Encouraging Analysis after 7 Games

[Auger]

I have been up and down on this team thus far. My expectation going into the season was this team would peak late and make a nice run in both the B1G Tournament and the NIT. After the loss to ND I was encouraged by the performance of the true freshmen. The '14 and '15 classes have been pretty big disappointments thus far considering there were 8 scholarships between them. The ND loss was a little bit encouraging to me because it showed why I think this team will peak late and give hope for next year. ND resembles what the Hawks will be facing in a majority of B1G games this season. Similar style similar players. If the Hawks can improve on D each game they will be able to stay with these teams for entire games and start winning some of these games.

7 games in after seeing a lot of these guys at both their highest and lowest I think Fran will start to lean on this type of lineup.

PG) Bohannon - The guy has caught up with Williams in the area's he was behind him in. What he showed against ND was that he is a streaky shooter who when he is on can drop bombs all over the court. Bohannon needs to be getting 25 mins a game from here on out. If he can drop 15+ once every 3-4 games it will go along way for this team. He is far far from a B1G PG at this point but the extra minutes will help polish his PG skills.

SG) Moss - Has decent handles, avg D, has an improving shot and decent ball movement. I think after 7 games he has earned the chance to get 20 + mins a game for a bit to see just how far he improves both his own game as well as the teams. Right now Iowa is better when he is on the court. He played roles in HS and excelled at them. His job on this team is to play a roll and do some of the dirty work.

W) Jok - Don't really need to say much on him. He will score 20 -30 points this season a number of times but because of this team and other teams game plans he will be taken out of a number of games too. He still needs to be getting around 35 mins a game no matter what he just needs to know when to shut his shot down and become a link in the offense to help others get going.

F) Baer - A lot on here including me know he is very limited and should be a bench player on a solid team. But Iowa isn't a solid team and he is very much needed on the court despite his offensive and defensive woes. Baer quietly is a great rebounder on this team, and even more importantly doesn't turn the ball over and is a great passing offensive link on this team. He has only turned the ball over 3 times this season but is 3rd on the team in assists. He can also hit some big shots.

F/C) Pemsl - While Cook is out Pemsl offers the best post offense and he is actually better on D than Wagner and Uhl in my opinion. Or at least has more upside at this point. The kid is awesome when you isolate him down low and let him work much like Cook. When Cook returns I think Cook starts and gets 25-30 mins and Pemsl comes off the bench. I would only play these guys 5-10 mins a game together unless these guys can work off the ball together like Baer can be a link for these guys.

G) Williams - He has a problem between his ears at this point. I think one solution would be to only give him 10 mins max at PG and another 10 mins a game as the SG or W. Let him focus on working off the ball like he did in HS to hopefully let him settle down and gain more confidence. You can tell he has way to much going through his mind right now for him to process. Talented kid he just doesn't know where he is at right now. Let Jok and Moss bring the ball up 10 mins a game, both have just as good of handles.

F) Wagner/Uhl - Hate to say it but both need to have minutes reduced down to about 10-15 a game while Cook is out and down to about 10 or less a game when Cook is back. Neither is showing much upside at this point. Uhl's best games right now look like him playing ok D, rebounding solid, still turning the ball over at a high rate, ok passing, and a couple buckets. He just isnt offering much right now and others have earned more minutes. Wagner is much the same with even less of an offensive game.

Ellingson- Brady should get a few mins here and there to help spark the offense when it is stuck in mud. Brady is too slow for B1G basketball but he has a shot when on can get your offense quick points and he is actually very smart with the basketball and keeps it moving and helps the offense get into a rhythm. Plus Iowa needs him to give 5 mins a game right now to spell the team. Iowa only has a couple guys that deserve 25 mins plus right now.

 

[hawk-i bob]

interesting comments...both Uhl & Wagner have seen their minutes go down....but I question less than 10 when Cook returns...not sure how two true freshman (Cook & Pemsl) can handle extended minutes....especially as the B1G winds down....and both being young are prone to fouling.

 

[DodgerHawki]

I have been up and down on this team thus far. My expectation going into the season was this team would peak late and make a nice run in both the B1G Tournament and the NIT. After the loss to ND I was encouraged by the performance of the true freshmen. The '14 and '15 classes have been pretty big disappointments thus far considering there were 8 scholarships between them. The ND loss was a little bit encouraging to me because it showed why I think this team will peak late and give hope for next year. ND resembles what the Hawks will be facing in a majority of B1G games this season. Similar style similar players. If the Hawks can improve on D each game they will be able to stay with these teams for entire games and start winning some of these games.

