Jonesing for bball news
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Kind of an old clip, but JoBo making it look easy from deep. Hey, it's in Carver and it's somethin lol.
Maybe something from Fran indicating our difficulties with getting alleyoops off glass
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He's not a Hawkeye at this point but Xavier Foster shattered a backboard at the Team USA practice.
Can't wait to get this season going to see what we've got. Most Iowa fans, not all, but most, like our players and think we are going to have a pretty decent year. To me, that means 20+ wins, an a upper third finish in the Big Ten and a NCAA Tournament bid. Most media types don't agree and seemed pretty underwhelmed by our talent and prospects. Almost all of them are predicting Iowa to finish somewhere in the middle to lower end of the conference and the bracketologists are universally excluding our participation. Something has to give. Bring it on!
The question marks for Iowa:
1) How much will the defense progress?
2) Is Moss ready to take that next step as a scorer who will draw attention no matter where he is on the court?
3) How much improvement will we see out of Kreiner, Cook and Pemsl? And will the newcomers be able to press for quality minutes?
1) How much will the defense progress?
2) Is Moss ready to take that next step as a scorer who will draw attention no matter where he is on the court?
3) How much improvement will we see out of Kreiner, Cook and Pemsl? And will the newcomers be able to press for quality minutes?
If Moss can play consistently, last year he was super hot or not involved it seemed, and get to the rim out of the half court set vs just in transition (which he does as good as anyone I can remember in an Iowa uniform) then this team will be able to make some noise in the BIG and the NCAAs.
Starting with Chicago State -- they've got to realize that they're only going to be as good as their defense.
We have enough interchangeable pieces at SF, PF and C that even if 1 person was injured or didn't step up this year I still feel fairly confident we could make the NCAA's. We have insurance at those positions, even though losing someone like Cook or Baer would hurt.
However, at PG and SG I feel much more nervous:
PG: JaBo will show up and be great, but his backup is a huge question. An injury here and the NCAA's may be difficult. Connor playing would make me rest easier, as he showed enough in Europe that I think he could be a key piece this year in particular if we had a longer duration injury to JaBo.
SG: Moss is critical here, because he can shoot and get into the middle of the defense with his athleticism. Barring injury elsewhere, he may be the most critical piece to the puzzle this year in terms of needing him to take another step forward. He's also our best finisher on the break. Our offense lacks penetrators who can force the defense to collapse off the dribble - he's one of the few who can, and can create shots for others in doing so.
I wish Dailey was healthy and taking steps forward as he brings similar pieces to the table, but he's not as advanced as Moss yet.
However, at PG and SG I feel much more nervous:
PG: JaBo will show up and be great, but his backup is a huge question. An injury here and the NCAA's may be difficult. Connor playing would make me rest easier, as he showed enough in Europe that I think he could be a key piece this year in particular if we had a longer duration injury to JaBo.
SG: Moss is critical here, because he can shoot and get into the middle of the defense with his athleticism. Barring injury elsewhere, he may be the most critical piece to the puzzle this year in terms of needing him to take another step forward. He's also our best finisher on the break. Our offense lacks penetrators who can force the defense to collapse off the dribble - he's one of the few who can, and can create shots for others in doing so.
I wish Dailey was healthy and taking steps forward as he brings similar pieces to the table, but he's not as advanced as Moss yet.
SG and back-up PG spots need to be solidified. Agree with DanHawkPella that the front court is well manned and in some respects a problem as Fran tries to sort out enough playing time for 6-7 guys ..... I mean Ahmad Wagner is almost an afterthought nowadays and he has started more than 25 games over the last two seasons.
SG & back-up PG. To me, assuming Connor stays redshirted, Ellingson becomes a VIP player this year. He will get significant minutes off the bench at SG and, I suspect, occasional spot duty at PG. He can shoot and handle the ball. Could be included as 3rd guard as part of a "small" or "shooters" "line-up. BE is the utility player that Fran can move around and he is virtually certain to be on the court late in the game absent a blow-out win.
SG & back-up PG. To me, assuming Connor stays redshirted, Ellingson becomes a VIP player this year. He will get significant minutes off the bench at SG and, I suspect, occasional spot duty at PG. He can shoot and handle the ball. Could be included as 3rd guard as part of a "small" or "shooters" "line-up. BE is the utility player that Fran can move around and he is virtually certain to be on the court late in the game absent a blow-out win.
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I'm really looking forward to my first raspberry-chocolate cone. Any new flavors coming?
Another way of looking at this is that we need for a couple of guys to emerge as full-fledged conference stars in the frontcourt to compete in the upper half of the B1G because that's where our strength is.
Agree that Moss is key in the backcourt, in some ways even more than JB, because he has the potential to be a starting defensive stopper at guard as well as replace some of Jok's offensive threat.
Agree that BE could be a key reserve. If he and CW emerge as viable backups to JB, a lot of worries go away.
I knew Dailey had a minor injury this summer but assumed that he was recovered. Guess we'll find out about those kind of things at media day coming up which is when exactly?
Solidify the guard depth and we can all sleep easier.
Injuries happen, but so does foul trouble. And, way more often. 2 early fouls on JBo puts us in a bind, perhaps, for the rest of the half unless we've solved that issue.
Injuries happen, but so does foul trouble. And, way more often. 2 early fouls on JBo puts us in a bind, perhaps, for the rest of the half unless we've solved that issue.
Y
Yup. That will be the strategy against the Hawks. Get him on the bench for long stretches, and the team changes significantly. Hoping CW had an offseason awakening and he becomes a reliable second option at the point.
