Iowa Men 17th in the B1G next year???

[BondHawk]

Quite a thread, I guess we have reached the “the economy is terrible for everyone despite record low unemployment and record high equity markets” stage of Fran McCaffrey.

Look, I don’t see a lot of promise for next season either, but we have finished below .500 and lower than 6th in the Big 10 once since 2012. We can all be confident Fran will find a way to keep us mediocre, don’t panic.

 

[perryhawk]

The NIL situation for Iowa men’s basketball appears to be a situation where a dynamic and enthusiastic AD should put together a plan to fix the problem and then lead the way to make sure it gets done….the problem with selling that plan/effort is that we really don’t know how long this current model of NIL is in place?

It’s a very challenging situation for Beth to be in…..how do you fix this and anticipate the future while being flexible and having a successful plan in place for the next big shift in the landscape?

 

[peacehawk]

17th seems high.

 

[tweeterhawk]

Let's not fall for the clickbait. Some of the teams that he has ranked ahead of Iowa literally do not have enough players on their current roster to field a starting 5 at the moment and that's not an exaggeration.
It is absolutely nonsensical to be putting out a list of teams when half of the Big Ten roster's have 5+ open scholarships.

So Washington gets a couple studs and Iowa is dead last?

 

[ButtersHawk]

I was fine with NIT this year based off the roster but I would be shocked if we got to the NIT next season

 

[BirdistheWord]

Quite a thread, I guess we have reached the “the economy is terrible for everyone despite record low unemployment and record high equity markets” stage of Fran McCaffrey.

Look, I don’t see a lot of promise for next season either, but we have finished below .500 and lower than 6th in the Big 10 once since 2012. We can all be confident Fran will find a way to keep us mediocre, don’t panic.

But you forgot high inflation and weak labor force participation numbers.

 

[tweeterhawk]

I was fine with NIT this year based off the roster but I would be shocked if we got to the NIT next season

The only place this Iowa team will be going after the regular season is home.

 

[MAXIMUSHAWKEYE]

Rutgers picked up the MAC leading score in Tyson Acuff at 22 a game. To go along with the #2 and #3 recruits is a top 80 composite recruit who is overlooked.

So Rutgers has a better NIL than us?

 

[RagnarLothbrok]

The NIL situation for Iowa men’s basketball appears to be a situation where a dynamic and enthusiastic AD should put together a plan to fix the problem and then lead the way to make sure it gets done….the problem with selling that plan/effort is that we really don’t know how long this current model of NIL is in place?

It’s a very challenging situation for Beth to be in…..how do you fix this and anticipate the future while being flexible and having a successful plan in place for the next big shift in the landscape?

It starts with hitting the reset button and trying to drum up new enthusiasm and support for the basketball program.

Fran’s time has come and gone. It’s not Beth’s fault that Fran got ridiculously insane contract extensions from the previous idiot but it is her problem. Iowa basketball is barely on life support right now. Either wholesale changes need to be made or expect a continuing precipitous decline in fan support. You can argue whatever metrics or win/loss statistics you want in defense of Fran. None of that is putting butts in seats inside Carver. It’s just that simple.

People may be put off by @curtisj57 ’s delivery but his message is correct. Relying on too many tall, lanky shooters from 4-A and 3-A Midwest high schools is not the way to build a basketball team that competes at a high level. You need a healthy mix of athletes, rebounders, and rim protectors to go with unathletic shooters.

In other words, Fran’s model may work to revive a cellar-dweller program but it will never go beyond a modicum of conference success and weekend one exits in the NCAA tournament. I understand that is good enough for some Iowa fans, which is fine, but then you can’t expect the financial support to be there. Nor can you expect next-level recruits/transfers to have any serious interest in Iowa when your roster makeup resembles the Procol Harum song “A Whiter Shade of Pale.”

 

[HawkHoops80]

I really don't understand the doom and gloom in this thread. Just maybe with where the fanbase is right now I guess. But realistically the only real loss of a player is Tony. Krikke and Patrick are not some huge holes that need to be filled and IMO are more addition by subtraction than not.

IF Iowa gets a starting caliber PG which they seem to be trying to get, the roster will be fine and I'm not sure why some think otherwise. Owen's only going to get better this offseason after being the Freshman of the year in the league. Dix came on at the end of the season as a legit playmaker and was our best perimeter defender. Payton (who I think likely comes back) is likely a 16-20 ppg scorer again. The other 3 freshmen last year showed flashes and one site that ranks recruits has said that Tadjo is the best rebounder in the entire class and has him as a top-50 player, meanwhile Koch was one of the most efficient offensive players last year on the Adidas circuit.