You hit the key issue with the mention of the '14 and '15 classes. When you aren't getting multiple Top 100 players each year, you can't have multiple years where you get next-to-nothing out of the class. If Baer hadn't come through as a walk-on, the 14-15 hole would be even larger. I thought Uhl and Wagner would be farther along in terms of their effectiveness. Still early, but returns this year haven't been promising.

 

[Auger]

I also think the hope for Bohannon will be that he can turn into the version of PG that Farrell from ND is now but with better offense. Both players have very similar skills and issues but Farrell has had a few years to iron his out. I think Bohannon can do it in less time and have better offense. If he can do that Iowa will be fine at PG for a few years.

 

[SDHawkDoc]

I also think the hope for Bohannon will be that he can turn into the version of PG that Farrell from ND is now but with better offense. Both players have very similar skills and issues but Farrell has had a few years to iron his out. I think Bohannon can do it in less time and have better offense. If he can do that Iowa will be fine at PG for a few years.

Clearly he can shoot.
Will he learn enough to make the most of his more limited natural quickness on offense and defense to outplay the more athletically gifted guards he faces?
A more "basketball smart" player can overcome a superior athlete. Here's to hoping Bohannon gets that much better between the ears over time.

 

[Auger]

interesting comments...both Uhl & Wagner have seen their minutes go down....but I question less than 10 when Cook returns...not sure how two true freshman (Cook & Pemsl) can handle extended minutes....especially as the B1G winds down....and both being young are prone to fouling.

My thinking was that Cook gets 25 mins, Pemsl gets 25 mins and Baer gets about 15-20 mins between the two forward positions. That would leave only about 10-15 mins open for Uhl and Wagner.

I think in the backcourt Bohannon should get 25 mins, Moss around 25 but more than 20 and Jok close to 35 mins. That would leave a little less than 40 mins open. Williams should get 20 mins a game with 10 or more coming off the ball at the 2, 3 or combo guard role. Ellingson probably has earned 8-10 mins a game which leaves a few minutes left at the 3 for Baer to eat up when the Hawks go big.

I think the key will be Baer. He likely gets 25-28 mins a game and where he spends those minutes will determine where minutes are available. My thinking is in most B1G games he spends 20 of those minutes at the 4.

 

[Auger]

For those wondering why Baer should spend so much time at the 4 instead of the 3. Defensively he is better at the 4. At the 3 he gets beat to often but at the 4 he defends a smaller area and can be scrappy hence his steals and rebounds.

 

[hawk-i bob]

My thinking was that Cook gets 25 mins, Pemsl gets 25 mins and Baer gets about 15-20 mins between the two forward positions. That would leave only about 10-15 mins open for Uhl and Wagner.

I think in the backcourt Bohannon should get 25 mins, Moss around 25 but more than 20 and Jok close to 35 mins. That would leave a little less than 40 mins open. Williams should get 20 mins a game with 10 or more coming off the ball at the 2, 3 or combo guard role. Ellingson probably has earned 8-10 mins a game which leaves a few minutes left at the 3 for Baer to eat up when the Hawks go big.

I think the key will be Baer. He likely gets 25-28 mins a game and where he spends those minutes will determine where minutes are available. My thinking is in most B1G games he spends 20 of those minutes at the 4.

I'm not sure if Baer could handle 28 & still be active. 25 maybe...

 

[Auger]

I'm not sure if Baer could handle 28 & still be active. 25 maybe...

Somewhat will agree. But 28 min is a pretty basic for a guy. It's basically like him starting the game playing 4-5 mins taking a 3 min break playing 4-5 mins taking a 3 min break and then playing the final 5 mins then repeat 2nd half. All this of course with about 10 mins of stoppage time per half.

 

[Franisdaman]

I have been up and down on this team thus far. My expectation going into the season was this team would peak late and make a nice run in both the B1G Tournament and the NIT. After the loss to ND I was encouraged by the performance of the true freshmen. The '14 and '15 classes have been pretty big disappointments thus far considering there were 8 scholarships between them. The ND loss was a little bit encouraging to me because it showed why I think this team will peak late and give hope for next year. ND resembles what the Hawks will be facing in a majority of B1G games this season. Similar style similar players. If the Hawks can improve on D each game they will be able to stay with these teams for entire games and start winning some of these games.

7 games in after seeing a lot of these guys at both their highest and lowest I think Fran will start to lean on this type of lineup.

