There is tremendous opportunity for grow when thing go to hell and a handbag: Our football team is proof enough of this occurring. The same could be said of our own basketball team 2 years ago when Iowa lost back-to-back games to Minnesota and then Northwestern; then Aaron White and the rest of the Hawks caught fire down the stretch after a crushing loss.
Time and again there are examples of teams rising above when times are at their darkest; there are just as many examples of hubris and expectations leading to bitter results and uninspired play.
Fran is not a great defensive coach. He is a pretty dang good coach in a lot of other areas: transition basketball, motion basketball, out-of-bound plays, and player retention. It's easy to complain about what is not there. How many B1G teams can claim to have a coach whose teams excel both as gritty, determined defensive teams and as balanced, fun, offensive teams? Nebraska? No. Ohio State? No. Michigan? No. Purdue? No. Illinois? LOL.
By my count, Izzo is the only coach that fits the bill as coach whose team continually defends while playing creative, up-tempo basketball. And he would be considered one of the five best coaches in all of college basketball by almost any individual's estimation.
Again, Fran is not a great defensive coach. He has, however, shown an ability to create reliable, if not spectacular defenses. It is underestimated how difficult that is to do when you are trying to create offensive tempo with a ton of possessions. Nebraska's grind-style of ball lends itself to better defense, as does Purdue's style and Wisconsin's style.
To build a metaphor, Iowa's basketball is pretty much the exact opposite of Iowa football. Iowa's football team is Wisconsin basketball and Iowa basketball is Indiana football (do not take this too literally, please).
So to circle back to yesterday's game, Iowa was unsurprisingly burned to the ground. Some people had mentioned last year's Iowa vs. Marquette game after the Seton Hall loss. They did so after the wrong game: Virginia was the Iowa of last year, only better. Marquette was the Iowa of this year, only with better recruits than Iowa.
During the 2011-2012 basketball season there was hope and expectations at the beginning of the season. Iowa started 3-0 against a cup-cake schedule.
Then they played Creighton and Doug McDermott. They lost by 30 points.
Then they played the Campbell Camels. Yes, the Camels. They lost that game as well, at home.
The season was over. Just like the football team's season was over after Penn State.
From that slashing and burning, however, Iowa's young, inexperienced basketball team rose from the ashes; they improved; they grew tougher; they started to score consistently; they played adequate defense.
And they made the NIT tournament.
In the NIT tournament they played at home against Dayton and that game remains one of my favorite basketball memories in the past 20 years.
For those that state, Iowa should have a point guard and should not be rebuilding in year 7, please look to our football team. We have a hall of fame coach (Ferentz will making the college football hall of fame: Just look up the numbers, because he is already there statistically) and there are have been plenty of growing and rebuilding years.
There is a great foundation with team and the crops will grown. Slash N' Burn.
Time and again there are examples of teams rising above when times are at their darkest; there are just as many examples of hubris and expectations leading to bitter results and uninspired play.
Fran is not a great defensive coach. He is a pretty dang good coach in a lot of other areas: transition basketball, motion basketball, out-of-bound plays, and player retention. It's easy to complain about what is not there. How many B1G teams can claim to have a coach whose teams excel both as gritty, determined defensive teams and as balanced, fun, offensive teams? Nebraska? No. Ohio State? No. Michigan? No. Purdue? No. Illinois? LOL.
By my count, Izzo is the only coach that fits the bill as coach whose team continually defends while playing creative, up-tempo basketball. And he would be considered one of the five best coaches in all of college basketball by almost any individual's estimation.
Again, Fran is not a great defensive coach. He has, however, shown an ability to create reliable, if not spectacular defenses. It is underestimated how difficult that is to do when you are trying to create offensive tempo with a ton of possessions. Nebraska's grind-style of ball lends itself to better defense, as does Purdue's style and Wisconsin's style.
To build a metaphor, Iowa's basketball is pretty much the exact opposite of Iowa football. Iowa's football team is Wisconsin basketball and Iowa basketball is Indiana football (do not take this too literally, please).
So to circle back to yesterday's game, Iowa was unsurprisingly burned to the ground. Some people had mentioned last year's Iowa vs. Marquette game after the Seton Hall loss. They did so after the wrong game: Virginia was the Iowa of last year, only better. Marquette was the Iowa of this year, only with better recruits than Iowa.
During the 2011-2012 basketball season there was hope and expectations at the beginning of the season. Iowa started 3-0 against a cup-cake schedule.
Then they played Creighton and Doug McDermott. They lost by 30 points.
Then they played the Campbell Camels. Yes, the Camels. They lost that game as well, at home.
The season was over. Just like the football team's season was over after Penn State.
From that slashing and burning, however, Iowa's young, inexperienced basketball team rose from the ashes; they improved; they grew tougher; they started to score consistently; they played adequate defense.
And they made the NIT tournament.
In the NIT tournament they played at home against Dayton and that game remains one of my favorite basketball memories in the past 20 years.
For those that state, Iowa should have a point guard and should not be rebuilding in year 7, please look to our football team. We have a hall of fame coach (Ferentz will making the college football hall of fame: Just look up the numbers, because he is already there statistically) and there are have been plenty of growing and rebuilding years.
There is a great foundation with team and the crops will grown. Slash N' Burn.
