The best basketball player at Iowa has a ponytail

[Slim45]

It’s two sweet 16’s now. Fran has been head coach for 22 years and has not made a sweet 16. I like Fran but to think he’s had a better career than Lisa Bluder is asinine. Give her some respect.

I wasn’t saying he’s had a better career in any way. Merely stating that it took bluder a loooong time to have success in the tourney. Go back 6 yrs and people were probably saying rd of 32 was ceiling for her teams as well...now 6 yrs later we have 2 sweet 16’s and an elite 8. She has really changed the way she is looked at, and rightfully so. Fran may have a run of success and the way he’s looked at may change, who knows! I think he’s a good coach, he just needs better pieces to fit his style of play, which it appears like we may have those pieces now...or at least closer to.

 

[oldhawk56]

You are right, and they didn't sell it as a game that might be close, but rather a matchup of talented freshmen (freshwomen?). And a chance that Clark could (out of necessity) have a big game again.

Who guards Clark? who do we put on Buckets?
UConn plays wicked D.

 

[DodgerHawki]

I hope the Hawks are down-playing the hype train, Clark v Bueckers since the pressure falls on Clark now with all the pub the past 72 hours. UCONN certainly well aware of her and will try to see '...what's she's had for breakfast...'.

There is almost no way Clark can achieve the hype that is being generated against UConn. She had an other-worldly game that is hard to replicate against anyone, let alone UConn. Huskies have better players and are better coached than Kentucky. If Clark "struggles" to the tune of 16 points and 7 rebounds it shouldn't take away what she or the team have accomplished. She is among the best, if not the best, players in the country. Most of the national pundits are uncomfortable with that as only UConn, South Carolina, et all are permitted to have such players. It's good for the women's game that great players are distributed on more than a handful of teams.

 

[TheTruthTheWholeTruth]

I wasn’t saying he’s had a better career in any way. Merely stating that it took bluder a loooong time to have success in the tourney. Go back 6 yrs and people were probably saying rd of 32 was ceiling for her teams as well...now 6 yrs later we have 2 sweet 16’s and an elite 8. She has really changed the way she is looked at, and rightfully so. Fran may have a run of success and the way he’s looked at may change, who knows! I think he’s a good coach, he just needs better pieces to fit his style of play, which it appears like we may have those pieces now...or at least closer to.

Not to mention Fran spent 14 years between Lehigh, Siena, and UNC Greensboro

Look at Leonard Hamilton as well. 1 Sweet 16 in his first 15 years at FSU.

Fran’s biggest downfall imo is his extreme loyalty to his assistant coaches(not brining in new blood for defensive and recruiting purposes)and even to his own players by not utilizing the transfer portal nearly enough.

 

[Herky T Hawk]

I wasn’t saying he’s had a better career in any way. Merely stating that it took bluder a loooong time to have success in the tourney. Go back 6 yrs and people were probably saying rd of 32 was ceiling for her teams as well...now 6 yrs later we have 2 sweet 16’s and an elite 8. She has really changed the way she is looked at, and rightfully so. Fran may have a run of success and the way he’s looked at may change, who knows! I think he’s a good coach, he just needs better pieces to fit his style of play, which it appears like we may have those pieces now...or at least closer to.

This is a good point. She's had a long career, so she was given a ton of rope to get to this point. She also started off with a bang her first season and only missed the NCAAs three times in her first decade.

Here's another thing to think about, although on a much more condensed timeline. Lute's best finish in his first four years was 4th in the Big Ten, and never made a tourney. If he had left at that time he would just be a footnote in our coaching history like his predecessor Schultz. But he was given time and his career is thought of completely differently because of the Big Ten title and a Final Four run the following season. In his 9 years he made the aforementioned Final Four, an additional Sweet Sixteen, and one second round loss. It is those two seasons in the middle of his tenure that lock him in as a legend for us. Compare that to Coach Stringer that had 6 Big Ten titles, a Final Four, and a couple of Elite Eights during a span of 7 seasons and several people on here didn't even know who she was when we played Rutgers in the BTT a few weeks ago.

 

[Slim45]

Not to mention Fran spent 14 years between Lehigh, Siena, and UNC Greensboro

Look at Leonard Hamilton as well. 1 Sweet 16 in his first 15 years at FSU.

