Fran on Tony: "He’s gotten a lot more minutes because he’s been really productive at both ends. I think he’s proven that he’s a gamer."

[Franisdaman]

From Yeasterday's (March 8) Press Conference:


Q. How much is confidence going to play into Tony emerging a little bit here?

FRAN MCCAFFERY: I will say this about him. In the times that he did play last year, he kind of played with a little bit of swag, which is what you want. It’s not always the case with freshmen, especially when they’re behind veteran guys like he was last year.

But you could kind of see it coming. I think he’s gotten a lot more minutes because he’s been really productive at both ends. I think he’s proven that he’s a gamer.

He’s not afraid of the moment. He’s not afraid of the crowd. He just kind of keeps coming, and that’s what you appreciate as his teammate or as his coach. So I’m thrilled for him, and I think is he’s just going to keep getting better. I think that’s safe to say with him.

Q. What element does Tony bring to the lineup?

FRAN MCCAFFERY: He can guard pretty much anybody. If they have a good wing player, we can put him on that person. If we have to switch, he can play at the post. If you start doing the analytics stuff, another guy, along with Tony, that really impacts our defense is Connor when he’s out there. But Tony, not only is he physical and quick, he’s tough. He fights you. I think what will happen with his defense is he’ll get better at recognizing action.

That’s where Bohannon is so good. He recognizes a staggered double. Is his screen the screener? Is there a flare screen coming? If I’m on the side with two, which way am I going? Who’s the better shooter? Am I bluffing and staying? Those kinds of things come with experience, and you’ll see Tony continue to get better at that, as good as he is.

Q. Do you remember anyone in the past that you’ve coached even as an assistant that has his versatility and experience?

FRAN MCCAFFERY: I had a 27-win Siena team that was pretty good in that capacity, but we weren’t as deep. We had really good players, but I’ve pretty much stuck with 10, but I could really go 13 if I needed to with Josh, Riley, and Austin. I feel very confident playing those guys. I’ve never had a team with that many.

Fran McCaffery News Conference Transcript

hawkeyesports.com

 

[sober_teacher]

Defensively, maybe the main thing I’d like Tony to improve on is knowing when to reach for the ball and when not to. Feels like he’s occasionally prone to picking up silly fouls because he reached for a steal and the ref saw it.

 

[Hawksfor3]

Good stuff. I enjoy his tenacity on defense, and his shot is finding the bottom of the net.

 

[shanksit44]

Incredible how getting the minutes and finding a comfort zone on the court can expand your confidence and free your game up. He’s always had “IT” but before the hook was quick if a mistake was made where as now he’s allowed to play through it and usually makes a big play shortly after. Solid game and he brings a little attitude with it.

 

[sober_teacher]

Incredible how getting the minutes and finding a comfort zone on the court can expand your confidence and free your game up. He’s always had “IT” but before the hook was quick if a mistake was made where as now he’s allowed to play through it and usually makes a big play shortly after. Solid game and he brings a little attitude with it.

True but that goes both ways and I assume includes stuff we don’t always see, such as in practice. Perhaps shaking off mistakes had been a trouble before, as well as continuing to shoot if the shots aren’t falling.

 

[shanksit44]

True but that goes both ways and I assume includes stuff we don’t always see, such as in practice. Perhaps shaking off mistakes had been a trouble before, as well as continuing to shoot if the shots aren’t falling.

Not going to speculate on things I don’t see. Just my opinion that being on the court more has freed his game up considerably. We are now seeing why the coaches were high on him coming out of high school. He can play.

 

[sober_teacher]

Not going to speculate on things I don’t see. Just my opinion that being on the court more has freed his game up considerably. We are now seeing why the coaches were high on him coming out of high school. He can play.

Agreed. And sometimes things are just funny like that, that one day a player just “gets“ it. No idea if it is something they’d been working on in practice, whether the lightbulb just went on or who knows.

 

[Franisdaman]

JBo in the postgame press conference, on Tony:

You're seeing a lot more confident Tony

He's creating shots for other people (he had 6 assists today).

He's understanding the game & has a bright future in front of him.



Tony today:

18 minutes

2-2 from 3

6 points
6 assists
4 rebounds
1 steal

 

[HawkRugged17]

 

[TheRealHerky]

I think Tony’s emergence as a key contributor has been one of the main differences between what this team looks like now, and what it looked like at the beginning of the season. If he continues to improve, Iowas backcourt could actually be a real asset.

 

[twindman]

Maybe Fran will see that Sandfort is playing better with some minutes.