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Fran comments from Event

perryhawk

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Apr 3, 2008
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DMR quoting Fran talking about the off season weight training program. He indicated that the guys are hard at it. He said both the players and coaches needed to change after last season......both realize that and they are making changes. Did not say what, other than the weight program.

This was at the Coaches v Cancer event.
 
From Fran's Coaches vs Cancer interview:
https://www.hawkcentral.com/story/s...-tyler-cook-ahmad-wagner-dj-carton/581399002/
“They don’t want to go through what we went through last year,” McCaffery said about that tied-for-11th-place Big Ten season that everyone would like to forget. “They know that change is necessary. And we’re going to make changes as a staff; they’re going to make changes as players.”

Making change has begun most notably this offseason with a rigorous weight-training plan. Players are bulking up, hoping the extra pounds of muscle help them hold up to the 20-game Big Ten grind.

“They’re getting after it. They’re connected off the court. Physically, they’re challenging themselves,” McCaffery said. “I think we’ll be bigger and stronger.”

Better connected. Bigger. Stronger. Those are all things that can help a team play better defense.

And if the Hawkeyes are actually on their way to improved defending … then everyone would agree: The offseason is off to a positive start.


I'm starting to believe Fran is doing more than leave it up to the players whether they work towards strength gains or not. Maybe thin recruits, like Nunge and Patrick M, won't have to work 3 or 4 years to put on weight. IMO Fran has really ignored the physical aspects of playing in the B1G, and as much as I like him it's been a frustration of mine. The officials have shown "freedom of movement" will not hinder teams like MSU, Purdue, and Wisconsin from being physical. While I don't think we necessarily need 280 pound forwards, I wouldn't mind seeing a more physical version of Fran Ball.
 
I remain skeptical as I am less concerned about physicality and more concerned with the players god-given natural ability to move their feet. The game today is about skills and quickness over brute force. This is not the 80s or 90s anymore.

Purdue hit 20 3’s on us last year and Haas did very little who was their huge physical presence. That loss had nothing to do with this. We beat Wisconsin and lost to MSU in a shoot out that had nothing to do with this and everything to do with benching the hot hand in Dailey that night down the stretch with Frans silly subbing patterns and inability to get a stop nor execute in the half court in the final minutes. Again nothing to do with this.

Bottom line is some strength focus is fine but it’s one aspect of many to improve upon and not the panacea it’s being hailed as. Cautionary tale of sophomore Mel Basabe.
 
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I guess at this point it's nice to hear that from Fran but most of us well least myself are in the I'll believe it when I see it. Saw a thing on BTN talking about improvement areas for bball teams. Robbie Hummel former Boiler and now analyst stated it perfectly when talking about how they need to improve on the defensive end. Said Iowa has capable athletes who can guard such as Cook, Moss and Dailey but they need to buy in on that end of the floor and evident at times last year weren't even close. I think if these 3 do that plus Garza will only continue to improve in the middle that will be key to next year.
 
Perry, do you think Fran mentioning coaching changes meant new strategies, etc. Or a possible personnel change?

That’s a good question....that I wonder about. My guess is it refers to changing how they do things. That would be a great topic for Kakert to pursue in an interview.
 
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Forget the weight training. This is basketball, not rugby, despite what MSU and others make it look like. What Iowa needs is a 1,000-pound attitude adjustment. Playing defense in basketball, as others have noted, is primarily about wanting to, about moving your feet, and about having an attitude that stopping the other guy is even more important than scoring yourself.

This Iowa team has seldom shown any of those defensive attributes. When I was in junior high--yes, it was junior high in those days--we spent entire practices playing ankle tag and playing defense with our hands tied behind our backs. You sure as heck had better move your feet or you were toast. Two of the greatest defensive drills I've ever seen. Does Fran have anything like that in his practice arsenal? Obviously not.

I think the Hawkeyes need more time off from the game, and when they are on the court, they need to leave the basketballs locked up and spend entire practices doing nothing but the types of drills I've just mentioned.

