FWIW...MY TAKE ON GAME 1

[kcgolfer]

I realize this is our first game and we are playing some inexperienced players, so, there is hope for improvement. That said, the improvement better come fast because the competition is coming fast. My thoughts:

1. I don't think we can win with CMac at the point. Not in the Big Ten. If you listed every Big Ten point guard, IMO, he's easily in the bottom third. Joe T may be the answer eventually but he needs time. He needs to play.....a lot.

2. Where's the improvement with Nunge? Mostly invisible. We need more out of that position. Again, first game back so jury is still out.

3. I do like Frederick. He has potential.

4. Garza is always going to give us effort. Hopefully it rubs off on some.

5. Joe W. Is good. No surprise. Hope he stays another year.

6. We need Bohannon to play this year. Looks like he is moving ok. The real test is how he feels tomorrow.

7. Would like to see a little more of Evelyn. Looks like he might be a player.

8. P Mac. Wasn't sure what to expect but didn't show me much. Again, first game so jury is out.

We need to improve a lot very fast. I think we look like a middle to bottom third Big Ten team....... right now. Hopefully, the potential is there for more. IMO, it will depend on how fast our guards improve. Joe T could really help, if, Fran isn't obsessed with playing Conner most of the time. Evelyn looks like another potential piece for the guard court. We need Jordy to play this year.

 

[BlackNGoldBleeder]

I realize this is our first game and we are playing some inexperienced players, so, there is hope for improvement. That said, the improvement better come fast because the competition is coming fast. My thoughts:

1. I don't think we can win with CMac at the point. Not in the Big Ten. If you listed every Big Ten point guard, IMO, he's easily in the bottom third. Joe T may be the answer eventually but he needs time. He needs to play.....a lot.

2. Where's the improvement with Nunge? Mostly invisible. We need more out of that position. Again, first game back so jury is still out.

3. I do like Frederick. He has potential.

4. Garza is always going to give us effort. Hopefully it rubs off on some.

5. Joe W. Is good. No surprise. Hope he stays another year.

6. We need Bohannon to play this year. Looks like he is moving ok. The real test is how he feels tomorrow.

7. Would like to see a little more of Evelyn. Looks like he might be a player.

8. P Mac. Wasn't sure what to expect but didn't show me much. Again, first game so jury is out.

We need to improve a lot very fast. I think we look like a middle to bottom third Big Ten team....... right now. Hopefully, the potential is there for more. IMO, it will depend on how fast our guards improve. Joe T could really help, if, Fran isn't obsessed with playing Conner most of the time. Evelyn looks like another potential piece for the guard court. We need Jordy to play this year.

Nunge will be fine.

I like Joe T's upside and definitely think he's the future at pg. Connor has the making of a prototypical 6th man. Does a little bit of everything, but nothing too particularly well.

I think it was a pretty decent first game.

 

[SoCal_hawkeye]

My take - is glad Iowa won. Nothing else ...

 

[SotaHawk87]

Performance was exactly what it needed to be.. efficient offense efficient defense. Look around the B10 right now. Illinois Rutgers NW and Nebraska are dumpster fires. I liked what I saw tonight.

 

[StormHawk42]

I actually came away pleasantly surprised after some sticky parts in the first half. Connor is not a break ankles PG but he understands passing and space which is equally important. If he can hit his 3’s when he’s open, it should open everything else up.

DePaul should tell us alot

 

[CanadaHawk]

I realize this is our first game and we are playing some inexperienced players, so, there is hope for improvement. That said, the improvement better come fast because the competition is coming fast. My thoughts:

1. I don't think we can win with CMac at the point. Not in the Big Ten. If you listed every Big Ten point guard, IMO, he's easily in the bottom third. Joe T may be the answer eventually but he needs time. He needs to play.....a lot.

2. Where's the improvement with Nunge? Mostly invisible. We need more out of that position. Again, first game back so jury is still out.

