We can’t win games consistently without more posts touches. Even if it just pops in and out it makes defenders turn their heads.
Did Cook play last night? He was eerily silent.
- Thread starter HawkNole09
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I thought he was good in not forcing things, and has been for several games. Very glad to see. I do wish he had been a bit more aggressive, but happy with the decision making.
He’s been smart the last few games. Hasn’t forced much and has limited his turnovers. I woulda like to see a few more touches to try and draw some fouls.
There were times he got a Maryland guard switched onto him in the post and he still kicked it back out.
Amazing how people are so quick to be critical of Cook. Where has Garza been the whole month? What about Kriener? Cook is an undersized guy going up against Fernando and Iowa's guards were afraid to put the ball on the floor against MD's pressure. I get your overall sentiment but I think people need to see the big picture before acting like Cook is the reason for losses. If he tried to drive it people would call him selfish. Just be grateful we have Cook because without him this team is NW / Nebraska level.
Yep. No one has criticized Garza or Kriener.
It was a bit hard to hear over Maryland's 5-6 dunks that he watched.....
What do you want Cook to do? Cover everybody else's guy and get 3 fouls 5 minutes in so Garza and Kriener can get more PT? Cook's value is on the floor not on the bench. 4 other guys incapable of playing D is not Cook's fault. Comical to read these anti-Cook posts. Kriener couldn't get the ball over the rim but I don't see 50 posts calling him out.
That was my point. People hammer Cook but give Kriener, Garza, and Connor free passes. If nothing else Kriener should block out and be physical when on the floor. I would rather see Baer or on the floor than bad Kriener / Garza.
2 that we could have taken out of the game, but didn't........
Our d is not the reason we lost. I do wish cook would have taken over more of the game, even if he had to do it selfishly.
RK was HORRIBLE, no doubt about that.
Nobody was good at the offensive end last night. For this team that is pretty rare.
Cook finished at least 8 points under his average.baer and cook were a combined 6 or 10.
too bad everyone else kept shooting instead
Kriener and Cook have slightly different roles on this team. I expect that Kriener is going to be a no-show now and then. I don't expect Cook to have a game where he is such a non-factor in the offense, defense and rebounding in the paint.
Garza and Kriener have struggled and I've seen plenty of comment about it, especially Garza'a slump...but nobody expects as much from them (especially Kriener). Connor is a red-shirt freshmen who plays spot minutes. Anything from him is a bonus.
People are quick to call out Cook because he believed he was NBA material last year, kinda put himself on the radar. NBA-ready as an underclassmen usually means dominance, or a dynamic game-changing player. He hasn't been.
Yep. Funny what happened the last two games, playing against big guys who can match strength, quickness and athleticism with Cook.
Some people hammer Garza and especially Connor, then give Cook a free pass. People are weird like that, but it works both ways. Every player has had faults this year, some more than others. Cook has done a lot more good than bad and so has Garza and CM. None of them, especially Cook, deserve the beating they take on here sometimes.
It was obvious Garza was not in the cards in crunch time as evidenced by his presence next to Fran. In fact, when Kriener came in for that last possession my buddy asked me when the last time Garza was on the floor. I honestly couldn't remember.
At the game, Fran went off on Garza pretty heavily two times going into the timeout. I also saw Connor try to argue with pops once that didn't seem to go well for Connor.
At the game, Fran went off on Garza pretty heavily two times going into the timeout. I also saw Connor try to argue with pops once that didn't seem to go well for Connor.
The biggest kick in the nuts was that he was 7-8 from the line. I don’t recall him missing the one FT or even drawing iron on the other seven. He looked great for a 6’10” dude shooting FTs.
I think that's why the NBA scouts are taking a good look at him.
He's not some lumbering big man that isn't quite there with his coordination, which is actually a reason why big men potentially struggle to shoot FTs.
Fernando shoots 76% from the FT which isn't bad for a post.
Cook was the focal point of Maryland's D. Fernando and the dude with goggles were all over him. The guards were brutal and that is being kind. Tight man pressure on Iowa's guards and the offense crumbles. Was Cook supposed to bring it up the court and go 1 on 3? When he does that people scream how selfish he is and that he is trying up his draft status.
