The ice underneath Fran is getting thicker and thicker...

[soybean]

I'm a bit surprised that so many Hawk fans can't look back at the Iowa State 2nd half collapse and say that it indeed was a turning point. When Iowa was up 22 at the half in East Lansing how many of us long time Hawkeye fans can truthfully say that the idea that Iowa might blow it didn't cross their minds if only for a fleeting moment? I think its at least discussing the idea that the Hawks, and Fran, learned something that night in December that will steel them during the Big10 wars.

And to my new friend, the OP. Please always keep in mind when you bring this topic up over and over again through March that I did not predict dire things for Iowa in 2015/16. Only that the ISU game was a watershed event for this season...which I still argue it was.

 

[hawksense]

Sometimes we, as HR posters, carry the same torch and sometimes not. Sometimes what we profess crushes others views and ends up in a pissing match.

We all seemingly love the Hawks. I would argue that some love to hate on the Hawks in some warped dance. But once our ideals get trampled, or simply disagreed with, Katie bar the door.

I didn't think your original post was incendiary. But, it did open up a stinky can of worms and horrid misinterpretation.

Cue the torch-carrying mob.

 

[DanL53]

My complaint was the "ice is thinning under McCaffery" part. We're into year six and by now no single game should have caused that reaction.

 

[Scott559]

A majority of fans tend to evaluate progress on a game by game basis, hence the bi-polar nature of this message board, If you simply step back and look at the shape the program was in when Fran took over and then look at the steady graph moving upwards on a yearly basis I don't understand how anyone can seriously feel he was even close to being on any type of thin ice at Iowa. It has taken time, Fran has had to open doors that were not open to Iowa in decades (Chicago), I think he has done a tremendous job rebuilding the Iowa brand in basketball and I still believe what I posted a year or two ago, If Iowa can have a real break through year and make a deep tourney run I think you will see many more doors getting opened on the recruiting landscape. hopefully this may well be the year it happens.

 

[HoustonREDHawk]

No ice under Fran. I think it is more likely that he could leave for a better offer, than be fired. IMO, Fran has done a great job, and we are lucky to have him as coach. I believe that a contract extension after the season is over would be a wise move.

Fans need to realize that we are going to lose some games, especially against other top teams. Who wins is also determined by how the other team plays, not just how the Hawks play. For example, I don't know that Iowa did that much more in the second half of the MSU game at Breslin, than they did at ISU. Iowa missed several FTs and took its foot off the gas at the offensive end in the final 7-8 minutes. Had MSU been able to make a few shots down the stretch, the game could have gotten much closer. This was a GREAT win for Iowa, but MSU did not make plays.

 

[Phenomenally Frantastic]

i dont know, i kinda liked it when we had 3,000 fans for a big ten game and lost 42-58.

during that time we had 4 big ten wins in A SEASON.

How incredibly defeatist and myopic does one have to be to not enjoy this season and appreciate what Fran has done.

If you are one of these that has no appreciation just do us all a favor and leave.

 

[5Fan5]

My complaint was the "ice is thinning under McCaffery" part. We're into year six and by now no single game should have caused that reaction.

Dan, you know better than that.

There are posts from 2016 still questioning the coaching ability of Kirk Ferentz on here. Why would they/it be any different toward Fran?

As this still young season progresses, bean looks more and more to have been spot on with his comments. Time will tell, but one thing that is not in doubt is that the next time this group stumbles, there will be 'fans (trolls/posters)' calling for change.

 

[hawkeyemark]

I haven't really posted very much especially on the basketball board for awhile and have pretty much wanted to see how things played out as I felt unsure of what we had and expressed my frustration as well as many other fans did after the meltdown at Iowa State. In the grand scheme of things I do think Fran tends to take his foot off the gas too early as we witnessed in the Michigan State game but the main difference between that game and Iowa State we have become a much mentally tougher team. The Iowa State game may mark not only a turning point for the season but for Fran's tenure here.

I really see Fran putting the pieces together at this point and while hard not to I really like what I see. Rebounding seems much less of a concern than what I had anticipated and when a coach as good as Izzo can't figure out how to solve our changing defensive schemes we have a really good season brewing. We look like a fundamentally sound, well-coached basketball team.

 

[buttermypancakes]

Dan, you know better than that.

There are posts from 2016 still questioning the coaching ability of Kirk Ferentz on here. Why would they/it be any different toward Fran?