The roster isn't barebones by any means which is how some in this thread seem to be acting.

 

[BondHawk]

But you forgot high inflation and weak labor force participation numbers.

Sure, and that’s why we are always 10-10.

 

[Franisdaman]

Owen Freeman alone gets us in the top 12

I think our "big 3" of Payton Sandfort, Josh Dix and Owen Freeman is a good starting point.

We currently only have 10 on scholarship (you can have 13).

Of our 10 scholarship players, we only have 2 guards (Harding and Dix). Yikes.

And Mulvey is not much of an option.

Current 2024-2025 Roster:

Freshmen: 2 players

6'7" PF Cooper Koch
6'8" PF Chris Tadjo

Sophomores: 4 players

6'10" C Owen Freeman
6'0" PG Brock Harding
6'7" PF Pryce Sandfort
6'8" PF Ladji Dembele

Juniors : 2 players

6'5" SG Josh Dix
6'11" C Riley Mulvey (***) -- on Nov 13, 2023 it was announced that Riley was redshirting the 2023-2024 season. He was originally scheduled to graduate in 2025.

Seniors: 2 players

6'7" F Payton Sandfort
6'9" F/C Even Brauns


4 Notable Walk on players:

Freshmen: 1 player

Trey Buchanan—6’1, 175, combo guard, Westfield, IN (Westfield HS); is a preferred walk-on. Trey is the son of Indiana Pacers GM Chad Buchanan.

Sophomores: 1 player

Spencer Hutchison-- 6'4 guard who prepped at The Episcopal School of Dallas, TX; is a walk on.

Juniors: 1 player

Carter Kingsbury--a 2021 6'5", 230 lb shooting guard; is a preferred walk on. .

Seniors: 1 player

Luc Laketa--a 2021 6'6" wing/forward; is a preferred walk on.

 

[CeMar_Clone]

Pretty much there already. https://www.thegazette.com/iowa-bas...an-official-numbers-suggest-lack-quick-fixes/

You would think the AD would realize that Fran is not going to get Iowa where fans want it to be. So no matter what, Fran is not the solution. So why the waiting game, his contract is not going to be renewed in the future. So you can fire him now, or fire him latter. It seems really stupid to keep putting off the inevitable.

 

[cubuffsdoug]

So Rutgers has a better NIL than us?

Rutgers doesn't have the uber wealthy uncle, but they have come up with a solid plan to address the NIL situation. To help sway top recruits (HS), Rutgers has leaned on its connections to Wall St. and corporations to sign these kids to meaningful deals that actually follow the rules of the NIL. Investing in the recruits is a drop in the bucket for big companies. This is where location and Rutgers alums play a factor.

How Rutgers gets transfers is more of a grassroots approach. Instead of asking a few wealthy donors to foot the bill, Rutgers (the AD) has worked with several NIL groups, one led by Geo Baker, to raise money ($50, $100, $500, etc.) by having a few thousand fans to pay month into the group. It's not a huge burden for most people as it's more like a monthly bill.

The wealthy donors are being grouped together to fund new building project that cost a lot.

 

[Cydkar]

WAY too early for these. Hate them.

 

[MrsScrew]

time to cut their TV money in half!!!!

sorry, @MrsScrew , time to play hard ball!

Goldman Sachs is R friend. ❤️❤️

 

[Franisdaman]

Goldman Sachs is R friend. ❤️❤️

Gold man sacks!

Gold mixed in with Sacks of cash!!!!

 

[perryhawk]

It starts with hitting the reset button and trying to drum up new enthusiasm and support for the basketball program.

Fran’s time has come and gone. It’s not Beth’s fault that Fran got ridiculously insane contract extensions from the previous idiot but it is her problem. Iowa basketball is barely on life support right now. Either wholesale changes need to be made or expect a continuing precipitous decline in fan support. You can argue whatever metrics or win/loss statistics you want in defense of Fran. None of that is putting butts in seats inside Carver. It’s just that simple.

People may be put off by @curtisj57 ’s delivery but his message is correct. Relying on too many tall, lanky shooters from 4-A and 3-A Midwest high schools is not the way to build a basketball team that competes at a high level. You need a healthy mix of athletes, rebounders, and rim protectors to go with unathletic shooters.

