Ironic, considering how you have been hyping Josh O
Evan Brauns
- Thread starter Fran-Con-2
- Start date
I’ve seen this mentioned several times over the past few days, but to be clear, Belmont joined the Missouri Valley Conference in 2022. At present, they are at the same level as Drake, UNI, Mo. State, etc. Significant step up from the OVC.
Well Belmont was actually in the Missouri Valley this year. So maybe pay attention to what's going on in college basketball if you're going to bitch about it.
Gentlemen, lets try not to major in the minor points, the major point is that Brauns is playing in a much lower tiered conference the MVC.
and for reference, the is not the MVC of your childhood, if you are ‘paying attention’ its current power rating is between the Sun belt and the Atlantic Sun Conferences, quick name 3 teams from those to obscure affiliations , can you with out looking? How many members of the new MVC can you name?
The big names of your memory creighton, Wichita state, Loyola and Tulsa have all long departed
if Brian’s transfers , I hope him nothing but a breakout year and all the very best, maybe he’ll be a Jacob Jacks type find.
And Nowell from K State came from Arkansas Little Rock. There are players everywhere. And no, he’s not Nowell. If he’s our starting Center at the beginning of next year we’re in trouble. But as a piece of the pie he’s a nice fit, good athlete and already played 2 years. We had nobody to replace Rebraca when he went out this year.
What did you think of Tyson Walker of MSU? Colonial Athletic Conference, ranked worse than MVC
How about some guys in the NBA? Ja Morant, CJ McCollum, Dame Lillard, Steph Curry, list goes on and on. People don't all develop at the same rate, people don't all have tons of major offers out of high school, doesn't mean they don't deserve it now. Hell Filip Rebraca was in the Summit League, that is lower than MVC but he turned out alright.
I hope Mulvey sticks around for at least another season, he's shown a few nice things when he's played and there's still some untapped potential for him IMO.
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One development Center seems appropriate---Mulvey has shown some shot blocking ability and is good teammate. Personally, I don't believe in Banking Schollies.
Braun seems like a solid backup---great pickup if he's willing to tryout and wait for a schollie.
Unless we get some surprising positive results in the Portal or in player development, I think the consecutive years of Fran making NCAA will end next year.
Braun seems like a solid backup---great pickup if he's willing to tryout and wait for a schollie.
Unless we get some surprising positive results in the Portal or in player development, I think the consecutive years of Fran making NCAA will end next year.
If Fran does allow Brauns to walk on, that makes 5 players between 6-9 and 7 feet on the roster. I doubt very much that Fran is going to add additional big men from the portal no matter how many on here thinks he will. My guess is he adds a wing player and banks one for the 24 class that only has 1 player sighed.
McCaffery 6-9, Mulvey 7-0, Freeman 6-11, Dembele 6-9, Brauns 6-9
My guess for the starting lineup next year is:
Patrick ,if heathy, Mulvey, sr Sandford, Nimmers, Perkins and mix match the rest of the roster in Bowen, Freeman, Dembele, Dix, jr Sandford, and Harding.
P.S. After watching Harding for the last 3 years, I will never underestimate his ability to overcome his shortcomings, one of which is being buried behind a gaggle of players that can play the point guard position.
Perkins, Bowen, Dix, and even Nimmers appears could fill the role. If Brock wants to see playing time this coming season, he has a short window of time to impress Fran and the staff that he is ready to play Big Ten basketball. The overseas trip could help and he has the skill set that no other player on the Iowa roster has, but it's up to him to make that impression on Fran, otherwise he could see very little playing time until later in the year if at all.
I'm also going to put this out there. There is no player that Fran is going to pick up from the portal that is going to change the direction of next years team.
There is no player like Garza or the Murray bothers currently in the portal and even if there were, they're plenty of blue blood programs out there to snatch them away from Iowa.
Next years Iowa team is going to be completely different from what we have experience the last 4 or 5 years, so get use to it, it may be for the better.
McCaffery 6-9, Mulvey 7-0, Freeman 6-11, Dembele 6-9, Brauns 6-9
My guess for the starting lineup next year is:
Patrick ,if heathy, Mulvey, sr Sandford, Nimmers, Perkins and mix match the rest of the roster in Bowen, Freeman, Dembele, Dix, jr Sandford, and Harding.
P.S. After watching Harding for the last 3 years, I will never underestimate his ability to overcome his shortcomings, one of which is being buried behind a gaggle of players that can play the point guard position.
Perkins, Bowen, Dix, and even Nimmers appears could fill the role. If Brock wants to see playing time this coming season, he has a short window of time to impress Fran and the staff that he is ready to play Big Ten basketball. The overseas trip could help and he has the skill set that no other player on the Iowa roster has, but it's up to him to make that impression on Fran, otherwise he could see very little playing time until later in the year if at all.
I'm also going to put this out there. There is no player that Fran is going to pick up from the portal that is going to change the direction of next years team.
There is no player like Garza or the Murray bothers currently in the portal and even if there were, they're plenty of blue blood programs out there to snatch them away from Iowa.
