Perspective

[83Hawk]

The fact that you don't like the answer doesn't make it a stupid question. In fact, it is a VERY VERY important question when it comes to making the decision to replace a coach...or not. Bob Bowlsby "thought" he had a home run hire in Alford....and I believe that was a big part of his calculation to push Dr. Tom out.....mistake.

No, it is a stupid question coming from someone who is too afraid of making a change because it “might” result in another Lickliter. That is a loser mentality.

I guarantee there are coaches out there who would do better than Fran. No, I don’t know who they are. But you prefer not to swing at the ball because you might strike out.

Real success is never achieved without taking chances. You will never be better if you are afraid to fail.

 

[NCHawkeye24]

You mentioned early you have been involved in competition for a majority of your life. I am really starting to question that or what you are calling competition. I was a college athlete and can tell you sure as shit the "fun" of the game is winning and losing and knowing people paid money to come watch you perform. That's what makes it great, your talent is now worth peoples money. You can watch fun games at the ymca for free.

I assume you are trying to dig at me here, but thats ok, I will let you have your fun.

Nobody likes to lose. Losing sucks. It hurts. It hurts bad, and it hurts way worse for the players and coaches than it does the fans. Always. I hate to lose. I hate to lose more than I love winning. I know the players are hurting really bad right now, especially the ones that can't do anything about it like JBo and Connor. And its ok for the fans to be hurting, and upset. But it all has to have purpose, that the value in doing it in the first place is based all on winning and losing. For these players, right now they probably feel like somebody ripped their guts out. They probably briefly wish they would have never played basketball if they knew it would hurt that bad. But that hurt will fade and they will fondly remember the good parts of what they accomplished and forget about the pain. They will remember their teammates and all the fun they had while they had and the timeline will become fuzzier and fuzzier.

We as fans have the opportunity to process that a little faster than the players because we simply are not as invested in it. My whole point is that a lot of really good things, great things, were accomplished by this team and not to lose sight of that. To say the whole thing wasn't worth it, or because it ended the way it did you wish you could have said **** that at the beginning, or to place blame and anger on everyone that can remotely be a contributor to the loss is not the way it should be. I don't think that is a good fan nor do I think that type of attitude makes someone care more than somebody else. I think it just makes people bitter cynics and that is no way to live.

 

[perryhawk]

No, it is a stupid question coming from someone who is too afraid of making a change because it “might” result in another Lickliter. That is a loser mentality.

I guarantee there are coaches out there who would do better than Fran. No, I don’t know who they are. But you prefer not to swing at the ball because you might strike out.

Real success is never achieved without taking chances.

I think the loser mentality is to gamble with the future of your program.....coaching changes are very important. Firing or pushing out a coach because he hasn't succeeded at a level that he stands a chance of achieving the next year or two...would be stupid.

Every hire is a gamble...taking a chance, but smart people do so carefully. They don't make decisions based on emotion (frustration). They look at the big picture and they do it in a smart way.

 

[Whiskeydeltadeltatango]

I assume you are trying to dig at me here, but thats ok, I will let you have your fun.

Nobody likes to lose. Losing sucks. It hurts. It hurts bad, and it hurts way worse for the players and coaches than it does the fans. Always. I hate to lose. I hate to lose more than I love winning. I know the players are hurting really bad right now, especially the ones that can't do anything about it like JBo and Connor. And its ok for the fans to be hurting, and upset. But it all has to have purpose, that the value in doing it in the first place is based all on winning and losing. For these players, right now they probably feel like somebody ripped their guts out. They probably briefly wish they would have never played basketball if they knew it would hurt that bad. But that hurt will fade and they will fondly remember the good parts of what they accomplished and forget about the pain. They will remember their teammates and all the fun they had while they had and the timeline will become fuzzier and fuzzier.

We as fans have the opportunity to process that a little faster than the players because we simply are not as invested in it. My whole point is that a lot of really good things, great things, were accomplished by this team and not to lose sight of that. To say the whole thing wasn't worth it, or because it ended the way it did you wish you could have said **** that at the beginning, or to place blame and anger on everyone that can remotely be a contributor to the loss is not the way it should be. I don't think that is a good fan nor do I think that type of attitude makes someone care more than somebody else. I think it just makes people bitter cynics and that is no way to live.