PG) Bohannon - The guy has caught up with Williams in the area's he was behind him in. What he showed against ND was that he is a streaky shooter who when he is on can drop bombs all over the court. Bohannon needs to be getting 25 mins a game from here on out. If he can drop 15+ once every 3-4 games it will go along way for this team. He is far far from a B1G PG at this point but the extra minutes will help polish his PG skills.

SG) Moss - Has decent handles, avg D, has an improving shot and decent ball movement. I think after 7 games he has earned the chance to get 20 + mins a game for a bit to see just how far he improves both his own game as well as the teams. Right now Iowa is better when he is on the court. He played roles in HS and excelled at them. His job on this team is to play a roll and do some of the dirty work.

W) Jok - Don't really need to say much on him. He will score 20 -30 points this season a number of times but because of this team and other teams game plans he will be taken out of a number of games too. He still needs to be getting around 35 mins a game no matter what he just needs to know when to shut his shot down and become a link in the offense to help others get going.

F) Baer - A lot on here including me know he is very limited and should be a bench player on a solid team. But Iowa isn't a solid team and he is very much needed on the court despite his offensive and defensive woes. Baer quietly is a great rebounder on this team, and even more importantly doesn't turn the ball over and is a great passing offensive link on this team. He has only turned the ball over 3 times this season but is 3rd on the team in assists. He can also hit some big shots.

F/C) Pemsl - While Cook is out Pemsl offers the best post offense and he is actually better on D than Wagner and Uhl in my opinion. Or at least has more upside at this point. The kid is awesome when you isolate him down low and let him work much like Cook. When Cook returns I think Cook starts and gets 25-30 mins and Pemsl comes off the bench. I would only play these guys 5-10 mins a game together unless these guys can work off the ball together like Baer can be a link for these guys.

G) Williams - He has a problem between his ears at this point. I think one solution would be to only give him 10 mins max at PG and another 10 mins a game as the SG or W. Let him focus on working off the ball like he did in HS to hopefully let him settle down and gain more confidence. You can tell he has way to much going through his mind right now for him to process. Talented kid he just doesn't know where he is at right now. Let Jok and Moss bring the ball up 10 mins a game, both have just as good of handles.

F) Wagner/Uhl - Hate to say it but both need to have minutes reduced down to about 10-15 a game while Cook is out and down to about 10 or less a game when Cook is back. Neither is showing much upside at this point. Uhl's best games right now look like him playing ok D, rebounding solid, still turning the ball over at a high rate, ok passing, and a couple buckets. He just isnt offering much right now and others have earned more minutes. Wagner is much the same with even less of an offensive game.

Ellingson- Brady should get a few mins here and there to help spark the offense when it is stuck in mud. Brady is too slow for B1G basketball but he has a shot when on can get your offense quick points and he is actually very smart with the basketball and keeps it moving and helps the offense get into a rhythm. Plus Iowa needs him to give 5 mins a game right now to spell the team. Iowa only has a couple guys that deserve 25 mins plus right now.

Acutraly there were 9 members of the 2014 and 2015 classes. I agree; there have been more disappointments with these 9 than excitement.

3 of the 9 have left the program: Trey D, Andrew F, Brandon H
1 can't stay healthy: Dale Jones
2 have been disappointing, imo: Uhl, Ellingson
1 Christain Williams has lost his starting spot to a freshman
1 Ahmad Wagner--still a work in progress
1 Isaiah Moss--has shown promise

the 2014 class:
Trey Dickerson
Dom Uhl
Brady Ellingson

the 2015 class:
Dales Jones
Christian Williams
Isaiah Moss
Ahmad Wagner
Andrew Fleming
Brandon Hutton

 

[Auger]

Acutraly there were 9 members of the 2014 and 2015 classes. I agree; there have been more disappointments with these 9 than excitement.

3 of the 9 have left the program: Trey D, Andrew F, Brandon H
1 can't stay healthy: Dale Jones
2 have been disappointing, imo: Uhl, Ellingson
1 Christain Williams has lost his starting spot to a freshman
1 Ahmad Wagner--still a work in progress
1 Isaiah Moss--has shown promise

the 2014 class:
Trey Dickerson
Dom Uhl
Brady Ellingson

the 2015 class:
Dales Jones
Christian Williams
Isaiah Moss
Ahmad Wagner
Andrew Fleming
Brandon Hutton

Correct you are, my bad. More to my point it's hard to carry momentum when you're getting very little production from these two classes. Hopefully this freshmen class can pick up the pieces quickly so my hope for a quick rebuild comes true. Hopefully Fran also learns a little too when it comes to recruiting in the B1G.

