Defense can and will be taught over the next year or two. Athleticism and generating offense can be extremely difficult! Program is in a great spot, this team will improve a ton as the year goes on!
I'm beyond encouraged..
- Thread starter SotaHawk87
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I like the talent but it seems like again Frans loaded up on a bunch of guys that all play the 4 spot.
We have no real point or 5 man.
We have no real point or 5 man.
agreed just need to work on defense (and free throws) and this is a tourney team... will definitely be playing best ball toward end of year
I'm not so concerned with no 5 man, since lots of teams don't have a true 5. Plus, Cook can score with his back to the basket, so they can get buckets inside. I'm more than disappointed that we are in what year of Fran's tenure and he's still unable to recruit a PG who can beat someone off the dribble or shoot beyond the arc. When you look up the bio for Fran it should read, "Can't sign a PG".
I'm very high on this Iowa team. We got beat tonight by a talented and more experienced team. This doesn't mean I'm happy with the way we played tonight. We have lots to improve upon, but this really was the first real game against a quality team for Williams, Bohannon, Cook, and Pemsl, Moss who got very few minutes. So now they learned what that's like. The intensity ramped way up and now it's back to work.
JB should develop into a solid PG...good handle on the ball. Tried to force it down the stretch.that can be fixed. A ton of potential on the this squad.
The lack of a 5 concerns me on defense not offense.
Cook is a fantastic offensive player but looks clueless defending the paint.
PG situation is going to keep this team from doing good things, Williams is a nice player as a small forward not so much a point.
This is close IMO. They have young talent. And you have to like the potential of the underclassmen. This staff knows what they're doing, no doubt in my mind.
It's that you have to question whether they can't get this team to play fundamentally sound defense - more specifically perimeter defense and stopping the dribble drive. I'd like to see more zone - maybe more switching - to combat their apparent deficiencies.
Fran and staff are doing the best coaching job they can, just haven't landed the talent on the perimeter - save Jok's offensive capabilities, setting aside Peter's defensive liabilities.
Charlie Moore scored 38 points the other night for Cal
Moore would have been a great asset but not at the expense of compromising our ethical standards. Iowa is above that.
Their
It still doesn't concern me much. Iowa has plenty of length and strength, and most true 5's are nothing more than big stiffs. It was a lousy defense by the guards that hurt out inside D. You could find a couple guys in your local gym who could provide better defense than Iowa's guards provided tonight.
Neither am I. And I don't get it. Defense is all about effort and understanding the schemes. If you don't give effort or you don't know what you're doing out there, it's the HC's job to sit your butt down on the bench until you do. Here we are in year 7 and Fran won't use playing time to ensure that good defense is played.
The players seem athletic enough to play solid defense, for the most part. It's very frustrating.
I didn't come away too mad either. Seton Hall appeared on first viewing to be a sure bet to make the big dance.
Cook showed us all what we've been waiting for and damn was it awesome. He's still a sieve defensively, but enough hard work can fix that up.
PG play was inconsistent. I thought there were stretches where both showed positives. It's frustrating because they followed up good sequences with shockingly bad play.
Too many easy buckets from penetration. Didn't think any of the guards defended well. Only players I semi trust on defense are Baer, Wagner, and Uhl.
Most of the lineups were fine. I didn't like the stretch with Bohannon, Ellingson, and Jok together in the first half. It was asking too much of Jordan to create. I also think the lack of defense from this group gave Seton Hall some confidence early.
Good news is it's one game and there's plenty of time to improve.
Cook showed us all what we've been waiting for and damn was it awesome. He's still a sieve defensively, but enough hard work can fix that up.
PG play was inconsistent. I thought there were stretches where both showed positives. It's frustrating because they followed up good sequences with shockingly bad play.
Too many easy buckets from penetration. Didn't think any of the guards defended well. Only players I semi trust on defense are Baer, Wagner, and Uhl.