3. I do like Frederick. He has potential.

4. Garza is always going to give us effort. Hopefully it rubs off on some.

5. Joe W. Is good. No surprise. Hope he stays another year.

6. We need Bohannon to play this year. Looks like he is moving ok. The real test is how he feels tomorrow.

7. Would like to see a little more of Evelyn. Looks like he might be a player.

8. P Mac. Wasn't sure what to expect but didn't show me much. Again, first game so jury is out.

We need to improve a lot very fast. I think we look like a middle to bottom third Big Ten team....... right now. Hopefully, the potential is there for more. IMO, it will depend on how fast our guards improve. Joe T could really help, if, Fran isn't obsessed with playing Conner most of the time. Evelyn looks like another potential piece for the guard court. We need Jordy to play this year.

Agree that JoeT needs to play and it’s just experience keeping him from running the show. Really like his energy. Expected Nunge to be a rebounder and shooter. Could be 1st game jitters but not seeing it yet.

 

[Rustys Dad]

I was impressed with the overall product .... especially for the first game. Definitely areas for improvement .... but good ball movement ... Garza is legit... We need JBo this year... Joe T is built like a running back.... Hopefully his outside shot continues to develop... Super quick ... We have a very nice top 7 ... PG is going to determine how far this team goes...

 

[SDHawkDoc]

I'm essentially in agreement with your assessment, kc. Let's see how they do with the step up in competition Monday.

 

[mazda1]

If there’s no J Bo where does the offense come from? The only early signs of life were Joe W and Garza. When D’s learn that they’ve only got to shutdown 2 guys......

 

[skydog0784]

I actually thought Connor played very well. Joe W is, well Joe W - i.e. a total stud. Garza played well. Fredrick is really a fine player. Joe T and Patrick will be fine, first game but you could tell they belong.

Nunge was the one who was most disappointing to me. He'll get it going I presume.

 

[HawkAssassin]

Nunge and Kriener should not play the 4.

Garza goes up against Nunge in practice and hypes him up. Why? If he's going against Garza he's playing the five. That is where Jack thrives.

Kriener had a really good year last year and had some big games. He was the backup five to Garza. They tried him at the 4 today alongside Garza and he looked uncomfortable.

If Jordan is good to go this year he should replace Nunge. Wieskamp at the 4 is fine as he's a willing rebounder. I like Fredrick's overall game so much that I don't think you can bench him. It legitimately pissed me off when Settles called Fredrick's game poor tonight. He got the highest grade from me tonight.

 

[BlackNGoldBleeder]

I was impressed with the overall product .... especially for the first game. Definitely areas for improvement .... but good ball movement ... Garza is legit... We need JBo this year... Joe T is built like a running back.... Hopefully his outside shot continues to develop... Super quick ... We have a very nice top 7 ... PG is going to determine how far this team goes...

Totally agree pg is the key.

If Iowa had better pg play over the years, the good teams they've had potentially could have been great.

I have no idea how good Joe T will be, but he just has a different look to him than past pgs under Fran have shown. I liked his moxie for a true freshman. He seemed sure of himself and played fast but under control. He didn't force anything but showed flashes of being a dynamic play maker.

He should be fun to watch and hopefully has a bright furure.

 

[keosauquahawk]

I thought we played pretty good for our first game. SIUE was a lot better than I expected. They were pretty good shots and they really hustled. I bet they could beat several BIG teams.

 

[Rustys Dad]

Totally agree pg is the key.

If Iowa had better pg play over the years, the good teams they've had potentially could have been great.

I have no idea how good Joe T will be, but he just has a different look to him than past pgs under Fran have shown. I liked his moxie for a true freshman. He seemed sure of himself and played fast but under control. He didn't force anything but showed flashes of being a dynamic play maker.

He should be fun to watch and hopefully has a bright furure.

Agree 100 on Joe T. Spot on... Seems mature for a true freshman ... and yes... will be fun to watch!

