Joe T., Murray and Pmac

[Ihawkhoops]

Running out of superlatives for Murray. Iowa is much different team with him on the floor. Even when he isn't scoring, he gets Iowa at least another 4 possessions per game via rebounds, blocks, steals or loose balls. He is a versatile scorer and is a nightmare match up for opponents. When is the last time you have seen an Iowa player start 8-10 feet behind a defender and sprint past him in the open court to be in position for JW's sweet pass? Maybe Aaron White?

Joe T. has struggled of late, but I thought tonight was his best game maybe of the season give the importance. He played under control, made the right decisions, disrupted OSU defensively and showed a level of composure / confidence that has been lacking. He had the team clicking with the line up Fran put out there and his drive and finish punctuated a strong performance. Joe T. was in the OSU's guys head on both ends of the floor.

PMac missed some bunnies, but I like that he is willing to do more than stand in the corner and shoot a 3. His shots will drop as he gains experience, but having another guy who is willing to dribble penetrate makes a huge difference. He had a nice dish to JW for the dunk and I think had another drive where broke down the D that resulted in a missed 3 from Jbo (not sure).

Garza, JW and Jbo were huge so certainly not overlooking their performances, but I thought these 3 guys were tremendous off the bench. Probably going to ruffle some feathers here, but Iowa is better on both ends when Connor gets less PT. I have to insert my obligatory '"I respect Connor's hustle and grit" comment here, but his defender plays off 6-8 feet knowing he isn't going to drive or shoot. Even when others drive and kick he won't take the open shot. I am not singling him out as the reason for any losses or claiming he doesn't add value in some areas, but you need a guy at his spot willing to take an open shot off dribble penetration and that's not him.

 

[BBHawk]

I have said it before, give the Murrays and PMac (he was sick most of last year) a year of healthy training table and workouts and they will finish better.

 

[BlackNGoldBleeder]

Running out of superlatives for Murray. Iowa is much different team with him on the floor. Even when he isn't scoring, he gets Iowa at least another 4 possessions per game via rebounds, blocks, steals or loose balls. He is a versatile scorer and is a nightmare match up for opponents. When is the last time you have seen an Iowa player start 8-10 feet behind a defender and sprint past him in the open court to be in position for JW's sweet pass? Maybe Aaron White?

Joe T. has struggled of late, but I thought tonight was his best game maybe of the season give the importance. He played under control, made the right decisions, disrupted OSU defensively and showed a level of composure / confidence that has been lacking. He had the team clicking with the line up Fran put out there and his drive and finish punctuated a strong performance. Joe T. was in the OSU's guys head on both ends of the floor.

PMac missed some bunnies, but I like that he is willing to do more than stand in the corner and shoot a 3. His shots will drop as he gains experience, but having another guy who is willing to dribble penetrate makes a huge difference. He had a nice dish to JW for the dunk and I think had another drive where broke down the D that resulted in a missed 3 from Jbo (not sure).

Garza, JW and Jbo were huge so certainly not overlooking their performances, but I thought these 3 guys were tremendous off the bench. Probably going to ruffle some feathers here, but Iowa is better on both ends when Connor gets less PT. I have to insert my obligatory '"I respect Connor's hustle and grit" comment here, but his defender plays off 6-8 feet knowing he isn't going to drive or shoot. Even when others drive and kick he won't take the open shot. I am not singling him out as the reason for any losses or claiming he doesn't add value in some areas, but you need a guy at his spot willing to take an open shot off dribble penetration and that's not him.

PMac will be damn good when he gets stronger.

This team needs Joe T come March. The more confidence he develops now the better.

Keegan is mature beyond his years. He does so much on both ends of the court and always plays within himself. If he develops into a lethal perimeter shooter, he'll be a first round draft pick after his junior year. Seriously.

 

[The Deplorable Sleeping Dog]

Those three kids are Iowa's best defenders, and Joe Dub and C McC are decent defenders. All three are both fast and quick, cover a lot of court and can really create chaos.