As this still young season progresses, bean looks more and more to have been spot on with his comments. Time will tell, but one thing that is not in doubt is that the next time this group stumbles, there will be 'fans (trolls/posters)' calling for change.

All bean said was this season could go down the shitter or Iowa could play well, there was no way he was going to be wrong about that. He did a nice job of covering himself both ways and now wants credit for "predicting". The thing he was dead wrong on was that game had nothing to do with Fran's job security.

 

[hawk-i bob]

It was interesting to read some of McCaffery's comments after last night's game, particularly where he acknowledged making a mistake in the Iowa State game of only going 7 deep. I have a lot of respect for a head coach who will take responsibility for a perceived mistake the way he did then actually do something to correct it.

I think Iowa has a winner with Coach McCaffery. And now that he is starting to land some more high-profile recruits the sky is the limit. There will always be bumps along the road but I think McCafferey is turning Iowa into a consistent winner (as consistent as one can get at a place like Iowa) and fans should respect him and what he's doing for Iowa basketball.

spot on ... Fran did not trust his bench in Ames....he said after the game it was a mistake..he owned it (the only one deserving of Kudos is Fran for doing so)...the turn around (if there was one) was the player rotations "after" the game in Ames.

 

[luvmyhawks]

My complaint was the "ice is thinning under McCaffery" part. We're into year six and by now no single game should have caused that reaction.

Fair enough. However, I am fairly certain the majority of us were quite disappointed after that loss. We all can tend to be a little knee jerk right after a tough loss like that. I didn't have any problems with beans post and agree that that game appears to have been somewhat of a turning point/ learning experience for Iowa.

 

[PhantomFlyer]

You and others might be right but I am not buying it. I think the ISU game was a great learning experience on the dangers of not closing out a game. What everyone is losing track of is Utoff was quoted around the start of the season saying 'this team will be better than last year'. I think we all thought ok he's just trying to show confidence but let's see. That said though he and others on the team knew what they might be capable of.

Keep in mind they played a pretty darn good non con schedule with 5-6 quality opponents. We took some losses early most of which were in the closing minutes but they served as great experiences to get ready for B1G play. Is there a tougher place to play than Hilton? Breslin probably seemed like a walk in the park. This team also needed some time to develop players 6-9, like Uhl, Baer, Wagner, Ellensom, Jones (hurt), Williams, Fleming and for everyone to define their roles which we see now.

By they way I really hope Fran continues to schedule a non con like these past 2 years even if we take some losses. It gets his team mentally and physically prepared for B1G play. I would also like to go to Hilton every year to play ISU win or lose because that simulates a tough B1G road atmosphere.

You may be correct but I honestly think it was a turning point game. Forget the wins and losses. Look at the quality of play from Iowa since the ISU game. Let's be honest, their defense wasn't great before ISU, it's been very good since. The ball movement and spacing has been better. They are rebounding better. They are just playing with more effort, more confident, they are more physical, and more mental toughness when things start to go south. It's not like Iowa has only played cupcakes since ISU. The competition has been better and Iowa is playing better than they did pre-ISU. This is not the same team we saw playing almost the entire non-conference schedule.

Before the ISU game even the biggest sally sunshiners were saying Iowa was not a serious contender to win the B1G. They were saying 4-6th place with optimistic record of 12-6 in the conference. Now we are talking about the Hawks having a legit chance of winning the B1G and having a chance of making a deep run in the NCAA tournament. Something changed after the ISU game. This team is night and day different from the team that stepped on the court before that game.

 

[uniFIGHTuniFIGHT]

Good post. At this point in his career, I believe the only other offer Fran would consider would be a better deal from Iowa (which I'm sure is coming). He seems to love Iowa fans, and I know the Iowa fans love him. I think he's here to stay.

Also, the better jobs are pretty much all spoken for. And they'd be considered the better jobs partially because of the job done by the guy who's there (jobs that will only become vacant because of retirement). Like Kirk, Frans kids have been in IC schools now for a long time (which is a great public school district), so why relocate for anything other than weather?

 

[onlyonenow]

Dan, you know better than that.

There are posts from 2016 still questioning the coaching ability of Kirk Ferentz on here. Why would they/it be any different toward Fran?

