Keegan and Ulis Need More Minutes

[BirdistheWord]

Great win vs. UNC. From about 9 minutes to 4 minutes remaining was a Moxie tidal wave. Just awesome.

To give Iowa the best chance of maximizing potential and getting to the Final Four, we obviously need to be better on defense and must find a way to create easier scoring opportunities against very athletic teams. We cannot expect to hit 17 three pointers against said type teams.

We have to get more minutes for Keegan. He doesnt turn the ball over. He has length. He can play defense well. He can block shots.

I am a fan of Toussaint, but...IMHO he is a guy who really wants to be a 2 Guard, but is almost forced to play point guard. I love his quickness and he seems to have improved his 3 point shot. But, he just does not seem fluid with our offense and does not seem to have innate ability to feed others. Not saying he is terrible at it by any means, but just not fluid/efficient in the way he runs the point. He does bring a strong defensive presence so we do need him on the floor for moderate minutes....

I believe we have to get Ulis into the rotation against the good teams and for conference games. I just believe he is our only or at least best pure point guard. He has enough athleticism to penetrate, can create his own shot if needed but really seems fluid and natural at drawing defenders and getting the ball to his teammates FIRST. I know he is a true freshman but from what I have seen I think he would be able to limit his turnovers. I believe he has enough athleticism to play solid defense against the more athletic teams we will face. I believe he has a higher ceiling as a point guard than Joe Toussaint.

I know point guard is one of the hardest positions to master. But from what little I have seen of Ulis (albeit against weak competition), he looks confident, savvy and smooth. I feel it is a bet we have to place to give us more upside.

 

[Jumpshot00]

I don't know. I like Murray and Ulis, but I was also very happy about Fran's minute distribution. He didn't give guys minutes just because. Ulis may have to be patient..hopefully he does. He is an injury away from being an important piece. Patrick played only a few and that was the right call on that last night. Some nights he may play a ton. I do like Murray, depending on situation he may warrant more minutes eventually. Fran played tJBo, Wieskamp, and Frederick 30 plus and they were killing it offensively. Luka didn't have the greatest offensive night but he forces teams to pay attention and open things up for other players. He'll play 35 minutes regardless.

 

[Auger]

Keegan I would like to see get 10-12 a game. If anything I would rather Joe T get more minutes than Ulis at this point. Bohannon, Weiskamp, Fredrick, and Connor should all be getting 30 or more minutes. Would like to see Joe T getting 15-17 a game. Patrick will be getting 15 a game as well. Not a lot of minutes left for Ulis.

 

[H4wkfan4life]

Great win vs. UNC. From about 9 minutes to 4 minutes remaining was a Moxie tidal wave. Just awesome.

To give Iowa the best chance of maximizing potential and getting to the Final Four, we obviously need to be better on defense and must find a way to create easier scoring opportunities against very athletic teams. We cannot expect to hit 17 three pointers against said type teams.

We have to get more minutes for Keegan. He doesnt turn the ball over. He has length. He can play defense well. He can block shots.

I am a fan of Toussaint, but...IMHO he is a guy who really wants to be a 2 Guard, but is almost forced to play point guard. I love his quickness and he seems to have improved his 3 point shot. But, he just does not seem fluid with our offense and does not seem to have innate ability to feed others. Not saying he is terrible at it by any means, but just not fluid/efficient in the way he runs the point. He does bring a strong defensive presence so we do need him on the floor for moderate minutes....

I believe we have to get Ulis into the rotation against the good teams and for conference games. I just believe he is our only or at least best pure point guard. He has enough athleticism to penetrate, can create his own shot if needed but really seems fluid and natural at drawing defenders and getting the ball to his teammates FIRST. I know he is a true freshman but from what I have seen I think he would be able to limit his turnovers. I believe he has enough athleticism to play solid defense against the more athletic teams we will face. I believe he has a higher ceiling as a point guard than Joe Toussaint.

I know point guard is one of the hardest positions to master. But from what little I have seen of Ulis (albeit against weak competition), he looks confident, savvy and smooth. I feel it is a bet we have to place to give us more upside.

Slow your roll homie

 

[RocknRollface]

I'd like to see more Murray over Nunge.

Kegan is a more aggressive player on both ends.

 

[mazda1]

The bench rotation has been too deep for many and now you’re clamoring for more pt for bench players. Which is it? On any given night certain matchups will favor certain players. Score will also matter. I’m for letting Fran make those calls. He was right when he offered Keegan when many on here were screaming about a wasted scholarship. Fran has made us into a top 3 program, let’s let him steer the ship.

