Congrats to the Iowa to the Iowa woman Babll team for a great season .I think we need to start recruiting a few chunky girls of color . It seems like the teams we have problems with are the ones that are physical with us push us around inside, we definetly need to get bigger and more physical.
IOWA Woman Bbabll Next Level
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We do kind of end up taking knives to a gun fight, but I don't know if the chemistry would be the same. This was such a fun team to watch and a huge reason was you could tell each and every kid loved playing with this group. That's not always easy to get.
I sort of disagree. I really don't care if we make a final four in wbb. I'd rather have fun watching them and be able to relate to the team while enjoying a nice level of success, which I would not be able to do if we had a team like Baylor. I just do not enjoy watching the massive women's post players dominate today's current women's game.
I think we could use some more size, but I do agree that if you just rely on your ability to push around other teams and trust that referees on balance won't call you out for it, the way that teams like Baylor can get away with, then it isn't very fun to watch, whether you are watching the winning or losing team. Though Bethany Doolittle is sizable and can play with other bigs pretty well, the other team focuses on her to get her in to foul trouble and take away Iowa's inside game. If the officials let them get away with it, it has been a successful way to shut Iowa down. If Iowa can get a few more big players that can distribute the load more of what Doolittle did herself, it would be a lot harder for opposing teams to play that strategy. And Iowa could still have players that play decent basketball instead of just pushing around other players underneath. Then it wouldn't be as disappointing, and still fun to watch them play with the same chemistry this year's team had.
Baylor's massive post player doesn't usually dominate games. Tonight was her highest scoring game by far.
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Spartanhawk-- You are definetly right its seems like every year we have just one big girl and if she gets into foul trouble we have to change our game plan > I know we have Chase Coley and another big coming in next year hopefully she can help us out on the inside game next year
This season with Doolittle's foul troubles reminded me of a few years ago with Megan Skouby. As soon as either one extended her arms, "tweet", but the opponents' muscle-women operated with near-impunity. Personally, if I had a tall, thin daughter I'd steer her toward volleyball.
I was a skinny forward and got in lots of foul trouble. When you are outweighed by 50 lbs., the opponent can move you out with very subtle effort; for you to do same, you have to do something obvious. That has been the weakness of Bluder's teams for years, some height inside, but no muscle(or fat).
I really enjoyed watching the ladies this year and will miss the seniors but I thought the last five minutes last night were a microcosm of a Bluder team. Basically, Lisa needs more nose breakers and less breakees.
Exactly.
The teams at the Baylor level have women with a different body type and almost every position. Too many small frames for Iowa to compete. Lifting can only help so much. They just don't have the kind of frames where much muscle can go.
No surprise Logic has the success she did.
I agree if Iowa wants to be next level they will have to get a Big Bertha Bruiser who can bang with the big girls. It is a reality of the game today. But I am also ok with the team they had this year who went as far as they could. Played to their maximum potential. In a way I am glad we don't have a bunch of Goons.
I like Lisa Bluder and she had some good shooters this year. If she had a clue how to teach rebounding and defense, she'd have a top 10 team. And I'm beginning to wonder if she has a little racial bias.
I think if Iowa had a player like Zahui B playing for them, that she would be this difference maker, but I think that Zahui B didn't have the more "thuggish" nature that many player have had that have gotten Iowa in to trouble. I think someone like her could provide that missing element, but also give Iowa the team chemistry that was so nice to watch this year with this year's players.
I think Zahui B got away with some fouls that she might have had more because of her big long hair being a distraction for refs rather than her just trying to sneak more brutal pushing and shoving on Iowa players that breaks noses in some instances.
Amen on your last sentence. I don't mind "only" getting to the sweet sixteen with a solid group of great people who will do something in life versus a bunch of thugs/hoods who our team will be supporting via welfare in a few years. And no, I don't mean that as a blanket statement.
Congrats to Lisa Bluder and the Iowa women. We have to leave it up to our coach to pick the players that work for her. But I totally agree that the top five or so women's teams are in a league of their own. Was it Baylor a few years ago that had a girl who was so big and masculine- appearing that the opponents' fans were continually asking for genetic testing? I remember that the player was pretty upset about it. Every program has a different culture, and the girls basically have to get along. I'll leave it up to Bluder to try to recruit players who will fit. The object is not to win at all costs. I like the fact that so many of the women were all- academic.