Fran’s biggest downfall imo is his extreme loyalty to his assistant coaches(not brining in new blood for defensive and recruiting purposes)and even to his own players by not utilizing the transfer portal nearly enough.

Agreed, fran is definitely loyal to a fault. I think most fans could see what was coming this year or sense it coming. He was too loyal to jbo through the year, putting joeT on a short leash and not getting ulis near enough run. Perkins as well. Would it have cost us in the big10 in some games? Yeah probably. But come tourney time we would’ve been more well equipped to deal with a team like oregon.
Think about his time at Iowa, the only player i can really think of that got extensive time early and saw it diminish over the years is Dom Uhl...regardless of who comes in thats potentially better, fran is loyal to the players that have been in the program longer. Makes me nervous that connor starts next season when we all know he shouldn’t, and it isn’t because connor is his son, it’s because he’s a 2 yr starter

 

[doughuddl2]

Dan Patrick starts off show with praise of Caitlin after watching game against Kentucky.

 

[BBHawk]

I could care less if he grammar is poor. No really. I could care a LOT less.

FIFY

 

[jonesy5960]

FIFY

Oh Geez. Thanks. I'm soooo embarrassed.

 

[jonesy5960]

Agreed, fran is definitely loyal to a fault. I think most fans could see what was coming this year or sense it coming. He was too loyal to jbo through the year, putting joeT on a short leash and not getting ulis near enough run. Perkins as well. Would it have cost us in the big10 in some games? Yeah probably. But come tourney time we would’ve been more well equipped to deal with a team like oregon.
Think about his time at Iowa, the only player i can really think of that got extensive time early and saw it diminish over the years is Dom Uhl...regardless of who comes in thats potentially better, fran is loyal to the players that have been in the program longer. Makes me nervous that connor starts next season when we all know he shouldn’t, and it isn’t because connor is his son, it’s because he’s a 2 yr starter

JBO is/was the all time leader in assists and 3 point baskets at Iowa. He was often a defensive liability but he actually won games for them with his shooting (3 pt and FT) and he led the team in assists again this year. Comparing him with Connor is ridiculous. Connor will likely start next year because he's his son. I'm not bashing him either. I'd probably do the same thing if I was in his position. One of the perks of being the coach along with the millions of dollars that come with it.

 

[KatoHawk]

Love to see her play a game of horse against the guys.

Under the broad umbrella of basketball by way of stats and percentages amongst peers, CC could very well be the best basketball player in the state.
If I was betting, I would put $ on her that she would win in horse 80% of the time and demolish all but JBO in a free throw contest against the Iowa men. That is of course if she used a women’s ball and no dunks allowed.
In the fun game of make it-take it by one’s up to 11, JBO wins 11 to zero 99 out of 100 times.
There is absolutely no doubt CC is a fantastic talent in women’s college basketball and it is absolutely terrific she is leading the lady Hawks through the tournament.
However, in reality the CR Washington 9th grade boys team would demolish the Iowa women’s team in a game. Nothing against anyone, it’s just simply biology

 

[Slim45]

JBO is/was the all time leader in assists and 3 point baskets at Iowa. He was often a defensive liability but he actually won games for them with his shooting (3 pt and FT) and he led the team in assists again this year. Comparing him with Connor is ridiculous. Connor will likely start next year because he's his son. I'm not bashing him either. I'd probably do the same thing if I was in his position. One of the perks of being the coach along with the millions of dollars that come with it.

Idc where jbo stands in the record books. He had a nice career, he also had an extra 10 games to accomplish those feats. Add in playing with 2x bigten poy and npoy, and a very uptempo system where he was free to let shots fly. How many of his assists were from penetrating and creating compared to passing to garza for a layup or passing to joeW for a 3? He had a stretch of games where he played well this year, but he is not the type of pg that you win multiple ncaa tourney games with, period! He is a 2g stuck in a pg’s body. And idk where u got the connor jbo comparison because there was none in my post. Other than fran being loyal to both...i guess?