 

[unoHawkeye]

If there’s no J Bo where does the offense come from? The only early signs of life were Joe W and Garza. When D’s learn that they’ve only got to shutdown 2 guys......

I think Fredrick could probably force it more than he did tonight. He moves really well and looked good finishing at the rim. After that though, definitely some question marks.

It’s still just one game, but CJF and Toussaint give me confidence for next year if Bohannon does end up playing the full year this year. Hopefully he’s good to go

 

[HawkSTL]

I was more impressed with the freshman than I expected. CJF looks ready to play a lot this year and he looks like a great glue guy—willing defender, good length, good secondary ball handling and can score some. Toussaint and PMac might be a year away but their physical skills flash. Toussaint is a unique looking lead guard for us, tight handle, well built, and very explosive.

 

[HawkAssassin]

Love the reverse layup from Toussaint. Didn't like his finishing Monday, but love to see him use the rim to shield his layup.

I don't think we'll see a repeat of Trey Dickerson with Joe because we have shooting to support his drives. If you really think about it, Iowa has only had legit shooting along with an athletic point guard one year under Fran (15-16). There's going to be driving lanes for Joe and hopefully he takes advantage.

 

[Hawkeyes4Life32]

Usually Fran is full of it with his preseason hype but man he wasn't kidding about Fredrick's defensive ability. The kid gets after it

 

[Ihawkhoops]

Touissant is a wild card for sure. It looks like part of his brain is thinking 'take this guy off the bounce and go' and the other half is saying 'coach wants me to run the offense'. I hope he finds a balance as wild play will get him a seat next to Fran, but we definitely need some aggressive dribble drive action to break defenses down and get guys open looks. Better teams will overplay the post and deny Garza those feeds he got tonight (as they did with Cook last year).

 

[MWardT]

Start Pemsl at the 4 over Nunge when he’s back and bring Nunge off the bench.

 

[MWardT]

Usually Fran is full of it with his preseason hype but man he wasn't kidding about Fredrick's defensive ability. The kid gets after it

Agreed, and I thought he did a great job mixing it up on the boards.

 

[Lonetreehawk]

Start Pemsl at the 4 over Nunge when he’s back and bring Nunge off the bench.

Agreed. My reports on Cordell were that he was looking very good prior to the suspension.

 

[moondog24]

I actually came away pleasantly surprised after some sticky parts in the first half. Connor is not a break ankles PG but he understands passing and space which is equally important. If he can hit his 3’s when he’s open, it should open everything else up.

DePaul should tell us alot

I think we will have to wait till the LV Tournament before we have any idea what we have. This won’t be the Ray Meyer DePaul team.

 

[Ihawkhoops]

Start Pemsl at the 4 over Nunge when he’s back and bring Nunge off the bench.

I hate to make sweeping generalizations after one game, but I will. Nunge is not an interior player and never will be. Why Fran wanted him to bulk up makes no sense to me if he is going to play behind the arc. Dude should absolutely not put the ball on the deck. He should post up and go with a quick move or a jump hook or be a pick and pop guy at the elbow. I get that he hasn't seen game action in a while so I hope it is a matter of shaking the rust off, but I didn't see anything tonight that made me think he is capable of more than being a limited minute role player. Just does not have the mindset to get in the paint and be physical.

 

[EastIowaHawk]

We need to let the rust wear off some of our players. Nunge and Kriener need to move and pass without dribbling. Thery'll look better as the season goes on. I expect Cordell will be rusty after a year layoff also on Monday night. Fredrick needs to shoot more and Tousaint needs more playing time. Bohannon loked better than I thought he would. I'll bet he plays this year.

 

[2432Hawk]

I realize this is our first game and we are playing some inexperienced players, so, there is hope for improvement. That said, the improvement better come fast because the competition is coming fast. My thoughts:

1. I don't think we can win with CMac at the point. Not in the Big Ten. If you listed every Big Ten point guard, IMO, he's easily in the bottom third. Joe T may be the answer eventually but he needs time. He needs to play.....a lot.