Most of the lineups were fine. I didn't like the stretch with Bohannon, Ellingson, and Jok together in the first half. It was asking too much of Jordan to create. I also think the lack of defense from this group gave Seton Hall some confidence early.
Good news is it's one game and there's plenty of time to improve.
This^. If you want to play positionless basketball, with long athletic players in the 6'4 to 6'9 range, you should be switching everything. Stop hedging on the perimeter and switch everything. Open your rotation to help with the fatigue that comes with switching. We have the bench to do that.
And look where that got us. Alfraud's downfall. Actually, now that I think about it; that moral compromise may have been worth it.
This. It seems our staff can't quite teach that hard nosed... take PIDE defense. If Fran can't coach it himself, find an assistant that can enforce fundamentals on D!
5 is just a lable.
Im just talking about someone who can play effective post defense and hopefully some help D. That can be any shape or size.
Cook looks lost unnatural and disinterested on D. There was atleast 1 time where he just moved out of the way of a guy driving right at him.
I agree the perimiter D is bad too but all of Iowas length did nothing. The only guy effecting shots is Bear because he has the instincts and desire for it.
Charlie Moore scored 38 points the other night for Cal
On 20 attempts, he also had zero assists. Very inefficient and selfish, not what you would call a classic point.
3 games in does not define much...and IMO Seton Hall was the better team. Experienced team.. returning 4 seniors who won the Big East Tourney having knocking off the eventual NCAA champs. I think if Fran had sat them on the bench for playing poor defense..we might have had only 3 guys on the floor .
I suspect the defense will be a process but without question has to get much better..and it will. This team will get better in a lot of areas as the season unfolds...
.I suspect the defense will be a process but without question has to get much better..and it will. This team will get better in a lot of areas as the season unfolds...
Iowa has been a Top 30 defense, in defensive efficiency, 3 of the last 4 years. You don't get that way with a coach who can't coach guys to play defense.
38 pts on 20 FG attempts is actually really efficient. That's almost 2 pts per attempt.
I think it's telling when Fran was subbing out our 2nd best scorer for defensive possessions when he only had 1 foul late in the game.
Cook seems like a hard working kid. Hopefully, he gets better.
Just my opinion but I think he meant a bit more emphasis on the zero assists for your playmaker guard
I won't disagree on the selfish part, no assists and nearly twice as many FG attempts as anyone else fits that. But Moore was efficient.
ya seems some short memories out there....this is simple....not only do we have a young team but also a team that has not played together (but for 3 games). We lost a verbal defensive coordinator & leader in Woody last year...Its premature to predict this team & players (such as Cook) will not get better...we may not be as good on defense..or maybe we will...but for sure its way too early to know.
This ^^^^^ Geeze, I thought we were all going to give this team a little time to learn?
OMG, You are joking, right?
Here: http://kenpom.com/
I want 500 words on my desk by Monday on the history of defense under Fran McCaffery at Iowa. With footnotes.
Not unusual for a high school 4 star to struggle on defensive effort...it is a learning process. I do know that Fran had told Cook he needed to stay out of foul trouble...I don't think he meant for him to back away. But this is why you play tough teams early...they are not going to learn beating the crap out of the Savannah States...
I know its not popular ... Seton Hall was the more experienced team. I was encouraged we played them to the final score...especially considering how many uncontested baskets they got. Listening to Fran after the game he seemed to be more upset with how we ran the offense coming out to start the 2nd half. I have a feeling he knows the defense will come around...hopefully soon.
.Virginia in a week...
Yes. Other than counting stats, I'll lean heavily on Kenpom. Not so accurate early in the season, but very accurate as it gets towards the end of the season.
SSG T mentioned Kenpom, and you said, "Kenpom?" After reading your concerns about McCaffery coaching defense I was prompted to actually believe you have never heard of Kenpom. Sorry. (Joke coming) If you walked in front of traffic I would think you never saw a traffic light.
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