 

[Franisdaman]

Correct you are, my bad. More to my point it's hard to carry momentum when you're getting very little production from these two classes. Hopefully this freshmen class can pick up the pieces quickly so my hope for a quick rebuild comes true. Hopefully Fran also learns a little too when it comes to recruiting in the B1G.

no worries! its sad that 3 of the 9 are no longer with the program, 1 hasn't played 100 minutes while at Iowa (Dale Jones), and 4 have have been passed up by freshmen

only Moss seems to be elevating his game

 

[HellaHawk]

A bit early to write off last year's class. Williams, Moss, and Wagner are all getting solid minutes. No stars yet, but they are young. Dale Jones is just bad luck. Andrew and Brandon didn't work out, but don't really expect or want to keep all six members of a class.

The class before that indeed seems to be a bust. Dickerson didn't work out. Ellingson and Uhl appear to be role players at best.

On the other hand, this current class could be one of Fran's best. Two/three players are already starting: Bohannon, Pemsl, and Cook. Kriener and/or could be good eventually.

 

[hawk-i bob]

A bit early to write off last year's class. Williams, Moss, and Wagner are all getting solid minutes. No stars yet, but they are young. Dale Jones is just bad luck. Andrew and Brandon didn't work out, but don't really expect or want to keep all six members of a class.

The class before that indeed seems to be a bust. Dickerson didn't work out. Ellingson and Uhl appear to be role players at best.

On the other hand, this current class could be one of Fran's best. Two/three players are already starting: Bohannon, Pemsl, and Cook. Kriener and/or could be good eventually.

I agree on the bit early...and lets face the fact that not every recruit turns into a All B1G player. Some of the players mentioned have not even reached the half way mark of their career & some just barely. Now it could be some (maybe all of them) will never reach the level of fan expectation. I'm just not ready to call a class a bust.

A team needs role players. Whether its 10 minutes a game or 12.
If that ends up being what the mentioned players end up being for the remainder of time..so be it. I'm guessing we won't see any of them digress....if a true freshman out performs them... so be it.

 

[EpenesaEpenesa]

Acutraly there were 9 members of the 2014 and 2015 classes. I agree; there have been more disappointments with these 9 than excitement.

3 of the 9 have left the program: Trey D, Andrew F, Brandon H
1 can't stay healthy: Dale Jones
2 have been disappointing, imo: Uhl, Ellingson
1 Christain Williams has lost his starting spot to a freshman
1 Ahmad Wagner--still a work in progress
1 Isaiah Moss--has shown promise

the 2014 class:
Trey Dickerson
Dom Uhl
Brady Ellingson

the 2015 class:
Dales Jones
Christian Williams
Isaiah Moss
Ahmad Wagner
Andrew Fleming
Brandon Hutton

Yikes

 

[Iowamavs14]

The future looks bright for Hawkeye hoops. Many fans are frustrated with the 3-4 start, but the coaching staff has learned a lot about their team. Adjustments and coaching are taking place. Expect more improvement in are defense and rebounding. Need to give these young guys a chance, many have had breakout performances and more will happen as the year evolves. If we can have a strong finish in the non conference games that remain, big things can still happen for this team. Sit back, cheer on their successes, understand there will be some setbacks, but trust that staff will get these guys in a position to be successful. Go Hawks!

 

[Steve Waite]

Living in Naperville, Moss was the only kid I was excited about. I watched a lot of his games on tv.
Simeon is a powerhouse program and thought he would contribute right away.
He ended up redshirting and didn't understand why he wasn't getting more minutes this year.
He is a great athlete and clearly our best defensive wing.
He should start the rest of the season.

Our best lineup when Cook gets back.
Bohannon
Moss
Jok
Pemsyl
Cook
Baer first off the bench, he plays so much better in this role.
Ellingson and Williams to spell the guards.
Jones (when healthy) and Kreiner to spell the bigs.
That is a 10 man rotation and plenty of minutes to go around.

 

[Titanhawk2]

Acutraly there were 9 members of the 2014 and 2015 classes. I agree; there have been more disappointments with these 9 than excitement.

3 of the 9 have left the program: Trey D, Andrew F, Brandon H
1 can't stay healthy: Dale Jones
2 have been disappointing, imo: Uhl, Ellingson
1 Christain Williams has lost his starting spot to a freshman
1 Ahmad Wagner--still a work in progress
1 Isaiah Moss--has shown promise

the 2014 class:
Trey Dickerson
Dom Uhl
Brady Ellingson

the 2015 class:
Dales Jones
Christian Williams
Isaiah Moss
Ahmad Wagner
Andrew Fleming
Brandon Hutton

Baer should be in your 2014 class

 

[hawk-i bob]

Living in Naperville, Moss was the only kid I was excited about. I watched a lot of his games on tv.
Simeon is a powerhouse program and thought he would contribute right away.
He ended up redshirting and didn't understand why he wasn't getting more minutes this year.
He is a great athlete and clearly our best defensive wing.
He should start the rest of the season.

