Watching the Providence- NW game. Commentators talking about the other games. "DePaul looked really good...very athletic. Iowa looked (pause) slow".
It's not just us "bad fans"
- Thread starter Ihawkhoops
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This current team/roster overall is about as un-athletic as you can be at this level ... I've watched lots of college bball this season and have yet to see an all white lineup ... If that was a recipe for success ... well then ... I am guessing other coaches would follow that recipe.
I don’t care what color you are...give me athletes.
This roster construction of everything but athletes is ridiculous. It’s like Fran is in his first year and hasn’t adjusted to what it takes to win at a power five school.
This roster construction of everything but athletes is ridiculous. It’s like Fran is in his first year and hasn’t adjusted to what it takes to win at a power five school.
Agree. This is YEAR #10 ... I've been a Hawk fan for 40 years. I honestly wonder when Barta says "enough is enough." Ran out of excuses about 5 years ago. It's always been "well, wait until next year ..."
Fran is not a good recruiter. He can't coach defense ... And he can't compete at this level ... on a consistent basis. Actually, Iowa has as much returning experience as many teams do in the one-and-done/transfer portal world that is college basketball ...
Fran is this:
Overall at Iowa: 175–132 (.570)
Big 10 at Iowa: 79–86 (.488)
Overall head coaching record: 426–309 (.580)
We've seen the best that Fran has to offer. It's not going to get any better.
Getting better athletes to compete at this level should be a priority. The race of the player is irrelevant. The reality is that among the group of players in the US with higher level athleticism they are more likely to be African American and to come from urban areas.
Also related to recruiting, I've often wondered why Fran doesn't try to establish a foreign recruiting presence. There are many potential players overseas, often with a solid academic background, who would love to play Big Ten level ball. Pay some of the recent former Hawks that are playing in Europe or other foreign regions to do some scouting and make contacts.
Also related to recruiting, I've often wondered why Fran doesn't try to establish a foreign recruiting presence. There are many potential players overseas, often with a solid academic background, who would love to play Big Ten level ball. Pay some of the recent former Hawks that are playing in Europe or other foreign regions to do some scouting and make contacts.
But they still kept their heads up.
Tired of hearing this. Black, yellow or tan skin does not make you athletic. Give it a break.
The suspense is a killer.
And now without the PTL, we have no "eye test" to kind of get ideas on the players.
Seems that we go through this each year wondering what's going to happen. Sometimes even from game to game.
I don’t know why it’s taboo to say it — heck the NBA shows it.
There are 43 white players on 30 NBA teams.
We’re not black enough. Not athletic enough. Not quick enough.
Sure we got a bunch of shooters, ball handlers, and we’re money from the charity stripe.
And it’s not racist. It’s called seeing things as they are unfiltered. It’s reality boys. And we shouldn’t get a lump in our throats talking about reality.
There are 43 white players on 30 NBA teams.
We’re not black enough. Not athletic enough. Not quick enough.
Sure we got a bunch of shooters, ball handlers, and we’re money from the charity stripe.
And it’s not racist. It’s called seeing things as they are unfiltered. It’s reality boys. And we shouldn’t get a lump in our throats talking about reality.
Funny, was Oral Roberts not white enough?
WTF does race have to do with it? Good players are good players, regardless of skin color.
There are plenty of athletic white dudes, just not many currently at Iowa on the Basketball team. We're a run of the mill team, pretty much like normal.
Which is different than what some are suggesting.
Good players are good players regardless of race.
Plus... There's plenty of athletic players that play out of position on defense, can't hit a three, or make free throws. Yes... We need more... But it doesn't has to be this or that. The roster should have two or three guys that can create on their own and, we have maybe 1.
With out Moss transferring, this would have been an average year. But at best it will be likely less than average. Recent recruiting looks promising in my mind, and I think this team has some pieces that could be exciting next year and the year follow.
Sometimes you have to appreciate individual development over team accomplishments. NBA fans do this all the time. In basketball it's easier to focus on individuals.
Ball Handlers? On this Iowa team? Joe T. once he gets more experience but that is where it will stop. Haven’t had one since Cartwright.
Excellent post. It's so painful to watch Iowa (again) be almost inconceivably un-athletic. In an era where teams go small, quick, and athletic, Fran goes big, slow and under the rim. We got a glimpse of what one better athlete can do with Cook, but people were thrilled to see him go so we could play better "team ball".
