In the last 2 years, Fran couldn't find anyone better than MG/AC??

[TheRifleman86]

How does Fran not find better point guards than AC and MG? Two guys who can't shoot from the field or the line. You could see the writing on the wall with these two guys several years ago. In my opinion, MG has regressed since his freshman year. It was time to step up and get better players at that position, but it seems like Fran is just content to play out his hand. A real college basketball coach should constantly be looking to upgrade his team.

On top of that, Fran has no idea how to use a timeout to stop the bleeding in a game. He almost needs someone to manage him during a game as his temper just seems to fog his brain.

Are we better than the Lick days ... yes. Are we going anywhere (Sweet 16+) with Fran ... I highly doubt it.

 

[HawkLogic]

How does Fran not find better point guards than AC and MG? Two guys who can't shoot from the field or the line. You could see the writing on the wall with these two guys several years ago. In my opinion, MG has regressed since his freshman year. It was time to step up and get better players at that position, but it seems like Fran is just content to play out his hand. A real college basketball coach should constantly be looking to upgrade his team.

On top of that, Fran has no idea how to use a timeout to stop the bleeding in a game. He almost needs someone to manage him during a game as his temper just seems to fog his brain.

Are we better than the Lick days ... yes. Are we going anywhere (Sweet 16+) with Fran ... I highly doubt it.

Tyler Ullis......Fran obviously was trying to recruit another PG. He ended up with Dickerson
ran him off. Obviously either a recruiting mistake or Fran did not give him a fair chance.

 

[2432Hawk]

It's not like Fran isn't trying to recruit better talent....

It's a process.....he'll start to get guys.....I think we forget what he took over and that Iowa has been irrelevant for too long.

 

[DavenportHawk8]

I have often thought about why Fran hasn't gone after guards? I mean we seem to always be guard heavy. Now next years team seems like they all will be between 6-4 to 6-9. Seems okay to have, but Iowa needs some "speed/athletes" to help and change the pace. I like Iowa's long line-up, but it shows up against smaller/quicker guards. They can't defend and it just causes all sorts of fits.

I kind of wish Fran would save a scholly every year for a 5th year player. I don't care if its a guard or big man, we need some experience and speed at the PG position. Right now we have nothing and its pathetic.

 

[RocknRollface]

Seriously? Stupid.

Fran offered many guards over the past 3 years.

Unfortunately he landed almost none of them until last year.

We have 5 freshman guards on the bench.

 

[DavenportHawk8]

Seriously? Stupid.

Fran offered many guards over the past 3 years.

Unfortunately he landed almost none of them until last year.

We have 5 freshman guards on the bench.

Well none of them must be very good, if they are not playing?? I mean what we have now and these guys can't over take them, then we will be the same.

I realize we will never get the Ulis type kids, thats a known fact. But go after some of the other top talent. Why settle for the Iowa kids. Iowa kids are good "role" players, but you need some athleticism and speed in your line-up. Iowa has none of that right now. We have to be the slowest and unathletic team in the nation right now.

 

[HawkamongstGophers]

Why settle for the Iowa kids. Iowa kids are good "role" players, but you need some athleticism and speed in your line-up.

Ricky Davis, Raef Lafrentz, Marcus Paige, Harrison Barnes, Greg McDermott, Kirk Hinrich and many others all say "Hi!"

 

[broth87]

Ricky Davis, Raef Lafrentz, Marcus Paige, Harrison Barnes, Greg McDermott, Kirk Hinrich and many others all say "Hi!"

Greg McDermott? He's too old for me to remember him playing. Was he good? I'm not even sure he's from Iowa?
I think you meant Doug McDermott.

 

[DavenportHawk8]

Ricky Davis, Raef Lafrentz, Marcus Paige, Harrison Barnes, Greg McDermott, Kirk Hinrich and many others all say "Hi!"

Sorry should of stated my response more clear. The "fallback" iowa kids are role players. Yes Iowa has produced some great talent, but only 1 of those has played at Iowa. If we can't get the "elite" players out of Iowa, why go after the 2nd tier. Seriously look elsewhere for recruits. Do we even go to the West Coast or down South for recruits? Are we just settled on Midwest kids. I realize Uhl & Basabe are from out east. Fran has had some luck in Ohio with White/Wagner. Where have our other recruits from Fran come from. Majority seems to be Iowa/Illinois. I just wish we would gamble on some recruits. Even they are a 2 star kid from Compton, got to think they have more game then a kid from a 3A school in Iowa.

 

[hexumhawk]

Like I said in another post. His biggest shortcoming as Head Coach was missing out on Ulis and or Washpun

 

[DutchyFunStar]

Had to recruit when kids want instant playing time and you have two upperclassmen already at the position.

 

[kzoohawk80]

Had to recruit when kids want instant playing time and you have two upperclassmen already at the position.

This gets overlooked on here way too much.

 

[FanOHawk]

Fran turned away Monte Morris, Roy Marble called and tried to get Iowa to take a look Fran said sorry we signed our PG MG.

 

[dawgs_04]

Had to recruit when kids want instant playing time and you have two upperclassmen already at the position.