 

[jonesy5960]

Idc where jbo stands in the record books. He had a nice career, he also had an extra 10 games to accomplish those feats. Add in playing with 2x bigten poy and npoy, and a very uptempo system where he was free to let shots fly. How many of his assists were from penetrating and creating compared to passing to garza for a layup or passing to joeW for a 3? He had a stretch of games where he played well this year, but he is not the type of pg that you win multiple ncaa tourney games with, period! He is a 2g stuck in a pg’s body. And idk where u got the connor jbo comparison because there was none in my post. Other than fran being loyal to both...i guess?

Yeah. You basically said that JBO was playing only out of loyalty from Fran and that the same would happen with Connor next year because Fran is loyal to a fault. I believe that Fran played JBO because he believed that JBO won games for him with his offense, especially when he's hitting. Minimize his achievements all you want but you don't set all time records unless you actually bring something to the party and the numbers bear that out. On the other hand I believe that Fran plays Connor because he's his son and he trusts him and loves him but I don't believe that Connor brings much in terms of game and I don't believe he'd be starting and getting all those minutes without Fran as coach, certainly not this year anyway.

 

[Slim45]

Yeah. You basically said that JBO was playing only out of loyalty from Fran and that the same would happen with Connor next year because Fran is loyal to a fault. I believe that Fran played JBO because he believed that JBO won games for him with his offense, especially when he's hitting. Minimize his achievements all you want but you don't set all time records unless you actually bring something to the party and the numbers bear that out. On the other hand I believe that Fran plays Connor because he's his son and he trusts him and loves him but I don't believe that Connor brings much in terms of game and I don't believe he'd be starting and getting all those minutes without Fran as coach, certainly not this year anyway.

I think fran was too loyal to jbo by playing him 30-35mpg when he should have been getting more like 20 most games. And in turn cost us with joeT and especially Ulis not having near as much court time as they should have to be ready for an athletic team like oregon. Everyone knows ncaa tourney games are won by guards. Typically very athletic ones. And ours weren’t prepared because they hadnt gotten crap for extended minutes

 

[kceasthawk]

It will be must see until UCONN goes up by 30, then not so much. The Women's Tournament has been extremely top heavy for a long time. I don't recall the exact stat, but I heard it randomly a few weeks back I believe it was about how many #1 seeds advanced to the Final Four over a pretty long stretch and it was an astounding number. I would guess Uconn, Tennessee, Stanford and Baylor dominate those numbers.

It won't be must see TV for me, but I wish the Iowa gals well.

I think Notre Dame is in there also. I believe this is 27 straight sweet 16 for UConn, and 12 for Baylor but who's counting.......

 

[jonesy5960]

Under the broad umbrella of basketball by way of stats and percentages amongst peers, CC could very well be the best basketball player in the state.
If I was betting, I would put $ on her that she would win in horse 80% of the time and demolish all but JBO in a free throw contest against the Iowa men. That is of course if she used a women’s ball and no dunks allowed.
In the fun game of make it-take it by one’s up to 11, JBO wins 11 to zero 99 out of 100 times.
There is absolutely no doubt CC is a fantastic talent in women’s college basketball and it is absolutely terrific she is leading the lady Hawks through the tournament.
However, in reality the CR Washington 9th grade boys team would demolish the Iowa women’s team in a game. Nothing against anyone, it’s just simply biology

That's why I said a game of horse. I have no desire to see the men play the women in a contested game and although I haven't seen the CR Washington 9th grade team play, I'd be very surprised to see them get demolished by a 9th grade HS team from Cedar Rapids, gender aside. Now if we are talking about a high school all star team then we might have a mismatch but your typical mens HS team doesn't usually have a ton of talent, especially on the JV side so I'm thinking you're wrong on that.

 

[kceasthawk]

You bring up a good point but yes reducing scholarships in the women's game will be tough to make happen. For Title IX purposes and it will be pitched as reducing opportunities for women to get scholarships. Reducing scholarships in the men's game did help distribute talent to more teams. Over time, the depth of quality players is growing in the women's game (as it did on the men's side) but that will take time.

This. It will never happen because of title nine and trying to balance football. Thats why we have womens ROWING at IOWA??? The really bad part of this, is in the effort to create these opportunities for more women they are as you say keeping the status quo, and keeping these championships reserved for "the elite" of womens basketball....

