Future of Iowa Basketball

[hawkeye_fan321]

With all the talk of how much time McCaffery has left at Iowa, I think the future is brighter than a lot of people think.
Future lineup possibility
- Williams
- Moss
- Cook/Baer
- Wagner/Baer
- hopefully an athletic center recruit
Bench
- Hutton
- Fleming
- McCaffery (2017 recruit)
- Pemsl
- Kriener
- Ellingson
- Bohannon

Future recruits
- Weiskamp (#20 player in the 2018 class per ESPN)
- Patrick McCaffery
- others
And yes, I know there will most likely be transfer(s)
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I see a lot of athleticism there. It reminds me a lot of the current senior class, but with more room to grow. They've seen the collapse this year, and I think they will learn a lot from that. The future under Coach McCaffery looks bright, IMO.

 

[hawkeyemike23]

Let's see no Gesell and Clemmons? Looks like it's looking up to me!

 

[DenverTurtle]

Malik Williams in the 2017 class would be a huge pick up. Could be looking at a 2017/18 lineup of :
Starters
C.Williams (6'7" JR)
Moss (6'6" Soph)
Uhl (6'9" senior)
Cook (6'9" Soph)
M.Williams (6'11" frosh)

Bench
Hutton (6'6" Soph)
Wagner (6'7" JR)
Baer (6'7" JR)
Kreiner (6'9" Soph)
Pemsl (6'8" Soph)
McCaffery (6'5" frosh)

Notice pretty much everyone is 6'6" or 6'8" and can run, play D and rebound. Tough team to match up with. Plus with some real and actual depth he can play 8 guys 15-20 minutes a game instead of riding 3/4 guys for 30+ a game.

 

[hknation]

Dales Jones?

 

[Hawk_4shur]

The future of Iowa basketball is pretty good. I hope it can get back to the point where they play in front of consistent sell outs and an active crowd. I hope Fran can continue to ink good, solid B1G players while bagging a superstar once in a while. The need is there for more facilities improvement and I hope they are coming.

Most fans are not happy right now, but it is still better than arguably being the worst Power 5 program in the country a short 6 years ago.

 

[DenverTurtle]

Dales Jones?

Forgot about him. If he gets a med RS for this year he'll be a senior with Uhl.

 

[Packer54]

And yet idiots are putting together polls on how much time we should give him.

 

[Hawk_4shur]

Forgot about him. If he gets a med RS for this year he'll be a senior with Uhl.

What?

 

[DenverTurtle]

If Jones gets a medical red shirt for this season he will be a senior in 2017/18.
Or next year he'll average 26 a game and go pro (That would be sweet)

 

[amahawk]

Malik Williams in the 2017 class would be a huge pick up. Could be looking at a 2017/18 lineup of :
Starters
C.Williams (6'7" JR)
Moss (6'6" Soph)
Uhl (6'9" senior)
Cook (6'9" Soph)
M.Williams (6'11" frosh)

Bench
Hutton (6'6" Soph)
Wagner (6'7" JR)
Baer (6'7" JR)
Kreiner (6'9" Soph)
Pemsl (6'8" Soph)
McCaffery (6'5" frosh)

Notice pretty much everyone is 6'6" or 6'8" and can run, play D and rebound. Tough team to match up with. Plus with some real and actual depth he can play 8 guys 15-20 minutes a game instead of riding 3/4 guys for 30+ a game.

I do not see a PG.

 

[hawkeyeguy69]

And yet idiots are putting together polls on how much time we should give him.

Iowa fans in general can be the greatest in the country. But then we fall flat on our faces. Iowa basketball fans are the worst. I blame winter and being tied up inside too long. Whatever it is, we do stink it up every once in a while.

We just had 4 straight 20+ win seasons. How many programs can say that in the country?