As this still young season progresses, bean looks more and more to have been spot on with his comments. Time will tell, but one thing that is not in doubt is that the next time this group stumbles, there will be 'fans (trolls/posters)' calling for change.

to start with Ferrentz came off of several years in a row of bad or dwindling results. you seem to be unable to recognize THAT reality.

Fran on the other hand has had a steady rise in wins and more competitive teams since his first season. The only real question that remains is his ceiling. Soybean was just being his typical moronic self.

By the way remember Dr Tom had his BEST SEASON WHEN? KF had his best season WHEN? So when a coach will have that career year is never really known until after it happens.

 

[Herkuleez]

Kudos to Bean. He called it. It's looking more and more like the ISU game was the turning point of the season. Forget the wins/losses prior to that game, look at the performance level of the team since then and the team is playing much better, and with a lot more confidence. Add in the fact that Iowa hasn't wilted down the stretch in these games, even when opponents have made a run and we are seeing a much more mentally tough team than we've seen under previous Fran teams. The ISU game is looking like a watershed moment to me. I'd love to get Fran in a private conversation to ask him if he thinks the ISU game was the turning point.

Seconded.

If the OP (and those who "liked" his comment) were better at reading comprehension they would have understood bean's original post stated that the ISU loss could become a watershed moment....either for good or bad. Unfortunately, they took it only as a negative comment, which tells you all you need to know about them as individuals. At the time, the context of his comment was justified, and it has worked out exactly as he said it could....a watershed for the better, not just worst.

 

[DanL53]

Seconded.

If the OP (and those who "liked" his comment) were better at reading comprehension they would have understood bean's original post stated that the ISU loss could become a watershed moment....either for good or bad. Unfortunately, they took it only as a negative comment, which tells you all you need to know about them as individuals. At the time, the context of his comment was justified, and it has worked out exactly as he said it could....a watershed for the better, not just worst.

"All you need to know about them as individuals."

You can spell reading comprehension, I'll credit you with that much.

 

[Herkuleez]

 

[kzoohawk80]

I think a lot of people had doubts about the team after the ISU game (I sure did). I don't know if asking whether Fran has taken us as far as we can go is very fair considering we hadn't even started Big Ten play yet though. That's the kind of question you have to ask after the season ends.

That's a issue I have on here is the fact that some things really should be discussed after the season. But it's a message board and anything can be discussed. Job security is almost impossible to discuss when the season is now where near close to being finished. It's like discussing how our team is going to look next year and trying to predict next year. There's too many things that need to be discovered this year before you should start discussing these type of things.

 

[DanL53]

 

[kzoohawk80]

You may be correct but I honestly think it was a turning point game. Forget the wins and losses. Look at the quality of play from Iowa since the ISU game. Let's be honest, their defense wasn't great before ISU, it's been very good since. The ball movement and spacing has been better. They are rebounding better. They are just playing with more effort, more confident, they are more physical, and more mental toughness when things start to go south. It's not like Iowa has only played cupcakes since ISU. The competition has been better and Iowa is playing better than they did pre-ISU. This is not the same team we saw playing almost the entire non-conference schedule.

Before the ISU game even the biggest sally sunshiners were saying Iowa was not a serious contender to win the B1G. They were saying 4-6th place with optimistic record of 12-6 in the conference. Now we are talking about the Hawks having a legit chance of winning the B1G and having a chance of making a deep run in the NCAA tournament. Something changed after the ISU game. This team is night and day different from the team that stepped on the court before that game.

There's definitely a difference in this team since that game. The coaching is different. Fran is playing his bench more and not letting off the gas except for the MSU game. Look at how much we've been fouling when leading at the end of games. This team has decided that they aren't going to allow easy layups when they are winning. They are still playing defense until the game is over. Which to me is a valuable lesson they learned from the ISU game. The offense has been there all year it's been the defense that's been better and I think part of that is from Fran playing his bench more.

 

[FullTilt]

This is as ridiculous as Bean's post. We blow a big lead on the then #4 team's floor and you take it as a sign that McCaffery has hit the wall? What I took from that game was that Fran has a team full of players that he developed that were pounding the p*ss out of a team that many were touting as a Final Four team and we were doing it on their floor. I still put the onus on the players for tightening up and playing not to lose than on McCaffery for that loss.