 

[BraydonRoberts5]

Bluder's biggest failing in her career is that she hasn't been able to amass a full team of athletic talent that plays well on both ends of the court. She has had good teams, but not great teams, and has gotten stuck with very average seeds in the tourney. Very similar to Dr. Tom. 7 times we've had to play in the 8/9 game in the first round under her, winning three times just to get destroyed by a #1 seed the next game. Before 2019's Elite Eight run with Megan as a senior, the highest seed she had ever beaten in the tourney was a #8.

Having said that she's trending in the right direction. Recruiting has picked up to be top-25 caliber. Problem is that Women's basketball needs to reduce the number of scholarships down to 13 like men's. 15 scholarships allows too much talent hoarding at the top schools which doesn't allow them to trickle down to us. A prime example of this is Kiah Stokes, who could have stayed home and been an all-conference caliber player with huge minutes for us throughout her career. Instead she went to UConn to average 4 points and 15 min/g in her career.

Main premise of all of this, is that Clark is going to be the top dog for 3 more years for us. And that is likely enough for us to challenge for the sweet sixteen every year, but not knock off a UConn in the second weekend. Or, she can just prove me wrong and win the game this weekend.

A lot of the top teams don't use the 15 scholarships, though. UConn only has 12 players on its roster for example. Iowa hasn't gone above 13 recently, but should be at 14 next year.

I think the bigger issue for talent discrepancy is that only a few players can leave women's college basketball early. Top men's teams like Duke and Kentucky usually have to reload every year because their top freshman leave for the NBA. In the women's game, that top talent stays for 3 or 4 years and continues to develop. The Iowas of the world, save for Clark, have the same roster difficulties that the men do, but top teams in the women's game keep talent around longer.

 

[kceasthawk]

Under the broad umbrella of basketball by way of stats and percentages amongst peers, CC could very well be the best basketball player in the state.
If I was betting, I would put $ on her that she would win in horse 80% of the time and demolish all but JBO in a free throw contest against the Iowa men. That is of course if she used a women’s ball and no dunks allowed.
In the fun game of make it-take it by one’s up to 11, JBO wins 11 to zero 99 out of 100 times.
There is absolutely no doubt CC is a fantastic talent in women’s college basketball and it is absolutely terrific she is leading the lady Hawks through the tournament.
However, in reality the CR Washington 9th grade boys team would demolish the Iowa women’s team in a game. Nothing against anyone, it’s just simply biology

Pretty sure she wouldn't have to worry about Jbo dunking it on her either......

 

[jonesy5960]

I think fran was too loyal to jbo by playing him 30-35mpg when he should have been getting more like 20 most games. And in turn cost us with joeT and especially Ulis not having near as much court time as they should have to be ready for an athletic team like oregon. Everyone knows ncaa tourney games are won by guards. Typically very athletic ones. And ours weren’t prepared because they hadnt gotten crap for extended minutes

Iowa simply didn't have the talent to hang with Oregon, especially at the guard position. Aside from Luka and maybe JW, Oregon just had much more talented players. Luka played great but Duarte was the best player on the floor and the rest of the Oregon lineup was just so much more athletic and talented it was a mismatch especially with a non-existent JBO, CMac and CJ on the floor. None of those players played well. JBO shot poorly and CMac is never a threat to score and CJ only scored in double figures once in the last 12 games. None of them can stick with guards like Duarte and Richardson defensively so that's a losing combination. Hopefully JT, Perkins and Ulis will grow offensively over the summer along with PMac and Keegan and a healed up Nunge and we'll have some good basketball to enjoy next year. JW and CJ are wild cards I guess. One thing we know is that the athleticism and defensive abilities will be much improved. I will admit that I'm hoping that CMac focuses on baseball after he heals up .

 

[blhawk]

I think fran was too loyal to jbo by playing him 30-35mpg when he should have been getting more like 20 most games. And in turn cost us with joeT and especially Ulis not having near as much court time as they should have to be ready for an athletic team like oregon. Everyone knows ncaa tourney games are won by guards. Typically very athletic ones. And ours weren’t prepared because they hadnt gotten crap for extended minutes

Fran clearly doesn't know guards are the key to ncaa success. CC is great but when she's NPOY runner up and NPOY we can put her in the conversation w Luka. If she avoids injury it seems like she definitely could be but long ways to go. Luka did finish with 36 and CC clearly has a better supporting cast relative to the competition considering they are in sweet16

 

[Hans81]

Stat they put up before the game said she was #1 in the country in ppg, assists avg and 3 pointers. How is she not first team AA?