And the coach's son is coming soon at PG/CG

Kids are smart enough to know there wasn't much room at Iowa

 

[Ihawkhoops]

It's to the point where I am beginning to question if the goal of Iowa basketball is to win or to rival NW for the highest GPA in the conference. I am all for student-athletes, but do we have some "Ivy League" of the Big Ten complex from the top down that puts the fear of God into Fran if he recruits a kid who gets C's or shows up in the paper for disorderly house?

Fran acts like he is building a space station with all of his talk about the right fit, value, and character. Find guys who can run, jump, and shoot. Those guys are usually going to make things happen athletically without having to gain 20 pounds, change positions, learn how to play 3 positions, etc. Playing Uhl at the 5 has been a disaster, much like packing weight on Basabe was. How about recruiting a kid for the position he is comfortable playing? Novel concept I know, but all of Fran's tinkering with guys' physiques has not added any value. Sure, Uhl, Jok, and Uthoff can play the 1-4 or whatever Fran says, but we actually need a 1 who wants to be a 1 and a 2 who has reasonable likelihood of making some shots.

 

[RocknRollface]

Sorry should of stated my response more clear. The "fallback" iowa kids are role players. Yes Iowa has produced some great talent, but only 1 of those has played at Iowa. If we can't get the "elite" players out of Iowa, why go after the 2nd tier. Seriously look elsewhere for recruits. Do we even go to the West Coast or down South for recruits? Are we just settled on Midwest kids. I realize Uhl & Basabe are from out east. Fran has had some luck in Ohio with White/Wagner. Where have our other recruits from Fran come from. Majority seems to be Iowa/Illinois. I just wish we would gamble on some recruits. Even they are a 2 star kid from Compton, got to think they have more game then a kid from a 3A school in Iowa.

Lol. Compton? Because that where black people live? You sound like a fool.

Iowa recruited Woodbury, Gessel and Clemmons one freaking year after Licklieter. Those were excellent recruits at the time. 2 four stars. They weren't fallbacks. They just haven't panned out.

Fran has recruited very few Iowa players since then.

Jok and Uthoff would be the only two in the 3 years following that class.

You have no clue what you're speaking about.

It's easy enough to educate yourself on reality but you choose to continue in ignorance.

 

[kzoohawk80]

It's to the point where I am beginning to question if the goal of Iowa basketball is to win or to rival NW for the highest GPA in the conference. I am all for student-athletes, but do we have some "Ivy League" of the Big Ten complex from the top down that puts the fear of God into Fran if he recruits a kid who gets C's or shows up in the paper for disorderly house?

Fran acts like he is building a space station with all of his talk about the right fit, value, and character. Find guys who can run, jump, and shoot. Those guys are usually going to make things happen athletically without having to gain 20 pounds, change positions, learn how to play 3 positions, etc. Playing Uhl at the 5 has been a disaster, much like packing weight on Basabe was. How about recruiting a kid for the position he is comfortable playing? Novel concept I know, but all of Fran's tinkering with guys' physiques has not added any value. Sure, Uhl, Jok, and Uthoff can play the 1-4 or whatever Fran says, but we actually need a 1 who wants to be a 1 and a 2 who has reasonable likelihood of making some shots.

When you evaluate prospects, what are you looking for?
I have to have character and I mean that sincerely with no ‘coach talk.’ We have no time for knuckleheads. The bottom line is if you have real character you will work hard and you will accept coaching, you are going to be a great teammate, and you will mentor young kids. We have a great group of kids here and we have worked hard to make sure of that. I expect my players to work hard. I always get a kick out of the guy who comes in and says, “Coach, I am working really hard and I should play more.” You should expect yourself to work hard. Next you have to perform. If you are going to play here for me, it’s required that you work hard, then you have to perform -- it’s a two-sided formula.


When it comes to skills, I look for guys who can shoot the ball and score the ball. I don’t get hung up on size. ‘In-between’ guys, if they are smart, tough and have character they will be good and can win games for you. I don’t get caught up in positions, I look for skill and ask myself is he a good player?As long as we don’t duplicate too many skill sets and have an overabundance of, say, shooting guards, we can recruit a team full of skill.

The other thing I really look at is rebounding because we run and play at a fast pace, so it will be a high-possession game, and if you are going to play at a fast pace you must rebound the ball.

 

[Ihawkhoops]

I agree with the no knucklehead sentiment, but has anyone seen a drop of chemistry on any Fran-coached team? I haven't. Guys are mainly sedate and stoic. Little if any emotion and a ho-hum attitude to losses. Teams with character do not wilt in crunch time for 4 years, so I will sacrifice a few A's on the report card for somebody with a chip on their shoulder and an extreme disdain for losing. Geez, even Nebraska acted like they were playing for the title last night.

 

[Curt Furence]

Lol. Compton? Because that where black people live? You sound like a fool.

Iowa recruited Woodbury, Gessel and Clemmons one freaking year after Licklieter. Those were excellent recruits at the time. 2 four stars. They weren't fallbacks. They just haven't panned out.