When McCaffery was hired, he said he knew how to win and had a plan that had worked at every one of his previous stops. The difference this time is that he was trying to do it against what has arguably been the best basketball conference in the country. Plus his out of conference schedule, criticized at first, has gotten tougher and tougher and, despite all this, every single one of his teams has taken a step up from the previous year. Yeah, I'm a fan of Fran's and if you're an Iowa fan, you have to be impressed with the overall job he has done and not focus the occasional failure. We are not the finished product yet in McCaffery's eyes and I can't wait to see where he eventually takes us.

We blow a lead...... Have you watched the last few years. We have consistently not closed out games. In those games we would dribble the clock down and then just run standard 5 out offense and have crappy possessions. Maybe you only watched the ISU game. I will repeat I have loved Fran's style and turnaround. He has brought Iowa back to life and the way this team is playing could go deep into tourney. So calm yourself.

 

[mtown66]

I'm not saying he was on the hot seat and I'm not defending soybeans post. But after that ISU game I was wondering if he had taken the Iowa program as far as he could.

That is just ridiculous. How would you know whether that would even be true. What are your qualifications to measure whether, or not, a coach has maximized his potential and how do you determine whether what you, and others, demand are unrealized success or just unrealistic expectations?

 

[Hawk_4shur]

I am in the camp that thinks that coaching D1 basketball (or FB) is incredibly difficult. Your opponents are working just as hard as you are for success. Most victories come by the slimest of margins, and your defeats are front page news. Changing coaches is very risky because you don't know which way the team will go.

The #1 problem IMHO since Tom Davis has been the lack of seniors. Alford and Lick managed to run off or lose most of our players before they became seniors. We cannot compete with Michigan, tOSU and Mich St with freshman and sophs. We need juniors and seniors that have maturity and experience.

Matt Gatens, Aaron White - just to name 2 guys. Look how much better they were as seniors.

We now have a basketball program in which players want to stay, work hard, get better and compete as juniors and seniors. We are likely (perhaps) to take a step back next year with so many underclassmen, but after that Fran has the classes filled for many years of competitive basketball in the B1G.

Iowa is very unlikely to RECRUIT a great team - we have to GROW one.

It is very possible that Fran is not a great coach in the last 2 minutes of a game. If that's true it sucks. But, I for one am not going to measure the health of the program on that stat alone.

 

[hawkeyemark]

I am in the camp that thinks that coaching D1 basketball (or FB) is incredibly difficult. Your opponents are working just as hard as you are for success. Most victories come by the slimest of margins, and your defeats are front page news. Changing coaches is very risky because you don't know which way the team will go.

The #1 problem IMHO since Tom Davis has been the lack of seniors. Alford and Lick managed to run off or lose most of our players before they became seniors. We cannot compete with Michigan, tOSU and Mich St with freshman and sophs. We need juniors and seniors that have maturity and experience.

Matt Gatens, Aaron White - just to name 2 guys. Look how much better they were as seniors.

We now have a basketball program in which players want to stay, work hard, get better and compete as juniors and seniors. We are likely (perhaps) to take a step back next year with so many underclassmen, but after that Fran has the classes filled for many years of competitive basketball in the B1G.

Iowa is very unlikely to RECRUIT a great team - we have to GROW one.

It is very possible that Fran is not a great coach in the last 2 minutes of a game. If that's true it sucks. But, I for one am not going to measure the health of the program on that stat alone.

I thought Belein addressed your overall point here in his press conference the other day in talking about the challenge Iowa presented to his squad. And BTW I thought we enjoyed a very well-coached game yesterday afternoon- Michigan played us tougher than Michigan State IMO. Very tough to play such an experienced team where guys have grown and stayed in the program together three or four years. It has taken some time for his work to blossom but Fran has built this program the right way and we should continue to have success with hard-working basketball savvy kids coming into the program who develop under a staff that seems adept at getting the most out of what they have to work with.

I agree that the big picture with Fran outweighs any particular concerns about game management which I have openly questioned at times but see some progress in that area as well. I don't particularly like Fran's end of game management but I thought yesterday we saw us at the end taking our time running set plays instead of just sitting on the ball and throwing up a bad shot after taking too long starting the offense.

 

[DanL53]

I am in the camp that thinks that coaching D1 basketball (or FB) is incredibly difficult. Your opponents are working just as hard as you are for success. Most victories come by the slimest of margins, and your defeats are front page news. Changing coaches is very risky because you don't know which way the team will go.

The #1 problem IMHO since Tom Davis has been the lack of seniors. Alford and Lick managed to run off or lose most of our players before they became seniors. We cannot compete with Michigan, tOSU and Mich St with freshman and sophs. We need juniors and seniors that have maturity and experience.