 

[TJFant]

I thought the minutes were about right tonight except Luka’s 38. He should have been on the bench the last 2-3 minutes plus given a break after the Hawks quelled the Buckeye run, especially with important games coming up Tuesday and Thursday. Going forward, if the other team has a good big man with size, I think it is imperative to have both Murray and PMac on the floor together every time Garza sits as they need their size and quickness. I also think Joe T should be on the floor at those times as he has the quickness and instincts to collapse and still recover to get back on his man. To me CJ is the variable, but if his leg can handle 30 minutes he is way to valuable to sit. Without Nunge, just hoping that we don’t run into any foul fests like the second Indiana game when having 3-4 second stringers on the floor the last 3 minutes or so of the 1st half largely contributed to the loss.

 

[HawkRugged17]

 

[MAXIMUSHAWKEYE]

PMac will be damn good when he gets stronger.

This team needs Joe T come March. The more confidence he develops now the better.

Keegan is mature beyond his years. He does so much on both ends of the court and always plays within himself. If he develops into a lethal perimeter shooter, he'll be a first round draft pick after his junior year. Seriously.

I have to agree. Keegan has the best potential to be an NBA player of our current group. he has length,can put it on the floor and outstanding hops and speed. He just floats around the floor. So smooth.

 

[Bulldogs1974]

I thought the minutes were about right tonight except Luka’s 38. He should have been on the bench the last 2-3 minutes plus given a break after the Hawks quelled the Buckeye run, especially with important games coming up Tuesday and Thursday. Going forward, if the other team has a good big man with size, I think it is imperative to have both Murray and PMac on the floor together every time Garza sits as they need their size and quickness. I also think Joe T should be on the floor at those times as he has the quickness and instincts to collapse and still recover to get back on his man. To me CJ is the variable, but if his leg can handle 30 minutes he is way to valuable to sit. Without Nunge, just hoping that we don’t run into any foul fests like the second Indiana game when having 3-4 second stringers on the floor the last 3 minutes or so of the 1st half largely contributed to the loss.

I will say he was used better. Sitting right before the tv timeouts a couple times is the way to go.

 

[Rambler Hawk]

Running out of superlatives for Murray. Iowa is much different team with him on the floor. Even when he isn't scoring, he gets Iowa at least another 4 possessions per game via rebounds, blocks, steals or loose balls. He is a versatile scorer and is a nightmare match up for opponents. When is the last time you have seen an Iowa player start 8-10 feet behind a defender and sprint past him in the open court to be in position for JW's sweet pass? Maybe Aaron White?

Joe T. has struggled of late, but I thought tonight was his best game maybe of the season give the importance. He played under control, made the right decisions, disrupted OSU defensively and showed a level of composure / confidence that has been lacking. He had the team clicking with the line up Fran put out there and his drive and finish punctuated a strong performance. Joe T. was in the OSU's guys head on both ends of the floor.

PMac missed some bunnies, but I like that he is willing to do more than stand in the corner and shoot a 3. His shots will drop as he gains experience, but having another guy who is willing to dribble penetrate makes a huge difference. He had a nice dish to JW for the dunk and I think had another drive where broke down the D that resulted in a missed 3 from Jbo (not sure).

Garza, JW and Jbo were huge so certainly not overlooking their performances, but I thought these 3 guys were tremendous off the bench. Probably going to ruffle some feathers here, but Iowa is better on both ends when Connor gets less PT. I have to insert my obligatory '"I respect Connor's hustle and grit" comment here, but his defender plays off 6-8 feet knowing he isn't going to drive or shoot. Even when others drive and kick he won't take the open shot. I am not singling him out as the reason for any losses or claiming he doesn't add value in some areas, but you need a guy at his spot willing to take an open shot off dribble penetration and that's not him.

Actually Aaron White is a pretty good compare IMHO...both players have a knack for the ball and are good at everything....both seemingly float around the court with sneaky good athleticism and make smart plays.

 

[Bee93]

PMac will be damn good when he gets stronger.

This team needs Joe T come March. The more confidence he develops now the better.