Fran says changes are needed. He's right. And these things would be a great place to start, not the weight room.
 
Forget the weight training. This is basketball, not rugby, despite what MSU and others make it look like. What Iowa needs is a 1,000-pound attitude adjustment. Playing defense in basketball, as others have noted, is primarily about wanting to, about moving your feet, and about having an attitude that stopping the other guy is even more important than scoring yourself.

This Iowa team has seldom shown any of those defensive attributes. When I was in junior high--yes, it was junior high in those days--we spent entire practices playing ankle tag and playing defense with our hands tied behind our backs. You sure as heck had better move your feet or you were toast. Two of the greatest defensive drills I've ever seen. Does Fran have anything like that in his practice arsenal? Obviously not.

I think the Hawkeyes need more time off from the game, and when they are on the court, they need to leave the basketballs locked up and spend entire practices doing nothing but the types of drills I've just mentioned.

Fran says changes are needed. He's right. And these things would be a great place to start, not the weight room.

I agree that the work on defense has to be so intense that it starts a culture change...I hope that’s what Fran means when he refers to a change(s) in the coaching staff.

I also agree that a “thousand pound attitude change is the key” but where we might diverge is about weight training.

Weight training can and usually does change confidence and therefore attitude. The physical nature of basketball today is not what it was when I was in junior high.....our guys don’t need to be body builders, but they need to be stronger, quicker, and more aggressive.
 
Forget the weight training. This is basketball, not rugby, despite what MSU and others make it look like. What Iowa needs is a 1,000-pound attitude adjustment. Playing defense in basketball, as others have noted, is primarily about wanting to, about moving your feet, and about having an attitude that stopping the other guy is even more important than scoring yourself.

This Iowa team has seldom shown any of those defensive attributes. When I was in junior high--yes, it was junior high in those days--we spent entire practices playing ankle tag and playing defense with our hands tied behind our backs. You sure as heck had better move your feet or you were toast. Two of the greatest defensive drills I've ever seen. Does Fran have anything like that in his practice arsenal? Obviously not.

I think the Hawkeyes need more time off from the game, and when they are on the court, they need to leave the basketballs locked up and spend entire practices doing nothing but the types of drills I've just mentioned.

Fran says changes are needed. He's right. And these things would be a great place to start, not the weight room.
I think aristotle hits the key point by identifying the mental aspect of playing defense. Attitude ==> which shows up as effort. That was lacking IMO. I don't think the players were dogging it on defense, but the effort exerted on defense by more than a few players was les than maximum. Dedication in the weight room is obviously beneficial but of little value if the mental commitment is missing.
 
I know not everyone is the same but I worry about the Basabe senario. Everyone can benefit from getting into better shape and stronger but we are such an outside shooting team, I hope it doesn't hurt more than helps. I guess if we're better and stronger on the boards and around the hoop, maybe it all evens out in the end. Not playing guys out of position seems to me more important along with playing better defense.
 
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I know not everyone is the same but I worry about the Basabe senario. Everyone can benefit from getting into better shape and stronger but we are such an outside shooting team, I hope it doesn't hurt more than helps. I guess if we're better and stronger on the boards and around the hoop, maybe it all evens out in the end. Not playing guys out of position seems to me more important along with playing better defense.
I don’t think Basabe put on the right kind of weight. While he put on weight he was significantly slower and less productive due to the weight. The right kind of weight doesn’t hold you back.
 
Fran's Comments on gaining muscle scare me. More muscle leads to less quickness, with Fran's past.

Your mentioning Melsahn is what I have bad visions of.... I prefer the opposite and like to think about Gatens. And how he lost a lot of muscle, but gained a lot of endurance and quickness. Gatens junior and senior years are what we need. Not Basabe as a sophomore.

I am all about strength training, but not bulking up muscle. Except where nedded. Like a few pounds for Nunge & Garza, and a lot for Dailey.. Other than that, if we add muscle I can't see the quickness getting better.... Which is exactly what we need!