Next years Iowa team is going to be completely different from what we have experience the last 4 or 5 years, so get use to it, it may be for the better.
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Brauns has 2 years of starting at a pretty darn good basketball school, though at a lower level. We've seen through the portal, however what some of these guys from mid majors can do. Mulvey actually played more in 2021-2022 than vs the 2022-2023 season. The most minutes he's had was 13 this year. Unless he shows dramatic improvement over the Summer Brauns will be ahead of him. And I'm not sure how you see Nimmers as a walk on who sat out this year moving into the starting lineup next year. Maybe I'm missing something.
This is as far as I go in debating you. I know putting Nimmers in the starting role is a stretch and even if he's given a scholarship during the summer he still has to work his way into getting playing time.
Iowa has no one as athletic as he is, at his height on Iowa's roster at this time and space. The only one that is close to being as athletic is Harding and he's got his own problems getting playing time.
You also insinuated that Brauns would get the starting job over Mulvey. Unless I've missed something, by all accounts Brauns is joining the Hawkeye roster as a walk-on and I would bet head to head Mulvey would clean his clock, being faster, quicker, taller, and with a longer reach then Brauns, but in the real world it will be all hammered out during summer and fall workouts and the over seas trip.
Yes, I'm excited to see what Riley Mulvey can do, I'm excited to see if Dix and Bowen can improve and become the players that everyone is hoping for and I'm excited to see if any of the 5 freshmen can break through and provide extended playing minutes, is 6-3 Nimmers the real deal, Ladji Dembele at 6-9 250 that I liken to a young Reggie Evans, 6-11 Owen Freeman who runs like a deer and has a ton of potential, Pryce Sandford, 3 point shooter and the electric Brock Harding.
I'm excited to see how everything shakes out before the opening of fall practice and the start of next season. Can't wait!
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Not saying your wrong because there is a good chance its something like that but let's not pretend like anyone at all saw Garza or Keegan becoming what they turned out to be.
There were tons of people on here saying Iowa had nothing but mid major talent after Cook left. They were suposed to miss the tournament the next year.
Then Keegan was expected to be maybe a 3rd team all conference guy his sophomore year and most people were predicting Iowa to miss the tournament that year because of not having Garza anymore.
Trying to predict college basketball is pretty tough, especially with the portal.
Also, a rebuilding year once in a while is fine if you're playing mostly younger players.
Pmac is 6'9" BUT he plays like he's 6'3" so probably doesn't belong on any such list.....
I haven't heard of a clear policy on Walk ons and NIL money. If a walk on can get NIL money, then
what stops a team from stock piling talent beyond the 13 player scholarshp limit?
I don’t know that there’s anything stopping teams from stockpiling players, at least on the NIL side. Are there any other limitations on what other things non-scholarship players have access to?
There isn't really other than playing time. Most scholarship level players want to play 20+ minutes a game which is impossible to distribute if there's 15 deserving guys on the roster.
Being a walk-on does limit access to perks that scholarship players receive. I think tutoring, certain meal tables, etc are all dependent on being on scholarship.
I believe some teams are doing that already.
The days of rules are pretty much done. Every old rule can be skirted via nil now so there's no reason to even pretend.
The ncaa doesn't want anymore lawsuits bringing scrutiny to their business model. They're smart enough to realize that the major conferences will eventually cut them out of the loop completely but until then don't rock the boat.
If accurate, that would allow Fran to bring in an impact big man, the best available perimeter player (hopefully one who can shoot and is athletic and plays defense), and still give Nimmers a scholarship.
Nowell looks the part from a physical standpoint and quickness. Brauns looks more like the kind of body I’d like to see but he’s not tourney quick/athletic. If you are playing a 6’9” post player he better be thick and can run/jump out of the gym
I’m far more concerned about our slow skinny guards.
Garza and Murray couldn’t do shit for their team in the tournament. There are plenty of guys that could change this team in the portal, fran doesn’t want them. He have to dump the offense is all that matters philosophy.
Defense and speed are not something he covets.
Let's see who Fran gets, and then assess what you say. If you look at the make up of the players returning, I understand your pessimism. Some of the guys who I have read about Fran seeking in the portal seem to be athletic defensive-oriented guys who can rebound and defend the basket, which is exactly what we need. Our final recruit in the latest class also seems to fit that mold.
No offense, but I am not expecting and would be surprised if FM acquired any "wow" recruits from the portal. IMO FM is way too comfortable at Iowa.
I'm not looking for "wow" additions, who scored a lot of points. I want a tough, athletic big guy who wants to control the area around the basket. Not exactly what Fran has recruited, although Rebraca was much better than many on here have recognized.
I'll second that!
Let's hope Fran has the same thoughts and finds us someone that fits that mold...and who has some decent post moves, so he doesn't have to rely solely on garbage points off rebounds.
You consider the Big a major conference? We haven’t been relevant in 20 years. There are good basketball players everywhere, even Princeton had a couple (or more) players I’d gladly take.
