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Might be time for a change

Brands bros are great at developing wrestlers, better than Cael imo. When Cael was head coach at ISU he didn't have much success vs Iowa.

Where Cael has excelled (pointed out by many), is at getting the best recruits. Take Retherford, a World Gold Cadet FS champ, a guy that beats an all time great Logan Steiber as a true fr.

Expecting "coaching" to turn Carton into a Retherford isn't realistic. Cael is starting with the bluest of the blue ribbon recruits out of HS.

Manville - another top 10 p4p, and a Cadet World Gold medalist.
Hall - World Jr Gold medalist. A true fr, who made finals, and could take the crown.
Nickal - well, let's see, he was 3-0 vs Hall. Top 10 p4p
Nolf - top 10 p4p, 3x PA state champ
Suriano - 159-0 in HS, 4x BOE champ, top 10 p4p

I could go on, but you get the idea, almost the entire team is a top 10 p4p. Give Brands some quality recruits like that and then we could crow about his ability to "develop" wrestlers. Puh-leez.

Now is recruiting part of coaching? Yes. So dinging Brands for being slow in that dept is fair criticism. But that seems to have been addressed in the last two years, and future is looking bright.

Bottom line... Cael has assembled a team of already stellar wrestlers from PA and across the land and has prevented them from deteriorating (rare exceptions - Gulibon, Altons), so he's deemed superhuman. Brands has woken up, has, and will be getting some top tier recruits and I suspect the tide will turn. Not next season, but perhaps the year after that.
 
Brands bros are great at developing wrestlers, better than Cael imo. When Cael was head coach at ISU he didn't have much success vs Iowa.

Where Cael has excelled (pointed out by many), is at getting the best recruits. Take Retherford, a World Gold Cadet FS champ, a guy that beats an all time great Logan Steiber as a true fr.

Expecting "coaching" to turn Carton into a Retherford isn't realistic. Cael is starting with the bluest of the blue ribbon recruits out of HS.

Manville - another top 10 p4p, and a Cadet World Gold medalist.
Hall - World Jr Gold medalist. A true fr, who made finals, and could take the crown.
Nickal - well, let's see, he was 3-0 vs Hall. Top 10 p4p
Nolf - top 10 p4p, 3x PA state champ
Suriano - 159-0 in HS, 4x BOE champ, top 10 p4p

I could go on, but you get the idea, almost the entire team is a top 10 p4p. Give Brands some quality recruits like that and then we could crow about his ability to "develop" wrestlers. Puh-leez.

Now is recruiting part of coaching? Yes. So dinging Brands for being slow in that dept is fair criticism. But that seems to have been addressed in the last two years, and future is looking bright.

Bottom line... Cael has assembled a team of already stellar wrestlers from PA and across the land and has prevented them from deteriorating (rare exceptions - Gulibon, Altons), so he's deemed superhuman. Brands has woken up, has, and will be getting some top tier recruits and I suspect the tide will turn. Not next season, but perhaps the year after that.

Seems I've hard for several years recruiting has improved and things will improve.
 
I'd say the ratio of the importance of talent vs. coaching style in the current state of college wrestling is about 95% talent and about 5% coaching style.

The formula, IMO, is to bring in the horses, help them hone their strengths and strengthen their weaknesses, and keep them motivated and in shape. And dodgeball. Lots and lots of dodgeball.
What was the formula/ratio in Gable's day? Honestly not trying to be a jerk- the landscape has definitely changed
 
Brands bros are great at developing wrestlers, better than Cael imo. When Cael was head coach at ISU he didn't have much success vs Iowa.

Where Cael has excelled (pointed out by many), is at getting the best recruits. Take Retherford, a World Gold Cadet FS champ, a guy that beats an all time great Logan Steiber as a true fr.

Expecting "coaching" to turn Carton into a Retherford isn't realistic. Cael is starting with the bluest of the blue ribbon recruits out of HS.

Manville - another top 10 p4p, and a Cadet World Gold medalist.
Hall - World Jr Gold medalist. A true fr, who made finals, and could take the crown.
Nickal - well, let's see, he was 3-0 vs Hall. Top 10 p4p
Nolf - top 10 p4p, 3x PA state champ
Suriano - 159-0 in HS, 4x BOE champ, top 10 p4p

I could go on, but you get the idea, almost the entire team is a top 10 p4p. Give Brands some quality recruits like that and then we could crow about his ability to "develop" wrestlers. Puh-leez.

Now is recruiting part of coaching? Yes. So dinging Brands for being slow in that dept is fair criticism. But that seems to have been addressed in the last two years, and future is looking bright.