I'm not poking at you, simply offering a perspective. We are on these boards to voice opinions. That doesn't mean they are always going to be rainbows. All good.

 

[83Hawk]

I think the loser mentality is to gamble with the future of your program.....coaching changes are very important. Firing or pushing out a coach because he hasn't succeeded at a level that he stands a chance of achieving the next year or two...would be stupid.

Every hire is a gamble...taking a chance, but smart people do so carefully. They don't make decisions based on emotion (frustration). They look at the big picture and they do it in a smart way.

I’m not calling for Fran to be fired.

 

[DodgerHawki]

Wow, very well said. That's a legit perspective in my opinion.

Don't get me wrong I was still yelling at my TV in the moment, it's what fans do. But looking at it honestly the players were playing hard. They played at a very fine razor's edge of excellence for pretty much 4 straight days in the BTT. Doing that again 4 days later is not automatic. It's highly likely that if Iowa had just somehow won the game against Richmond, they would have played much better against Providence. But they didn't, so they don't get a chance to do that. That's why the tournament is what it is.

 

[DewHawk]

Has he taken a team to the Sweet 16? Has he won a conference championship at a conference the level of the B10?....the answer of course is NO. Therefore there is no guarantee that he could.

Honestly, if we did lose Fran....I would be very excited about DeVries. I think he "could" be a great hire. The point is, there is no guarantee. The UNI coach is an example...he has done well in that conference and has taken a team to the Sweet 16....but, he has not been hired away.

Agreed no guarantees, but facts (12 years) pretty much guarantee it is not going to happen under FM's tutelage.

 

[perryhawk]

Don't get me wrong I was still yelling at my TV in the moment, it's what fans do. But looking at it honestly the players were playing hard. They played at a very fine razor's edge of excellence for pretty much 4 straight days in the BTT. Doing that again 4 days later is not automatic. It's highly likely that if Iowa had just somehow won the game against Richmond, they would have played much better against Providence. But they didn't, so they don't get a chance to do that. That's why the tournament is what it is.

Believe me....that loss was a kick to (pick the part) for me....actually a real downer.

That said....it is what it is. I love watching these players develop. I love watching the Hawkeyes come together over the course of a season. I hope next year is as good or better....and one thing I know...is that I don't know how it will go. At best I get a feel for how the players and team make up looks, but then I try to enjoy the ride always hoping for great success.

 

[NCHawkeye24]

Friedrich Nietzsche - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

He was a nihilist.

Interesting. I deduce that this is the point you were referencing.

Nietzsche claimed the death of God would eventually lead to the loss of any universal perspective on things and any coherent sense of objective truth

Assuming that the "death of God" here is really prophetic reality, that means that would people want to go through the journey of something if they knew the outcome?

It is a valid question to me. If you were all-knowing, like you traveled in time, and told a sports fan exactly what would happen with their team, what that fan still be interested? Would they still be a fan? Everyone probably needs to answer that themselves. Probably a really good way to test that is next time an Iowa game comes on tv, record it and don't watch it. Don't follow it and don't listen to anyone tell you the results. After the game, go online and find out the results. And if they lost, see what your choice is to whether or not you watch that game anyway or if you delete it.

 

[perryhawk]

Agreed no guarantees, but facts (12 years) pretty much guarantee it is not going to happen under FM's tutelage.

Facts...actually you mean history. And often times history repeats itself. YET......how had Fran's teams done in the B10 tournament prior to this year? So, the lesson for me is that history doesn't always repeat itself.

Kirk had some great seasons..then had things taper off and people were saying that his history showed that he was washed up...prior to 2015. Then he coached that team to an undefeated regular season. History showed that he had never done that before.

What I think Fran and Kirk have in common is that both are good men, both try to recruit good people who are also good players. Then they try to develop them and use their systems to maximize those players talent. They keep looking for ways to improve....and so the results aren't always predictable...except that they normally have a fairly good level of success over time.

 

[Whiskeydeltadeltatango]

Interesting. I deduce that this is the point you were referencing.

Nietzsche claimed the death of God would eventually lead to the loss of any universal perspective on things and any coherent sense of objective truth

Assuming that the "death of God" here is really prophetic reality, that means that would people want to go through the journey of something if they knew the outcome?

