Turns out anger does fuel improvement.
https://newsroom.haas.berkeley.edu/winning-coaches-locker-room-secret/
https://newsroom.haas.berkeley.edu/winning-coaches-locker-room-secret/
For those that hate Fran's rants...
- Thread starter slipHawk
- Start date
I think at halftime it's fine. During the game and timeouts, sure. But if it carries over into practice everyday it loses its effectiveness and begins to wear on players.
I'm making no assertion about Fran, as I have no idea what he's like on a day-to-day basis. But as a general rule, I think coaches should be selective about yelling and ranting.
This was debated hotly in Bob Knight's latter years at Indiana. Either players were not as mentally tough as they used to be or Bob Knight became more belligerent and out of control in his old age. I'm going to guess the former.
I'm making no assertion about Fran, as I have no idea what he's like on a day-to-day basis. But as a general rule, I think coaches should be selective about yelling and ranting.
This was debated hotly in Bob Knight's latter years at Indiana. Either players were not as mentally tough as they used to be or Bob Knight became more belligerent and out of control in his old age. I'm going to guess the former.
I think it is pretty well documented that Fran is pretty calm in practice. He typically blows up during games to try to push the right buttons on his players and that sometimes works. But then he also blows up on the refs during and after games, which never seems to work like he wants. I think that is the competitive nature in him where practice is just practice, but games are where it really matters and where his energy goes too.
If he could learn to cool it on the refs until it really matters, it would go a long way for him. Look at Ferentz who has had some major blow ups in games. But no one ever talks about them for long because they happen maybe once a year on average. But people will still talk about the chair slamming, the suspension for bumping the ref, the getting escorted off the court by a cop at UNI, the cheating comment from this year, and others because these big events happen so often that the media and fans don’t give him the benefit of the doubt anymore. The narrative is that Fran is losing his cool again instead of what it really should be in that several of those instances existed because of truly bad reffing. And the bumping into the ref happened because the ref walked, with his arms out in front of him, right to where Fran was also walking. Fran shouldn’t have been out there on the court and deserved the T, but that event wasn’t as egregious as it was made out to be in the media after the fact.
If he could learn to cool it on the refs until it really matters, it would go a long way for him. Look at Ferentz who has had some major blow ups in games. But no one ever talks about them for long because they happen maybe once a year on average. But people will still talk about the chair slamming, the suspension for bumping the ref, the getting escorted off the court by a cop at UNI, the cheating comment from this year, and others because these big events happen so often that the media and fans don’t give him the benefit of the doubt anymore. The narrative is that Fran is losing his cool again instead of what it really should be in that several of those instances existed because of truly bad reffing. And the bumping into the ref happened because the ref walked, with his arms out in front of him, right to where Fran was also walking. Fran shouldn’t have been out there on the court and deserved the T, but that event wasn’t as egregious as it was made out to be in the media after the fact.
In Fran's defense, Iowa is 2-8 with Steve McJunkins being one of the refs. And 1-3 last year. I'd be a little suspicious of the mother$$$$er too.
It is tough being a coach where so many calls are judgement calls. And where one or two timely placed calls(or no-calls) can completely destroy your momentum, or swing the advantage to the other team. Especially in a game that is highly emotional like basketball. It certainly isn't like baseball....
In basketball you can have a missed shove let a player get open and drain a 3, JBo is open for a 3 on the other end but Garza gets called on a questionable screen, and then other team quickly drains another 3. That's a 9 point swing in 30 seconds... Jus sayin.
It is tough being a coach where so many calls are judgement calls. And where one or two timely placed calls(or no-calls) can completely destroy your momentum, or swing the advantage to the other team. Especially in a game that is highly emotional like basketball. It certainly isn't like baseball....
In basketball you can have a missed shove let a player get open and drain a 3, JBo is open for a 3 on the other end but Garza gets called on a questionable screen, and then other team quickly drains another 3. That's a 9 point swing in 30 seconds... Jus sayin.
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You're giving McJunkins too much credit by saying he cheats. He's not good enough to do that. He just sucks at reffing.
Nope. And again, I wasn't criticizing Fran. I made that abundantly clear.