2. Where's the improvement with Nunge? Mostly invisible. We need more out of that position. Again, first game back so jury is still out.

3. I do like Frederick. He has potential.

4. Garza is always going to give us effort. Hopefully it rubs off on some.

5. Joe W. Is good. No surprise. Hope he stays another year.

6. We need Bohannon to play this year. Looks like he is moving ok. The real test is how he feels tomorrow.

7. Would like to see a little more of Evelyn. Looks like he might be a player.

8. P Mac. Wasn't sure what to expect but didn't show me much. Again, first game so jury is out.

We need to improve a lot very fast. I think we look like a middle to bottom third Big Ten team....... right now. Hopefully, the potential is there for more. IMO, it will depend on how fast our guards improve. Joe T could really help, if, Fran isn't obsessed with playing Conner most of the time. Evelyn looks like another potential piece for the guard court. We need Jordy to play this year.

I think you need to watch some of the other BigTen teams play. We've got a lot of new pieces getting worked in. Do think we need to find some improvement on cleaning the defensive glass as that's really my only concern thus far... aside still from just poor defensive principles but I'm not expecting that to change a lot.

The game was ugly and you can really credit SIUE for that. They we're a pretty athletic and scrappy bunch that did not give up easy buckets. We attacked that by getting to the FT line often and hitting them. Take what the defense gives you and get the W. Now on to DePaul

 

[L. Wade Childress]

I just can’t understand watching that game tonight and immediately making a post where the first point is “Connor sucks”

he played well.

 

[The Deplorable Sleeping Dog]

If Foster comes to Iowa Nunge will quickly disappear. Much like freshmen year he really looked lost. Now, he's got three seasons left in which to improve but......

We need Cordell. He was a good "4" man, he won't see the perimeter on defense-his weakness. High percentage inside scorer and his rebounding translates into double digits per 40 minutes...which means an efficient and quality rebounder. Also, underrated skill, great picks and good at pick and roll. Not a good face up shooter but I think this team has plenty of those.

Think you're underestimating C McC. Not been his biggest fan but he does have superior court vision, needs to work on D a little but not a major problem. Love Joey T and he might be the better answer but I think we can win with C McC. Guys need to hit the shots when C hits them in the hands in shooting position from 50 feet away.

 

[HoustonREDHawk]

Overall, a pretty good game by the Hawks. Tough opponent to draw conclusions from, especially first game.

Luka has impressive moves, but that became the offense for most of the first half.

Joe W is a great player, and our best.

I really liked what I saw from CJF. Plays both ends well. I want to see him shoot a little more, because I think we will need it against better teams.

Obviously, Nunge was disappointing, but part of that was probably the Luka black hole offense. I hope Fran doesn't see his role as standing on the perimeter watching Luka play. I want to see the ball movement that we will need when we play tougher competition.

Connor had a solid game on both ends. He is our best passer and a tough defender. He should get significant minutes.

I agree that Fran should be giving JoeT more minutes, at least in these early games, to get him acclimated and to see what he can do. He could be a big contributor, but too little sample to really tell.

I couldn't conclude much about Evelyn, but he showed he has some athleticism and skill.

Kriener was Kriener, and is a quality back up big.

PMac could become an important player down the road, especially if JoeW leaves early.

Finally, JBo seemed to move well considering. Unless he wakes up tomorrow in pain, I expect him to be playing, which will complicate the guard rotation. Based on tonight, I want CJF to keep playing significant minutes, along with Connor, and I am not so sure after that at guard...

 

[Suterman]

Nunge and Kriener should not play the 4.

Garza goes up against Nunge in practice and hypes him up. Why? If he's going against Garza he's playing the five. That is where Jack thrives.

Kriener had a really good year last year and had some big games. He was the backup five to Garza. They tried him at the 4 today alongside Garza and he looked uncomfortable.