 

[hawkeyeguy69]

With all the talk of how much time McCaffery has left at Iowa, I think the future is brighter than a lot of people think.
Future lineup possibility
- Williams
- Moss
- Cook/Baer
- Wagner/Baer
- hopefully an athletic center recruit
Bench
- Hutton
- Fleming
- McCaffery (2017 recruit)
- Pemsl
- Kriener
- Ellingson
- Bohannon

Future recruits
- Weiskamp (#20 player in the 2018 class per ESPN)
- Patrick McCaffery
- others
And yes, I know there will most likely be transfer(s)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I see a lot of athleticism there. It reminds me a lot of the current senior class, but with more room to grow. They've seen the collapse this year, and I think they will learn a lot from that. The future under Coach McCaffery looks bright, IMO.

That's the most talented overall roster Iowa has had since the 90s. Maybe even the 80s. Fran has put together a roster full of players that can handle the ball well and are long. It'll be fun to see!

The PG position has a lot of people concerned. But with that many ball handlers, we should be able to create plenty of spacing. Which is what Fran's offense needs to run. It is going to be interesting, for certain.

We will have 10 players who have played together for almost a year and a half by the time next season starts. There will be 8 with at least some experience. That cannot be understated. Who has that returning? I do not see us finishing in the lower half of the B1G.

 

[Hawk_4shur]

Iowa fans in general can be the greatest in the country. But then we fall flat on our faces. Iowa basketball fans are the worst. I blame winter and being tied up inside too long. Whatever it is we do stink it up every once I a while.

We just had 4 straight 20+ win seasons. How many programs can say that in the country?

I like your enthusiasm, but Iowa fans are not the best in the country.

But, I do like this basketball program! It's great to get invested in a team and celebrate wins and suffer through losses.

 

[Hawk_4shur]

That's the most talented overall roster Iowa has had since the 90s. Maybe even the 80s. Fran has put together a roster full of players that can handle the ball well and are long. It'll be fun to see!

The PG position has a lot of people concerned. But with that many ball handlers, we should be able to create plenty of spacing. Which is what Fran's offense needs to run. It is going to be interesting, for certain.

We will have 10 players who have played together for almost a year and a half by the time next season starts. There will be 8 with at least some experience. That cannot be understated. Who has that returning? I do not see us finishing in the lower half of the B1G.

I agree. One of Fran's strengths in recruiting is that he avoids the "duds" well. It's great to have a full roster of guys that can play, or will play soon.

 

[soybean]

With all the talk of how much time McCaffery has left at Iowa, I think the future is brighter than a lot of people think.
Future lineup possibility
- Williams
- Moss
- Cook/Baer
- Wagner/Baer
- hopefully an athletic center recruit
Bench
- Hutton
- Fleming
- McCaffery (2017 recruit)
- Pemsl
- Kriener
- Ellingson
- Bohannon

Future recruits
- Weiskamp (#20 player in the 2018 class per ESPN)
- Patrick McCaffery
- others
And yes, I know there will most likely be transfer(s)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I see a lot of athleticism there. It reminds me a lot of the current senior class, but with more room to grow. They've seen the collapse this year, and I think they will learn a lot from that. The future under Coach McCaffery looks bright, IMO.

So far these are just names on a list. Just as Woodbury, Gessell and Clemons once were.

 

[hawkfan1963]

Most fans are not happy right now, but it is still better than arguably being the worst Power 5 program in the country a short 6 years ago.

I would say most fans are confused. How do you play so good then take a nosedive almost overnight. Most fans want the problem solved. the exact same thing 2 times in 3 years. That's not a coincidence, there is a problem somewhere.

 

[Hawk_4shur]

I would say most fans are confused. How do you play so good then take a nosedive almost overnight. Most fans want the problem solved. the exact same thing 2 times in 3 years. That's not a coincidence, there is a problem somewhere.

Agree. I really think that the cream rises to the top in February and March - and Iowa doesn't have much cream. I'm not sure where the Hawks would have been last year at the end of the season without Aaron White (a.k.a. Cream).

It seems to me, without any facts, that Mich St usually stinks in Nov, Dec, or Jan, only to find themselves at the end of the year. Izzo has a roster full of guys love the bright lights. They probably get bored earlier in the season.

I believe that MG, AC and AW are all very good players and they have been great to have in the program. But they aren't the kinds of players that will overcome pressure and lead a team to a win. I'm not sure if JU is either. Maybe Pete?