It is a valid question to me. If you were all-knowing, like you traveled in time, and told a sports fan exactly what would happen with their team, what that fan still be interested? Would they still be a fan? Everyone probably needs to answer that themselves. Probably a really good way to test that is next time an Iowa game comes on tv, record it and don't watch it. Don't follow it and don't listen to anyone tell you the results. After the game, go online and find out the results. And if they lost, see what your choice is to whether or not you watch that game anyway or if you delete it.

It was more in-line with his overall encompassing idea that nothing actually matters than any specific line from his Wikipedia page. Basically you can ALWAYS discount anything because in the end we are all worm food.





Things I thought I would never do on a message board: discuss nietzche.

 

[83Hawk]

Believe me....that loss was a kick to (pick the part) for me....actually a real downer.

That said....it is what it is. I love watching these players develop. I love watching the Hawkeyes come together over the course of a season. I hope next year is as good or better....and one thing I know...is that I don't know how it will go. At best I get a feel for how the players and team make up looks, but then I try to enjoy the ride always hoping for great success.

I actually feel pretty much the same.

I have no expectations because Fran has never given me a reason to expect anything more than what we have. Each year I HOPE for better….HOPE for a conference title run….HOPE for a Sweet 16….and am disappointed when it doesn’t happen. But I still enjoy the small successes.

I know Fran isn’t going anywhere. I also would not be upset if he were to leave or Barta decided to make a change.

 

[Bulldogs1974]

I like DeVries....but of course, there is no guarantee he would succeed at the level we want/hope.

There never is.

 

[perryhawk]

There never is.

Agreed.....which is one of the reasons it requires very very serious consideration and the elimination of emotion as a factor....don't fire out of frustration and don't hire without some strong evidence of success.

 

[NCHawkeye24]

It was more in-line with his overall encompassing idea that nothing actually matters than any specific line from his Wikipedia page. Basically you can ALWAYS discount anything because in the end we are all worm food.





Things I thought I would never do on a message board: discuss nietzche.

I get it. There is probably not a lot to disagree with there. I would say that I over-value my importance in this world and that when I am gone the world will go on like I was never here.

With respect to my original post, I just hate to see that fans so quickly turn on their teams when they don't win. The "what have you done for me lately" has a veracious appetite and will never be satisfied. I was just expressing my appreciation to the team for what they accomplished.

 

[unclesammy]

That Tennessee game was a first round loss.

No, we beat Cincy in the first round and then lost to Tenn. in o.t.

 

[12Saturdays]

Who’s mom is the op?

Great post

 

[Bulldogs1974]

Agreed.....which is one of the reasons it requires very very serious consideration and the elimination of emotion as a factor....don't fire out of frustration and don't hire without some strong evidence of success.

I’m only for firing fran for not doing something about the defense.
A new assistant. Or better yet benching people for blown assignments. Our lack of sound defensive fundamentals is beyond troubling.from how we defend pick and rolls, guys that can’t stay in front of someone, or giving up the baseline like it’s our job. We are poorly coached on the defensive end. Like it or not that’s what it takes to succeed in the tournament.

 

[mikesright]

Lots of talk about guarantees in this thread. I can take a dump in a box and mark it guaranteed...I got spare time. There are no guarantees in sports. In fact there are a ton of coaches who decline as they get older. But past performance IS INDICATIVE of future results...and that says that Fran's ceiling is at best a 1 win coach in the NCAA tournament. He does have a higher average floor than a lot of coaches though.

 

[perryhawk]

I actually feel pretty much the same.

I have no expectations because Fran has never given me a reason to expect anything more than what we have. Each year I HOPE for better….HOPE for a conference title run….HOPE for a Sweet 16….and am disappointed when it doesn’t happen. But I still enjoy the small successes.

I know Fran isn’t going anywhere. I also would not be upset if he were to leave or Barta decided to make a change.

So, we are probably pretty close on how we think about this.....I wouldn't be upset if Fran were to leave BUT, I would be very anxious about getting the right hire. What happens to our roster? The transfer market certainly has changed/mitigated the negative effects of a coaching change...but I want someone who will give us a high level of success over a long period of time. I think that you have to have someone that can produce a top 1-4/5 finish in the B10 every year....because that tournament road is full of potholes and the best chances to make an elite 8 or final 4 is to be in a position to repeatedly have a good team.

Tom Izzo won a National Championship....and has been to final 4s....when is he going back? It ain't easy.