Last night is why myself and others have been adamant that Fran get a guard with some quickness. Offensively and defensively Iowa is like a freaking Ivy League team at the guard spot. Connor is a turnover machine. Moss can't dribble. Bohannon does an amazing job with his skill set but is no match for Cowan as we saw time and time again last night. So blame Cook if you want to but the lack of a slasher / scorer to help Cook will be Iowa's downfall. It wasn't Cook's guy that made the dive cut down the lane for 2-3 dunks on the same set.
Cook bringing the ball up the court is like the Wildcat offense in football (everyone knows who is getting the ball, but still fail to stop it), except it doesn't always result in yards gained (points)..........probably because it's Iowa doing it.
I think Cook played exactly how he should of that game. Could have pushed a bit more action to maybe see what he could accomplish, but they were playing to shut him down and they have the people to do it. If JW and JBo hit anything we are praising him for not forcing things.
On a sidenote, I love how we can lose a game 92-96 and people can come on here and rant and rave about our offense, sit Jbo, cut Connor, we need scorers and slashers. Then in games like tonight where our starters shoot 24% and we lose by one people come here and say what horrible defense we played. I find it fascinating how so many people can view the same game so differently. It would be a good psychology study. I’m not even saying I’m right when I come on here. It’s just interesting to me how I come here with a thought about the game and other people will have chimed In already the exact opposite of my thought.
On a sidenote, I love how we can lose a game 92-96 and people can come on here and rant and rave about our offense, sit Jbo, cut Connor, we need scorers and slashers. Then in games like tonight where our starters shoot 24% and we lose by one people come here and say what horrible defense we played. I find it fascinating how so many people can view the same game so differently. It would be a good psychology study. I’m not even saying I’m right when I come on here. It’s just interesting to me how I come here with a thought about the game and other people will have chimed In already the exact opposite of my thought.
Interesting analogy. I agree. Although last night was a wildcat sort of night as the offense was as sluggish as it has been all season. MD presents match up problems all over the floor and Turgeon did a nice job of scheming. It seemed like they had 7 defenders on the floor. Iowa's D was respectable in the first half but Cowan and the other guard hit some tough 3's while Iowa's shots did not fall. Chalk it up to one of those games but hope to see some wrinkles against Indiana as Bohannon has to get better looks than 25 footers. One would think they could get him free for some mid-range shots with guys selling out to deny him the ball behind the arc.
This is such an idiotic stance to take. Every D1 basketball player wants to play in the NBA. Why should Cook’s belief in his own abilities open him up more to criticism than other players? I can’t stress enough how stupid of an opinion that is.
Fran and staff need to work with Garza on a jump hook or some quick release shot. He is too methodical down low and seems to have lost his confidence. Fernando's presence had guys thinking twice about it taking into the paint. 3's are great when they fall but last night they weren't and Iowa looked lost on offense. Not sure why there were 4-5 passes into the stands other than guys were bothered by MD's D. Connor had a decent stretch then got yanked. He is turnover prone but is capable of driving it and getting a shot to the rim.
and attempted zero FT's He was 3rd in the league at FT attempts going into the game
Agree. Having someone with the potential to play in the NBA is a good thing. Jok tested the waters and came back and people were not dogging him--same with Moss. Cook could easily be a "me" guy and jack shots up. Honestly I wish he would have last night. Broken record as I have posted this a million times but for those who think this team will somehow be better with Cook are in for a rude awakening when he leaves / graduates. Even not scoring Cook draws a ton of attention.
It's not a "stance", it's human behavior 101. I didn't invent it. When somebody says (in word or deed) "I'm really good"... and they seem to fall short, they're more likely to draw criticism than the guy that plays it low key.
Ahhhhh Cook is really good. He is the best player on the team hands down. He doesn't have the other guy on the floor to accentuate his talents. Put Cowan or some Iowa version of Cowan on the roster and Cook's hands will be sore from crushing lob dunks. Cook isn't superhuman and is prone to an off game now and again. Combination of MD's defense and nobody else showing up magnified his off night.
Cook is really good, no doubt...and last night was a team loss. Nobody is suggesting it's on him alone. The point was that the "star" of a team is more likely to draw the criticism.
You make an interesting point re: oops. I remember Aaron White had a ridiculous amount of alley oops, especially in transition. With a player as athletic and as powerful a dunker as Cook, how come we don’t get more. Passers not as good? Not as good at recognizing when it’s there? It’s tough to defend if you’ve got a point guard who can put it where it needs to be