In other words, Fran’s model may work to revive a cellar-dweller program but it will never go beyond a modicum of conference success and weekend one exits in the NCAA tournament. I understand that is good enough for some Iowa fans, which is fine, but then you can’t expect the financial support to be there. Nor can you expect next-level recruits/transfers to have any serious interest in Iowa when your roster makeup resembles the Procol Harum song “A Whiter Shade of Pale.”

If you look at the current roster for Iowa this next year….there’s not a ton of “tall lanky shooters.” IF Payton comes back you have him and Dix (who’s also athletic) returning with significant experience. Then Pryce (not a real part of the rotation) and Koch……who might not see the floor much.

As far as rebounding Payton is decent….and you have Owen, Ladji, and Tadjo coming in with the potential of getting a guy through the portal who can also rebound and play defense.

I haven’t seen any lanky shooters in the guys with Iowa contacts in the portal.

 

[spiderland]

This past year was another successful B1G season as long at you don't count games that fooking matter.

FIFY

 

[IllQChawk]

Got to love our fan base, as long as you all think that one prognosticator thinks Iowa will finish 17 out of 18, just admit that Iowa has no one on their roster that is worth a shitt.
I just hope that the negative nancy's that post in this tread are not among the one third of the fans that go to our game next season. Stay away and stop following Iowa, hope it's giving all of you dumb a$$es ulcers and just think all of you have another 7 months to continue to bitch about how bad Iowa men's basketball is. How fun it must be you!

 

[SI_NYC]

View embedded media

Katz is a complete moron. He's really not very bright and I'm amazed he's been as successful as he's been.

 

[SI_NYC]

If our men played in the women’s Big Ten they might finish in the top half of the league. Embarrassingly bad.

Give me a break. Fran almost always finishes 500 or above.

 

[eyesofhawk]

Iowa definitely needs a guard or two in the portal.

Even without one though, they have 8 solid players at the moment. Something to work with at least

 

[BirdistheWord]

Got to love our fan base, as long as you all think that one prognosticator thinks Iowa will finish 17 out of 18, just admit that Iowa has no one on their roster that is worth a shitt.
I just hope that the negative nancy's that post in this tread are not among the one third of the fans that go to our game next season. Stay away and stop following Iowa, hope it's giving all of you dumb a$$es ulcers and just think all of you have another 7 months to continue to bitch about how bad Iowa men's basketball is. How fun it must be you!

So I have to either 1. Hate our program or 2. Suck Fran’s Oysters? There is some middle ground

 

[IllQChawk]

So I have to either 1. Hate our program or 2. Suck Fran’s Oysters? There is some middle ground

Let me enlighten you all, Iowa has gone though George Raveling probably the best recruiting coach Iowa has ever had, never seemed to satisfy the Iowa fan base and bailed after three years, Tom Davis who took Raveling recruits to the elite eight and after Raveling's recruits graduated it was OK to just win the first round of the tournament until it wasn't.
Steve Alford won 2 Big Ten tournaments but failed to live up to the fan bases NCAA tournament expectations, plus his personality was not up to Iowa standards, Pierre Pierce enough said, then there was probably the worse Iowa coach ever in Todd Lickliter, you all remember him right, the coach that expected recruits to come to him, how'd that work out?
That brings us to Fran McCaffery, after 14 years and reaching the NCAA tournament 7 years and should have been 8 if not for Covid, no he hasn't broke though and reached the level that Iowa fans crave, the sweet 16 or higher and now because of the success of the woman's team and the failure of having a down year this past season god forbid it's time for him to go. lol,
I'm sure the president and AD are just as disappointed as you all are, but Fran is not going anywhere, is not going to be fired, and unless he suddenly unexpectedly announces that he is leaving Iowa and his remaining contract he will be around for a few more years to see this years freshmen class mature and maybe even reach that second week. Until then all you Iowa fans that want him gone are going to be terribly disappointed. It sucks doesn't it! Love seeing you all being miserable because as the Rolling Stones classic says "You Can't Always Get What You Want".