I hope there are some guys on this roster for next year that love pressure situations.

 

[HawkLogic]

Iowa fans in general can be the greatest in the country. But then we fall flat on our faces. Iowa basketball fans are the worst. I blame winter and being tied up inside too long. Whatever it is we do stink it up every once I a while.

We just had 4 straight 20+ win seasons. How many programs can say that in the country?

How many teams with 20 win seasons have 2014 and 2016 type implosions to end the season? How you finish has relevance

 

[Chewback]

Iowa fans in general can be the greatest in the country. But then we fall flat on our faces. Iowa basketball fans are the worst. I blame winter and being tied up inside too long. Whatever it is we do stink it up every once I a while.

We just had 4 straight 20+ win seasons. How many programs can say that in the country?

Yeah, 4 straight 20+ win seasons is a nice level, but it's not the next level.

 

[Ihawkhoops]

I think Fran's ceiling is likely 18-20 wins per season and making the tourney or being a bubble team, with some NIT appearances sprinkled in. If he hasn't been able to get us over the hump in 6 years, I am not confident he is capable of improving the talent-level enough to put us on a trajectory to contend for a big ten title or win 2 games in March.

Maybe this isn't an indictment of McCaffrey, but more of realistic look in the mirror for Iowa basketball past, present, and future.

 

[hawkfan1963]

I think Fran's ceiling is likely 18-20 wins per season and making the tourney or being a bubble team, with some NIT appearances sprinkled in. If he hasn't been able to get us over the hump in 6 years, I am not confident he is capable of improving the talent-level enough to put us on a trajectory to contend for a big ten title or win 2 games in March.

Maybe this isn't an indictment of McCaffrey, but more of realistic look in the mirror for Iowa basketball past, present, and future.

I think he can keep Iowa at a good level and take Iowa to an elite level once every 5 years, but not unless he solves the implosion problem.

 

[Chewback]

I think Fran's ceiling is likely 18-20 wins per season and making the tourney or being a bubble team, with some NIT appearances sprinkled in. If he hasn't been able to get us over the hump in 6 years, I am not confident he is capable of improving the talent-level enough to put us on a trajectory to contend for a big ten title or win 2 games in March.

Maybe this isn't an indictment of McCaffrey, but more of realistic look in the mirror for Iowa basketball past, present, and future.

If you look back, even the best teams at Iowa have rarely won more 20 or 21 games during the era when we were playing at least 28 regular season games. I remember maybe in 1982 or so a PC sports page article grumping that Lute seemed to have hit a plateau where we couldn't win more than 20 games a year and only one or two in the NCAAs. My Dad saidd,, "Maybe that's not such a bad plateau to be on."

Certainly the late season doldrums are annoying and disturbing after seeing the great ball they played earlier. It's kind off like they just ran as fast as they could until they dropped.

 

[ICWestfan]

I do not see a PG.

Bohannon? McC in 2017, Weiskamp in 2018?

I'd love to see them get an elite PG recruit such as Ulis (which is why I hat Cal at UK).

 

[hawkfan1963]

Bohannon? McC in 2017, Weiskamp in 2018?

I'd love to see them get an elite PG recruit such as Ulis (which is why I hat Cal at UK).

I agree that would be great. but you have to succeed with what you can get and what you have.

 

[hawkeyeguy69]

I think he can keep Iowa at a good level and take Iowa to an elite level once every 5 years, but not unless he solves the implosion problem.

I think Fran will do it, Get us to the next level on occasion. If he wasn't in on some seriously good recruits, then I would think otherwise. He has had near misses in Ulis and others. And picked up Cook, and others.

Our name is mentioned with top talent, so I believe he is going to eventually snag that PG that he has wanted, along with some other highly rated recruits at other positions. M Williams would be a good get, for example.

As for finishing the year strong, it has to do with the players on the roster. Fran's fault? Maybe for not being able to evaluate a HS players future potential to finish under pressure. But those situations are not frequent. Thus tough to judge... You need a leader that can score, and handle the pressure. MG was a highly rated recruit but he isn't it. Same with JU. Jok might become that. And there maybe another player or two capable on the roster, but we won't see that until next year or the year after.