 

[Aleksei]

Most of us have only seen these guys play for a few minutes. Why pretend like we know better than the coaches who see them everyday, understand the long-term implications of who plays when, how long, in which rotation, at what points in the game? Their decisions have won us games so far! Why second guess them?

 

[Auger]

Ulis will be patient get his garbage minutes this year and then next year be a surprise player in the B1G getting 20-25 mins a game. Murray will be starting next year. He will be a special one. He has a similar work ethic and motor as past Iowa players that made huge strides in their game every year. By his Jr. year I would not be shocked to see him avg. 15ppg 8rpg.

 

[LAhawkeye]

Murray and Joe I think have earned a few more minutes. They both have shown they can add a spark off the bench when needed.

 

[Georgia_Hawk]

At some point during the year we will have guys out due to a turned ankle or "the illness". Great to have Murray and Uhlis available compared to what we would have put on the court in prior years.

 

[HawkLogic]

I'd like to see more Murray over Nunge.

Kegan is a more aggressive player on both ends.

I haven't given up on Nunge after 1 game..but Garza needed more help in the paint rebounding. In a game where the guards were ~ 17/30, we didn't need Nunge to put up 5 three point shots and miss them all. Patrick M also had too quick a trigger from three and he wasn't even close on his shots. Nunge at least had 1 or 2 that were close to going in.

We needed Nunge around the paint to rebound a garza miss and put it in. Keegan looks like quicker/better individual defender and he rebounds very well, so I could see him taking some of Nunge's minutes if Nunge isn't more effective in paint. Too early to tell for sure. Keegan certainly is impressive.

 

[H4wkfan4life]

The bench rotation has been too deep for many and now you’re clamoring for more pt for bench players. Which is it? On any given night certain matchups will favor certain players. Score will also matter. I’m for letting Fran make those calls. He was right when he offered Keegan when many on here were screaming about a wasted scholarship. Fran has made us into a top 3 program, let’s let him steer the ship.

Are you dumb? it's not hard to figure out.

Whatever fran decides...we should do the opposite

 

[Kurt Warner]

I'd like to see more Murray over Nunge.

Kegan is a more aggressive player on both ends.

Sorry but I don't agree. Nunge missed several shots that should have went in. I'm all for nunge playing a lot, he needs to get in the groove, then look out

Ps...I do love kegans game though and he is going to be a good one

 

[kceasthawk]

I haven't given up on Nunge after 1 game..but Garza needed more help in the paint rebounding. In a game where the guards were ~ 17/30, we didn't need Nunge to put up 5 three point shots and miss them all. Patrick M also had too quick a trigger from three and he wasn't even close on his shots. Nunge at least had 1 or 2 that were close to going in.

We needed Nunge around the paint to rebound a garza miss and put it in. Keegan looks like quicker/better individual defender and he rebounds very well, so I could see him taking some of Nunge's minutes if Nunge isn't more effective in paint. Too early to tell for sure. Keegan certainly is impressive.

The problem is with two bigs in the game it almost needs to be a high/low situation. If Garza is on the block we don't want Nunge down there as well clogging things up, and bringing his man in the lane to help defend Luka. Yes he needs to crash the boards on misses, but there's a catch 22 of getting over the back calls when coming in as well.

 

[BBHawk]

Here.we.go.

 

[DodgerHawki]

Most of us have only seen these guys play for a few minutes. Why pretend like we know better than the coaches who see them everyday, understand the long-term implications of who plays when, how long, in which rotation, at what points in the game? Their decisions have won us games so far! Why second guess them?

Because all of us know better even though none of us sees practice (sarcasm font). Seriously, after what we witnessed last night i have no idea why someone would complain about the rotation. Saying that Ulis needs more minutes is an uprovable statement either way. If he was in a position to help Iowa win more games right now in the opinion of Fran, he would play more. And Fran's opinion is the only one that matters.

Playing 9 guys is exactly perfect from this fan's perspective. Garza, Bohannon, Frederick, Wieskamp all played over 30 minutes. Against good teams, they will all play 30+ minutes if no injuries or foul trouble. And that's the way it should be. We should play our best players, and those guys are Iowa's best players. The other minutes will be distributed based on matchups and how a guy is playing that night. I suppose that Toussaint should play a few more minutes, but that's a minor point.

Ulis, Perkins, Josh O, Kris Murray can all bide their time. Their situation is not unique on good teams. On good teams, it's not uncommon for freshmen to not play much. The only way freshmen play big minutes on good teams is if the guy is an absolute stud. With Garza, Bohannon and possibly Wieskamp gone next year there will be plenty more minutes.