Tom has had several former Fran players on his podcast. When asked how Fran is in practice or at halftime, they have all said he is very calm and doesn’t blow up like everyone assumes. Baer and Gesell are two players I remember talking about it but i’m sure there were others. Look around.
Then Fran needs to do some more yelling at halftime!!
I knew he was not the Bob Knight type in practice, heard that multiple times over the years... But I assumed he gave a good chewing out at some halftimes! They have deserved it more than a few times with their play....
A lot of what people are missing is Bob Knight was an absolute egomaniac and control freak. His program was all about him not his players. He wanted the credit and accolades over anyone else and was a master manipulator.
Fran’s on court demeanor is about sticking up for his guys. We are Iowa, a small population state, small media markets in a literally B1G conference. We are not going to get an even shake in basketball especially. I don’t care what apologists say, officiating (good and bad) can dictate basketball games and how they are played even more so than football. Sometimes the talent discrepancy is large enough reffing (good or bad) does not matter either way but many games feature similar teams and close games. Calls going the wrong way drives Fran nuts. Although I think you are better off letting it go or picking & choosing your spots (which Dr Tom learned and did very well) that has not been something Fran has been able to do (there’s a line with him). That being said, what we can see on the court stays on the court from all reports so far.
Fran’s on court demeanor is about sticking up for his guys. We are Iowa, a small population state, small media markets in a literally B1G conference. We are not going to get an even shake in basketball especially. I don’t care what apologists say, officiating (good and bad) can dictate basketball games and how they are played even more so than football. Sometimes the talent discrepancy is large enough reffing (good or bad) does not matter either way but many games feature similar teams and close games. Calls going the wrong way drives Fran nuts. Although I think you are better off letting it go or picking & choosing your spots (which Dr Tom learned and did very well) that has not been something Fran has been able to do (there’s a line with him). That being said, what we can see on the court stays on the court from all reports so far.
We have had a coach who doesn't challenge the refs or question their calls. A guy who doesn't stand up or interact when players leave the court. Who seems unconcerned with how the player is playing or the effort given. We had Todd Lickliter and I am so very glad we now have Fran who coaches with some passion. Even Tom Davis who played it close to the vest, loved his players and always supported them.
Ive had the opportunity to have fairly lengthy conversations with at least a dozen of his players of the years. Their praise is nearly universal. Of course every coach has character flaws but they find it pretty funny the difference in public perception and reality. I agree with them that Fran has an ego but quite frankly he’s had a successful career and earned that right. Regardless, he looks out for his kids and most leave school well prepared for success, hoops or otherwise.
Even more interesting are the comments from kids that played for both Fran and Lick.
Even more interesting are the comments from kids that played for both Fran and Lick.
I don’t think anyone can accuse Fran for not putting his players first. That’s why the competitive nature in him fights so hard during games. He knows how much they work and doesn’t want them to get screwed out of success by bad officiating. He just needs to learn how to keep his composure and maybe try a different tactic as what he’s been doing isn’t working very well.
As others said, it is a far cry different from Bobby Knight where everything was about him and his system. In Fran’s case he probably praises his players too much in the preseason to build their confidence to the point that they slack a bit and “rest on their laurels”.
This is the thing that gets me when people say its just one call, or it was not in a key part of the game. It only takes one ridiculous call to make that kind of swing on a a trip up and down the court for each team, and a swing like that can happen anytime in the game.
Have you ever spoken with high level UI reps who understand what a stain occurs on Iowa when a scool rep humiliates him/herself on national TV.?
I'm sure. 8.9 out of nine times the University of Iowa makes national news is sports related. When you have sports announcers who wont stop ragging on Fran for his childish attacks on officials off the court, you have a PR problem for an entity valued at several billion dollars. Responsible adults in charge multi-billion dollar entities think beyond what a handful of student athletes think about a moderately successful coach.
A stain? The guy has had a serious blow up, what, 5-6 times in 9 seasons? Heck, at least one of those was yelling at his own players. Guys like Izzo and Coach K blow up more than Fran does and they get praised.