I shudder to think what Vegas is going to look like not to mention the 5-game stretch of MN, UM, Cincy, ISU, and Syracuse. Good thing the country can see Iowa and it's 7 deep white lineup. Embarrassing not because of the composition of the roster, but because of the lack of athleticism.
OMG the horror of facing teams we beat last year with roughly the same players!!!
Uh oh, now you've done it, @markfromj is going to give you a talking to young man. Bring on the Keith Van Horn comparisons!
Ignore reality then. Acknowledging race is not racist. Look up the top 10 one hundred meter sprinters and get back to me. Then the top 10 two hundred meter sprinters. Then the top 10 long jumpers. Then the top 50 on-line NFL players. Then the top 50 NBA players. I could continue, but it is not necessary. You have no leg to stand on here.
Wait until next year for what? The Iowa baseline for the 30 years before McC arrived...an NCAA invite and a first round win? We don't need to wait because that's happened four times in the last six seasons, most recently last season.
But the people that want to racialize the issue should be thrilled. McC's last 7 recruits are all black kids. So, if race is the dispositive factor, Iowa will necessarily improve merely from changing the player's melanin levels.
More importantly, and I keep asking this question, who are the black kids that showed interest in Iowa that McC didn't recruit. Who did McC bypass so he could sign a white kid instead?
But the people that want to racialize the issue should be thrilled. McC's last 7 recruits are all black kids. So, if race is the dispositive factor, Iowa will necessarily improve merely from changing the player's melanin levels.
More importantly, and I keep asking this question, who are the black kids that showed interest in Iowa that McC didn't recruit. Who did McC bypass so he could sign a white kid instead?
Good post that points to the silliness of this debate. Fran McCaffery has his flaws as a head coach but racial profiling clearly doesn't seem one of them. He has ended up with a roster of predominantly unathletic players. Next season we may still have an unathletic roster with a different mix of players.
Athletic players on team...1- Joe T 2- CJF 3 Joey 4- ??????????? those three are the only players who can play any defense.....Long year fellas......
Correct.
For whatever reason(s), black people tend to be better athletes. That doesn't mean there aren't whites who are good athletes, they're just not as common. The same as there are a few blacks who are good at hockey, but the vast majority are white.
When you look at the Top 100 high seniors for basketball every year, the overwhelming majority are black. It's really not rocket science.
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Pointing out the racial angle isn't entirely without merit. The bottom line is Fran's recruiting is not good. The black kids he does get rarely have P5 offers outside of Iowa. That's why he has to revert to fallback recruits who are the best available. Many of them happen to be white.
If someone is trying to make the case Fran prefers white kids to black kids, that's silly. If someone is saying Iowa is full of white players because Fran constantly whiffs on his top targets, that's probably fairly accurate.
It is what it is. Not too many P5 teams were beating down the door to get a commitment from Bohannon, Nunge, Kriener, Till, etc. The same as few had interest in the black kids Fran got commitments from for 2020.
The bottom line is Fran's recruiting is not good. Outside of Garza and Cook, Fran hasn't won many recruiting battles. Patrick and Joe Wieskamp were foregone conclusions. Foster grew up an Iowa fan and had Iowa ties and he still chose the rival school. That is a pretty good encapsulation of Fran's recruiting woes.
"Some studies have claimed that biological factors may be largely responsible for the disproportionate success in sprinting events enjoyed by athletes of West African descent. Chief among these is a preponderance of natural fast twitch muscle fibers, which aid in quicker reaction times. Scientists have concluded that elite-level sprinting is virtually impossible in the absence of the ACTN3 protein, a "speed gene" most common among persons of West African descent that renders fast twitch muscle fibers fast.[12]"
Where do college basketball players end up. At least the really good ones
The fact the conversation is even going on is a product of Fran's poor recruiting. They said the same thing about Davis' teams once Ravelings recruits ran out. But he was a better coach, man could those teams board
Believe what you want, but Riley Till is probably the most athletic kid on this team. Unfortunately that doesn’t always translate to basketball skill.
Dude definitely has hops. Almost think he would be a better guy to put on the floor than some others to see what he can do. I don't think he is a 3-point shooter and that is fine with me. Way too much emphasis by that for Fran IMO. Put him and let him be a Baer type guy who just hustles all over the place and disrupts the other team.