 

[Hawk_4shur]

Since he arrived, Fran has been in a position of putting the team in position to win each game while at the same time trying to keep guys fresh and build the program. I was pleased to see KM on the floor, and even more pleased after seeing his contributions. Some coaches might not have played him in that game.

I'm good with letting Fran make the call on rotations. 🤓

 

[fivecardstud14]

Sorry but I don't agree. Nunge missed several shots that should have went in. I'm all for nunge playing a lot, he needs to get in the groove, then look out

Ps...I do love kegans game though and he is going to be a good one

Should have went in? What does that mean? They didn't go in.

 

[jdv77]

Nunge probably played more than Keegan because of the size of UNC. Keegan certainly played well, but you can't fault Coach McCaffery for going with size to match up defensively against the frontcourt size of UNC.

I like Ulis, but you can't use last night to argue for him to get more minutes at the expense of Toussaint. 12 minutes for Toussaint, 6 points, 3 assists, 1 T.O.

 

[CleteyColgate]

Great win vs. UNC. From about 9 minutes to 4 minutes remaining was a Moxie tidal wave. Just awesome.

To give Iowa the best chance of maximizing potential and getting to the Final Four, we obviously need to be better on defense and must find a way to create easier scoring opportunities against very athletic teams. We cannot expect to hit 17 three pointers against said type teams.

We have to get more minutes for Keegan. He doesnt turn the ball over. He has length. He can play defense well. He can block shots.

I am a fan of Toussaint, but...IMHO he is a guy who really wants to be a 2 Guard, but is almost forced to play point guard. I love his quickness and he seems to have improved his 3 point shot. But, he just does not seem fluid with our offense and does not seem to have innate ability to feed others. Not saying he is terrible at it by any means, but just not fluid/efficient in the way he runs the point. He does bring a strong defensive presence so we do need him on the floor for moderate minutes....

I believe we have to get Ulis into the rotation against the good teams and for conference games. I just believe he is our only or at least best pure point guard. He has enough athleticism to penetrate, can create his own shot if needed but really seems fluid and natural at drawing defenders and getting the ball to his teammates FIRST. I know he is a true freshman but from what I have seen I think he would be able to limit his turnovers. I believe he has enough athleticism to play solid defense against the more athletic teams we will face. I believe he has a higher ceiling as a point guard than Joe Toussaint.

I know point guard is one of the hardest positions to master. But from what little I have seen of Ulis (albeit against weak competition), he looks confident, savvy and smooth. I feel it is a bet we have to place to give us more upside.

Ulis is the next frosh up after Keegan

 

[Kurt Warner]

Should have went in? What does that mean? They didn't go in.

You know that I mean 5cardpud

 

[The Deplorable Sleeping Dog]

Ahron is good but seriously not already better than any of Cererbus backcourt. Joey T is the quintessential point guard, as I think Ahron is as well. Joey has played the tough minutes in close games.

And who comes off the floor? CJ, our best shooter and second best defender? Jordan, the best 3ball in Iowa history, history of big plays and rarely misses at the line?

Now Ke Murray is a different story. The only thing ahead of him is Jack Nunge. He was terrible last night and the team played poorly when he was on the floor. Ke Murray's hustle, timely big plays and shot making lifted the team. In games like last night we need Luka playing 35, Nunge 5 and never together. Ke Murray should get all of the rest of Jack's minutes.

 

[Moral]

am a fan of Toussaint, but...IMHO he is a guy who really wants to be a 2 Guard, but is almost forced to play point guard.

WTF did I just read.

 

[HawkeyeInCentralIowa]

I'd like to see more Murray over Nunge.

Kegan is a more aggressive player on both ends.

Keegan is the hardest worker too.

 

[HawkeyeInCentralIowa]

WTF did I just read.

Something insanely stupid.

 

[Moral]

Something insanely stupid.

Right, the guy is one of our fastest and most penetrating points in a long time. On top of being a vicious defender.

 

[hawkeyeinmo]

WTF did I just read.

I had to read it a couple times also. Incredibly stupid.

 

[DodgerHawki]

Ahron is good but seriously not already better than any of Cererbus backcourt. Joey T is the quintessential point guard, as I think Ahron is as well. Joey has played the tough minutes in close games.

And who comes off the floor? CJ, our best shooter and second best defender? Jordan, the best 3ball in Iowa history, history of big plays and rarely misses at the line?

Now Ke Murray is a different story. The only thing ahead of him is Jack Nunge. He was terrible last night and the team played poorly when he was on the floor. Ke Murray's hustle, timely big plays and shot making lifted the team. In games like last night we need Luka playing 35, Nunge 5 and never together. Ke Murray should get all of the rest of Jack's minutes.