Matt Gatens, Aaron White - just to name 2 guys. Look how much better they were as seniors.

We now have a basketball program in which players want to stay, work hard, get better and compete as juniors and seniors. We are likely (perhaps) to take a step back next year with so many underclassmen, but after that Fran has the classes filled for many years of competitive basketball in the B1G.

Iowa is very unlikely to RECRUIT a great team - we have to GROW one.

It is very possible that Fran is not a great coach in the last 2 minutes of a game. If that's true it sucks. But, I for one am not going to measure the health of the program on that stat alone.

I think you just named the secret to winning basketball at Iowa. Recruit, retain, develop.

We've got a coach that does pretty well at all three. He finds players that fit his system, are willing to learn and wait their turn, and then he convinces them they could be dang good ball players. Then he expects them to live up to it.

As to the end of games, I don't think we've seen the end of our killing the shot clock. We were up twelve and twice in a row we held the ball until less than ten seconds. Result, no points and suddenly we were only up six. Fortunately we went back to running our offense.

I'm in agreement with those that don't like our stall. We take too long to get going and don't get a good shot. I'm not sure why we can't just run the offense and stay patient. That way, if a great shot presents itself, take it!

But, it appears there is still a certain score and time frame where Coach is going to put the leash on the dogs.

 

[hooper56]

I'm in agreement with those that don't like our stall. We take too long to get going and don't get a good shot. I'm not sure why we can't just run the offense and stay patient. That way, if a great shot presents itself, take it!

But, it appears there is still a certain score and time frame where Coach is going to put the leash on the dogs.

It has a lot to do with what the foul situation is. Our"stall" depending on how many team fouls the other team has, is essentially driving and trying to draw the foul. Our goal is not to score but to run clock and then get fouled. When Iowa is in the double-bonus this strategy works time and time again even though it can be difficult to sit through. If we really need to score then Fran will call out a set.

 

[DanL53]

It has a lot to do with what the foul situation is. Our"stall" depending on how many team fouls the other team has, is essentially driving and trying to draw the foul. Our goal is not to score but to run clock and then get fouled. When Iowa is in the double-bonus this strategy works time and time again even though it can be difficult to sit through. If we really need to score then Fran will call out a set.

I'll pay closer attention when we go into it, if we're getting to the line more often than not after killing 25 seconds I'll change my view. To me, it seems like we never come away with anything. But maybe that is a perception problem.

 

[FranklinHawk]

I'll pay closer attention when we go into it, if we're getting to the line more often than not after killing 25 seconds I'll change my view. To me, it seems like we never come away with anything. But maybe that is a perception problem.

It's tough to say, and anyone who watches much college basketball knows Fran is far from the only coach to employ this strategy. I have no issue with running clock, I'd just like to see them get into their offense with 15 seconds left rather than 6-8 when Mike basically has to scramble and try to make something happen on his own.

 

[DanL53]

It's tough to say, and anyone who watches much college basketball knows Fran is far from the only coach to employ this strategy. I have no issue with running clock, I'd just like to see them get into their offense with 15 seconds left rather than 6-8 when Mike basically has to scramble and try to make something happen on his own.

It's good sometimes to have a forum on this funny looking typewriter/television hybrid where actual x's and o's can be discussed. You are correct, many coaches kill the clock. Could be we get into the offense too late, as you say.

I'm sure whatever is going on if it isn't working it will get fixed.

 

[hawk-i bob]

Catch 22 .. when to run some clock....when not to. I do have to admit using the word stall with a 30 sec shot clock sounds weird.

Bottom line ..whatever the strategy is...it is how it is executed that matters. Very fair to say ..running the clock too soon can backfire at times...missing open shots early in the shot clock can also lead to your opponent cutting the lead much quicker. One thing about running some clock..it makes your opponent use a lot of energy on the defensive end.

What I look for more than anything is turnovers in crunch time. Whether running some time or not. Yesterday Zero TO's 2nd half...my land.

 

[TampaHawkfan]

It's tough to say, and anyone who watches much college basketball knows Fran is far from the only coach to employ this strategy. I have no issue with running clock, I'd just like to see them get into their offense with 15 seconds left rather than 6-8 when Mike basically has to scramble and try to make something happen on his own.

I agree, get into the offense rather than just holding the ball.