 

[Chewback]

I’m only for firing fran for not doing something about the defense.
A new assistant. Or better yet benching people for blown assignments. Our lack of sound defensive fundamentals is beyond troubling.from how we defend pick and rolls, guys that can’t stay in front of someone, or giving up the baseline like it’s our job. We are poorly coached on the defensive end. Like it or not that’s what it takes to succeed in the tournament.

eh, lotta folks here think the defense is just fine. I got my ass burned off for suggesting it might be wanting. Shields up.

 

[perryhawk]

I’m only for firing fran for not doing something about the defense.
A new assistant. Or better yet benching people for blown assignments. Our lack of sound defensive fundamentals is beyond troubling.from how we defend pick and rolls, guys that can’t stay in front of someone, or giving up the baseline like it’s our job. We are poorly coached on the defensive end. Like it or not that’s what it takes to succeed in the tournament.

So somewhat similar to Kirk for a lack of offense? And yet he won 10 games last year in a rebuilding year....I get it, I wish we played even just good defense, to go along with our great offense (basketball). I have been exceptionally frustrated about not seeing the level of change that I hoped for in defensive performance. John B when coaching at Michigan made that change......but, it's just not that simple. The old saying is, "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water"...........Barta could and should push this issue...and for all we know he might have done just that?

All that said, we did see an improvement in the defense this year....that might be the key to next years success. We have a group of players that might not be as prolific from an offensive standpoint, but an athletic group with quickness and reach to be top 30 in defense?

 

[24 so far]

Just because I am not losing my mind and bitching, whining and crying about unmet expectations doesn't mean I don't care. I care deeply. I am not constantly sliding the scale of expectations either. I think if you were to lay it down to everyone at the beginning of the season and said: "how would you feel if this team finished as strong as anyone in the country, won the B1G tournament, had a player of the year candidate and got a 5 seed in the tournament, and been one of the hottest teams in the nation and a popular fibal 4 pick how would you feel?" I think most people would have been ecstatic at that point not knowing the outcome.

So the question is, why then at that point if they lose in the first round does it negate all of what they accomplished? I don't get it. I am saying it is not lost on me and I am one that really appreciates what they accomplished.

The problem is you play the regular season to figure out what you are by the end of it and improve as you go preferably. Iowa did a great job of that, and that's who THEY WERE entering The Tournament. A team with a pulse and a chance to do some damage.

The Purdue team we played well against earlier and beat the last time we faced them just won by 20+. We on the other hand did not. One and done is an Epic Fing failure as far as I'm concerned.

Other than that it was a fun year.

 

[Bulldogs1974]

So somewhat similar to Kirk for a lack of offense? And yet he won 10 games last year in a rebuilding year....I get it, I wish we played even just good defense, to go along with our great offense (basketball). I have been exceptionally frustrated about not seeing the level of change that I hoped for in defensive performance. John B when coaching at Michigan made that change......but, it's just not that simple. The old saying is, "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water"...........Barta could and should push this issue...and for all we know he might have done just that?

All that said, we did see an improvement in the defense this year....that might be the key to next years success. We have a group of players that might not be as prolific from an offensive standpoint, but an athletic group with quickness and reach to be top 30 in defense?

You do realize we lack the balance in both sports that Wisconsin has. Similar recruiting and states yet one school does both. Changing basketball defensive philosophy is not nearly as complex as football changing the offense.
i don’t believe the football team needs to change much on offense to improve. Some reverse motion on run plays a few more deep balls.
basketball requires a shift in mindset by the coaching staff. They watch a lack of effort and do nothing about it. If they did they would bench people for their defense. We bench players for what they do in offense rarely defense.

 

[fezzador]

There were two very frustrating things to take away from yesterday's game. The first one was that Iowa just couldn't hit a shot to save its life. It's been a long while since they've shot that poorly, and probably even longer when they shot that poorly and won.

The other one was, Iowa didn't seem to have particularly great awareness yesterday. Two shot clock violations on consecutive possessions is plain inexcusable, and on more than one occasion Richmond was able to get some easy bunnies almost immediately after getting the inbounds pass. You know the saying - fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.