 

[Bulldogs1974]

Let me enlighten you all, Iowa has gone though George Raveling probably the best recruiting coach Iowa has ever had, never seemed to satisfy the Iowa fan base and bailed after three years, Tom Davis who took Raveling recruits to the elite eight and after Raveling's recruits graduated it was OK to just win the first round of the tournament until it wasn't.
Steve Alford won 2 Big Ten tournaments but failed to live up to the fan bases NCAA tournament expectations, plus his personality was not up to Iowa standards, Pierre Pierce enough said, then there was probably the worse Iowa coach ever in Todd Lickliter, you all remember him right, the coach that expected recruits to come to him, how'd that work out?
That brings us to Fran McCaffery, after 14 years and reaching the NCAA tournament 7 years and should have been 8 if not for Covid, no he hasn't broke though and reached the level that Iowa fans crave, the sweet 16 or higher and now because of the success of the woman's team and the failure of having a down year this past season god forbid it's time for him to go. lol,
I'm sure the president and AD are just as disappointed as you all are, but Fran is not going anywhere, is not going to be fired, and unless he suddenly unexpectedly announces that he is leaving Iowa and his remaining contract he will be around for a few more years to see this years freshmen class mature and maybe even reach that second week. Until then all you Iowa fans that want him gone are going to be terribly disappointed. It sucks doesn't it! Love seeing you all being miserable because as the Rolling Stones classic says "You Can't Always Get What You Want".

frans record when it matter sucks. Good God man, Iowa fans will put up with a hell of a lot but when you can't win with a team that will be as good as fran will ever assemble, most fans know when to turn the page. Fran is at his ceiling, there is not debate otherwise.
He doesn't teach defense and has tricked simple minded fans into offensive stats mattering. Fran has created apathy that affects NIL, which affects his ability to attract/keep any talent. He is done.

 

[IllQChawk]

frans record when it matter sucks. Good God man, Iowa fans will put up with a hell of a lot but when you can't win with a team that will be as good as fran will ever assemble, most fans know when to turn the page. Fran is at his ceiling, there is not debate otherwise.
He doesn't teach defense and has tricked simple minded fans into offensive stats mattering. Fran has created apathy that affects NIL, which affects his ability to attract/keep any talent. He is done.

He is done....No fixed it for you Your done with Iowa.

 

[Bulldogs1974]

He is done....No fixed it for you Your done with Iowa.

I am done with fran, obviously that is where your allegiance lies. You are a bigger fan of fran than iowa. I am a fan of Iowa. Fran has no future here. In today's landscape the longer he is here the worse things will get in regards to fan apathy.

 

[rrdd2021]

Watched his "way too early rankings" and probably agree with Purdue at #1 but the team to really keep an eye on is OSU as they were really playing well at the end of the year once that asst coach(can't remember his name) was promoted. Plus, they have a ton of key players returning and just picked up the Kentucky center in the Portal today.

The OSU NIL machine is in full force in both basketball and football.

 

[Packer54]

Fans are fatigued regarding Fran.
Fran is fatigued regarding coaching at Iowa.

 

[Packer54]

He is done....No fixed it for you Your done with Iowa.

Your
You're
Yore
You be

 

[Packer54]

I think Katz is confused......it is the NCAA TOURNAMENT where we can't reach the sweet 16...not the Conference projection. I am sure he will post a retraction.

 

[Heathen Raider]

Long term it would be a net positive if Fran lost the Team this coming Year and gave Beth cover to give Him the boot, Iowa needs a fresh start and a Coaching staff that realizes guards and playing defense and rebounding are rather important.

 

[MikeyHawk]

17th is too low

Likely significant addition by subtraction with Patrick, Krikke and Perkins being gone

 

[BirdistheWord]

Let me enlighten you all, Iowa has gone though George Raveling probably the best recruiting coach Iowa has ever had, never seemed to satisfy the Iowa fan base and bailed after three years, Tom Davis who took Raveling recruits to the elite eight and after Raveling's recruits graduated it was OK to just win the first round of the tournament until it wasn't.
Steve Alford won 2 Big Ten tournaments but failed to live up to the fan bases NCAA tournament expectations, plus his personality was not up to Iowa standards, Pierre Pierce enough said, then there was probably the worse Iowa coach ever in Todd Lickliter, you all remember him right, the coach that expected recruits to come to him, how'd that work out?
That brings us to Fran McCaffery, after 14 years and reaching the NCAA tournament 7 years and should have been 8 if not for Covid, no he hasn't broke though and reached the level that Iowa fans crave, the sweet 16 or higher and now because of the success of the woman's team and the failure of having a down year this past season god forbid it's time for him to go. lol,
I'm sure the president and AD are just as disappointed as you all are, but Fran is not going anywhere, is not going to be fired, and unless he suddenly unexpectedly announces that he is leaving Iowa and his remaining contract he will be around for a few more years to see this years freshmen class mature and maybe even reach that second week. Until then all you Iowa fans that want him gone are going to be terribly disappointed. It sucks doesn't it! Love seeing you all being miserable because as the Rolling Stones classic says "You Can't Always Get What You Want".