Suppose Fran knows what he's doing - Gesell to Uthoff for an easy jumper with a few seconds left on the shot clock worked to perfection.

Really though, with the 30 second shot clock, it winds down pretty fast anyway, so IMO you could still run your offense, just be patient, and you will still take a good portion of the shot clock. Yeah, there does come a point with enough of a lead, and little enough time left, where I do think it's fine to just start holding the ball.

 

[PhantomFlyer]

It's tough to say, and anyone who watches much college basketball knows Fran is far from the only coach to employ this strategy. I have no issue with running clock, I'd just like to see them get into their offense with 15 seconds left rather than 6-8 when Mike basically has to scramble and try to make something happen on his own.

I'd prefer to run the offense. Sure, you don't launch up 3's with 25 seconds on the shot clock but if you move the ball and get a guy slashing to the bucket or a wide open 5 footer, take the shot even if it's early in the shot clock. When you get down to 2 or 3 minutes then you can do the stall ball with MG holding the ball.

 

[PhantomFlyer]

Catch 22 .. when to run some clock....when not to. I do have to admit using the word stall with a 30 sec shot clock sounds weird.

Bottom line ..whatever the strategy is...it is how it is executed that matters. Very fair to say ..running the clock too soon can backfire at times...missing open shots early in the shot clock can also lead to your opponent cutting the lead much quicker. One thing about running some clock..it makes your opponent use a lot of energy on the defensive end.

What I look for more than anything is turnovers in crunch time. Whether running some time or not. Yesterday Zero TO's 2nd half...my land.

I'm not a fan of "stalling" outside of 2-3 minutes left. I have no problem with coaches telling players not to force shots early in the shot clock. You don't want guys who aren't good 3 pt shooters launching 3's early in the shot clock and you don't want guys forcing shots unless they have to but it's a matter of shot selection not holding the ball and then waiting until you have 5-10 seconds left and MG forced to take a bad shot because he has no time to do anything else. Run the offense and take the good (open) shots when they are available. Inside of 2 minutes is a different story, where limiting possessions, taking time off the clock is probably more important than taking a shot (depending on the score).

 

[hawkeyemike23]

I am in the camp that thinks that coaching D1 basketball (or FB) is incredibly difficult. Your opponents are working just as hard as you are for success. Most victories come by the slimest of margins, and your defeats are front page news. Changing coaches is very risky because you don't know which way the team will go.

The #1 problem IMHO since Tom Davis has been the lack of seniors. Alford and Lick managed to run off or lose most of our players before they became seniors. We cannot compete with Michigan, tOSU and Mich St with freshman and sophs. We need juniors and seniors that have maturity and experience.

Matt Gatens, Aaron White - just to name 2 guys. Look how much better they were as seniors.

We now have a basketball program in which players want to stay, work hard, get better and compete as juniors and seniors. We are likely (perhaps) to take a step back next year with so many underclassmen, but after that Fran has the classes filled for many years of competitive basketball in the B1G.

Iowa is very unlikely to RECRUIT a great team - we have to GROW one.

It is very possible that Fran is not a great coach in the last 2 minutes of a game. If that's true it sucks. But, I for one am not going to measure the health of the program on that stat alone.

I was reading through BHGP's list of greatest wins in the Fran era and one thing that stands out is the terrific player development. Almost every year there has been a senior that has totally stepped up down the stretch. Gatens, May, Marble (got somewhat lost in the collapse that year, but Marble was playing at a super high level down the stretch), White last year just taking over. This year we've seen Uthoff become a legit All-American type and Clemmons, Gesell, and Woodbury all step up and become solid, consistent high level starters, Olesani was another guy who made huge strides during his career. Fran has proven consistently, that give him four years to work with a player, and they are most likely going to turn out to be pretty good.

 

[FranklinHawk]

I'd prefer to run the offense. Sure, you don't launch up 3's with 25 seconds on the shot clock but if you move the ball and get a guy slashing to the bucket or a wide open 5 footer, take the shot even if it's early in the shot clock. When you get down to 2 or 3 minutes then you can do the stall ball with MG holding the ball.

As I said lots of coaches do it, but agree normally with "run the offense and nothing other than a gimme with less than 10-15 seconds left". Standing there pounding the ball also lets the other team get a breather. Then again I'm not a D1 coach and I haven't stayed at a Holiday Inn Express recently