I'm giving Fran a bit of a pass here because simply put, Iowa had a piss-poor day shooting the ball. Yeah there were some ill-advised shots, but Iowa did have some decent looks but they just weren't falling. And Keegan totally disappeared for lengthy stretches. He might have been struggling but he's the star of the show. Give him the ball and good things will happen. When he did finally get the ball late in the 2nd half, it was too little too late by then. It's not like Richmond had a great day at the office either - they shot nearly as poorly as Iowa did, weren't even all that great defensively but they were money when they inbounded from behind the basket with just a few ticks left on the shot clock.

Really and truly, Richmond won because Burton out-Keeganed Keegan.

 

[longliveCS40]

I don't know how I came across that the tourney doesn't mean anything. My whole point is that it doesn't mean everything.

As far as your points. I think Richmond was good at playing their type of game. They got to play their game and they won.

About recruiting. Why someone wouldn't want to play for Fran, in this offense with this kind of exposure is mind-boggling. A great player is concerned about getting the opportunities to shine and every great player will think that they will be the ones to change the narrative. I promise there is no recruit that says, wow, I love Frans system but he can't get to the sweet 16 so I am going to go to Kentucky.

The recruits don't have Iowa on their radar when they don't see them on national TV in the tourney. That's the point I'm making.

That TV exposure, and that success on TV matters to recruits. It's not everything but it's a piece.

 

[perryhawk]

You do realize we lack the balance in both sports that Wisconsin has. Similar recruiting and states yet one school does both. Changing basketball defensive philosophy is not nearly as complex as football changing the offense.
i don’t believe the football team needs to change much on offense to improve. Some reverse motion on run plays a few more deep balls.
basketball requires a shift in mindset by the coaching staff. They watch a lack of effort and do nothing about it. If they did they would bench people for their defense. We bench players for what they do in offense rarely defense.

Yes, I do realize what Wisconsin is doing....and it pisses me off that we can't match or do better than them. VERY frustrating. I think we agree on that...and most of what you said.

I don't necessarily agree with your statement: "They watch a lack of effort and do nothing about it. If they did they would bench people for their defense.".......I watched Fran ream Patrick out on the bench this last game that I think was for both a defensive lapse and a turnover...

 

[longliveCS40]

You can't say Richmond was bad. They have some nice players in Gilyard who was light years better than anyone Iowa has playing guard and Burton who is a fine forward. Their coach had a winning game plan and his team ready. They conceded the defensive rebounds in order to stop Iowa's transition offense, ran Jbo off the 3 line, and forced others to make shots which they didn't. Iowa shoots even a decent percentage they win by 10. Didn't happen.

Richmond was 23-12 and only 10-8 in the A10. They were an NIT team.

I guess it depends on your definition of "bad" but they were "bad" by NCAA tourney standards. They are 82 in NET after beating Iowa and only had one other quad 1 win. Every team has a nice player or two.

 

[ChuckBarkley]

The only thing I want answered is why we didn’t iso Keegan on the block before there was two minutes left..

think it had to do with Keegan twisting his ankle In the first half. Didn’t seem himself after that.

if that’s not the answer shame on Fran.

 

[Bank of Hawk]

Hire Jeff Horner

 

[jonesy5960]

Richmond was 23-12 and only 10-8 in the A10. They were an NIT team.

I guess it depends on your definition of "bad" but they were "bad" by NCAA tourney standards. They are 82 in NET after beating Iowa and only had one other quad 1 win. Every team has a nice player or two.

It is all relative, but would you take any Iowa guard over Gilyard? I wouldn't.

 

[SotaHawk87]

Hire Jeff Horner

Dean Oliver

 

[OutbackBowl2017]

I think a lot of people here need some.