If Jordan is good to go this year he should replace Nunge. Wieskamp at the 4 is fine as he's a willing rebounder. I like Fredrick's overall game so much that I don't think you can bench him. It legitimately pissed me off when Settles called Fredrick's game poor tonight. He got the highest grade from me tonight.

Nunge and Kriener were the only 4s we had tonight. The only other 4 on the roster is Pemsl. Who would you play at the 4?

 

[relishingwinning18]

I just can’t understand watching that game tonight and immediately making a post where the first point is “Connor sucks”

he played well.

I agree, Connor isn’t super quick, but he can pass and rebound really well. He played well tonight. Nunge, not so much. Cj is really good, we are gonna like this kid.

 

[HawkAssassin]

Nunge and Kriener were the only 4s we had tonight. The only other 4 on the roster is Pemsl. Who would you play at the 4?

Nunge and Kriener should not play the 4.

Garza goes up against Nunge in practice and hypes him up. Why? If he's going against Garza he's playing the five. That is where Jack thrives.

Kriener had a really good year last year and had some big games. He was the backup five to Garza. They tried him at the 4 today alongside Garza and he looked uncomfortable.

If Jordan is good to go this year he should replace Nunge. Wieskamp at the 4 is fine as he's a willing rebounder. I like Fredrick's overall game so much that I don't think you can bench him. It legitimately pissed me off when Settles called Fredrick's game poor tonight. He got the highest grade from me tonight.

 

[Hawksfor3]

I was very impressed with Joe T's quickness and ball hawking. Love his drives in the lane. Luka and Weezy did their thing as expected. Ryan and Jack will get the rust off and I think they'll be fine. CJ is going to be very good and is shooting with confidence.Patrick was 2-7 shooting but I believe he'll be a force as he gets his confidence with more PT. Looking forward to getting Cordell back on Monday.

 

[L. Wade Childress]

The four guard lineup with Garza was pretty interesting tonight.

 

[iahawks10]

My take - is glad Iowa won. Nothing else ...

And covered the over....

 

[perryhawk]

I think we will have to wait till the LV Tournament before we have any idea what we have. This won’t be the Ray Meyer DePaul team.

I've watched DePaul twice already....they are pretty decent. No they aren't Ray Meyer's team but they are much improved over a few years ago...they have talent and athleticism and their coach has them playing pretty well. This will be a legit test...a game that we might lose with a similar performance to tonight.

 

[owenhawk]

Nunge and Kriener should not play the 4.

Garza goes up against Nunge in practice and hypes him up. Why? If he's going against Garza he's playing the five. That is where Jack thrives.

Kriener had a really good year last year and had some big games. He was the backup five to Garza. They tried him at the 4 today alongside Garza and he looked uncomfortable.

If Jordan is good to go this year he should replace Nunge. Wieskamp at the 4 is fine as he's a willing rebounder. I like Fredrick's overall game so much that I don't think you can bench him. It legitimately pissed me off when Settles called Fredrick's game poor tonight. He got the highest grade from me tonight.

It’s been 1 legit game and 1 exhibition game but you can tell Frederick brings a much better overall game then Moss. I’m assuming he will have up and down games scoring-wise but he looked like a very good passer, makes good devisions, and has played aggressive, hard-nosed Defense both games.

Regarding Kreiner, Garza and him had some nice games together last year when they were in together. I think Kreiner does better hanging around the top if the key while Garza is obviously a stud on the block. We will see with Nunge. It was his first real game in almost two years. Maybe shaking off the rust. I think Garza and Pemsl are most solid in the block while Kreiner and Nunge do better around the free throw line in a hi-low game.

 

[owenhawk]

I agree, Connor isn’t super quick, but he can pass and rebound really well. He played well tonight. Nunge, not so much. Cj is really good, we are gonna like this kid.

Yeah, Connor is going to keep getting ripped because he doesn’t play “pretty” but my guess is more often then not he will just get the job done.