I remain skeptical as I am less concerned about physicalaliy and more concerned with the players god-given natural ability to move their feet. The game today

Bottom line is some strength focus is fine but it’s one aspect of many to improve upon and not the panacea it’s being hailed as. Cautionary tale of sophomore Mel Basabe.
 
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Fran's Comments on gaining muscle scare me. More muscle leads to less quickness.

Your mentioning Melsahn is what I have bad visions of.... I prefer the opposite and like to think about Gatens. And how he lost a lot of muscle, but gained a lot of endurance and quickness. Gatens junior and senior years are what we need. Not Basabe as a sophomore.

I am all about strength training, but not bulking up muscle. Except where nedded. Like a few pounds for Nunge & Garza, and a lot for Dailey.. Other than that, if we add muscle I can't see the quickness getting better.... Which is exactly what we need!
Have you ever weight trained in your life? If you’re weight training for strength and endurance not win body building contests them you don’t lose speed and endurance. In fact it’s the opposite. If done correctly you can gain endurance and speed.

Look at many of the track athletes. Do you think they don’t weight train?
 
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Fran's Comments on gaining muscle scare me. More muscle leads to less quickness.

Your mentioning Melsahn is what I have bad visions of.... I prefer the opposite and like to think about Gatens. And how he lost a lot of muscle, but gained a lot of endurance and quickness. Gatens junior and senior years are what we need. Not Basabe as a sophomore.

I am all about strength training, but not bulking up muscle. Except where nedded. Like a few pounds for Nunge & Garza, and a lot for Dailey.. Other than that, if we add muscle I can't see the quickness getting better.... Which is exactly what we need!

Wow, I guess I’m a little partial because I have my NSCA cert. and used to strength train athletes. The misconceptions about strength training on some of these posts is just mind boggling to me. Proper strength training will increase speed, quickness, vertical, flexibility along with increased strength. Gatens changed his body composition but actually added muscle and dropped body fat.
 
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Wow, I guess I’m a little partial because I have my NSCA cert. and used to strength train athletes. The misconceptions about strength training on some of these posts is just mind boggling to me. Proper strength training will increase speed, quickness, vertical, flexibility along with increased strength. Gates changed his body composition but actually added muscle and dropped body fat.
Thanks for adding your knowledge.

I am not a certified trainer so when you say "proper" strength training as it relates to basketball, I assume you mean explosive type movements against resistance. That is, power movements in addition to basic strength training so as to better condition fast twitch muscle fibers and thereby boost quickness. There is an anaerobic component as well, I would guess.
 
Have you ever weight trained in your life? If you’re weight training for strength and endurance not win body building contests them you don’t lose speed and endurance. In fact it’s the opposite. If done correctly you can gain endurance and speed.

Look at many of the track athletes. Do you think they don’t weight train?

Appreciate your response in correcting misconceptions.
Like most things, resistance training isn't one size fits all.

I remain skeptical as to Iowa's chances for a huge turnaround in one season. But it won't be hampered because relatively weak and thin players like Nunge and Dailey became too "bulked up".
 
I don’t think Basabe put on the right kind of weight. While he put on weight he was significantly slower and less productive due to the weight. The right kind of weight doesn’t hold you back.

As I remember it, Fran suggested he gain weight. My point is that it was a program that Fran and the coaching staff set up and monitored.
 
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I know not everyone is the same but I worry about the Basabe senario. Everyone can benefit from getting into better shape and stronger but we are such an outside shooting team, I hope it doesn't hurt more than helps. I guess if we're better and stronger on the boards and around the hoop, maybe it all evens out in the end. Not playing guys out of position seems to me more important along with playing better defense.
I don’t think Basabe put on the right kind of weight. While he put on weight he was significantly slower and less productive due to the weight. The right kind of weight doesn’t hold you back.

I agree with both of these....the Basabe scenario does concern me. Wasn’t Bill Maxwell in charge then and still is now?

That said, the Basabe scenario is an anomaly for the type of weight training we’re taking about...different results than Gatens and pretty much every other case I’ve ever heard of.

