Nunge article in Press-Citizen
- Thread starter Hawk.Eye.Am
- Start date
You have to be excited about Nunge's potential to grow into a player of Uthoff's abilities - or a variant thereof.
I have a feeling he's going to be a real steal for this class.
Sounds like he's an intelligent, focused, and humble kid...
"Nunge is also a top-notch student who scored a perfect 36 on the math portion of his ACT test. He plans to become a doctor, like his father."
"Gibson was just as impressed with Nunge’s humility. He related a story of when Mills and another Castle teammate were signing their letters of intent to play at Division III schools. Nunge sat in the back of the room to deflect attention from himself."
“They asked him to move up closer, and he was the biggest cheerleader in the room for these kids,” Gibson said. “He does not have any pretense about him, and I think that Iowa fans are going to love that about him.”
I have a feeling he's going to be a real steal for this class.
Sounds like he's an intelligent, focused, and humble kid...
"Nunge is also a top-notch student who scored a perfect 36 on the math portion of his ACT test. He plans to become a doctor, like his father."
"Gibson was just as impressed with Nunge’s humility. He related a story of when Mills and another Castle teammate were signing their letters of intent to play at Division III schools. Nunge sat in the back of the room to deflect attention from himself."
“They asked him to move up closer, and he was the biggest cheerleader in the room for these kids,” Gibson said. “He does not have any pretense about him, and I think that Iowa fans are going to love that about him.”
I hope he and Garza both refshirt.
Not because I dont think they could contribute this season, I just really like the idea of those two, the McCaffery boys and Weiskamp having a couple seasons together as the main group.
I think it could be our best group since the early 90s.
Not because I dont think they could contribute this season, I just really like the idea of those two, the McCaffery boys and Weiskamp having a couple seasons together as the main group.
I think it could be our best group since the early 90s.
That would be fantastic, but doesn't seem realistic. Would be nice if at least one of them could but they both like they could be really nice pieces.
I really cant see much for playing time next year but it most likely wont happen.
A 5th year out of either just seems so much better than 5 minutes a game this year.
Well. Nunge did get a perfect 36 on the math portion of the ACT, so hopefully his 'playing time calculations' come up with the same answer as you and me. I think he would really benefit by redshirting and spending time in the weight room.
The below quotes by Fran don't sound like he's going to redshirt Nunge but play play him minutes at 3, 4, and 5 this year. Nunge playing with Wieskamp and the McCafferys sounds great but I think Fran is more concerned about the now that he could do with Cook and Bohannon.
"We'll take advantage of everything he does," McCaffery said of Nunge. "He's got perimeter skill like a '3' man. He's big enough to play center. He can pick and pop and play the '4'. He can post up. He's got moves off either shoulder. He can finish with his left or his right hand.
And he can run, he can play fast, which is really good."
What does one have to do with the other?
There wasn't enough minuets to go around at the 4/5 spots this year and everbody is back.
Theres no meaningful minutes available.
As I've said before....Aaron White and Jarrod Uthoff were stretch 4s but played SF at times out of necessity.
We'll see Cook, Wagner, and Nunge possibly getting some of their minutes at SF with Baer and Uhl. Pemsl, Kriener, and Garza Will hold down the post.
We'll see Cook, Wagner, and Nunge possibly getting some of their minutes at SF with Baer and Uhl. Pemsl, Kriener, and Garza Will hold down the post.
+1000 you dont redshirt talent = Nunge & Garza. On top of that ..both will improve our rebounding on both ends automatically. It is about the now.
It depends upon how good they are this first year. If Nunge is physically ready for the Big 10, there is a place in the rotation for a 6-11 stretch 4 or 3 to play. And Garza has something that the rest of the roster doesn't - legitimate center size. Iowa's defense was really bad last year. Guys who are tall automatically improve the ability to defend the basket.
Hes basically the same size as Kriener. Maybe an inch taller but with a shorter reach. Kriener is heavier too based on their current listed weights.
For those two to see meaningful minutes they will have to take the few that Uhl and Wagner were getting which isnt much to begin with.
Just doesnt seem realistic to me for true freshman.
3rd year sophmore Jarrod Uthoff couldnt beat out Zack McCabe for minutes.
The thing to keep in mind about minutes, it isn't about the "average minutes". What really matters is the likelihood that the player will be needed for significant minutes (10+ or so) in any given game. With Garza, I view him as providing an extra few fouls if we end up in closely called physical games. We can use Kriener's experience to start, and if we hit foul trouble, still bring in Garza to maintain size. After that, we have a choice of playing an undersized center (Wagner, Pemsl) vs losing offensive ability (Uhl -- not that he's prototypical size for a center).