It’s a mystery. My first thought is that it’s because she’s a freshman (which is a dumb reason), but than I believe that freshman Paige B is a first team AA, so wtf?

 

[Gabe Sifuentes]

It’s a mystery. My first thought is that it’s because she’s a freshman (which is a dumb reason), but than I believe that freshman Paige B is a first team AA, so wtf?

High turnovers and Iowa was not a top 25 team

 

[Suterman]

By the way, the thread title is great.

 

[Slim45]

Iowa simply didn't have the talent to hang with Oregon, especially at the guard position. Aside from Luka and maybe JW, Oregon just had much more talented players. Luka played great but Duarte was the best player on the floor and the rest of the Oregon lineup was just so much more athletic and talented it was a mismatch especially with a non-existent JBO, CMac and CJ on the floor. None of those players played well. JBO shot poorly and CMac is never a threat to score and CJ only scored in double figures once in the last 12 games. None of them can stick with guards like Duarte and Richardson defensively so that's a losing combination. Hopefully JT, Perkins and Ulis will grow offensively over the summer along with PMac and Keegan and a healed up Nunge and we'll have some good basketball to enjoy next year. JW and CJ are wild cards I guess. One thing we know is that the athleticism and defensive abilities will be much improved. I will admit that I'm hoping that CMac focuses on baseball after he heals up .

I think a healthy cj does fine against that type of athleticism. He’s pretty good creating for himself and typically plays solid d. Connor is a fine player...off the bench, as he can play so many different positions and is a smart and pretty tough player. Im with you, im actually fairly excited for next year...if for nothing else but to see some athletes on the floor! There will be some bumps in the road, but I won’t be surprised to see us with 20wins and a tourney bid

 

[24 so far]

I think Notre Dame is in there also. I believe this is 27 straight sweet 16 for UConn, and 12 for Baylor but who's counting.......

I was going to throw Notre Dame in there, but wasn't sure if they've had some long term sustained success.

27 straight ya say? That seems like a lot.....

 

[UpstreamHawkeye]

Notre Dame appears to be in the dumps after Muffet retired.

 

[onionman1]

Stop

That's not one of he rules.

 

[hawkeyeinmo]

Caitlin wins if they play horse and only from the free throw lane and deeper.

She very well might if they use the smaller ball. I really doubt it if they use the men’s ball.

 

[BraydonRoberts5]

She very well might if they use the smaller ball. I really doubt it if they use the men’s ball.

In my experience using a different ball size really throws off shooting mechanics. If either used a different sized ball than they were used to, it wouldn't be a fair competition.

 

[hawkeyeinmo]

In my experience using a different ball size really throws off shooting mechanics. If either used a different sized ball than they were used to, it wouldn't be a fair competition.

Quite a few years ago I played in a 3 on 3 league that was on a shrunk down full court and used a women’s basketball. Sure, it took a while to get used to but after you adapted there is no question that the smaller ball went through that same diameter rim MUCH easier. I think it would be MUCH harder to go to using a larger ball after using the smaller ball than the other way around

 

[Steve Waite]

The best compliment I can give her is that she shoots 3's like a boy, in the few times I've watched her play. Unfortunately they will likely give up 100 or so to UCONN, so the journey is about over for this year.

If she shoots like a boy, then who does Connor shoot like?

 

[retrodent]

If she shoots like a boy, then who does Connor shoot like?

Not like anyone that spent his life in a gym with coaches present. No one said “your shot ducks, no arc, why do you jump sideways when you shoot”

 

[retrodent]

High turnovers and Iowa was not a top 25 team

East coast voters

 

[24 so far]

If she shoots like a boy, then who does Connor shoot like?

I wouldn't know. Every time I see him start the shooting motion while wide open at the 3 point line I cover my eyes and scream "NO"!

 

[HawkRugged17]