Keegan is mature beyond his years. He does so much on both ends of the court and always plays within himself. If he develops into a lethal perimeter shooter, he'll be a first round draft pick after his junior year. Seriously.

Good chance Keegan is NBA ready after next year. Remember he’s out of high school 2 years now.

 

[luvmyhawks]

Good chance Keegan is NBA ready after next year. Remember he’s out of high school 2 years now.

Shut up your whore mouth!!!

 

[CookyMonster]

Actually Aaron White is a pretty good compare IMHO...both players have a knack for the ball and are good at everything....both seemingly float around the court with sneaky good athleticism and make smart plays.

I like the Aaron White comp for P Mac better. Both can kinda shoot, kinda play the 3, but are at best as transition fours. Both's best attribute is pop at the rim. High iq, average rebound and defense

 

[Eternal Return]

The lineup with those three and Garza and Weiskamp was killing it offensively and defensively.

 

[Ihawkhoops]

I believe it was the MSU game in IC when Fran experimented with the smaller lineup and it paid dividends. Yesterday's game reminded me of that performance when Fran went with the quicker lineup. The team will miss aspects of Nunge's game, but big picture, I actually think they may be better on both ends going smaller.

Iowa can really carve people up when Garza plays that inside / outside game like he did yesterday. His recognition of the help side defender coming was almost flawless. Pulling that help defender a few more feet from the hoops makes recovery on the weak side ball reversal almost impossible.

 

[IowaPeach]

For the old timers in this group Murray reminds me some of James "Silk" Wilkes from one of the great UCLA championship teams of the 60s and early 70s. He's obviously not there yet, but he just looks smooth out there and he'll only get better. I'm confident Kris will be excellent as well.

 

[IowaPeach]

Sorry, make that Jaamal Wilkes instead of James.

 

[hawktech]

PMac will be damn good when he gets stronger.

This team needs Joe T come March. The more confidence he develops now the better.

Keegan is mature beyond his years. He does so much on both ends of the court and always plays within himself. If he develops into a lethal perimeter shooter, he'll be a first round draft pick after his junior year. Seriously.

.


Pmac does need some additional strength. But he is significantly heavier & stronger than last year. The switching of his meds to allow him to gain weight for a year was huge. He is a good 25+ pounds heavier than when he finished HS. I think we see big improvement as he learns to play with that weight & gains more strength.

Keep playing and coaching up Joe T! His stability down the stretch is a key for this team.

Can't say enough about KeM! Love his play. And the rebounds... They just seem to come at key moments. He just plays steady & heady ball. Which has me eager to see KrM! I really thought we might see more of him. And Ulis and Perkins.... But Fran limiting the rotation is not a bad thing for him to do.

Maybe we'll see more of KrM and Ulis & Perkins, when we are not playing the #4 team on the road.... But I will say this, next year Iowa fans will be scratching their heads as to why we didn't see more KrM. He good!

 

[hawktech]

Those three kids are Iowa's best defenders, and Joe Dub and C McC are decent defenders. All three are both fast and quick, cover a lot of court and can really create chaos.

Don't forget CJF! His defense and all-around game is frantastic. His assist to turnover ratio is 10. Yes, TEN. Very high basketball IQ with that one!

 

[WWDMHawkeye]

I have to agree. Keegan has the best potential to be an NBA player of our current group. he has length,can put it on the floor and outstanding hops and speed. He just floats around the floor. So smooth.

Perfect description. We've used exactly the same words many times -- he does seem to "float" around on the floor. We've also used the term "smooth" to describe his play a million times. Kid just has it. And his mental game seems right on point -- never seems to get down and is always on an even keel. Always calm and collected, always under control.

As for NBA readiness, I obviously hope he stays as long as humanly possible, but I do think he'd benefit from a good couple of years at the college level to develop his offensive game as a more primary option. He seems to have great potential be a scorer but he's obviously not a primary option in the current offense with so many great scorers and shooters around him.

Keegan has a unique way of standing out on the court without making a concerted effort to score a bunch. You just can't help but notice his impressive athletic ability, cool demeanor, great hustle, and quiet confidence. Man, what a pleasant surprise. Kid is a special player.