Thru Fran's time here he has only really had one player that has been that leader, scorer and finisher. Gatens. He's recruited several others to fill that role. They just have not performed, unfortunately.

That said, if Fran wasn't in on big recruits I would be worried for the future, but he is. And he has brought some talent. Some of it is already here(fingers crossed), others are on the way. Iowa basketball is still trending up, even tho we stumbled this year after greatly exceeding expectations for a couple months...

 

[intrepodor]

After watching

Agree. I really think that the cream rises to the top in February and March - and Iowa doesn't have much cream. I'm not sure where the Hawks would have been last year at the end of the season without Aaron White (a.k.a. Cream).

It seems to me, without any facts, that Mich St usually stinks in Nov, Dec, or Jan, only to find themselves at the end of the year. Izzo has a roster full of guys love the bright lights. They probably get bored earlier in the season.

I believe that MG, AC and AW are all very good players and they have been great to have in the program. But they aren't the kinds of players that will overcome pressure and lead a team to a win. I'm not sure if JU is either. Maybe Pete?

I hope there are some guys on this roster for next year that love pressure situations.

I think Fran's ceiling is likely 18-20 wins per season and making the tourney or being a bubble team, with some NIT appearances sprinkled in. If he hasn't been able to get us over the hump in 6 years, I am not confident he is capable of improving the talent-level enough to put us on a trajectory to contend for a big ten title or win 2 games in March.

Maybe this isn't an indictment of McCaffrey, but more of realistic look in the mirror for Iowa basketball past, present, and future.

With the incoming freshmen we have coming in if you're looking for help it won't be from Pemsl, He's soft. As some other posters have said we need the big city kids to go to a level above where we are now. Much as the Iowa kids are nice guys they aren't what's needed. No more skinny Iowa kids!

 

[hawkfan1963]

If I was Fran and maybe he has, I would have a frank conversation with KF. Lets be honest KF let the football program implode for a 3 or 4 years. Pick his brain cause no one is above learning things.

 

[luvmyhawks]

I think Fran's ceiling is likely 18-20 wins per season and making the tourney or being a bubble team, with some NIT appearances sprinkled in. If he hasn't been able to get us over the hump in 6 years, I am not confident he is capable of improving the talent-level enough to put us on a trajectory to contend for a big ten title or win 2 games in March.

Maybe this isn't an indictment of McCaffrey, but more of realistic look in the mirror for Iowa basketball past, present, and future.

You sound like an entitled baby with this post. Funny that you say 18 wins is the ceiling. In 6 years, he has 4 years of 20+ wins. The last 4 years are 20, 21, 25 and 22 wins. And that is after the first two seasons were spent rebuilding after the darkest of times I can ever remember as an Iowa hoops fan. The bball iq on this board has been brutal as of late. Man, I hope we get past the first weekend of the tourney so some of these posters disappear.

I think the future of Iowa basketball is very bright. Iowa will consistently be in the tourney with occasional rebuilding years of being on the bubble or in the nit. Once every 2-3 years, Iowa will be contenders for the B1G. 20-23 wins will be common.

 

[hawkeyemark]

You sound like an entitled baby with this post. Funny that you say 18 wins is the ceiling. In 6 years, he has 4 years of 20+ wins. The last 4 years are 20, 21, 25 and 22 wins. And that is after the first two seasons were spent rebuilding after the darkest of times I can ever remember as an Iowa hoops fan. The bball iq on this board has been brutal as of late. Man, I hope we get past the first weekend of the tourney so some of these posters disappear.

I think the future of Iowa basketball is very bright. Iowa will consistently be in the tourney with occasional rebuilding years of being on the bubble or in the nit. Once every 2-3 years, Iowa will be contenders for the B1G. 20-23 wins will be common.

I think even Fran's harshest critics see him as a guy who will win games for you on a pretty regular basis- that really doesn't seem the issue or question with him. While I and most people think we will slide next season I don't see us ever becoming a bottom feeder under Fran. He works hard at recruiting and has made some nice inroads on that front.