......and the black athletes she signed is a fraction of the black athletes she recruited.
I think its fair to say that Bluder's recruiting classes can and should improve. It is unfair to say that Bluder and the Iowa staff are not making efforts to do so. Its just plain wrong to claim that she is a bigot.
This post was edited on 3/28 12:55 PM by nu2u
I started watching the girls when Lick started the boy's short journey from the Alford gutter to the Lickliter sewer.
Have the girls missed a NCAA second round in the last four or five years? Wasn't the just graduated class of seniors one of the best classes in Iowa history, finishing with the basketball programs' first Sweet 16 in anything since the 99 men's appearance?
Aren't this season's freshmen and next year's incoming freshman two of the better recruiting classes in well, ever at Iowa? A top hundred player last year, two top 100 players in the class of 2015, including a five star (37) on the top 100 list. The Sweet 16 certainly won't hurt the 2016 class recruiting class.
I also recall that Lisa Bluder inherited a program in worse condition than Lick left the boys; like 8 or 9 wins bad. First season at Iowa I think, and someone may have a better recollection than me, I think Bluder had 20+ wins and an NCAA appearance. I'm sure she's averaging more than 20 wins per season and has made the NCAAs almost, if not, every season at Iowa.
Complaints about Bluder's coaching don't seem to have much merit.
Have the girls missed a NCAA second round in the last four or five years? Wasn't the just graduated class of seniors one of the best classes in Iowa history, finishing with the basketball programs' first Sweet 16 in anything since the 99 men's appearance?
Aren't this season's freshmen and next year's incoming freshman two of the better recruiting classes in well, ever at Iowa? A top hundred player last year, two top 100 players in the class of 2015, including a five star (37) on the top 100 list. The Sweet 16 certainly won't hurt the 2016 class recruiting class.
I also recall that Lisa Bluder inherited a program in worse condition than Lick left the boys; like 8 or 9 wins bad. First season at Iowa I think, and someone may have a better recollection than me, I think Bluder had 20+ wins and an NCAA appearance. I'm sure she's averaging more than 20 wins per season and has made the NCAAs almost, if not, every season at Iowa.
Complaints about Bluder's coaching don't seem to have much merit.
She's averaging almost exactly 20 wins a year. Missed the NCAA a few times. Sweet 16 run won't hurt or help 2016 class as it is done.
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2016 is already done? I knew that Bluder has the #30 girl in the 2016 class coming in but didn't know that the whole class was done.
At least 4 top 100 players in the last three classes appears to be pretty good recruiting.
At least 4 top 100 players in the last three classes appears to be pretty good recruiting.
I think youre talking about Brittany Greiner. She was scary; looks and sounds like a man, and likes women.
Give me a team of 7 academic all big ten, two academic all American and plays in NCAA tourney every year any day. In addition, the players that Lisa recruits are high quality individuals that you would want to be your friends, family or co-worker. I doubt any bias exists.
Heck, I heard recently that a major men's coach (coach k I think) would not recruit kids from families that did not have thadional two parent situation and nobody seems to think that is bad
Heck, I heard recently that a major men's coach (coach k I think) would not recruit kids from families that did not have thadional two parent situation and nobody seems to think that is bad
6'8" and 3,283 career points? That is scary, scary good!
I don't see a big bruiser on either U Conn or Notre Dame's team. Kia Stokes is probably the biggest player on U Conn's roster. Stronger than Doolittle, yes, but still pretty normal.Hopefully Gustafson plays strong next year.
Angie Lee had Iowa's last Sweet Sixteen appearance in 1996, but she was an inexperienced young coach and did that with Coach Stringer's last recruiting class. Instead of building upon it, the team went downhill afterwards. Coach Bluder finally climbed back up the ladder and looks to have very good recruiting classes to follow it up. She is only in her fifties so should have the energy to build upon the momentum. Let's hope even better days are still ahead for the Iowa team.
pepe, you are clueless. Very hard to recruit black athletes to Iowa. Bluder usually has one every couple of years. She has decent athletes but not great athletes. That is why her defenses are not overwhelming. Look at the the top mens college bball defenses. They are all extraordinary athletically. Bluder can coach D. she just does not have the great athletes she needs to play great D.