Sounds like a Bourne movie....The Basabe scenario
 
Good thread with reasonable debate. I think proper weight training, especially for Nunge, Luka, and Dailey, could help, but I agree with Aristotle and others that attitude is an even greater determinant of whether you play good defense. I also agree with the poster, who noted that our most athletic guys seem to be among our softest guys on defense. I would like to see Cook play around the basket on the defensive end with the same intensity that he plays around the basket on the offensive end. I would also like to see Moss and Dailey play with some physicality and attitude on the defensive end. Stephen Bardo has said almost every time that he is the analyst for a Hawkeye game that Moss has the potential to be a star, and that Dailey has the potential to be a defensive stopper. That might be a little exaggerated, but I think his point is dead on. They need to be much tougher mentally, and because they already have physical gifts, they should be much better. Bardo was a bad ass in his day, so he should know. I hope Fran statements are more than just appeasing the fan base.
 
With all due respect, I would also point out that there are vastly more injuries in basketball and baseball now than there were before the "benefits" of weight training became standard in those sports. Before the 1990s, how many ligament and tendon injuries occurred in basketball and baseball? Almost none. And there were fewer in football as well.

Now, those injuries are as common as the cold. Is there a connection to those injuries and weight training? It would seem so.

It's become routine for baseball and basketball players to go down with hamstring tears, Achilles tears, tendinitis, and so on.

We saw fabulous individual athletic performances and amazing teams long before weight training and nutrition regimens were introduced. Are athletes and teams better now? I don't see it. But what I do see are all these injuries that never happened before. These observations are only IMHO, of course.
 
I remain skeptical as I am less concerned about physicalaliy and more concerned with the players god-given natural ability to move their feet. The game today is about skills and quickness over brute force. This is not the 80s or 90s anymore.

Purdue hit 20 3’s on us last year and Haas did very little who was their huge physical presence. That loss had nothing to do with this. We beat Wisconsin and lost to MSU in a shoot out that had nothing to do with this and everything to do with benching the hot hand in Dailey that night down the stretch with Frans silly subbing patterns and inability to get a stop nor execute in the half court in the final minutes. Again nothing to do with this.

Bottom line is some strength focus is fine but it’s one aspect of many to improve upon and not the panacea it’s being hailed as. Cautionary tale of sophomore Mel Basabe.

Its actually troubling that Fran has identified this as what he thinks will fix their problems on defense.

Anyone with eyeballs can see they dont grasp it from a mental standpoint. Always wandering out of position, not running back ect.

I would feel so much better if Fran was addmting that he has done a terrible job of teaching. His guys haven't grasped the basics and he hasnt demanded that anyone play defense or with effort.

He should be the one talking about changing.
 
Fran's Comments on gaining muscle scare me. More muscle leads to less quickness.

Your mentioning Melsahn is what I have bad visions of.... I prefer the opposite and like to think about Gatens. And how he lost a lot of muscle, but gained a lot of endurance and quickness. Gatens junior and senior years are what we need. Not Basabe as a sophomore.

I am all about strength training, but not bulking up muscle. Except where nedded. Like a few pounds for Nunge & Garza, and a lot for Dailey.. Other than that, if we add muscle I can't see the quickness getting better.... Which is exactly what we need!

Thats not true with quickness. Proper training, (lower body, core) can definitely increase speed, explosiveness, flexibility and balance.

Stamina does decrease with more weight to carry though, thats why you balance with intense cardio.
 
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I wouldn't mind having a team that offensive players are afraid to drive inside on for fear of injury ala Ed Horton.
 
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Its actually troubling that Fran has identified this as what he thinks will fix their problems on defense.

Anyone with eyeballs can see they dont grasp it from a mental standpoint. Always wandering out of position, not running back ect.

I would feel so much better if Fran was addmting that he has done a terrible job of teaching. His guys haven't grasped the basics and he hasnt demanded that anyone play defense or with effort.

He should be the one talking about changing.

Fran said the coaches are going to change their approach. It's right there in the article.