Nunge I think is less likely to be needed, given that we can plug in Cook, Pemsl, Wagner, Uhl, Baer at the 4 and Moss, Ellingson, Dailey, Baer at the 3. The issue becomes, does he offer the upside to be a better option at times throughout the year?
One other question for those advocating redshirting either or both... where do you see the program in 4 years? Will we be recruiting equally or more poorly than now? Or would we be forfeiting the option to recruit Top 100 kids to continue elevating the program?
These are all very close options in my mind, and I think we've heard which way Fran is leaning, but I don't think anything is set in stone.
Nunge I think is less likely to be needed, given that we can plug in Cook, Pemsl, Wagner, Uhl, Baer at the 4 and Moss, Ellingson, Dailey, Baer at the 3. The issue becomes, does he offer the upside to be a better option at times throughout the year?
One other question for those advocating redshirting either or both... where do you see the program in 4 years? Will we be recruiting equally or more poorly than now? Or would we be forfeiting the option to recruit Top 100 kids to continue elevating the program?
These are all very close options in my mind, and I think we've heard which way Fran is leaning, but I don't think anything is set in stone.
Yeah, Iowa is likely to red shirt a 4 star Garza with needed size (sarcasm). Fran has said Nunge will play too so I'd guess he sees potential minutes for him. I know Cook and Pemsl did a great job as freshman, but Garza and Nunge have height advantages and pair vs. pair are as highly ranked so who's to say at this point earns the minutes. If Jack can defend at the three there will be plenty of available minutes for him. I could easily see Uhl and Wagners minutes going to these guys.
I'm hoping that IA will be recruiting at a higher level in 4 years. Reasons why I think this is possible:
Chemistry: The current players really seem to enjoy playing for Fran. I was expecting 1 or 2 transfers this year - hasn't happened yet.
Tempo/style of play: I think Fran's fast tempo is an attraction for kids.
(hopefully) Continued post-season success: I don't want to put the cart before the horse, but I expect a run of NCAA appearances the next 3 years.
I'll defer to Fran on who, if anyone besides Conner, redshirts. And he won't do it unless the player agrees with it.
But, if we can be better now, let's not discount the possibility that (since we are actually mentioning Patrick's arrival) even without redshirts we're looking at Seniors Cook, Kriener and Pemsl, Juniors Garza and Nunge, no sophomore bigs, and freshman Patrick and players to be named later. I think we could see a log jam in 2019/20 that is just as unfortunate as 2017/18.
Better now? And let the playing time and development dictate who gets minutes? Or just presume redshirt to stockpile talent for an unknown result in 2019/20?
We haven't the info Coach McCaffery has. We haven't the expertise McCaffrey has. We don't even know if Cook will progress so quickly he turns pro (or if he'll even reach that level.) And what we REALLY don't know is who comes along later that we'd love to convince has a center spot waiting with just a little patience. Like, that Foster kid in 2020 if I recall?
Nah, I agree with Canada and Bob, no redshirt if we are talking about kids who make us better now. You just don't do that. Again, remember when Wisconsin beat Duke for the National Championship because a freshman named Happ came in for a solid five minutes in the last ten minutes of the game? Ducan was in huge foul trouble and couldn't defend anyone, Kaminski was sucking wind like a carp on land, and Bo still got his National Championship. But...no...we don't remember that because it didn't happen. Happ redshirted.
We follow that redshirt logic and why not just redshirt everybody but Uhl, Wagner, Williams, Ellingson....whomever, I'm sure readers get the point. Wow, what a team we'll have someday.
Or, we can try to be a good team every year. And sometimes that means some players battle for playing time and some get it, some don't.
But, if we can be better now, let's not discount the possibility that (since we are actually mentioning Patrick's arrival) even without redshirts we're looking at Seniors Cook, Kriener and Pemsl, Juniors Garza and Nunge, no sophomore bigs, and freshman Patrick and players to be named later. I think we could see a log jam in 2019/20 that is just as unfortunate as 2017/18.
Better now? And let the playing time and development dictate who gets minutes? Or just presume redshirt to stockpile talent for an unknown result in 2019/20?
We haven't the info Coach McCaffery has. We haven't the expertise McCaffrey has. We don't even know if Cook will progress so quickly he turns pro (or if he'll even reach that level.) And what we REALLY don't know is who comes along later that we'd love to convince has a center spot waiting with just a little patience. Like, that Foster kid in 2020 if I recall?
Nah, I agree with Canada and Bob, no redshirt if we are talking about kids who make us better now. You just don't do that. Again, remember when Wisconsin beat Duke for the National Championship because a freshman named Happ came in for a solid five minutes in the last ten minutes of the game? Ducan was in huge foul trouble and couldn't defend anyone, Kaminski was sucking wind like a carp on land, and Bo still got his National Championship. But...no...we don't remember that because it didn't happen. Happ redshirted.
