Illinois Grades (BELDEEN need not waste his time :P)

[artradley]

So I guess getting beat up by Gilman and Clark in practice is not the answer for our current 125, 133, or 141 # guys.

It seems over the past few years that some wrestlers seem to have a lot of trouble pulling the trigger and taking shots. I know T&T preach go, go, go. Keep going. But some guys seem to have a mental block at times to actually doing what might win the match for them. Seems like a big disconnect between what is being taught and what actually happens on the mat during a match.

I assume the team has access to a Sports Psychologist. If not, perhaps one should be contacted.

 

[IncredibleHawk]

Brother: I'm thinking that if we don't pull the shirts and at least finish in the top 4 our 5, we won't have to worry about 4 or 5 years from now as we won't be able to draw to the studs to a top 12 or 15 program. If I'm a young wrestler and am looking to be on a winning team, I know at least three schools I'm considering before Iowa...and if we finish lower than 10th at NCAAs, the number of schools I'm considering before Iowa probably goes to five or six. We need to show that we are competitive even during our rebuilding years. Also, we have the number 2, 3, and 7 wrestlers in the nation in Soren, Kem and Sammy, and two other potential top 5s and a poss top 10 riding the pine. And while I don't want to pull shirts on injured wrestlers, I'm all about pulling shirts on wrestlers who can bring this school back to perhaps a top 3 or 4 school, and then hope that will inspire a couple more studs to come to Iowa. In 2018 we have two 2 100 recruits coming our way (17 and 80)...that just aint gonna make it going forward...

Look back to Ohio State from a few years ago where they basically mailed in a year. This is the year we "mail" in. It's why Downey is being brought in. We know we have no chance at a title, but at least he gets us some respectability in our nationals scoring so things don't like quite so bad. When our lineup gets a jolt in the next few years things will look very much brighter. Still need to close the gap on the big guys, but starting to make some headway.

 

[FLhawkFan]

So I guess getting beat up by Gilman and Clark in practice is not the answer for our current 125, 133, or 141 # guys.

It seems over the past few years that some wrestlers seem to have a lot of trouble pulling the trigger and taking shots. I know T&T preach go, go, go. Keep going. But some guys seem to have a mental block at times to actually doing what might win the match for them. Seems like a big disconnect between what is being taught and what actually happens on the mat during a match.

I assume the team has access to a Sports Psychologist. If not, perhaps one should be contacted.

Agree. I teach my older kids not to always hammer the younger ones. "don't teach them helplessness."
put them in their place but not always. A little glory stays with a man and goes a long way.

 

[Nashville_Hawkeye]

Look back to Ohio State from a few years ago where they basically mailed in a year. This is the year we "mail" in. It's why Downey is being brought in. We know we have no chance at a title, but at least he gets us some respectability in our nationals scoring so things don't like quite so bad. When our lineup gets a jolt in the next few years things will look very much brighter. Still need to close the gap on the big guys, but starting to make some headway.

I concur with that assessment. I just don't want to lose the credibility we have, and definitely don't want to lose our opportunity to recruit the best of the best because top notch athletes certainly seem to want to go where they feel they have a chance to 1) start at their weight class; and 2) vie for a national championship. Thanks for the feedback...being so far from Iowa I'm grateful to have this forum so I can hear from gents such as yourself who seem to be much closer to the action.

 

[Nashville_Hawkeye]

Are you about pulling shirts if the wrestler prefers to red shirt and we have a potential AA at that weight? How would thaat effect recruiting if an athlete thought he would be sacrificed? You think that recruits aren’t knowlegable enough to see that if red shirted, there are two potential national champs that will be wrestling with them for the next 3 or 4 years and that doesn’t make a difference? One of the problems is that young wrestlers, without rich uncles, are looking at how much they can make doing clinics and after they graduate. Major reason we have a hole at 33. Have to have scholraships to offer to get the “studs” you talk about and that’s hard to do with a TRUE 9.9 scholarship limit.

I concur with you...if we have someone who has AA potential, I think it would be a mistake to pull the shirt. But I don't see many...wait, I don't see any of those examples in our lineup. And please don't tell me you think Wilcke will be an AA. I mean really? And I'm not bashing the kid...I think he's a fine young man and I hope he proves me wrong and conquers them all...but I just don't see that happening, and will be very surprised if he finishes in the top 20...just don't think he's there yet. And I do believe that Warner has a chance to win it all this year. So why would we not let him try? Because we hope that things will fall in place the next three to four years? I'm not seeing it. This year if Lee is healthy we have Lee, Kem, Sorenson, Downey, Warner, and Stoll, all with legitimate chances of placing anywhere from 1st to 3rd, and if Marinelli is healthy, he might be able to AA. That's seven potential AAs and six potential top 3 finishers. Why in the world would we not take this team for a ride and see what happens? Oh wait, I know, in hopes that next year things will be better? What will be better? We'll lose Soren and gain Lugo (trade a top 3 for an NCAA qualifier)? Or maybe Murin will be so much better than Turk? I'm just not seeing it. I think we have a great opportunity to go deep in the tourney if everyone is healthy and we put our best team on the mats...so why not roll the dice if they're all healthy...