I think HawkNole09 is exactly correct.....any issues arise of any significance and Connor won't be redshirting.
Hopefully CW plays close to his potential. If he does we will be more than fine.
Hopefully CW plays close to his potential. If he does we will be more than fine.
CMcC is taking the RS. Fran is a dad in this case. Can't really judge him for that.
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Further on Crispin says:
"Scoring won't be an issue [for Iowa], but defense could determine the outcome for the Hawkeyes this year."
Very true.
I'd agree. I think Fran has finished higher then projected by the media in almost every conf race. Them picking Iowa at 7th to me looks like a 4th or 5th place finish. If they continue to progress, I could see the Hawks being a serious contender next season.
Yep. I have no worries for their offense or their ability to score. I do have worries about the defense. If they can stop dribble penetration, they should be much better than last year. Learning and improving in the team defensive concepts will be huge for them.
Just playing whatever the opposite of Devil's Advocate is.
We are returning every guy that played point guard off of a 10-8 Big Ten team that would have made the NCAA Tournament if not for early season stumbles while they were learning.
Yes, we can't afford to lose Bohannon for any long stretch. And yes, it's fair to say we could use improvement. But is the situation at point guard not likely already improved just by a years experience?
Here's to hoping JBo stays healthy, that Christian is over that hip problem and back issues he had last year, and that Ellingson is as sound as he looking in the summer. If so, we should be fine. If not, then we'll see if Fran thinks about Connor and if we need him.
We are returning every guy that played point guard off of a 10-8 Big Ten team that would have made the NCAA Tournament if not for early season stumbles while they were learning.
Yes, we can't afford to lose Bohannon for any long stretch. And yes, it's fair to say we could use improvement. But is the situation at point guard not likely already improved just by a years experience?
Here's to hoping JBo stays healthy, that Christian is over that hip problem and back issues he had last year, and that Ellingson is as sound as he looking in the summer. If so, we should be fine. If not, then we'll see if Fran thinks about Connor and if we need him.
I usually caution against having unrealistic expectations, but if we stay relatively healthy (especially JBo), with our most favorable B1G schedule (on paper) in years, I will be surprised if Iowa doesn't win at least 11 games in conference. With some second-year break out years, we could add a couple of wins to that. We do need to have 40 min of quality PG play, to go with the deepest front court we have had in a LONG time. Of course, there are 13 other teams doing everything they can do to win, so you have to play the games and hope that you get your fair share of breaks along the way...
And, after reading Jon Crispin's article, it sounds as if there are a lot of teams looking to breakout or maintain from last year's standing. Once again, it'll be a dogfight. We don't need any, ANY, Minnesota finishes to compound things.
I still have concerns about our ability to stop ball penetration. The good thing is that we will have some real height again that hopefully stops a few more shots at the rim.
All I know is we’re getting to the free throw line this year.
Pound it inside to Cook, Pemsl, Garza, Kreiner and Nunge and occasionally off glass to Wagner
Pound it inside to Cook, Pemsl, Garza, Kreiner and Nunge and occasionally off glass to Wagner
I think our defense will be much improved this year.
Last year we were a young team. We had 3 Sr/Jrs - Jok, Uhl, Jones
--Loved Pete but lets face it, he was average at best on the defensive end, Uhl the same, Jones a non factor due to injury.
--Sophs - Ellingson, Wagner, Baer, Williams - effort guys but not great defensively - Ellingson plays decent team defense, Wagner physically strong, rebounder, Baer great effort/hustle struggles with great athletes William great length - should see improvement and better team chemistry with these guys
We played 4-6 1st time players who were lost most of the time on defense
--They relied on their athletic ability. They weren't in shape like they will be this year and they will be physically stronger.
--Team defense wasn't 2nd nature, they had to think how to react rather than just react
We added 2 freshman that can provide more rim protection.
I think the only thing we lack on the defensive end is a quick lockdown defender but the team defense will be much improved
Last year we were a young team. We had 3 Sr/Jrs - Jok, Uhl, Jones
--Loved Pete but lets face it, he was average at best on the defensive end, Uhl the same, Jones a non factor due to injury.
--Sophs - Ellingson, Wagner, Baer, Williams - effort guys but not great defensively - Ellingson plays decent team defense, Wagner physically strong, rebounder, Baer great effort/hustle struggles with great athletes William great length - should see improvement and better team chemistry with these guys
We played 4-6 1st time players who were lost most of the time on defense
--They relied on their athletic ability. They weren't in shape like they will be this year and they will be physically stronger.
--Team defense wasn't 2nd nature, they had to think how to react rather than just react
We added 2 freshman that can provide more rim protection.
I think the only thing we lack on the defensive end is a quick lockdown defender but the team defense will be much improved
And that's a thing I think people forget. It's possible (not saying likely) to have 5 good individual defenseive players on the court together and still be a bad defensive team. You have to learn how to play defense as a group. If you are inserting 1-2 new guys, it should pretty quick. If you are inserting 3-4, plus a couple of new back ups, it's going to take a while. You have to be able to read the offense, communicate, identify help, know the rotations, etc. When you are trying to do that with a new group, it's really hard.
Having to think instead of doing, as you said, is the difference between being there on help defense (or the right rotation) v being a step late and watching a guy throw down or dish to a guy throwing down.
Throwing 5 new guys together offensively is far easier. They grow up learning basic offensive schemes, moving to open space, reacting to a teammate driving, finding gaps, etc.
None of that means they can't learn it, but it's not as easy as many would like it to be.
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