We follow that redshirt logic and why not just redshirt everybody but Uhl, Wagner, Williams, Ellingson....whomever, I'm sure readers get the point. Wow, what a team we'll have someday.
Or, we can try to be a good team every year. And sometimes that means some players battle for playing time and some get it, some don't.I believe battling for playing time is the absolute best thing for this Iowa team right now. It seems every year someone will get hurt and then we are down a man very quickly. (Cook last year for 7 games) . Who did that help? Kreiner............Every practice should be at full attention for every player if we continue recruiting this caliber of players. That's a good thing.
Like I said, it all depends. It isn't out of the realm of possibility that both guys are better than Kriener and Uhl. The example you cited (2013-14) Uthoff averaged more than 18 minutes a game, McCabe 15.8 minutes per game. Uthoff probably should have gotten more of McCabe's minutes. Fran didn't shy from playing the better player regardless of who was younger/older, which is what a good coach does.
Fran's job is to figure all of this out and balance chemistry, future roster, winning, etc. Fran has set the expectations that the best guys play. I really have no idea if Garza and Nunge can contribute meaningful minutes in their first year. I wouldn't be surprised if both ended up playing rotation minutes, or if they redshirt.
Thank you Bob for being a voice of reason. You DON'T redshirt talent! Let the best players play. Worry about three or four years from now then. Save the redshirt, incase its needed. Keep using this recruiting momentum to bring in better, and better players, rather then trying to keep them here until their 24 years old. Everyone wants to see some Hawks make a splash in the NBA. Here's a news flash, the NBA doesn't want 24 year old fifth year seniors! Watch the draft this year.
Wagner, uhl, will play fewer minutes than nunge. It will be settled by big tens. Garza will start at center followed by kreiner. Some cleanup minutes with uhl. Pf will be cook. Followed by pemsl, Baer, and nunge. Sf will be a crap shoot of tall guards, baer, nunge,
That is my two cents.
That is my two cents.
Obviously, it's mere speculation what Fran is thinking.
To me, it's quite simple: If you think Nunge will likely be a bigger contributor come conference season than guys like Uhl and Kriener, you don't redshirt him. If you expect him to only come in for mop up duty and don't foresee him moving up the depth chart, you redshirt him.
You play your best talent. Period. If that's Nunge, play him.
To me, it's quite simple: If you think Nunge will likely be a bigger contributor come conference season than guys like Uhl and Kriener, you don't redshirt him. If you expect him to only come in for mop up duty and don't foresee him moving up the depth chart, you redshirt him.
You play your best talent. Period. If that's Nunge, play him.
What struck me about the article was how lucky Hawkeyes were to have this Nunge kid spend his formative years in Iowa City and end up a fan of Iowa City and the Hawks. We were also lucky that he didn't blow up too big on the AAU circult that Indiana was in turmoil and the Blue Bloods like Duke did not swoop in.
Nunge may end up a vital player for Hawk fans..at worse an exceptional student athlete that is great representative for the university.
Nunge may end up a vital player for Hawk fans..at worse an exceptional student athlete that is great representative for the university.
This is a really good point. I would expect that there is some analysis done to project teams that are likely to go through struggles and target players from those areas in the projected years. Remember, we plucked Tyler Cook out of St Louis while Missouri has been terrible (they then hire Martin and he starts bringing in some very solid pieces).
Could we see Fran's connections to the east coast pay off in the even the Pat Chambers continues to struggle and gets canned? Is Richard Pitino really safe, or was the extension just for show based on one good year? Each of those situations seem like we would have a shot with recruits based on either staff connections or geography.
Fran has repeatedly done a good job of identifying talent early and either bringing in lower rated recruits that exceed expectations or seeing the players blow up toward the end of their high school/AAU careers.
What I'm seeing for major factors here:
1) Connection to Iowa
2) Power void with local schools
3) Iowa staff identifies underrated/under-recruited talent
When we can find kids that meet 2 of these requirements, we are in the discussion and have started to augment what we can get from Iowa kids that will likely always be a major part of the program.
Using that 5th year would be huge for his basketball career, and for Iowa. Plus it would pay for his first year of medical school.. That is not cheap.... There were a couple of football players that have done that recently, IIRC. An offensive lineman and I believe Rudock took some medical classes before transferring.
Thats the trade off that needs to be weighed. Whether or not Fran is costing himself better recruits in the future.
Personally Im a bird in hand guy.
I dont think Iowa is going to do a whole lot better recruiting than what Frans getting now. Hes right on the verge of being able to consistently compete for conference titles, probably starting this year and definitely the year after.
I think Iowas ceiling is similar to Wisconsins, they always compete for conference titles with upper classmen and they utilize redshirting as a big part of that.
Just noticed that the Summer Residence Hall opened on Monday, May 15. Anyone know if Nunge or Garza have arrived as early birds?