Fran has recruited very few Iowa players since then.

Jok and Uthoff would be the only two in the 3 years following that class.

You have no clue what you're speaking about.

It's easy enough to educate yourself on reality but you choose to continue in ignorance.

Bryce Cartwright?

 

[Curt Furence]

Gesell sucks

Ok, we get it.
Of your 12 posts how many of them have some variation of Gesell sucks? 11?

 

[Ihawkhoops]

Fran played his hand and red shirted Hutton and Moss, sat Williams, Fleming, and Ellingson because they a: couldn't play or b: he didn't want to take minutes away from his guys. Fran needs to have a couple gems in this class that start to sparkle next year or we will be looking up at NE, NW, and PSU for the next 4 years.

 

[EZ2BJZ]

Lol. Compton? Because that where black people live? You sound like a fool.

Iowa recruited Woodbury, Gessel and Clemmons one freaking year after Licklieter. Those were excellent recruits at the time. 2 four stars. They weren't fallbacks. They just haven't panned out.

Fran has recruited very few Iowa players since then.

Jok and Uthoff would be the only two in the 3 years following that class.

You have no clue what you're speaking about.

It's easy enough to educate yourself on reality but you choose to continue in ignorance.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't 3 of the 4 incoming freshmen next year from Iowa?

 

[Curt Furence]

Ricky Davis, Raef Lafrentz, Marcus Paige, Harrison Barnes, Greg McDermott, Kirk Hinrich and many others all say "Hi!"

Ricky was from Vegas, just ask him

 

[RocknRollface]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't 3 of the 4 incoming freshmen next year from Iowa?

Yes, but what I said was Uthoff and Jok were the only Iowa players recruited in the 3 classes following the one with MG, AW and AC.

This next class is the first one where Fran has actually had to take a fall back player from Iowa. Pemsel and Kriener were not fallbacks. Bohanan was.

 

[hawkeyemike23]

We need some dawgs on the team, we don't have any.

 

[RocknRollface]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't 3 of the 4 incoming freshmen next year from Iowa?

Yeah, 5 in 4 years isn't much.

Hes only brought in 2 guys from Iowa in the last 3 classes.

Out of those 5, 1 bohanan, would qualify as a "fall back" recruit.

 

[SDHawkDoc]

They are loaded at the 2 and 3.
What is missing, and has been beaten beaten on ad nauseum in the forum, is a true point.
I like Williams, disappointed he hasn't got more PT. But is he really a true point?
Bohannon may or may not be able to offer something eventually. Looks like he can shoot.
Does he have enough athletic ability to defend the opposition, handles to get penetration, get his shot off on his own? All big questions.

Of course Fran has tried to find a stand out point. It hasn't happened though. And it is ultimately his responsibility to make it happen.

 

[Suterman]

Fran has recruited plenty of point guards and hard. Tyler Ulis, Sapp, Mike Gesell, Trey Dickerson, Marcus Paige, Troy Washpun, Jordan Bohannon, Bryant McIntosh, Tony Carr, Glyn Watson, Cesar Guerrerro and many others. They haven't signed with Iowa except for Sapp, Mike, Jordan and Trey.

 

[ryno99]

It's not like Fran isn't trying to recruit better talent....

It's a process.....he'll start to get guys.....I think we forget what he took over and that Iowa has been irrelevant for too long.

We are 6 years into his tenure. This excuse is getting old. There are coaches who take over worse programs who have recruited better PGs - Colins and Chambers have.

 

[ryno99]

Fran turned away Monte Morris, Roy Marble called and tried to get Iowa to take a look Fran said sorry we signed our PG MG.

This is true and this is frustrating.

 

[2432Hawk]

We are 6 years into his tenure. This excuse is getting old. There are coaches who take over worse programs who have recruited better PGs - Colins and Chambers have.

And Fran recruited those guys too.....maybe it isn't Fran but fans like you that find every reason to complain but just can't get behind and support the guys that say yes to playing at Iowa?

 

[RocknRollface]

This is true and this is frustrating.

This was Fran's biggest failure IMO.

This was a guy he could have got and it would have completely changed the results of the last 3 years.

He reached on Clemons, although at the time we were terrible, and it cost him double.

It's hard to stomach.

 

[Herkuleez]

I'll bring it up since no one else will....

Could it be that top-talent black "true" PGs don't want to play for him or at Iowa?

If so, why??

 

[MTHawkeyes43]

Fran turned away Monte Morris, Roy Marble called and tried to get Iowa to take a look Fran said sorry we signed our PG MG.

One of Fran's brightest moments!!!

 

[hawkeyemike23]

Think I found someone better than Gesell in my pickup run this morning.

 

[CyCity]

Had to recruit when kids want instant playing time and you have two upperclassmen already at the position.

A good recruit should be smart enough to realize it wouldn't be hard to beat out Gesell and Clemmons

 

[Mohawkeye]

We are 6 years into his tenure. This excuse is getting old. There are coaches who take over worse programs who have recruited better PGs - Colins and Chambers have.

And how are their programs doing?