Totally agree with this....I also think there is something to be said for paying/earning your way through college instead of having Mommy and Daddy pay for it. These boys could get scholarships at multiple schools...they deserve them.
If Tyler Cook Commits, some random thoughts.
- Thread starter DanL53
- Start date
I'm having a good time piecing together what will wisely be never used. My argument why Tyler Cook should be a Hawkeye.
It starts with who our Power Forward was last year. That guy that finished first team All Big Ten and is now making good money playing professionally. And I think if one asked him, he'd give a pretty good reference as to Iowa and Fran McCaffery.
It moves from there to a guy who is expected to move to Power Forward this year. A kid who has put on good weight in training, and is expected to lead the team in scoring so I wouldn't say that Power Forwards are forgotten pieces in Coach Fran's arsenal. And don't forget, this young man will be making money somewhere next year as well.
Then I move on to talk about Mike White, and remind he's never been a head coach in even one NCAA Tournament game! Not one! Sure he's a young guy, and an up and coming coach. But that means two things, learning on the job, and uncertainty. Meanwhile Fran has taken four different programs to the NCAA's! Likeability is important, and I'll give that White must be likable because he is known as a recruiter! But get the resume's out, that stuff matters.
Finally, let's talk about how White's team at Louisiana Tech won games. Take a look at the stats. They shot more threes than free throws!!! They had six guys shoot 81 or more threes! ONE guy got to sit under the basket and rebound. Another guy took 216 threes, by himself! Ok, that's at Louisiana Tech, but don't think styles don't follow a coach around. By contrast, Iowa shot just 576 threes. And what did that lead to?
Our Power Forward, Aaron White, took 328 shots and 238 free throws. The big that played for White last year? Michale Kyser? 210 shots and 94 free throws.
Playing style is supposed to be important to Tyler Cook. And he and his family are no dummies, so I suspect they already know all this. What Tyler has to be thinking is, do I want to rebound so everybody else can fire up shots? Or do I want to see my game developed into one that includes taking more shots than just offensive rebounds. Because there is the clear choice. It has a history to it, you can sink your teeth into it, you can see it on paper.
I think ultimately that is why, when everything else...nice teammates, nice school, nice coach...when everything else is equal or hard to judge. How Cook will be used on the court is easy to measure. The choice is Iowa.
Dan you rat...you never told me Fran invited you in last weekend ... this is pretty accurate to what Fran & Iowa have to offer & said such to one Mr. Tyler Cook..
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.the good news...I'm of the opinion that Cook & Family know it.
Response to the "rat" part and doing a "Godfather" impression, "Fran's going to make an offer that Cook can't refuse!"
Except that was a much different time. Kids expect to play now, not sit on the bench like Tree Henry for four years. And I don't blame them.
Heck the state of Iowa itself can be pretty fertile, there is no ceiling for Iowa basketball....
Granted, if we could be guaranteed to get the top players in the state every year we could field a darn good team year in and year out. But we tend to lose the elite guys to north Carolina , Kansas, and sometimes to isu. The problem is there isn't an over abundance of elite guys in such a small state. If we could lock the doors to out of staters we would be set and hardly have to venture out of state.
Dammit don't make me feel so old. I remember watching Smith ball it up in the South Gym my sophomore year at Iowa. That was the place to be for pick up games. Don't know how much has changed though since they opened the new Rec Center.
Predicted Cook would cancel his official visit to Arkansas...he did.
Everything I've read and heard ....says I O W A....if he does select Florida...there will be a few people a lot closer to the program who will be surprised. And of course there will be one person who will post using reverse psychology....
I will say one thing Bob -- the fact that he still has the coaches traveling all the way from FLA to Mizzou for an in home meeting tomorrow sure may say a lot about where FLA still stands.
If he had already decided Iowa, I doubt someone from such a good + quality family, would make coaches travel half way across the country for an in home just to tell them he wants to go to Iowa City. If he was 100% resolved, he would've announced today on his birthday with the Iowa coaching staff in home.
Have to say it's 50/50 at this point--and that FLA does have a shot at this kid.
Isn't Sunday/Monday short notice for cross-country travel plans? Might be rude to cancel the in-home with the Gators. Wishful thinking. I hope he's a Hawk, but Florida still has a go.
There is no reason Fran can't continue to build quality teams and a reputation like Wisconsin.
He is headed in the right direction, and appears here for the long term with both his kids.
People don't realize how hard it has been just to get the program to where it is today with the Cook signing.
He is headed in the right direction, and appears here for the long term with both his kids.
People don't realize how hard it has been just to get the program to where it is today with the Cook signing.
Absolutely amazing where Fran had to start from at Iowa (after Lick) and where the program is now. I hope that this will quiet some people now who have questioned Iowa's ability to close the deal with a top notch player from outside the state of Iowa. We have recruited well in Chicago with last year's class and now have added a great player in Cook from St Louis.
Congrats!
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Took too much heat for his opinions on Iowa's defense, he thought we played some and too many disagreed.
I remember he got super pissed and called it quits after this board lost its chit early last season