“They know that change is necessary. And we’re going to make changes as a staff; they’re going to make changes as players.”
 
Fran said the coaches are going to change their approach. It's right there in the article.

“They know that change is necessary. And we’re going to make changes as a staff; they’re going to make changes as players.”

Hopefully that actually means something.

All the talk about strength training seems to be about pr.
 
I know not everyone is the same but I worry about the Basabe senario. Everyone can benefit from getting into better shape and stronger but we are such an outside shooting team, I hope it doesn't hurt more than helps. I guess if we're better and stronger on the boards and around the hoop, maybe it all evens out in the end. Not playing guys out of position seems to me more important along with playing better defense.
my hope is with the weight training that they would be able to fight through the contact and get the shot and 1 more often. also hope it leads to having the strength to box out for rebounds. have to many skinny guys that look so over matched on the strength end which leads to getting the ball stripped, weak hands holding on to the ball. team def needs an attitude adjustment on the defensive end. hope they learn to take a charge, and quit giving up such easy buckets, give a hard foul instead of letting them score at will. i would get so frustrated when they would just stand back and watch them drive worried about getting a foul called on them, especially guys coming off the bench. you were only going to play a hand full of minutes anyway, make them count
 
Its actually troubling that Fran has identified this as what he thinks will fix their problems on defense.

Anyone with eyeballs can see they dont grasp it from a mental standpoint. Always wandering out of position, not running back ect.

I would feel so much better if Fran was addmting that he has done a terrible job of teaching. His guys haven't grasped the basics and he hasnt demanded that anyone play defense or with effort.

He should be the one talking about changing.
In all fairness Fran IS the guy talking about changing things. Now in a few months we'll get to see just what changes are implemented......
 
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Its actually troubling that Fran has identified this as what he thinks will fix their problems on defense.

Where does Fran say this? Certainly not in the article above. It appears the author thinks it may help.

I see absolutely no downside to professionally supervised, basketball weight training. Strength is important in more areas than just banging on the boards. How about holding a defender at bay when he's trying to steal the ball, or maybe you could add an inch or two to your vertical, or maybe you don't run out of gas late in the game, or maybe when you are shooting a layup and someone fouls you you can still get the bucket, or when you set a screen for someone and the defender runs into you maybe you won't lose your position.

Bad weight training is, well, bad. Just like everything else that can be done incorrectly.

It would also be nice if our Hawkeyes didn't look like a high school team out there.
 
Fran's Comments on gaining muscle scare me. More muscle leads to less quickness.

Your mentioning Melsahn is what I have bad visions of.... I prefer the opposite and like to think about Gatens. And how he lost a lot of muscle, but gained a lot of endurance and quickness. Gatens junior and senior years are what we need. Not Basabe as a sophomore.

I am all about strength training, but not bulking up muscle. Except where nedded. Like a few pounds for Nunge & Garza, and a lot for Dailey.. Other than that, if we add muscle I can't see the quickness getting better.... Which is exactly what we need!

Former Olympic record holder Micheal Johnson would probably disagree with you, as well as Gatens. Matt did lose some weight, but IIRC he did it by decreasing body fat. IMO with the right kind of strength gains you can improve quickness and endurance. Strength training is not just an asset in football. It's a tool used by many top athletes.

I'm not looking at strength training as what's going to turn things around next season, but it's something that could aid in the process. As far as looking for a 1 year turn around that's exactly what happened last year. We went from a 10 win B1G team in 2016-17 to a 4 win team, with Jok the only significant loss. Last year most of our production came from freshmen and sophomores. Next year it will be sophomores and juniors, with a possible 2 freshmen added to the rotation. The optimist in me thinks we could see a huge difference, especially if Cook comes back.


michael-johnson-gold-nike-shoes-coming-back
 
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Perry, do you think Fran mentioning coaching changes meant new strategies, etc. Or a possible personnel change?
I'm not Perry, but Tom K. is on record saying he doesn't think there will be any personnel changes. I really think Fran is talking about more emphasis on the defensive end.
 