1. First of all, it is not like Richmond is a bad team. Sure, they finished 6th in the A-10, but, that team was full of super seniors and were battle-hardened and won their conference tournament. They weren't going to be a push-over or an easy win by any means.
2. This team accomplished way more than anyone at the beginning of the season hoped they would. All I read before the season began was that if some how this team could get into the NCAA tournament they would be happy. But what they did was far greater than that. They not only won the B1G tournament, they gave all of us a gift with having a team in the national spotlight for a couple of weeks. I mean, seriously, those things are pretty amazing accomplishments regardless of what happened yesterday.
3. JBo is a great Hawkeye. You may not like his style (I personally like his brash attitude) but you cannot ignore his contributions in his career here. I don't know how many game winning shots he made, or how many clutch 3's he made to keep us in a game or to tie a game get us a bucket when we needed it, but it was a lot. And conversely, if you are one of the haters, then ask yourself this question: if JBo was such a liability and he was off the team, name one player that would have taken and hit those shots repeatedly like he did? You can go back to yesterday. He only hit 2 threes, but, those 2 were at big time moments in the game when we needed them badly. I will miss that guy.
4. Connor was a great Hawkeye too. He was smart and his leadership and toughness were needed on all the teams he played on. It was cool to see him hitting shots at the end of the year, but that was just a bonus for what he brought to the team. I will miss that guy too.
5. Fran is a great coach. You don't like Fran? Ok. Want to go back to Lick? Or what about Alford? I of course loved Dr. Tom because I loved his style and he did it the right way, but, save for the 87 season the feelings were the same. You want to go get somebody? Ok then, who? Who do you want to come in here that is going to be a sure-fire thing that will win the B1G regular season, tourney and take us to the sweet 16, because that apparently is everything everyone gives a shit about? Start spitting names right now.
6. Speaking of the sweet 16, what is the fascination with that? Why is everyone so hung up on getting that far and then for some reason at that point they will be happy? Who cares? Seriously. Either your team wins it all or it doesn't. In this tournament, only 1 team does. Is it because you want to be in the conversation and have all the experts talk about your team for another week? If that is what you love you have had to have loved the last few weeks and everything leading up to the tournament here. Is it because you want to have hope that the team can go all the way and win it? If so, wouldn't you be just as disappointed when they lose? Is it because you want to be relevant, and you think that by getting to be a top 16 teams that makes it so?
7. The tournament is a spectacle, a show. It is more about making money than it is about providing a fair and level playing field to decide who the best team is. It is about providing entertainment and those things can be shaped by some factors that are out of a team's control. Here is a bowling analogy. If you ever watch the pro bowlers, everyone throws a hook, everyone. Nobody just lines up and throws it straight down the lane because there is no chance in hell that they can put up big scores. That is because the physics behind the pocket entry angle it give the ball a much greater chance to strike than a ball coming in straight and gives the bowler the OPPORTUNITY to bowl big scores and perfect games. But, what the bowler cannot control is how the lanes are prepared, and if they are prepared where they flood it with oil, or, if they don't have any oil at all, negates the advantage of the hook. Now this is my point. None of that affected the guy who throws the straight ball but it surely affects the guy who throws the hook. And all that did is hurt that better bowler and brought him down to the level of the lesser bowler. Neither bowler at that point will have the chance to score at all, and thus it turns into a rock fight of spares and who can get the occassional lucky strike. The same thing happened yesterday. I think the ball, the air in the ball, the rims looked tight, the officiating, all of that hurt us but didn't really affect them at all and all it did is negated our advantage and brought us down to their level and made us fight on their terms. We played poorly, sure, but they did too. It isn't like they shot the lights out. They executed a couple plays down the stretch and we didn't, it was a pretty even game. But it was a rock fight of spares and the occassional strike and we lost. We aren't the only ones that lost the same way, this year or the in the past.
8. Speaking of yesterday's game, the loss is on everyone. Not one Hawkeye played well, so it wasn't like Fran didn't ride a hot hand. Keegan was our difference maker this year and especially down the stretch and I think the best way to say it is he just didn't have it. Everyone looked fatigued from the beginning as everyone was grabbing their shorts on dead balls and timeouts and the look on all their faces was that they didn't want to be there. I get it, I do. I have had that feeling many times in my life in competition that my mind really wanted to do it and do it well, but, my body wouldn't cooperate. I would say the combination of the grind of the B1G tournament, the travel back and forth across time zones and lack of physical and mental rest took their legs. And for those that say Richmond did the same thing and played with the same ball, which they did, they didn't really have legs either because they didn't shoot any better than we did. They just won a game at the end between two evenly matched teams under the circumstances.

I am very appreciative of what this team accomplished and what it did for me. I loved watching this team play. Also, my step-sons here in NC who have never been to Iowa are now Hawkeye fans because of it. It was fun watching these last 6 or so weeks with my family, watching them cut down the nets at the B1G. So thank you to all involved.

 

[longliveCS40]

It is all relative, but would you take any Iowa guard over Gilyard? I wouldn't.

Probably not but that's just one player. I guess that's the point. The better teams have rosters they are deeper with talent. Iowa is much deeper talent-wise.

