Fran comments from Event

[hooper56]

One of the primary benefits of a good strength training program is increased confidence. There is not a player alive that won’t benefit by having improved confidence. I would like to see JoBo be able to finish at the rim. It would greatly benefit his overall game. With improved strength he can do this..Dailey and Moss as well.

 

[bagdropper]

Fran's teams through the years when close to the basket take the ball right at the hoop. Very few up-fakes etc. This has to be what Fran teaches, go right at the basket before help arrives.

How many times during this have we seen the ball get thrown right back at them because the Iowa player wasn't stronger than the guy guarding him? My gawd - with White, it seemed like it happened a couple times every game - and you could truly say that about darn near every post player at Iowa.

If you count up characteristics of Fran teams at Iowa, "physically strong" has absolutely never been on the list. Through the years, the list of opponents that aren't physically stronger than Fran's teams is very, very short.

I remember a guy from OSU last year, just manhandling Iowa in the paint. Iowa players bounced off him. They never had a chance.

 

[L. Wade Childress]

A fairly successful coach usually doesn’t just start losing either.

 

[texas twister]

A coach who has been a head coach this many years, all of a sudden realizes changes need to be made? He knows his seat is hot and is trying to cool it by stating the obvious. I'll believe it when I see it.

May have been a good idea to have noticed changes needed to be made during last season. When you first start noticing you have a problem, you do something THEN to rectify it. Not impressed with Fran's statement at all. Makes him look really bad.

 

[RocknRollface]

A fairly successful coach usually doesn’t just start losing either.

It takes a particularly ill conceived roster.

 

[walleye hunter16]

Hopefully that actually means something.

All the talk about strength training seems to be about pr.

Dude you just have a bag of Fran hate and the sooner you can hear him say he is wrong and his coaching sucks the happier you will be.

 

[HoustonREDHawk]

May have been a good idea to have noticed changes needed to be made during last season. When you first start noticing you have a problem, you do something THEN to rectify it. Not impressed with Fran's statement at all. Makes him look really bad.

I am generally pro Fran, but I agree that he seemed to accept losing way too well last year. He had plenty of learning opportunities, where guys could have sat down for missing assignments or not giving 100% on both ends. If they don't spend much time in practice on defense, that needs to change.

 

[RocknRollface]

Dude you just have a bag of Fran hate and the sooner you can hear him say he is wrong and his coaching sucks the happier you will be.

YES! Take responsibility. Acknowledge the problem.

He hasn't demanded defense. Thats trumps all other problems.

 

[perryhawk]

Dude you just have a bag of Fran hate and the sooner you can hear him say he is wrong and his coaching sucks the happier you will be.

YES! Take responsibility. Acknowledge the problem.

He hasn't demanded defense. Thats trumps all other problems.

But that appears to be exactly what he is doing, right?

 

[RocknRollface]

But that appears to be exactly what he is doing, right?

Hes acknowledging the results that need to change but not the cause.

Strength training is icing on the cake, and he doesn't have a cake right now.

Id like to hear something along the lines of defense, not offense, will determine playing time.

 

[Ballhawk1221]

Hes acknowledging the results that need to change but not the cause.

Strength training is icing on the cake, and he doesn't have a cake right now.

He's acknowledged the problem with defense, too. He's acknowledged a lot of problems with last year's team. You can read a lot of what he said here:

https://www.hawkcentral.com/story/s...a-hawkeyes-basketball-worst-season/512862002/

 

[RocknRollface]

He's acknowledged the problem with defense, too. He's acknowledged a lot of problems with last year's team. You can read a lot of what he said here:

https://www.hawkcentral.com/story/s...a-hawkeyes-basketball-worst-season/512862002/

Just sounds like more Fran talk.

Hes says a whole bunch of things and you still dont have any concrete point.

Hes spent 2/3rds of the article talking about how good things were.

All I want to hear is the change is going to be youre going to play D or not at all."

 

[Ballhawk1221]

Just sounds like more Fran talk.

Hes says a whole bunch of things and you still dont have any concrete point.

Hes spent 2/3rds of the article talking about how good things were.

All I want to hear is the change is going to be youre going to play D or not at all."

You're never going to hear Fran say that publicly. Fran will go out of his way not to throw his guys under the bus. To the media, he's a hype man, and he'll always be a hype man. What he says to the players in practice is what matters, and we'll never know that. But it's clear that he's aware of the defense problem, and he's taking steps to address it during the offseason.