 

[Jumpshot00]

One of the many things I love about Keegan's game is he goes after the 50/50 ball all the time. It makes a huge difference. Some guys seem to pick their spots for that kind of effort. Joe T has that motor as well.

I think its taken the starters as a group all the way to February to not only realize the value of concentrated defensive effort, but to play that with that effort on a consistent basis. Next year's team might not have the offensive firepower to cover up defensive lapses, but I'm speculating they step up quite a bit on the other end of the floor.

 

[HawkLogic]

Perfect description. We've used exactly the same words many times -- he does seem to "float" around on the floor. We've also used the term "smooth" to describe his play a million times. Kid just has it. And his mental game seems right on point -- never seems to get down and is always on an even keel. Always calm and collected, always under control.

As for NBA readiness, I obviously hope he stays as long as humanly possible, but I do think he'd benefit from a good couple of years at the college level to develop his offensive game as a more primary option. He seems to have great potential be a scorer but he's obviously not a primary option in the current offense with so many great scorers and shooters around him.

Keegan has a unique way of standing out on the court without making a concerted effort to score a bunch. You just can't help but notice his impressive athletic ability, cool demeanor, great hustle, and quiet confidence. Man, what a pleasant surprise. Kid is a special player.

Keegan might be the most composed player in B1G . He gets some of the most egregiously bad ref calls go against him and he doesn't let it show up on his face and he doesn't complain. In the long run, that is a better
way to get refs behind you vs bitching and complaining after each call. Once his reputation as a "star" gets
confirmed, he'll get a lot better whistle. Wish we would have seen Kri because I expect he is similar defensively.

I think my comments on Keegan and kris signing 1 year ago was it would either make Fran look like a genius or an idiot. I have to admit, signing those two guys was genius. Now play them big minutes.

 

[Hawk_4shur]

Murray continues to amaze!

I thought everyone played well. That was a great win - especially coming after a beat down.

 

[IllQChawk]

Don't forget CJF! His defense and all-around game is frantastic. His assist to turnover ratio is 10. Yes, TEN. Very high basketball IQ with that one!

He made his first turnover yesterday, the kids not perfect.....time to replace him!😎

 

[Rifler]

I believe it was the MSU game in IC when Fran experimented with the smaller lineup and it paid dividends. Yesterday's game reminded me of that performance when Fran went with the quicker lineup. The team will miss aspects of Nunge's game, but big picture, I actually think they may be better on both ends going smaller.

Noticed this also,.. Jack being out forces Fran to game plan outside the normal box,.. Might be good going forward...

 

[The Deplorable Sleeping Dog]

Don't forget CJF! His defense and all-around game is frantastic. His assist to turnover ratio is 10. Yes, TEN. Very high basketball IQ with that one!

Duh on me. Right on. CJ is a very good defender, can stop the ball and keeps his man in front of him.

I think Iowa will be a team that relies on defense next season. Need someone to fill that hole in the middle. Nunge is now a huge question mark.

 

[Buffalo43]

Sorry, make that Jaamal Wilkes instead of James.

Without the funky but effective shot

 

[Suterman]

If Little Dick Pitino is fired maybe Liam Robbins would like to come and play for Iowa?

 

[NI hawk]

Sorry, make that Jaamal Wilkes instead of James.

Formerly known as Keith.

 

[hawktech]

Duh on me. Right on. CJ is a very good defender, can stop the ball and keeps his man in front of him.

I think Iowa will be a team that relies on defense next season. Need someone to fill that hole in the middle. Nunge is now a huge question mark.

Like @Suterman said, maybe Liam Robbins comes back to Iowa to play, now that lil D is gone from Minnesota.... Didn't like him leaving Drake. They would be better than Minnesota this year if he hadn't, for certain.

There is also another 6'11" Minnesota recruit, Treyton Thompson, who visited Iowa. He wouldn't fill much of a roll being a freshman. But could give some minutes.

Love me some CJF and his all-around play. He good