Chat with Fran

[SDHawkDoc]

Fran's offseason hyperbole in full effect.

I appreciate the fact that he wants to be positive about his guys and not run them down in public.
However, with a history of purported practice superstars that haven't panned out in games I remain skeptical until I see it on court in meaningful game action.

 

[BBHawk]

I appreciate the fact that he wants to be positive about his guys and not run them down in public.
However, with a history of purported practice superstars that haven't panned out in games I remain skeptical until I see it on court in meaningful game action.

This is wise.

 

[L. Wade Childress]

If a grad transfer is afraid he will have trouble earning playing time for us, with so much of the squad being unproven commodities (Nunge, Pemsl, Fredrick, Pat, and Toussaint), then he is just too soft to be playing major ball.

He maybe he realizes that we have better players than our own fans do

 

[Ihawkhoops]

[

I appreciate the fact that he wants to be positive about his guys and not run them down in public.
However, with a history of purported practice superstars that haven't panned out in games I remain skeptical until I see it on court in meaningful game action.

Every guy is blowing up and dominating (in practice against vastly different athletes than they will face in games). Heard this for 9 years. He will do his typical nothing in the transfer space and then spend the summer and fall telling us how Till and PMac can play 3 positions. It's hard to fathom how Fran can bungle rosters to the extent he does, but he does it. He knew Cook, Dailey, and Moss were leaving. Baer graduated. He knew there was risk with Bohannon's hip. Fran's response. Do nothing. He will end up (once again) with a major deficit at the guard spots. So we are pinning our hopes on Wieskamp, Nunge and Frederick? Got it.

 

[BlackNGoldBleeder]

[


Every guy is blowing up and dominating (in practice against vastly different athletes than they will face in games). Heard this for 9 years. He will do his typical nothing in the transfer space and then spend the summer and fall telling us how Till and PMac can play 3 positions. It's hard to fathom how Fran can bungle rosters to the extent he does, but he does it. He knew Cook, Dailey, and Moss were leaving. Baer graduated. He knew there was risk with Bohannon's hip. Fran's response. Do nothing. He will end up (once again) with a major deficit at the guard spots. So we are pinning our hopes on Wieskamp, Nunge and Frederick? Got it.

I agree that Iowa has had a lot of practice All-Americans during Fran's tenure. I also agree Nunge and CJ are major question marks.

But I don't think it's fair to say Fran has sat around twiddling his thumbs all offseason. It seems to me he has reached out to quite a few transfers. You can make a strong case Fran is a subpar recruiter and hasn't been able to convince a lot of top talent to commit to Iowa, but to imply that he is aloof and not trying to upgrade the roster is ridiculous.

 

[Ihawkhoops]

I agree that Iowa has had a lot of practice All-Americans during Fran's tenure. I also agree Nunge and CJ are major question marks.

But I don't think it's fair to say Fran has sat around twiddling his thumbs all offseason. It seems to me he has reached out to quite a few transfers. You can make a strong case Fran is a subpar recruiter and hasn't been able to convince a lot of top talent to commit to Iowa, but to imply that he is aloof and not trying to upgrade the roster is ridiculous.

Good points but I do not agree that Fran isn't aloof. Go back since he was hired and look at all the glaring roster spots that even a casual basketball fan would recognize as gaps and Fran did nothing. Look at the last few classes of kids offered vs. accepted and it's laughable. Add to that the Titanic class that he graduated 0 players from + all the "known' departures that Fran has been fully aware of the last two seasons and sat on his hands.

Use Iowa football as an example. KF has historically not done anything with transfers, but it's hard to refute the impact Easley, Sargent, Butler, Groenewig (sp?) and the punter from a year or two ago had on the team. You would think Fran would put 2 and 2 together here but he can't and won't. At Iowa you better be a hell of a recruiter or be open to juco and graduate transfers to supplement.

 

[Y2KG21]

I don't like red-shirting. Too many players transfer, quit, declare or become free agents anyway. Red/shirting and we lose a year.

Worked well for Baer. I think it will work for CJ and Pemsl. I don't think it mattered for either Moss or Ellingson, they wouldn't have played much as freshmen and Moss had school issues. I think you have a valid point, but when you have a roster of over 10 players not everyone can play and it is a waste of a year if someone can develop down the line. The value of a 5th year senior is underappreciated.

Yup, it did. I could list some that red-shirted and didn’t stick around for four years either. We’ll have to wait and see on Mac. Hoping he’s good enough not to stay five years.