Nunge didn't make shots and fouled 3 times. Wasn't good. He'll play better. The reason he played more minutes was UNC was big. I would guess most games Nunge will primarily backup Garza, but it's likely Fran will play the 2 of them together some. Probably not as much as against UNC, but some.

 

[pocha444444]

You know that I mean 5cardpud

I think Kurt means that he should have made them because they were so wide open, but he just didn't because he isn't a very good shooter. Is that right?

 

[The Deplorable Sleeping Dog]

Nunge didn't make shots and fouled 3 times. Wasn't good. He'll play better. The reason he played more minutes was UNC was big. I would guess most games Nunge will primarily backup Garza, but it's likely Fran will play the 2 of them together some. Probably not as much as against UNC, but some.

I do not think it is a coincidence that the team took off immediately after Jack's injury last year and his first significant game this year was nearly catastrophic to the team. Other than a few minutes of rest for Luka Jack brings nothing to the game against good opponents. His worst game last year was DePaul, at that point the best team Iowa had played.

 

[seer_hawk]

I thought Fran did a good job with rotations in our first real test. If Ulis had played against UNC he probably would have taken minutes from Toussaint. Joe T has shown himself as aggressive in big games, while Ulis isn't there yet. Had this been later in the season things might have been different. A more proven Ulis might have deserved minutes against our best opponents. I like what we've seen against inferior competition.

Nunge was average, but I'm hoping this game helps in future games against strong competition. So far I think Jack is more crucial to a successful 2020-21. After almost 2 years off he needs game experience.

 

[Hawkfan_08]

At some point during the year we will have guys out due to a turned ankle or "the illness". Great to have Murray and Uhlis available compared to what we would have put on the court in prior years.

Sounds like the team was already hit pretty hard according to Bohannon.

 

[chuck285]

The trolls are working hard tonight. Last week it was get rid of JBO and Nunge needs more playing time. Too bad we are only 3rd in the nation with such stupid coaches and a bunch of ho hum players. We need to recruit all 5 star players. Move over Mike Krzyzewski!!!!

 

[Hawks4Life86]

The trolls are working hard tonight. Last week it was get rid of JBO and Nunge needs more playing time. Too bad we are only 3rd in the nation with such stupid coaches and a bunch of ho hum players. We need to recruit all 5 star players. Move over Mike Krzyzewski!!!!

Trolling is saying something controversial on purpose that you most likely don’t even believe, just to get a rise out of people. Although I see a lot of opinions in this thread I don’t agree with, they aren’t Peckerboy.

 

[RocknRollface]

Sounds like the team was already hit pretty hard according to Bohannon.

If I was in their shoes I would have made sure I got it over with in the summer.

 

[littlez]

I see Deplorable has a new whipping boy in Nunge. For a guy who really hasn't played because of 2 significant injuries I'd say he looks pretty decent. Definitely still getting his feet wet, and is going to get better. But keep doing your thing Deplorable. Your name fits you perfectly.

 

[Titanhawk2]

Murray will get plenty of time when Garza and Nunge get in foul trouble during the year. And Ulis is supposed to take time away from one of the 3 guys that scored 20 points the other night?

 

[littlez]

Ulis's time will come. I thought Fran did a great job changing the momentum the other night getting Joe T in there and Bohannon over to the 2. That's when the 14 pt run started if I remember properly. It's a free year for everybody. What has Ulis shown you over Joe in a few blowouts and then not getting in in the Carolina game? He'll get more time next year. Or not. And if not then he probably won't be happy and transfer. That's the way of the world. I think he'll stick around and be a solid contributor for 4 years.

 

[amahawk]

I think both Nunge and Keegan are still some what works in progress. Nunge fits when size is needed and Keegan for quickness. Both will be needed at times.

 

[kceasthawk]

I do not think it is a coincidence that the team took off immediately after Jack's injury last year and his first significant game this year was nearly catastrophic to the team. Other than a few minutes of rest for Luka Jack brings nothing to the game against good opponents. His worst game last year was DePaul, at that point the best team Iowa had played.

Color me confused??? "His first significant game this year" he scored a career high 18 points and we won by 30 something! If your referring to the UNC game how was it "catastrophic"? They took the lead for like thirty seconds and we took it right back and won going away. Its not like UNC catching up was all on Nunge either. As for "He brings nothing to the game", We'll just have to agree to disagree, but don't take my word for it. Go back and listen to what the analyst said during the game. He said he attended Iowa's practice for about 30 minutes, and later received numerous phone calls and texts from NBA people. EVERY one of them asked about the same guy. Guess who, and it wasn't Luka. Tell me about that Jack Nunge guy, was the gist of every conversation.......