 

[Ihawkhoops]

Bad defense starts on the perimeter. In the many games Iowa was taken to the wood shed, defensive breakdowns started with our 1-3's not being able to keep anyone in front of them. Whether it was penetration from the top or baseline, Iowa was an easy team to take off the bounce. Conversely, Iowa presents 0 threat to drive it from the 1-3. Moss is stationary. Bohannon isn't a threat to drive. Nunge and Baer take a dribble or two and reverse it out. Our best dribble drive guy was Cook, which should be a clear signal to a coach.

Fran had a chance to bring a juco or graduate transfer in and let them compete for PT. Emphasis on "compete". If this player isn't better or better in situations (teams cranking up ball pressure D) or playing D on a guard others can't stay in front of, then he would not take PT from Connor or Bohannon. I am confident that if you asked every guy on the team if they want to have a repeat of last year or add a guy who might improve the team, they would all opt for the latter, even guys who would see less PT.

 

[RocknRollface]

You're never going to hear Fran say that publicly. Fran will go out of his way not to throw his guys under the bus. To the media, he's a hype man, and he'll always be a hype man. What he says to the players in practice is what matters, and we'll never know that. But it's clear that he's aware of the defense problem, and he's taking steps to address it during the offseason.

I know im not going to hear it from him but thats why I dont take any of his Fran talk seriously.

Its allot like politicians. Allot of words designed to deflect from an actual position.

Theres a time for that but its not after fielding one of the worst defensive teams in the country IMO.

 

[L. Wade Childress]

There’s also a time for horrible spelling, but not when you want anyone to take you seriously.

 

[RocknRollface]

There’s also a time for horrible spelling, but not when you want anyone to take you seriously.

Theres never a time when spelling is not a terrible argument.

 

[seer_hawk]

Theres never a time when spelling is not a terrible argument.

At a spelling bee?

 

[Ihawkhoops]

I am generally pro Fran, but I agree that he seemed to accept losing way too well last year. He had plenty of learning opportunities, where guys could have sat down for missing assignments or not giving 100% on both ends. If they don't spend much time in practice on defense, that needs to change.

I agree, but what options did he have? For all the depth that was touted, they made little / no contributions. Uhl cannot get on the floor after 4 years of "development" under Fran. Ellingson and Wagner were non-factors after ample time in the program to "develop". There are 3 guys + Williams who added 0 value to Iowa hoops. Depth only matters if the bench guys can contribute something.

 

[HoustonREDHawk]

I agree, but what options did he have? For all the depth that was touted, they made little / no contributions. Uhl cannot get on the floor after 4 years of "development" under Fran. Ellingson and Wagner were non-factors after ample time in the program to "develop". There are 3 guys + Williams who added 0 value to Iowa hoops. Depth only matters if the bench guys can contribute something.

If you are losing with your best guys playing lazy and stupid, you aren't really losing anything by sitting them on the end of the bench to think about their play. I didn't see Fran getting pissed, and I don't see how you can expect the players to play with more passion, if the coaches don't mind losing. My opinion of Fran as a coach took a pretty big hit watching his team play this year.

 

[2432Hawk]

Bad defense starts on the perimeter. In the many games Iowa was taken to the wood shed, defensive breakdowns started with our 1-3's not being able to keep anyone in front of them. Whether it was penetration from the top or baseline, Iowa was an easy team to take off the bounce. Conversely, Iowa presents 0 threat to drive it from the 1-3. Moss is stationary. Bohannon isn't a threat to drive. Nunge and Baer take a dribble or two and reverse it out. Our best dribble drive guy was Cook, which should be a clear signal to a coach.

Fran had a chance to bring a juco or graduate transfer in and let them compete for PT. Emphasis on "compete". If this player isn't better or better in situations (teams cranking up ball pressure D) or playing D on a guard others can't stay in front of, then he would not take PT from Connor or Bohannon. I am confident that if you asked every guy on the team if they want to have a repeat of last year or add a guy who might improve the team, they would all opt for the latter, even guys who would see less PT.

I'd throw Garza in there as well that contributed to our poor perimeter defense. Teams would put him in ball screens all day long because 1) He was terrible at hedge and recover 2) Our rotations were either late, or we'd compound that with over help leaving weakside under hoop open or an easy kick out for spot up 3.

I expect Garza's growth on defense is going to be our biggest key to improving defense as a whole.

 

[RocknRollface]

At a spelling bee?

What sort of arguments are being made a spelling bees?

 

[seer_hawk]

What sort of arguments are being made a spelling bees?

The argument that correct spelling is not only important, but everything!

 

[RocknRollface]

The argument that correct spelling is not only important, but everything!

Nah.