Come on L. Wade, you have to have some logical response. My kids think that "LOL" is clever, but they are, well, kids. I'm looking for some logic and thoughtfulness, even if we disagree. I think you are smart and thoughtful enough to engage. We'll likely not agree, but let's make the best of the opportunities for fellow Hawk supporters to have an adult conversation. Either way, best to you and yours.
I don’t think the powers that be care what wind bags say about a coach. If the product is good and the revenue keeps growing and you are pretty much scandal free they enjoy the ride.
No, your take on the level of concern of athletic administrators literally made me chuckle.
I agree that wins and revenue cause a lot of 'powers that be' to become content with many of the means to an end. Losses, be they financial or game outcomes, bring much more scrutiny. Fran is borderline on both of these propositions. I hope two things. 1) That he not be caught being an inappropriate ass and ridiculed on national TV, and 2) That he and his student athletes kick some ass.
Believing that athletic administrators run a multibillion dollar university is, well, not consistent with reality.
He’s gonna lead a team featuring a bunch of instate kids, his cancer survivor son, and a group of scrappers to a 5th tourney in 7 years. I wouldn’t worry about PR if I were you.
Like Gary Barta, who continues to give FM contract extensions? No, I’ve never spoken to him personally.
Please share some of your conversations though. We’re all intrigued with your connections.
Show the cost data as a direct result of the purported ‘stain’ otherwise you are just pushing the same false narrative as announcers that chastise Fran but embrace Izzo.
Interesting article from 2011.
https://www.thegazette.com/2011/02/...king-fran-mccaffery-is-dominating-the-big-ten
https://www.thegazette.com/2011/02/...king-fran-mccaffery-is-dominating-the-big-ten
The reality is that no multibillion dollar entity has a line item to pay for a study to understand the damage done to its credibility when one of their C Level exec's does something like this (Link). Pretending that bad publicity lic behavior has no bad consequences isn't consistent with reality. The false narrative here is that consequences don't exist unless resources are put toward cost data to show correlation.
So bottom line is you have nothing concrete and want to hide your narrative behind that.
You mean the incident that literally no one has mentioned in 6 months before you?
Sorry. Thought this was a thread discussing specifically Fran's Rants...a thread I did not start.
I would agree with Fran about 80% of the time when he airs it out on the officials. Izzo does it and they say he is just competitive. Fran does it and he is portrayed as a raving lunatic. Double standards to say the least.
The corruption in officiating is a significant problem with major college sports. The status quo makes a lot of money for a lot of people. The Big Ten is particularly bad and has been for decades.
This isn't going to change until someone can get them into a courtroom. That is more likely with legal sports gambling expanding the idea of a legal interest in the outcome. Or, somebody in or around the conference or the NCAA actually puts incriminating statements in writing, which seems pretty unlikely.
For example, no one has to sit around and have a meeting in which Sparty spanking Iowa is discussed. Everyone involved knows its supposed to happen and that its the preferred result by the NCAA, the Big Ten and the media and sport gear companies that underwrite the NCAA and the Big Ten. Simple test, would the Big Ten's broadcast rights retain current value if Iowa and Nebraska switched places with Michigan and Michigan State on a more or less permanent basis?
Getting cheated, knowing he's getting cheated and knowing there is little to be done about it is probably very frustrating for a competitive and kind of volatile personality like F McC.
This isn't going to change until someone can get them into a courtroom. That is more likely with legal sports gambling expanding the idea of a legal interest in the outcome. Or, somebody in or around the conference or the NCAA actually puts incriminating statements in writing, which seems pretty unlikely.
For example, no one has to sit around and have a meeting in which Sparty spanking Iowa is discussed. Everyone involved knows its supposed to happen and that its the preferred result by the NCAA, the Big Ten and the media and sport gear companies that underwrite the NCAA and the Big Ten. Simple test, would the Big Ten's broadcast rights retain current value if Iowa and Nebraska switched places with Michigan and Michigan State on a more or less permanent basis?
Getting cheated, knowing he's getting cheated and knowing there is little to be done about it is probably very frustrating for a competitive and kind of volatile personality like F McC.