Fran has had a pretty good run. Dug the program out of the ditch. Maybe I’m spoiled but my real launch point for Iowa hoops was my freshman year (1986-87) and it was unbelievable. Maybe a perfect storm.

I just prefer to set extremely high goals. Maybe a bit unrealistic but I feel like we are always a player away from real success. Fran does a lot of things well but he also does not seem to evolve much. Sometimes you just need a fresh set of eyes on things. It’s time. I know it won’t happen for a couple years but we need a new chapter.

 

[Bishop-71]

And a year from now, the usual suspects will be lauding Fran for “exceeding expectations” when they finish in 13th place.

Like this year? No way Iowa is in the top half again. Oh wait.

 

[Bishop-71]

The NIL situation for Iowa men’s basketball appears to be a situation where a dynamic and enthusiastic AD should put together a plan to fix the problem and then lead the way to make sure it gets done….the problem with selling that plan/effort is that we really don’t know how long this current model of NIL is in place?

It’s a very challenging situation for Beth to be in…..how do you fix this and anticipate the future while being flexible and having a successful plan in place for the next big shift in the landscape?

Would that be allowed? How much and when contact can the school and swarm have? They have to talk or how do we pay KP before he bailed again. Nil rules aren't followed by most schools from what i can tell.

 

[IllQChawk]

I am done with fran, obviously that is where your allegiance lies. You are a bigger fan of fran than iowa. I am a fan of Iowa. Fran has no future here. In today's landscape the longer he is here the worse things will get in regards to fan apathy.

I'm 75, going on 76 years old, would I love for Iowa to again reach the second week of the NCAA tournament, you bet, and yes, I've been disappointed every year Iowa gets to the tournament and fails to advance past the first week.
It's tough to go through a season as invested as I become and not be disappointed, but I also appreciate Fran for what he has done at Iowa, he's honest, he loves his players and doesn't throw them aside if they don't work out. He's an offensive first coach and with that, everyone perceives he teaches no defense, that's a fallacy that is received by those that want a coach that uses the entire shot clock on offense and plays bump and grab defense. Sorry, not my style.
In the last 7 years he's recruiting has been pretty good and that's not a debatable issue by anyone on here.
Yes, not making the second week in the tournament is a problem but really, you want a coach that uses the portal to fill out the roster every year with new players and with no guarantee of making the second week any more then it is now.
I guess I'm old school and enjoy Fran who recruits high school players and I like following their improvement during their time at Iowa whether four years or not.
Maybe at some point in time because of the portal and NIL, Iowa will be forced to drop men's basketball because they won't be able to compete against the wealthy universities, hopefully that won't happen, but as of now it is what it is.
For me, this years freshman class and next years class is Fran's last attempt to raze the bar and develop a team to make it past the second week, it's always going to be a crap shoot, but the talent is there. I believe it even it the majority on here doesn't!

 

[perryhawk]

Would that be allowed? How much and when contact can the school and swarm have? They have to talk or how do we pay KP before he bailed again. Nil rules aren't followed by most schools from what i can tell.

I don’t pretend to know much about NIL….but, it has been widely reported that the Swarm guy has been in contact with Beth and that she’s been good to work with. The head of Swarm has also been in contact with coaches…. And I just don’t believe there’s any violation as that’s also been publicly reported……I just don’t think they can give money to Swarm and certainly can’t funnel tax dollars there…..but why couldn’t they point donors that way or assist with fundraising?

 

[Bishop-71]

I don’t pretend to know much about NIL….but, it has been widely reported that the Swarm guy has been in contact with Beth and that she’s been good to work with. The head of Swarm has also been in contact with coaches…. And I just don’t believe there’s any violation as that’s also been publicly reported……I just don’t think they can give money to Swarm and certainly can’t funnel tax dollars there…..but why couldn’t they point donors that way or assist with fundraising?

I agree 100%. There has to be at least some kind of interaction to know who we are paying to play. I know Cade got a nice sum so if they have no contact it's impossible to be on the same page. I heard Beth is exceptional with the swarm compared to GB.