Can Fran coach the talent he brings in and assemble a team that will get us to the next level? Will future Iowa players with a higher level of talent get burned out and lose their energy when they become the core of the team like this group has? IMO the jury seems out.

 

[uniFIGHTuniFIGHT]

Iowa fans in general can be the greatest in the country. But then we fall flat on our faces. Iowa basketball fans are the worst. I blame winter and being tied up inside too long. Whatever it is we do stink it up every once I a while.

We just had 4 straight 20+ win seasons. How many programs can say that in the country?

I'm a diehard Hawkeye (despite my username). Grew up on the Hawks and graduated from The University of Iowa CLAS. Iowa fans are the worst. Great support when the team is doing well, but fickle and loud-mouthed when they struggle. If I had to guess why, I'd say that the Hawks are our pro team and we still haven't won the big one in either FB/MBB.

 

[luvmyhawks]

I'm a diehard Hawkeye (despite my username). Grew up on the Hawks and graduated from The University of Iowa CLAS. Iowa fans are the worst. Great support when the team is doing well, but fickle and loud-mouthed when they struggle. If I had to guess why, I'd say that the Hawks are our pro team and we still haven't won the big one in either FB/MBB.

In all fairness, most fan bases are like this. It's true.

 

[luvmyhawks]

I think even Fran's harshest critics see him as a guy who will win games for you on a pretty regular basis- that really doesn't seem the issue or question with him. While I and most people think we will slide next season I don't see us ever becoming a bottom feeder under Fran. He works hard at recruiting and has made some nice inroads on that front.

Can Fran coach the talent he brings in and assemble a team that will get us to the next level? Will future Iowa players with a higher level of talent get burned out and lose their energy when they become the core of the team like this group has? IMO the jury seems out.

I do agree that Fran has to get better in some areas, and I believe he will. My whole point was the ridiculous assumption that 18-20 wins is the ceiling when that ceiling has been surpassed in 4 out 6 years already after 2 of this years were busy pulling Iowa out of the depths of darkness.

Talent is already getting better. Fran will learn. How can you not be at least a little bullish and optimistic about the hoops program right now? Again, 20-23 wins will be the norm moving forward. Occasional rebuild years of 17-18 wins will happen.

 

[hawkeyemark]

I'm a diehard Hawkeye (despite my username). Grew up on the Hawks and graduated from The University of Iowa CLAS. Iowa fans are the worst. Great support when the team is doing well, but fickle and loud-mouthed when they struggle. If I had to guess why, I'd say that the Hawks are our pro team and we still haven't won the big one in either FB/MBB.

Every fan base gets elated when their teams win and can become extreme when they lose but I think you hit on what makes Iowa unique as far as not having pro teams. In the state of Iowa Hawkeye sports are what it's about unless you live around the greater Des Moines area and have allegiance to the Cyclones. That makes us really passionate fans which IMO accounts for why our fans can become so critical at times.

I live in the Florida Panhandle and can really see the difference. Down here football rules but no particular team and when Florida-Alabama play in football that becomes a special occasion in itself. On the pro side people follow Miami, Atlanta, New Orleans, etc. Different world where people have loyalty to so many different teams.

 

[Ihawkhoops]

You sound like an entitled baby with this post. Funny that you say 18 wins is the ceiling. In 6 years, he has 4 years of 20+ wins. The last 4 years are 20, 21, 25 and 22 wins. And that is after the first two seasons were spent rebuilding after the darkest of times I can ever remember as an Iowa hoops fan. The bball iq on this board has been brutal as of late. Man, I hope we get past the first weekend of the tourney so some of these posters disappear.

I think the future of Iowa basketball is very bright. Iowa will consistently be in the tourney with occasional rebuilding years of being on the bubble or in the nit. Once every 2-3 years, Iowa will be contenders for the B1G. 20-23 wins will be common.

2-8 or 9 in the BTT and 1 NCAA win in Fran's tenure. 3 years in a row out in round 1 of BTT. 4 years to get better guards in here and a post who can score and no help arrives. Big freshman class and 0 contributors. I am curious why you think my bball IQ is so low. What are your expectations for this senior staff going into year 7? To simply field a team, throw the ball up and hope we get a 7 seed in the tourney for our 1 and out in March?