Size & muscle HAVE BEEN lacking, admittedly, and no denying that has been a major factor limiting the Hawkeye's from several more BT championships and Sweet Sixteens the last eight years.
Still, playing thug hoops is NOT the ONLY option open to Bluder & her team going forward. If you have watched both men's & women's NCAA tournaments this year---or any recent past years---you almost cannot help but observe that against Duke, Gonzaga was not allowed to play the same thuggish interior game they did against Iowo: the referees didn't/wouldn't/won't allow that sort of treatment to be imposed upon Coach K's prestigious, perennial Final Four program. The big center who threw Uthoff, Olaseni & Woodbury around like he was DT Carl Davis having a career game, quickly got enough fouls to keep him on the bench or as passive as astop sign. The same was true of the woman (?) heavyweight wrestler who played the post for Baylor and bounced Doolittle & Disterhoft around more than the baskeball once the opponent was NCAA-favorite Notre Dame.
What I'm suggesting is that with a few more years of Bluder's Hawkeyes as a nationally ranked team, winning BT & BTT titles, BOTH BT AND NCAA referees & officials will begin to show the same deference and the same protection against thuggery that is now accorded to Duke, Notre Dame, Stanford (naturally, we should never expect the same favored treament given UConn, at least not as long as ESPN is only a 15 minute ride from Storrs, CT).
There probably is no other major sport--college, pro, either gender--that is such a small clannish operation as NCAA women's basketball. Economics use to explain it, but that is no longer a valid excuse. To know why is a simple enough matter: look at the women who will be the talking heads as long as ESPN has the NCAA women's TV contracts---the only mystery is how Purdue's Stephanie White managed to sneak her way in--or why they haven't thrown her out by now for the most recent light-complexion UConn grad.
I'm wondering how much more White will be doing announcing now that she's just been promoted to head coach of WNBA's Indiana Fever. I think she's already starting to phase out that duty, which is probably why she's doing just periodic work now on BTN and some at ESPN during the tourney. My guess is that ESPN is being nice to her wanting to curry favor with her as the newest and youngest head coach in the WNBA now.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephanie_White
Yes, she's been one of the better announcers that has given a fair break to Iowa players. Makes me wonder if she'll try to draft any of Iowa's three graduating seniors (Logic, Doolittle, or Dixon) in the coming draft. I was still a little surprised that she didn't catch that Logic had a triple double her last game at the end. She said something about her having 9 rebounds and that was it. I wonder if that was Logic's 10th rebound in actuality then, since White had earlier been noting that their stats server was down earlier in the game, and their stats gathering was probably flawed for what the announcers had to work with. Didn't excuse the ESPN studio crew for ignoring it, when they had the stats on the screen showing she had 10 rebounds and the male announcer said she had 9 rebounds then or didn't say anything in the subsequent half time break.
She averaged 5ppg and went off for 25??
Yeah she was hot from the field. Iowa dared her to shoot it and unfortunately she made them. If she scores her average it is a MUCH closer game.
Yes she was, I personally thought that should of been a Flagarant 2 on her. Just because she was swinging her elbows high. If she was swinging them below the shoulders and hit her, well then its a flagrant 1. But she was above the shoulders and I realize DoLittle was pressuring her, but still she swung high and should of been ejected. Regardless that was with about 7min left and the game had already been decided at that point.
I saw her (Baylor bully) go through the line to shake hands and tried to apologize to Bluder, and I'm assuming Bethany but they didn't show that on camera. Would have been interesting to hear Bluder's comments on it. I'm with you on the "above the shoulders" aspect. It looked more like an MMA move (cue Penn State dude) with her back elbow coming over the top right into BD's face. Like you I agree BD was playing close defense, but it wasn't like she simply turned with the ball and her elbow caught her. You can't convince me it was an accident, especially given she did a similar thing earlier in our game and got the flagrant in the Notre Dame game.
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