 

[Herky T Hawk]

It seems some people didn’t like the feed it to Luka offense(aka Luka black hole) in the first half. But that was awesome. The kid is a stud and has moves we haven’t seen from a center in decades. We want to get him going early in the game because it completely changes the defense and will open up our shooters. Plus he drew so many fouls in the first half. It is funny watching him shoot FTs. It seems he either nothing but nets both shots or misses both shots. He must still be playing the confidence game. He looks like a 1st or 2nd team all conference player if he can keep doing this through the season. Plus his rebounding, against a team that was crashing the boards hard, was pretty good last night. If I remember right he finished with 20/12.

Joe was great and had me worried with his hard fall. I could see him seriously testing the draft this offseason.

JBo didn’t look all that bad. Made a lot of plays that you wouldn’t think he went through surgery recently, but obviously isn’t all the way back.

CJF looks a bit like Joe did to start last year, just on a bit lower level. Good at a bunch of things with no major weaknesses. But defers the shots to other players unless he’s really open. Just not forcing anything.

Nunge needs confidence. He needs to see his shot go in. The best way to do that is to duck inside and get some midrange shots or get fouled and go to the line. If he just hangs out in 3pt land he is all but worthless in our offense unless he can hit at 35+% from out there. 20% won’t cut it.

Connor did what he does and even scored some points. No complaints. It will be interesting to see if he can control his temper and channel that energy positively on the floor throughout this season.

Joe T had a few bad turnovers, including dribbling off his foot once a couple times. Once right after he first entered the game. But he made several plays that shows he belongs out there.

Kreiner is what he has been. No forced 3pt shots last night which is good. Not a lot of improvement from him otherwise, but we just need him for backup minutes at the 4 and 5. 15-20 a game and he can provide that.

Pat is another confidence guy it seems. Needs to see his shot go in from outside, I’d prefer he attack more right now than settle for the outside shot while he gets his college legs under him. That will force players to sag off him a bit and give him a bit more room shooting in the future. Looks like a freshman, but looks like he will deserve playing time in the future as he gets experience.

Bakari still seems to be trying to find his role. Hopefully it doesn’t take all season for him. You can see some talent but some unsureness too. I’d like to see him try to be a bit of a slasher. Drive to the hoop, take what is there or dump off to one of our bigs for a layup.

It is amazing how so many of our guys have ugly shots, including both of Fran’s kids. Maybe that is so noticeable when you compare them to JBo and Joe though.

My guess is Pat, Nunge, and Bakari will be playing 10 minutes per game once Pemsl comes back. Unless they get their confidence and performance up. If JBo sits the season, Bakari and Joe T’s minutes should go up a lot.

Assuming JBo sits:
PG Connor 25/Joe T 15
SG CJ 20/Evelyn 15/Joe W 5
SF Joe W 25/Pat 10/CJ 5
PF Pemsl 25/Nunge 10/Kreiner 5
C Garza 30/Kreiner 10

If JBo plays
PG Connor 20/Joe T 15/JBo 5
SG JBo 20/(CJ/Bakari 20)
SF Joe W 30/(CJ/Pat 10)
PF and C same as above.

There’s probably some small ball lineup time with Connor/Joe T/CJ/Joe W and a post too. But we shall see. I hope Fran doesn’t try to force more than 10 minutes for every player. The starters need to be in the nearly 30 minute range if possible. I’m ok with playing 10 players but 8,9, and 10 need to be doing spot duty each half to give the starters rest, not significant minutes. We have a starting 5 that appears good with a couple of experienced and proven backups and an athletic freshman PG that should be getting the bulk of the time.

 

[Zildjian6868]

I was really hoping to see Nunge play more on the block. I really do not think we need to see him chucking up threes. We should’ve been a better rebounding team than what we were last year. Nunge can make a big impact there. After watching last night I think it’s obvious that pemsl is still ahead of him as a power forward.