I think Fran is a good coach, but his recruiting is a joke. Yes, we are better than when Lickliter was here, so sign Fran to a 10 year contract to ensure we don't lose him to Duke, UNC, or the NBA. I guess year 15 we get to the Sweet 16. Can't wait. I think the basketball IQ on here is pretty solid given many have been clamoring for improved guard play for 2 years. What sunk us again? Awful guard play down the stretch and no shot creators. But what do we know? Results are what they are.

 

[doughudd]

And yet idiots are putting together polls on how much time we should give him.

Idiots are better left unread.

 

[Herkuleez]

And yet idiots are putting together polls on how much time we should give him.

And some idiots are anointing him HC for life because he overachieved by two games this year. They wake up in cold sweats every night at the thought Fran will someday be replaced by Lickliter Jr.

Play it safers don't like change and are afraid to demand real success; that's reserved for schools like Wisconsin because, well, just because. We're only Iowa and there's no way we can recruit talent like Wisconsin, and besides, Carver is a terrible atmosphere compared to every other arena in the universe.

Fricking P-I-S'ers are what's really wrong with Iowa athletics.

 

[brokenarrow73]

With all the talk of how much time McCaffery has left at Iowa, I think the future is brighter than a lot of people think.
Future lineup possibility
- Williams
- Moss
- Cook/Baer
- Wagner/Baer
- hopefully an athletic center recruit
Bench
- Hutton
- Fleming
- McCaffery (2017 recruit)
- Pemsl
- Kriener
- Ellingson
- Bohannon

Future recruits
- Weiskamp (#20 player in the 2018 class per ESPN)
- Patrick McCaffery
- others
And yes, I know there will most likely be transfer(s)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I see a lot of athleticism there. It reminds me a lot of the current senior class, but with more room to grow. They've seen the collapse this year, and I think they will learn a lot from that. The future under Coach McCaffery looks bright, IMO.

Did you forget Dale Jones I think he's going to be a real asset next year

 

[ccrawford117]

And some idiots are anointing him HC for life because he overachieved by two games this year. They wake up in cold sweats every night at the thought Fran will someday be replaced by Lickliter Jr.

Play it safers don't like change and are afraid to demand real success; that's reserved for schools like Wisconsin because, well, just because. We're only Iowa and there's no way we can recruit talent like Wisconsin, and besides, Carver is a terrible atmosphere compared to every other arena in the universe.

Fricking P-I-S'ers are what's really wrong with Iowa athletics.

Most are in the middle about Fran. You have the extremists who say we should fire him or give him a lifetime deal, but Id say the majority are satisfied, and think he's moving the program in the right direction. We keep climbing that ladder every year, and now we do have some good recruits starting to come in the next few years. I think a little patience is necessary, especially when we seem to rise every year as a program.

 

[MTHawkeyes43]

Most are in the middle about Fran. You have the extremists who say we should fire him or give him a lifetime deal, but Id say the majority are satisfied, and think he's moving the program in the right direction. We keep climbing that ladder every year, and now we do have some good recruits starting to come in the next few years. I think a little patience is necessary, especially when we seem to rise every year as a program.

Please put forth a post where Herkuleez has called for Fran to be fired. Somehow fans that are concerned about the end of season collapses are idiots and are just pining for Fran to be fired.

 

[Herkuleez]

Please put forth a post where Herkuleez has called for Fran to be fired. Somehow fans that are concerned about the end of season collapses are idiots and are just pining for Fran to be fired.

Exactly. I've mentioned before how I'm pulling for him to achieve some tangible success, such as a Sweet 16 appearance. I simply posed the question on how long fans should remain patient. The P-I-Sers apparently don't like that. Expecting some success beyond 20 wins and making the dance is being an idiot.

Again, for the record, I'm totally pulling for Fran and the team. I may not hold out much hope, but I want it to happen next week. If it does happen then this topic will become a moot point, at least for me.