Bottom line... Cael has assembled a team of already stellar wrestlers from PA and across the land and has prevented them from deteriorating (rare exceptions - Gulibon, Altons), so he's deemed superhuman. Brands has woken up, has, and will be getting some top tier recruits and I suspect the tide will turn. Not next season, but perhaps the year after that.

Exactly right.
 
Brands bros are great at developing wrestlers, better than Cael imo. When Cael was head coach at ISU he didn't have much success vs Iowa.

Where Cael has excelled (pointed out by many), is at getting the best recruits. Take Retherford, a World Gold Cadet FS champ, a guy that beats an all time great Logan Steiber as a true fr.

Expecting "coaching" to turn Carton into a Retherford isn't realistic. Cael is starting with the bluest of the blue ribbon recruits out of HS.

Manville - another top 10 p4p, and a Cadet World Gold medalist.
Hall - World Jr Gold medalist. A true fr, who made finals, and could take the crown.
Nickal - well, let's see, he was 3-0 vs Hall. Top 10 p4p
Nolf - top 10 p4p, 3x PA state champ
Suriano - 159-0 in HS, 4x BOE champ, top 10 p4p

I could go on, but you get the idea, almost the entire team is a top 10 p4p. Give Brands some quality recruits like that and then we could crow about his ability to "develop" wrestlers. Puh-leez.

Now is recruiting part of coaching? Yes. So dinging Brands for being slow in that dept is fair criticism. But that seems to have been addressed in the last two years, and future is looking bright.

Bottom line... Cael has assembled a team of already stellar wrestlers from PA and across the land and has prevented them from deteriorating (rare exceptions - Gulibon, Altons), so he's deemed superhuman. Brands has woken up, has, and will be getting some top tier recruits and I suspect the tide will turn. Not next season, but perhaps the year after that.

I'd also say that the additions of Rutt and Berhow have really helped. Morningstar is a very good recruiter. We have the coaches, we just gotta continue to make inroads into Pennsylvania
 
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Seems I've hard for several years recruiting has improved and things will improve.
Patience young one these things take time. We are redshirting 2 good ones right now and 3 more are coming this fall. Also Turk got hurt right away this year and he is a freshman. He presumably would have been in Cartons place. Wilcke will go to his natural weight at 184 next year as well.:D
 
So let me understand this. We fall all over ourselves in love with Ferentz and his career 7-5 record every year, but we want to fire a wrestling coach that has us top 5 in the nation most years. Hmmmm ok.
 
Tom and Terry exemplify everything we love about hawkeye wrestling. No one wants to win more than them. They've identified where they've lacked (recruiting) and have attacked it head on. No one out there available is better than Tom and Terry. These guys will go out on their sword and if it's not good enough to get back on top than so freaking be it.
 
So let me understand this. We fall all over ourselves in love with Ferentz and his career 7-5 record every year, but we want to fire a wrestling coach that has us top 5 in the nation most years. Hmmmm ok.

Not a apples to apples comparison. If Iowa football was Alabama status, which is what the wrestling program was, we would be firing ferentz . Iowa has been the king of wrestling , not anymore.
 
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You can support the coaches and wrestlers but still question what is best for the program. Im here in St. Louis and have cheered on all wrestlers, felt sick for gilman, and brooks, and even got into it with some fans around us who were trashing all iowa and brands.

That being said i still think something needs to change. Recruiting has picked up which is great, but i would still like to see a coach with a different style brought in. Maybe on staff, maybe in the wrestling club. Someone like David Taylor, but it doesnt have to be that big of name either, maybe a guy like Taylor Walsh. Just someone in the middle to upper weights with a unique style.
I.LIKED.the.part.where.you.got.into.with.fans.from.other.schools.
 
It's been 7 years since Iowa won an NCAA Title. Since Kurdelmeier, there was one other dry spell of 7 years between NCAA titles ('01-'07) which included two 8th place finishes and a 7th. After Tom won his 3 NCAA Team Titles, Iowa has finished, 3rd, 3rd, 4th, 4th, 2nd, 5th, 4th. The previous ten years, Iowa has one 5th place finish as their lowest place at the NCAAs. Other than PSU, no other program has had the success of Iowa over the past 10 years. A 5th place and a 4th place the past two years at the NCAAs causes the sky to be falling? The ridiculous expectations Iowa has created for their program among the fan base is warranted, but do you know how many other programs would love to have Iowa's "sub-par, and unacceptable" results? Even though Iowa has not won a title in 7 years, they have not ever finished lower than 5th during that time. That is a pretty good problem to have. Am I satisfied, or happy with 5th and 4th etc? No, but I haven't lost faith in TnT. I remind myself, yes, there were many great years, and if finishing 4th at the NCAAs is a poor performance, I guess we still have it pretty good, but yes, we still expect titles, and I know TnT are committed to striving to achieve them, and hopefully (after the current PSU line up graduates) Iowa make the necessary changes to get back on top.
 