 

[Nashville_Hawkeye]

Missouri, Nebraska, Cornell, and Michigan land studs almost every year, yet those team rarely compete for a national title. How in the hell does this happen?

That's a great question? I mean how in the hell do we only get 2 of the top 100 recruits in the nation next year, with one of them being Terry's son?

 

[Nashville_Hawkeye]

We have been a top 3 or 4 school. 2016 when we were 5th by 1 point was I believe the only time since Brands 1st year we were not in the top 4. Since out last title that 5th place was our lowest. fosu (2x) and psu have been 6th in that time and osu was 7th. We just drew two of the best guys in the last class. One "rebuild" year is not the end of the world. Yes they dropped the ball for a bit in recruiting but it is getting better will we will need to continue to get better.

I absolutely agree...but maybe this doesn't have to be a rebuild year. I mean, we've had our bad luck come tourney time (e.g., Telford and Stoll among others), so maybe if we put our best team out there...and I think our best team (if Lee and Marinelli are healthy) has a chance to finish in the top 3, maybe the other guys will start having a bit of their own bad luck and perhaps we don't need to wait till next year, when by the way, PSU has 5 of the top recruits in the nation again.

 

[artradley]

That's a great question? I mean how in the hell do we only get 2 of the top 100 recruits in the nation next year, with one of them being Terry's son?

This is the problem that comes to my mind when everybody talks about how TnT have "turned around" the recruiting issue. Yes, we landed a bunch of good recruits the last couple of years. But we lost half of them, and 2018 is a terrible recruiting class. I'm not sure I see a positive trend forming yet.

 

[Flying_Tiger]

The fixation with Penn State's recruiting has blinded some of your fans to the fact Iowa is getting beat by several teams in the recruiting game. Even ISU has a better recruiting class this year and is already off to a fast start for the next recruiting cycle.

 

[IAChief32]

This is the problem that comes to my mind when everybody talks about how TnT have "turned around" the recruiting issue. Yes, we landed a bunch of good recruits the last couple of years. But we lost half of them, and 2018 is a terrible recruiting class. I'm not sure I see a positive trend forming yet.

Lugo got money this year as well. Everybody forgets about him. We lost two pretty good recruits IMO...Renteria and Teasdale. One because of the other. So really, a net loss of 1. The only weight you can really bitch about is 133. Jury is still out on Young and Marinelli at 165,174 next year.

 

[pablow]

Lugo got money this year as well. Everybody forgets about him. We lost two pretty good recruits IMO...Renteria and Teasdale. One because of the other. So really, a net loss of 1. The only weight you can really bitch about is 133. Jury is still out on Young and Marinelli at 165,174 next year.

plus #1 ranked 133 pounder Seth Gross - can't reason with a complainer

 

[artradley]

plus #1 ranked 133 pounder Seth Gross - can't reason with a complainer

Or you can't reason with an apologist. See how it can work both ways? But that kind of crap doesn't make for a reasonable discussion.

We did lose three recruits; it's not particularly "reasonable" to assume they all would have been the same weight class over the next five years and say, "Well, we only lost one net recruit." We lost three.

Is there really something inaccurate in the opinion that we don't know for certain that the recruiting puzzle has been solved? If there is, then explain your "reasoning."

 

[pablow]

Or you can't reason with an apologist. See how it can work both ways? But that kind of crap doesn't make for a reasonable discussion.

We did lose three recruits; it's not particularly "reasonable" to assume they all would have been the same weight class over the next five years and say, "Well, we only lost one net recruit." We lost three.

Is there really something inaccurate in the opinion that we don't know for certain that the recruiting puzzle has been solved? If there is, then explain your "reasoning."

I'm an apologist for noting that Seth Gross got himself kicked off the team. Are you joking? In my experience complainers like to complain.

 

[artradley]

I'm an apologist for noting that Seth Gross got himself kicked off the team. Are you joking? In my experience complainers like to complain.

You're an apologist if your only reaction to negative comments about TnT is to throw personal insults at those people.

If you think a criticism is invalid then explain why instead of being offended that anyone would dare level the criticism.

 

[Nashville_Hawkeye]

This is the problem that comes to my mind when everybody talks about how TnT have "turned around" the recruiting issue. Yes, we landed a bunch of good recruits the last couple of years. But we lost half of them, and 2018 is a terrible recruiting class. I'm not sure I see a positive trend forming yet.

You and me both, my friend! I see the greatness in Lee and Warner, but after that, I don't see much in the hopper as far as future potential champions or top 3 type guys. And then when I look at PSU, I see 5 or 6 right now and their hopper looks loaded, so yeah, I'm not seeing it either...