula of CMac starting at the 4 worked in 2019-20 when the team was short-handed. (He started at the point a few games, too, before Nunge went down.) Maybe Fran shouldn't have stayed with it this past season after CMac got worn down, but Nunge was hurt again and the team was successful.

 

[eyesofhawk]

This whole nepotism debate has driven me nuts. Not sure who's more annoying. The haters claiming nepotism, or the blind homers.

I do think Connor played too many minutes last season, especially late in games while behind, and especially considering his injuries. But I also think it's too early to claim nepotism. Fran could site a few reasons for Connor's minutes that have some validity, as his intelligence and toughness had always been able to be relyed upon. If Connor gets too many minutes again this season, then I think nepotism will be a more viable narrative.

But it seems that very few people are actually able to see this thing objectively. As I've said, at this point, I think the nepotism claimers are a bunch of whinny bitches. Connor certainly has added value to the team over the years. And his roster spot isn't debatable.

On the other hand, we have the blind homers that call Connor "more than a role-player talent." Connor, himself, would laugh hysterically at that. He is the definition of a role player, if not a low-end role player. Who cares what his high school rankings were? Use your eyes! Patrick will probably end up being slightly more than a role player and he is far more talented than Connor.

It's ok to recognize multiple truths at the same time

 

[Hawkeye Marching Band]

This whole nepotism debate has driven me nuts. Not sure who's more annoying. The haters claiming nepotism, or the blind homers.

I do think Connor played too many minutes last season, especially late in games while behind, and especially considering his injuries. But I also think it's too early to claim nepotism. Fran could site a few reasons for Connor's minutes that have some validity, as his intelligence and toughness had always been able to be relyed upon. If Connor gets too many minutes again this season, then I think nepotism will be a more viable narrative.

But it seems that very few people are actually able to see this thing objectively. As I've said, at this point, I think the nepotism claimers are a bunch of whinny bitches. Connor certainly has added value to the team over the years. And his roster spot isn't debatable.

On the other hand, we have the blind homers that call Connor "more than a role-player talent." Connor, himself, would laugh hysterically at that. He is the definition of a role player, if not a low-end role player. Who cares what his high school rankings were? Use your eyes! Patrick will probably end up being slightly more than a role player and he is far more talented than Connor.

It's ok to recognize multiple truths at the same time

There's a difference between having only role-player talent and being a role player. Just about everybody on the Iowa roster this past season was a role player, except for Luka and Joe W. Hopefully, their talent level will enable some of them to be more than that next year and beyond.

We've had guys whose talent probably was strictly at the role player level. Dailey and Uhl come to mind. Of course, for various reasons many talented people don't demonstrate what they are capable of doing or at least not consistently. Isaiah Moss comes to mind.

 

[IowasLaw]

This age old question deserves to be asked again in this, Connor's 6th year on campus.

Connor finished the 2022 season on fire and increased his 3 point shooting percentage to 33% (tied with his brother for last on the team). His overall field goal percentage was just 34%, last on the team. He averaged just 2.5 points per game on the season.

In basketball, you generally can't teach an old dog new tricks. Can Connor suddenly pick up shooting between year 5 and year 6 in his unending college career?

 

[HawkeyeInCentralIowa]

This age old question deserves to be asked again in this, Connor's 6th year on campus.

Connor finished the 2022 season on fire and increased his 3 point shooting percentage to 33% (tied with his brother for last on the team). His overall field goal percentage was just 34%, last on the team. He averaged just 2.5 points per game on the season.

In basketball, you generally can't teach an old dog new tricks. Can Connor suddenly pick up shooting between year 5 and year 6 in his unending college career?

33% from behind the arc isn’t a bad clip at all.

 

[mazda1]

And he was hot down the stretch. I’m delighted to have a tough, experienced leader coming off of the bench. He’s not perfect but he’s a damn good role player. We’ve got a lot more concerns than Conner.

Rebounding, defense, and consistent starting shooting all come to mind.

 

[hexumhawk]

No

Shooting is about touch and form consistency. He doesn't have either of those. I think the best we can hope for is somewhere in the mid to low 30%

 

[iabcuda]

I was going to agree with you that it is important for Connor to shoot nearer 40% this year, especially because he is on the floor at crunch time. But instead I am going to hope that Connor isn’t on the floor at the end of games, because there are better options/players/shooters.

 

[icwesthawk]

Connor finished the 2022 season on fire and increased his 3 point shooting percentage to 33% (tied with his brother for last on the team

This has to be a joke, right?

 

[perryhawk]

No

Shooting is about touch and form consistency. He doesn't have either of those. I think the best we can hope for is somewhere in the mid to low 30%

What if during the previous seasons he has dealt with both, injuries and spending his time outside of basketball working on baseball skills? What if he lifted weights and worked on his body with a focus on baseball and not basketball? And finally, what if this is the first off season where he hasn't had baseball practice NOR has he dealt with injuries, therefore allowing him to consistently be in the gym and working on his shot?

Could it be that we are not talking about "new tricks" and more about the recovery of or the refinement of skills through repetition?

 

[SSG T]

I really don't care if he improves his shooting. He doesn't shoot enough for it to matter if he hits 33% or 50%. He's not going to be on the court for scoring. As long as he does the things he does well when he's on the court, and provide leadership and toughness in his 15-17 mpg.

 

[The Deplorable Sleeping Dog]

Connor finished the 2022 season on fire and increased his 3 point shooting percentage to 33% (tied with his brother for last on the team)

Where'd you get that idea? While Connor did shoot .338 from 3 (which is probably above the national average per player) it was also a little better than Joey T, Ahron, Tony, Patrick and all three big guys. I did look it up. The national average in 3 pt % per player is .333. I'm sure the average for guards is probably a little higher but basically at .338 Connor's raised his shooting to slightly above average.

As was correctly noted above-Connor isn't on the floor for scoring, that's just an occasional bonus.

Joey T was .257 and Filip was .167. Tony didn't set the three on fire at .321. This team also loses by far its two best 3 pt shooters with Keegan and Jordan, although Kris was great when hot and Payton will probably be better so we should have 2 guys right around 40% to offset those loses.

 

[Bro D]

Anyone wanna guess how many points Connor has in five NCAA tournament games?

 

[Legend12]

This age old question deserves to be asked again in this, Connor's 6th year on campus.

Connor finished the 2022 season on fire and increased his 3 point shooting percentage to 33% (tied with his brother for last on the team).

He made 2 of his last 14 3PT FGAs.

On. Fire.

 

[Legend12]

Anyone wanna guess how many points Connor has in five NCAA tournament games?

69?

 

[The Deplorable Sleeping Dog]

Anyone wanna guess how many points Connor has in five NCAA tournament games?

Why anyone even care? I think Connor's previous five seasons have shown he's there to find open scorers, play hard and play defense. Now he's become about as much a coach on the floor as you can get, there are grad assistants younger than Connor, I'm sure of it.

 

[twindman]

You can't win playing 4 on 5 while on offense. Especially if they can back off Connor by 10 feet and clog the middle. That is why he must shoot at least 33% from three.