He needs to mix it up and get rebounds and put backs and If he gets gassed that's OK give him a breather
This is a bad basketball team
- Thread starter HawkeyeGenius
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That’s not what’s happening. But carry on. Far and away our best offensive player.
He's never been a banger, rebounder, or good defender. I don't think that's going to change a third of the way through his fifth season at Iowa. And he certainly doesn't need to average the third most minutes on the team.
I’m curious how you know this. Has Fran ever publicly stated he doesn’t care about defense? Have you been to a practice where Fran has told the team not to worry about defense and focus strictly on offense?
Where are you seeing this abundance of talent? I can’t speak to the coaching side of things, but who on the current team strikes you as being so talented? Other than Owen Freeman, I am not sure who on this team has a high ceiling and the potential to be really good.
Sure, a lot of these kids probably looked good in high school, but I can’t think of any kid on Iowa’s roster who would be a major contributor on a top 25 team. Payton Sandfort could be a role player and come off the bench to hit 3s. Beyond that, everyone else is riding pine.
And for the record, the main reason Iowa sucks at defense is not because Fran can’t coach it but because he has a rotation full of skinny, slow-footed white guys who put forth minimal effort and are Charmin soft. No amount of practice drills or Xs and Os will fix that.
Every year, Wisconsin and NW also has slow-footed white guys and they're good at defense...
We're playing too many dudes (11). It's difficult to get in rhythm and know and understand your assignments when you don't know how many minutes you're getting from game-to-game, especially if you don't practice it! Our press is easily dismantled 'cause we're out of position; our interior/post defense is weak sauce because we're absolutely lost on rotations. Positioning, communication - it all takes practice and repetition. It doesn't help that our jump shots aren't falling.
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I can’t speak to Northwestern, but Wisconsin is just horrible to watch. At least they typically are. I’m convinced Wisconsin is good at defense because they grab, mug, flop, and just make a mess of every game.
I agree, though, Fran would need to adopt that style in order to make his roster work. What you said about repetition, communication, etc. makes a lot of sense. I’m not a basketball guru but I can tell there are a lot of things not working with the Iowa defense and to my untrained eye the issues are always the same. They aren’t tough, they aren’t quick, and the effort seems pretty lax. Just my opinion.
Here are my immediate changes:
1) We would benefit from Pryce just riding the bench and learning. At this time, not sure what he brings other than shooting and he's not shooting it well.
2) Perkins running the offense is a not a good idea. He's never been a creator. He's best running off solid screens and cutting to the basket. See @ Indiana last year, in which he had 30 points.
3) Dix starting in place of PMAC
4) Find a role for Dembele. Dude is lost out there, mainly because he's playing like 3 positions. He's probably a natural five, TBH. I see him hestitating before he shoots now and that's just doomsday. Needs to stay more around the paint since he's our best rebounder (See 3 off. rebounds vs Michigan).
1) We would benefit from Pryce just riding the bench and learning. At this time, not sure what he brings other than shooting and he's not shooting it well.
2) Perkins running the offense is a not a good idea. He's never been a creator. He's best running off solid screens and cutting to the basket. See @ Indiana last year, in which he had 30 points.
3) Dix starting in place of PMAC
4) Find a role for Dembele. Dude is lost out there, mainly because he's playing like 3 positions. He's probably a natural five, TBH. I see him hestitating before he shoots now and that's just doomsday. Needs to stay more around the paint since he's our best rebounder (See 3 off. rebounds vs Michigan).
A lot of what makes Phil Parker's defense work so efficiently is that every player has "a job" and they know their role. They know their assignment - their zone/space. They're all great communicators. When I see Dembele and Sandfort run to the same post interior spot, someone messed up. When I see it over and over, it's because they don't work on it in practice.
Sad we have to go all the way back to Adam Woodbury. We had a Top 40 defense back then. That dude didn't possess any athletic skills but he was a great communicator, making sure everyone was in the correct position.
Here’s a look at a play that kills us over and over, mainly because Krikke is a horrible hedger (extends too far) and no one knows where to go. This is where we’re missing Connor and Filip - these two dudes would be the ones sliding in and taking a charge. Can’t recall anyone taking a charge on this years team and that is bad!
I don't disagree with any of this. But who are your 5 starters, with Dix coming in for P-Mac?
This is where we're kind of screwed. We would benefit if the rotation was just cut, but now we're messing with egos and confidence.
are you kidding me. He takes people out for 1 turnover or a mistake on offense. NEVER EVER on defense. People stand straight legged, in the wrong spots, get blown by, don't see man/see ball and they rarely if ever get pulled. He would rather coast on defense and focus on offense. That is as true as fran's 2 foul rule.
I would do PG-Bowen/Harding, SG-Perkins/Dix, SF-Sandfort/McCaffery, PF-Krikke/Dembele, C-Freeman/Brauns
Ragarnok clearly knows very little about basketball. He even cited effort and softness as reasons they suck on defense. Not realizing it's Frans fault they give shit effort and are so soft inside. We have decades of evidence that Fran doesn't know how to coach defense.
Is this year 6 or 7 now that Fran has sacrificed what's best for the team by playing his kids. Having his kids guaranteed big game minutes has also led to a failure to get more transfers or high end recruits the last several years.
Perkins, Payton, Krikke, Dix, Price, Freeman, Brock, and Dembele are all power 5 talents. 3 of them need just a little more time and experience.
I agree Illinois and Purdue have good teams compared to B1G peers. They've both been rated similar to where they are now and in post season NCAA they have not done well. Top 10 ranking impies a team likely makes Elite8. You have to go to 2019 to the last time Purdue made and Elite8. Last year's team Purdue team with Edey was at top4 seed and lost to a 15 seed in 1st round.
Illinois hasn't been to sweet16 since 2012 and last year they got beat in 1st game...Yes, they'll probably make NCAA tournament this year and maybe win 1 game, which would imply a rank somewhere inf the 17-to-32 range., not inconsistent with Top25 but not assured they are a Top25 team.
The B1G despite being a Top revenue league in TV money, top conference in attendance, and paying its coach's well and having great facilities at most schools has become a joke in NCAA play. Too many below the rim, plodders and not athletic enough to compete. Purdue is 1-man team, the rest of their cast is not elite8 material.
B1G has to do better in NCAA tourney to change these conclusions.
Fran usually does more with less and less with more...winning 8 games in B1G would be doing more with less talent from my p.o.v.
Maybe Fran is afraid PM is mentally unable to handle a benching
Garza and Murray x2? More with less? 3 NBA draftees. He did recruit them. I'll give him that. Take away the Murrays and we'd be further down the road to where we might be heading.
I mean you certainly could end up being right. Before today they were the most disappointing team in the country. I get that they’ve played a tough schedule but until today they lost every tough game they’ve played plus at Nebraska and home to Wisconsin.
Iowa has been a bad team this year, but I also think it’s a team that can grow a lot. And that to me is entertaining. Lots of young guys who have room to improve. Freeman, Harding, Dembele, Bowen, Dix and even Brauns have shown promise. Fran usually does his best work and his teams improve the most over Christmas break. Let’s hope that pattern continues.