Just makes it that much more disappointing is all I'm saying and that I disagree Richmond was a "good" team anywhere close to the caliber of Iowa.

 

[NCHawkeye24]

The recruits don't have Iowa on their radar when they don't see them on national TV in the tourney. That's the point I'm making.

That TV exposure, and that success on TV matters to recruits. It's not everything but it's a piece.

I would think that the exposure that Luke and Keegan had received throughout the regular season and leading up to the tournament should be worth a lot as well.

 

[NCHawkeye24]

Probably not but that's just one player. I guess that's the point. The better teams have rosters they are deeper with talent. Iowa is much deeper talent-wise.

Just makes it that much more disappointing is all I'm saying and that I disagree Richmond was a "good" team anywhere close to the caliber of Iowa.

Richmond was not anywhere near as good as Iowa nor did they have the potential that Iowa had. But, circumstances as they were, negated all of Iowa's advantage and forced the game to be won in the paint. If Iowa just shoots decent, this game is a blow out. From the beginning.

 

[longliveCS40]

I would think that the exposure that Luke and Keegan had received throughout the regular season and leading up to the tournament should be worth a lot as well.

Agreed. Anytime you hear Iowa on national TV on all the sports shows, that's a boost.

Fran has done great at identifying undervalued recruits and developing them intro elite talent. I don't expect another 1st team all American next season but you never know with Kris.

I thought we would be a bubble team this year and we were better than that. Next season will be interesting. Losing a lot but return some key pieces. Might depend on how good incoming freshman are.

 

[Loveblackandgold]

I've refrained from posting or even coming here for a good long while after the game yesterday. I've been a critic of Fran, but sometimes things just happen. Yes, there are things that can be done differently in a game, no doubt. But sometimes those things are judged based purely on the results. Doing so is foolish. So Fran was a genius this past weekend at the BTT, and in the span of 4 days became dumb? I don't buy that.

Then I watched other games last night and saw other favorites also look like they are playing in mud, Kentucky and UConn specifically. UCLA was also playing in sand the entire game against a team in Akron (183 in Pomeroy ratings) that was far worse than Richmond. Teams get in a game where they are the favorite, and for whatever reason the game is close into the second half and all of a sudden the whole weight of being the end if you don't win and there you are. Sometimes teams get a bit lucky like UCLA. Sometimes they don't like Iowa. Sometimes their talent is so good against the opponent that they end up pulling away (see Gonzaga in their first game).

It doesn't mean Fran is without fault in that game. Ultimately, he bears the responsibility for what went on. But he had players doing things they hadn't done in weeks. Toussaint letting Burton get under his skin prior to an inbounds play under the Iowa basket, to then react by running Burton over. Turnover. Or Perkins just making some ill-advised drives, to Connor throwing up semi-guarded 3's with time on the shot clock. And on and on. Or Kris Murray taking a 3 with a ref right in front of him, to have the defender clearly hit his arm and the ball end up 15 feet short. No foul called. Unexplainable.

As much as will be disinterested in following the rest of the tournament and don't like Iowa losing, the players and the coaches have invested much more into it than I ever have or will. They hurt far more than any of us do. They obviously cared about winning, about each other, they improved a lot over the season. They played a terrible game at the worst possible time. It happens, and it's why the favorite doesn't always win in sports.

I believe this post sums it up. Nice work.

 

[Hawkenschpiel]

I think Fran is still building his program and is still ascending which is why I don't think there is any reason to replace him.

lol OMG.

Indeed. He's only had 12 years. Most coaches take well over a decade to build their programs. Why so impatient?!!

"Still ascending"?

Hahaha

Oh yeah, baby! It's been a 12 year rocket ride!!!...to the glorious moon landing of a big ten tourney title! Ticker tape parades!!!

Most coaches don't even start hitting their stride until they turn 65. Fran is a wunderkind.

Here's some perspective: you're the Iowa AD in 2010 about to hire a new basketball coach. An angel comes down and whispers "if you hire Fran McCaffrey, you'll pay him tens of millions of dollars, and 12 years from now, he will have won one big ten Tournament title. That's it."

Still make that hire? Still make it even though a coach you recently pushed out won two of them in seven years?

Yes. Yes you do. Because you're obviously stupid.

But believe me, nobody else would.

smh

 

[Cydkar]

Who’s mom is the op?

100% related to a player.