I'll defer to Fran on who, if anyone besides Conner, redshirts. And he won't do it unless the player agrees with it.
But, if we can be better now, let's not discount the possibility that (since we are actually mentioning Patrick's arrival) even without redshirts we're looking at Seniors Cook, Kriener and Pemsl, Juniors Garza and Nunge, no sophomore bigs, and freshman Patrick and players to be named later. I think we could see a log jam in 2019/20 that is just as unfortunate as 2017/18.
Better now? And let the playing time and development dictate who gets minutes? Or just presume redshirt to stockpile talent for an unknown result in 2019/20?
We haven't the info Coach McCaffery has. We haven't the expertise McCaffrey has. We don't even know if Cook will progress so quickly he turns pro (or if he'll even reach that level.) And what we REALLY don't know is who comes along later that we'd love to convince has a center spot waiting with just a little patience. Like, that Foster kid in 2020 if I recall?
Nah, I agree with Canada and Bob, no redshirt if we are talking about kids who make us better now. You just don't do that. Again, remember when Wisconsin beat Duke for the National Championship because a freshman named Happ came in for a solid five minutes in the last ten minutes of the game? Ducan was in huge foul trouble and couldn't defend anyone, Kaminski was sucking wind like a carp on land, and Bo still got his National Championship. But...no...we don't remember that because it didn't happen. Happ redshirted.
We follow that redshirt logic and why not just redshirt everybody but Uhl, Wagner, Williams, Ellingson....whomever, I'm sure readers get the point. Wow, what a team we'll have someday.
I get your point, but on the other hand youre questioning one of the most successful coaches in b10 history.
Bo built that program and took it to a final 4 by utilizing redshirts frequently.
To condtradict myself, they may not have lost Uthoff if they didnt redshirt him though.
It's the same situation to how Iowa football recruits to some extent. Go to areas where the home-state team may not yet be interested or where the home-state team cannot possibly take all of the in-state talent (such as Indiana) and where the in-state team may have some turmoil. Missouri is certainly an example of that. Looks like it is changing with Cuonzo Martin there (East St. Louis native).
I don't see Pat Chambers' issues at Penn State impacting Iowa in a positive way. PSU was not the dominant recruiter in the East to begin with. Chambers gets some guys, but Villanova, Syracuse, and a zillion other schools are there to compete with out east. Richard Pitino? Who knows for sure, but he returns every significant player and is recruiting well. I would say it's more likely he leaves Minnesota for a better job if he wins a lot than he fails there.
Excited to see next 5 years at Iowa. Wieskamp and Patrick McC are legitimate Top 50 talents that Iowa just does not get that often. Surround them with guys like Garza, Nunge and other players to fill in the 2018-20 classes and Fran has something.
As usual when we discuss stuff the accurate assessment probably rests in the middle between our views. In fact, even when we sound like we're disagreeing, I often think we're just expressing thoughts differently.
You won't hear me complain if Nunge or Garza redshirt. And of course you know I won't if they don't.
Bo did have a pretty good system going, playing seven or eight at the most and stockpiling. Also had a pretty good system of stockpiling girlfriends, until it feel apart.
So your saying that it wouldn't benefit Iowa to get some guys drafted in the NBA who stick?
Something will happen. Always does. We get our ducks all lined up, and then....
Something will happen.
I know this is all Debbie Downer. Does anyone else know what I speak of?
And thats been my position from the beginning as well, only I think they will be in the top nine, especially Nunge. We have some guys eating up minutes right now, God bless them who just aren't very good basketball players. Love the effort that Wagner gives, and he's a great teammate, but he is not skilled. Uhl has some skills, but he's so inconsistant. Nunge looks to me like a more aggressive version of young JU. Garza is that big bodied banger we need in the post, and like Kreiner, he can step out, and stretch the floor, or open the lane for a drop down to Cook or Pemsl. Maybe they start practice, and Fran decides their not ready, but that doesn't sound like where he's planning to go right now.
Of course its good, we all know that but I dont see it as something that should factor into whether or not a guy redshirst his first year.
The only guy we have on a roster was a 5 year player too.
I'm so much more excited about Nunge's potential than I am Garza's. Everyone else expects Garza to be the man. I like Nunge's skill set better.
I like them both, but agree Nunge's skill set is impressive and well rounded. I'd project his future ceiling might be higher then Garza as well. Sure would be fun though to have a Bird,(Nunge), Mchale,(Garza), type duo at Iowa for the next four years.
I like them both, but agree Nunge's skill set is impressive and well rounded. I'd project his future ceiling might be higher then Garza as well. Sure would be fun though to have a Bird,(Nunge), Mchale,(Garza), type duo at Iowa for the next four years.
Completely understand your point but I would not be surprised to see the usual "they aren't that good" type of response show up.