Where does Fran say this? Certainly not in the article above. It appears the author thinks it may help.

I see absolutely no downside to professionally supervised, basketball weight training. Strength is important in more areas than just banging on the boards. How about holding a defender at bay when he's trying to steal the ball, or maybe you could add an inch or two to your vertical, or maybe you don't run out of gas late in the game, or maybe when you are shooting a layup and someone fouls you you can still get the bucket, or when you set a screen for someone and the defender runs into you maybe you won't lose your position.

Bad weight training is, well, bad. Just like everything else that can be done incorrectly.

It would also be nice if our Hawkeyes didn't look like a high school team out there.

Fran has been saying this new strength training is a move to improve defense since the season ended, even if doesn't specifically say it here. Its been said repeatedly.

No where did I say strength training was bad, ever in my entire life, you would not be able to find one instance of that being said.
 
Fran has been saying this new strength training is a move to improve defense since the season ended, even if doesn't specifically say it here. Its been said repeatedly.

No where did I say strength training was bad, ever in my entire life, you would not be able to find one instance of that being said.

Never said you did. I asked where Fran has identified this as what he thinks will fix their problems on defense. I don't think he has ever said that.
 
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That’s a good question....that I wonder about. My guess is it refers to changing how they do things. That would be a great topic for Kakert to pursue in an interview.
He's not changing Coaches unless someone leaves on their own, so I firmly believe that is your answer.
 
Forget the weight training. This is basketball, not rugby, despite what MSU and others make it look like. What Iowa needs is a 1,000-pound attitude adjustment. Playing defense in basketball, as others have noted, is primarily about wanting to, about moving your feet, and about having an attitude that stopping the other guy is even more important than scoring yourself.

This Iowa team has seldom shown any of those defensive attributes. When I was in junior high--yes, it was junior high in those days--we spent entire practices playing ankle tag and playing defense with our hands tied behind our backs. You sure as heck had better move your feet or you were toast. Two of the greatest defensive drills I've ever seen. Does Fran have anything like that in his practice arsenal? Obviously not.

I think the Hawkeyes need more time off from the game, and when they are on the court, they need to leave the basketballs locked up and spend entire practices doing nothing but the types of drills I've just mentioned.

Fran says changes are needed. He's right. And these things would be a great place to start, not the weight room.
That, and we need to get a lot stronger.
 
Former Olympic record holder Micheal Johnson would probably disagree with you, as well as Gatens. Matt did lose some weight, but IIRC he did it by decreasing body fat. IMO with the right kind of strength gains you can improve quickness and endurance. Strength training is not just an asset in football. It's a tool used by many top athletes.

I'm not looking at strength training as what's going to turn things around next season, but it's something that could aid in the process. As far as looking for a 1 year turn around that's exactly what happened last year. We went from a 10 win B1G team in 2016-17 to a 4 win team, with Jok the only significant loss. Last year most of our production came from freshmen and sophomores. Next year it will be sophomores and juniors, with a possible 2 freshmen added to the rotation. The optimist in me thinks we could see a huge difference, especially if Cook comes back.

Agree totally with the exception that if Cook comes back part. He will need to to be 100 times more assertive on Defense for the others to follow suit. He has 1,000’s of minutes to research but it seems he rarely plays hard on D. Let alone box out. Now I’m setting myself up for ridicule because of all the film to watch. I feel he’s waaay to lax for his ability!!! Just my opinion!!
michael-johnson-gold-nike-shoes-coming-back
 
In all fairness Fran IS the guy talking about changing things. Now in a few months we'll get to see just what changes are implemented......

I hope so, but a coach just doesn’t all of a sudden change the way he values and coaches the defensive end of the floor. At some point you have to be honest with yourself and say, I’m not doing the right things teaching wise and kids aren’t buying in. Go the Beilein route, hire an assistant that does nothing but preach the defensive end of the floor and gets results. Beilein really doesn’t touch that end of the floor anymore. He had a problem getting stops and fixed it.
 
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