"Much deeper rotation" indicated

[The Deplorable Sleeping Dog]

Something else just came to me re: C Mac. He was an ESPN top 100 4*, now entering his third season of active play. This is the point in the career where those lower end 4* are supposed to become stars. C Mac will probably never be 1st team All B!G he could become a much more prominent player with a not unrealistic level of improvement. As a point of apples to apples, Connor and Luka were both like ESPN national 98 or something like that.

1. Improve his shot. Went from 20% as a RS F to 34% as an RS So. What if he improves the three ball to around 40%, less than half the level of improvement from F-So. Not unrealistic.

2. Penetrate on smaller defenders. Improve that and the little lefty poor man's Chris Mullin turnaround and maybe a few plays to post up those little guys.

3. 5% improvement on FT %. Again, not unrealistic.

Just those three things could add 5 or 6 ppg to Connor's line and close to the same net positive, to the whole team. There are obviously other things upon which to improve but we should not exclude the possibility? We knew we had a good center before last season, we just didn't know PoY good. Not saying Connor is going to be PoY good but he we might not have seen his top end.

 

[PHawkKenyon]

Kenyon,
You have gotten to see a lot of basketball in your time. I am sure as a former player and the father of two current players it has got to be hard to be objective. I am curious though, how good do you think this team can be?

Is there anyone that your boys say, "man ______ is really good."

I think this team along with the roughly outlined schedule are simply going to be some of the best entertainment of my life time. As you can see, I have a hard time being objective also.

It really isn't hard to be objective when it come to my boys. Do I want them to play a lot? Absolutely. But the reality is that for their future and that of the men's basketball team, they may have to wait their turn. I know their physical transformation, their skill set and more importantly, their basketball IQ has put them in a position to play this year, but to be able to learn from the veterans on this roster is a BLESSING!! How fortunate are they to be able to practice with the NPOY, leading 3pt shooting in Iowa history, an NBA wing prospect and arguably the best shooter in the B10 as a freshman! My boys have always been "team players" and they know their time is coming. A year ago they were in Florida not knowing where they would land and now they are living their dream.

"Trust the process. Your time is coming. Just do the work and the results will handle themselves." Tony Gaskins

 

[TheTruthTheWholeTruth]

40% from 3 is likely unrealistic for Connor based upon last years stats for the entirety of CBB. Do you know how many players(qualifying) shot 40%+ last year? Don’t you know the what the average for all of CBB was last year from 3? Those numbers may surprise you.....

 

[Ronman]

Yeah, it's unlikely Connor will improve enough to shoot 40% from three. Only Fredrick did last season and no one else was really close. But it seems to me that Connor improved as the year progressed and I seem to remember him hitting some BIG shots toward the end of some tight games. He really adds so much in other areas, if his shooting improves at all, it will be an added bonus.

 

[amahawk]

I would rather have good depth of great talent than great depth of good talent.

 

[St78I81]

Fran usually does worse with a deeper rotation, he tends to tinker too much, I think.

The good news is that with the most talented team we've had in quite a while, there should be opportunities to get some of the younger players some good minutes. Because, like--we'll be ahead!

 

[TheTruthTheWholeTruth]

I’m curious if perception is reality when it comes to Fran being a better coach with less players at his disposal. So let’s try to quantify this a little. When Fran plays X players at least X minutes/game then Iowa tends to be worse/better. Give me some numbers and let’s see what is or isn’t true.

 

[kceasthawk]

Fran usually does worse with a deeper rotation, he tends to tinker too much, I think.

I'd have to agree with the folks who said the biggest issue is the hockey type line changes. The whole team must get in the flow all at once when they're all coming in cold. Better to keep 2 or 3 starters in there at all times and rotate...

 

[kceasthawk]

It really isn't hard to be objective when it come to my boys. Do I want them to play a lot? Absolutely. But the reality is that for their future and that of the men's basketball team, they may have to wait their turn. I know their physical transformation, their skill set and more importantly, their basketball IQ has put them in a position to play this year, but to be able to learn from the veterans on this roster is a BLESSING!! How fortunate are they to be able to practice with the NPOY, leading 3pt shooting in Iowa history, an NBA wing prospect and arguably the best shooter in the B10 as a freshman! My boys have always been "team players" and they know their time is coming. A year ago they were in Florida not knowing where they would land and now they are living their dream.

"Trust the process. Your time is coming. Just do the work and the results will handle themselves." Tony Gaskins

Really enjoy having you on the board to share your thoughts KM, and will very much enjoy watching your young men grow and mature as HAWKS!

 

[The Deplorable Sleeping Dog]

Dad's too modest. Sticking with my prediction....one or both Ks play at the same spot and get a few minutes in the regular rotation. I think the last man in of that regular rotation probably because the first seven are pretty good (kind of forecasting on P Mac).

But there's a hole in the size and skill set and one or both of the Murrays is the natural fill. Nature abhors a vacuum.

 

[2432Hawk]

Keegan might be the Vegas bet to see more minutes between them. He is slightly taller and plays more of a perimeter 3 game while Kris is more of a small 4 who is active closer to the rim (although he can shoot too).

Keegan might compare to Patrick and Kris to Baer, if that helps.

Keegan is a 3/4 to me while Kris is a 4/3. But Keegan’s length, shooting and ball handling make him the better player atm imo, but perhaps he’s too similar to Patrick so Kris’ skill set at a PF position lacking depth may be a backdoor path to more minutes.

Still think it’s Keegan though, as he can play the 4 and has 10lbs on Patrick at least.

I see it almost the opposite. Keegan is the better shooter, but also the better post player. I see him as the stretch 4, where as Kris is a 3 (that's mostly off of how they played at Prep school) Kris may not shoot it as well, but he's a slasher and could be a defensive guy to get minutes on the wing. Best thing is, they're both very versatile to play positionless basketball. Both were getting time at the 5 a bit too when Nunge wasn't yet cleared and in small lineups they could defend smaller posts.

 

[bowlhawk]

It really isn't hard to be objective when it come to my boys. Do I want them to play a lot? Absolutely. But the reality is that for their future and that of the men's basketball team, they may have to wait their turn. I know their physical transformation, their skill set and more importantly, their basketball IQ has put them in a position to play this year, but to be able to learn from the veterans on this roster is a BLESSING!! How fortunate are they to be able to practice with the NPOY, leading 3pt shooting in Iowa history, an NBA wing prospect and arguably the best shooter in the B10 as a freshman! My boys have always been "team players" and they know their time is coming. A year ago they were in Florida not knowing where they would land and now they are living their dream.

"Trust the process. Your time is coming. Just do the work and the results will handle themselves." Tony Gaskins

Kenyon, would be curious to know your thoughts and/or your sons thoughts on how the other freshman are performing. Love having the insight of a former player on this board!

 

[twindman]

I thought Kris rebounded better than Keegan last year according to stats.

 

[intrepodor]

Yeah, Josh O would struggle to see time in any situation, but add in the fact he needs to get into better physical condition while also working on basketball skills and he is facing an uphill battle. He would be the perfect candidate for someone being able to improve if they had JV games.

Shouldn't JO be in basketball shape by the end of preseason practices?

 

[BBHawk]

Shouldn't JO be in basketball shape by the end of preseason practices?

No. He is a project that needs to pretty much rebuild from what I have read. The potential is there.