Our best lineup when Cook gets back.
Bohannon
Moss
Jok
Pemsyl
Cook
Baer first off the bench, he plays so much better in this role.
Ellingson and Williams to spell the guards.
Jones (when healthy) and Kreiner to spell the bigs.
That is a 10 man rotation and plenty of minutes to go around.

pretty much agree with you...sometimes it even takes coaches to come around & feel comfortable with a player..Moss' minutes against Memphis were ridiculous IMO. I also like the combo of JB/Moss/Jok...I give Fran credit for starting JB & Moss...better late than never.

Jones wont be available for another 6-7 weeks or so....Baer is OK at 4 in certain matchups...will still nned some minutes spelling Cook/Pemsl from others..whether its Kreiner or Wagner/Uhl. We will see how that works out...

 

[DodgerHawki]

The future looks bright for Hawkeye hoops. Many fans are frustrated with the 3-4 start, but the coaching staff has learned a lot about their team. Adjustments and coaching are taking place. Expect more improvement in are defense and rebounding. Need to give these young guys a chance, many have had breakout performances and more will happen as the year evolves. If we can have a strong finish in the non conference games that remain, big things can still happen for this team. Sit back, cheer on their successes, understand there will be some setbacks, but trust that staff will get these guys in a position to be successful. Go Hawks!

I agree patience is needed. Fran will get time, as getting in the NCAA tournament 3 straight times when Iowa had got in just 3 times in the previous 14 years gets you that time. Time will tell how bright the future is. Next year will again be a challenge as Iowa loses Jok. The doughnut of lack of difference-makers in the sophomore-junior classes will continue to make an impact. But the guys who are signed/committed for the coming years (Nunge, Garza, Connor Mc, Wieskamp, Patrick Mc) raises the overall talent level by quite a bit.

 

[mazda1]

Uhl and Wagner will really have to step it up next year. They will likely have to earn minutes at the 3 fighting for pt with Baer and maybe Moss. Cook, and Pemsel will get minutes at the 4 and 5, and Kriener and Garza will likely get time at the 5 as well.

Moss, J Bo, Williams, Conner, and Brady will get guard minutes. If Jones, Wagner, and Uhl were to all leave that means room for Conner and maybe even a transfer point guard ☺.

The future looks bright, but there will be dark and stormy nights ahead before we get there.

 

[2432Hawk]

I'm going to take a break on defense

Kidding aside, the encouraging thing I've seen not only has been the duo of Cook and Pemsl in the paint, but the ability for our guards to feed the post. Williams gets knocked but his size and feeding the post along with Bohannon and his court awareness has done a pretty good job early of feeding our bigs. Had always wished we'd done more of that with Woody and Gabe but they were really not back to the basket scorers. Pemsl is very good and Cook certainly can finish above the rim. On top of that I think we've got really good passers with our bigs as well. As this team gets more to where they can just play off instinct and less thought offensively they are going to be very hard to defend.

Defense will improve when they finally get tired of losing games.

 

[hawk-i bob]

Uhl and Wagner will really have to step it up next year. They will likely have to earn minutes at the 3 fighting for pt with Baer and maybe Moss. Cook, and Pemsel will get minutes at the 4 and 5, and Kriener and Garza will likely get time at the 5 as well.

Moss, J Bo, Williams, Conner, and Brady will get guard minutes. If Jones, Wagner, and Uhl were to all leave that means room for Conner and maybe even a transfer point guard ☺.

The future looks bright, but there will be dark and stormy nights ahead before we get there.

Uhl & Wagner need to step it up this year. I understand why some don't see much future in them. I hope as student-athletes they don't & prove us wrong. Maybe they wont reach expectations of others but as part of a rotation on a winning team. They both have time to do so.

 

[Iowamavs14]

One of the biggest surprises so far is Pemsl. Not that he wasn't highly thought of, just that people questioned whether he was big enough or fast enough. Questioned whether he could finish around the basket. Sure he's not Tyler Cook athletically, but what Pemsl is, is a basketball player. He just gets it done in so many ways. Has things to work on like all the young guns, but man he's a guy you want on your team. Whatever happens this year, Pemsl is definitely a building block for the future.