It's been 7 years since Iowa won an NCAA Title. Since Kurdelmeier, there was one other dry spell of 7 years between NCAA titles ('01-'07) which included two 8th place finishes and a 7th. After Tom won his 3 NCAA Team Titles, Iowa has finished, 3rd, 3rd, 4th, 4th, 2nd, 5th, 4th. The previous ten years, Iowa has one 5th place finish as their lowest place at the NCAAs. Other than PSU, no other program has had the success of Iowa over the past 10 years. A 5th place and a 4th place the past two years at the NCAAs causes the sky to be falling? The ridiculous expectations Iowa has created for their program among the fan base is warranted, but do you know how many other programs would love to have Iowa's "sub-par, and unacceptable" results? Even though Iowa has not won a title in 7 years, they have not ever finished lower than 5th during that time. That is a pretty good problem to have. Am I satisfied, or happy with 5th and 4th etc? No, but I haven't lost faith in TnT. I remind myself, yes, there were many great years, and if finishing 4th at the NCAAs is a poor performance, I guess we still have it pretty good, but yes, we still expect titles, and I know TnT are committed to striving to achieve them, and hopefully (after the current PSU line up graduates) Iowa make the necessary changes to get back on top.
Very well-stated, brother.
 
It's been 7 years since Iowa won an NCAA Title. Since Kurdelmeier, there was one other dry spell of 7 years between NCAA titles ('01-'07) which included two 8th place finishes and a 7th. After Tom won his 3 NCAA Team Titles, Iowa has finished, 3rd, 3rd, 4th, 4th, 2nd, 5th, 4th. The previous ten years, Iowa has one 5th place finish as their lowest place at the NCAAs. Other than PSU, no other program has had the success of Iowa over the past 10 years. A 5th place and a 4th place the past two years at the NCAAs causes the sky to be falling? The ridiculous expectations Iowa has created for their program among the fan base is warranted, but do you know how many other programs would love to have Iowa's "sub-par, and unacceptable" results? Even though Iowa has not won a title in 7 years, they have not ever finished lower than 5th during that time. That is a pretty good problem to have. Am I satisfied, or happy with 5th and 4th etc? No, but I haven't lost faith in TnT. I remind myself, yes, there were many great years, and if finishing 4th at the NCAAs is a poor performance, I guess we still have it pretty good, but yes, we still expect titles, and I know TnT are committed to striving to achieve them, and hopefully (after the current PSU line up graduates) Iowa make the necessary changes to get back on top.
We are going to get less than 5th next year. I know we likely will do better in 2 years and beyond, but it's truly irrelevant to say that other teams would be happy with our level of success.
 
The thing that is crazy is that 1,3,3,3,4 and about 7 other points only gets you 4th.

That's why as a fan I like evaluating a tournament by point total more than ordinal placing. Contrary to others, I'd much rather finish 4th with around 100 points than 2nd with like 78 points or whatever.

It's really really hard to quibble with 97 points. Yes we want a championship, but the team wrestled well and imo was successful.
 
Scoring is arbitrary - we wrestled better than 4th and 8 out of 9 Saturday was awesome. We were frickin' tough as nails.
I seem to remember a wise Iowa fan claiming amid the gloom and doom on Friday night that we very well could go 1, 3, 3, 3, 3 or something very close to it. Hmmm.;)

Seriously, though, I couldn't agree more. The Hawks showed some serious Iowa toughness on Saturday. Really felt like Brooks was controlling the match against Dudley, too, until that weird scramble that led to the fall. They didn't get any headlines for it, but that Saturday performance was extremely impressive by all of the guys.
 
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I seem to remember a wise Iowa fan claiming amid the gloom and doom on Friday night that we very well could go 1, 3, 3, 3, 3 or something very close to it. Hmmm.;)

Seriously, couldn't agree more. The Hawks showed some serious Iowa toughness on Saturday. Really felt like Brooks was controlling the match against Dudley, too, until that weird scramble that led to the fall. They didn't get any headlines for it, but that Saturday performance was extremely impressive by all of the guys.

Hats off to you.
 
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Look you can complain all you want but the truth is PSU struck gold with Sanderson and it ain't changing anytime soon.It will take awhile for TNT to get us back but if you don't like it head on over to BWI with your friends.
 
Michigan and tOSU and even Minny will have better teams next year. Other than Retherford and Nickal, I don't think the rest of the PSU champs are a lock. I will be interesting to see if IMar stays at 165 or goes back down.
 
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