Time for Bluder to Bench some starters

[Chicagoherky71]

I think Lisa needs to bench Gabbie Marshall, McKenna Warnock, and Kate Martin. They are way too inconsistent offensively and are below average on defense.

Hannah is already an upgrade to Kate and Taylor McCabe is a better 3-point shooter than Gabbie. Also, I love the addition of Molly Davis and she should be one of the starters.

This current team is definitely not a top-10 team unless they make some critical changes.

 

[ahmaddoschad]

I don't agree with Molly. She folded during crunch time with turnovers, fouls and missed shots. I do think Hannah should start instead of Martin. I know Martin is the "glue" but I'm not sure what she does best? No one can play defense. Gabbie can guard on the perimeter but they drive around her at will. McKenna is awesome on offense but just reaches on defense and gets fouls.

I say start with Hannah first and see from there.

 

[Chicagoherky71]

Good take, but I disagree with your assessment of Molly. She has a quick first step and can easily penetrate and shoot or pass to an open player. Although she is shorter, she's also very feisty on defense. I really like her overall game. Of the 3, McKenna is the only one who should remain as a starter. Gabbie and Kate should not be starters though imo.

 

[DewHawk]

Well, something needs to change, or the ceiling will be the same as in previous years with this starting five. Gabbie, McKenna, and Kate have not improved much over the years IMO. Because of the other starters consistently struggling there is entirely too much pressure on Clark to carry the team and it shows in her game. But I doubt Bluder will ever figure out a solution.

 

[EduNeerHawk]

Just as disappointed as everyone else with the loss. Unfortunately, could not watch the game but did play by play ESPN and then HR game threads. I read how horrible the officiating was and no reason not to trust the many Hawks posters saying this. Glad I didn't watch the game to keep blood pressure from boiling.

Not that I disagree with the OP's thought but folks.....pretty dang early in the season just a few games in, don't ya think? I mean critical changes on 11/18? I totally agree with Hannah first though....like CC said, she doesn't realize yet just how good she can be....

A little rope here for this team....the talent is there to be pretty darn good. These BB seasons are long and a journey for sure and gotta figure some things out....plus teams want to beat Caitlin and the Hawks...we are going to get teams best shot and throw in pathetic officiating on the road......buckle in!

 

[moondog24]

There are a lot of really good teams this season. Iowa began the season perhaps overrated due to the return of all five starters and the media’s fascination with Clark. Their defense has been their achilles heel in the past and appears to be still their weakness along with rebounding. K State is a little better than people thought they might be considering they lost a likely first team all-American post player to injury.

 

[Hawkhoops3]

There are a lot of really good teams this season. Iowa began the season perhaps overrated due to the return of all five starters and the media’s fascination with Clark. Their defense has been their achilles heel in the past and appears to be still their weakness along with rebounding. K State is a little better than people thought they might be considering they lost a likely first team all-American post player to injury.

that's just it, though, I don't think K State is better than people thought. Iowa couldn't or wouldn't guard person-to-person, had to go zone, and gave up wide open threes all night. the girl that hit 6 threes is a 22% 3 point shooter but even the worst shooters can make wide open threes. K State finishes middle of the Big 12, 5th-7th.

 

[DodgerHawki]

that's just it, though, I don't think K State is better than people thought. Iowa couldn't or wouldn't guard person-to-person, had to go zone, and gave up wide open threes all night. the girl that hit 6 threes is a 22% 3 point shooter but even the worst shooters can make wide open threes. K State finishes middle of the Big 12, 5th-7th.

Yeah that was not a good loss. Just didn't play very well.

 

[ROHawk 44]

There are a lot of really good teams this season. Iowa began the season perhaps overrated due to the return of all five starters and the media’s fascination with Clark. Their defense has been their achilles heel in the past and appears to be still their weakness along with rebounding. K State is a little better than people thought they might be considering they lost a likely first team all-American post player to injury.

So true. Their defense has never been good enough. They don't seem to handle expectations well. Clark isn't shooting well either.

 

[Gabe Sifuentes]

Just as disappointed as everyone else with the loss. Unfortunately, could not watch the game but did play by play ESPN and then HR game threads. I read how horrible the officiating was and no reason not to trust the many Hawks posters saying this. Glad I didn't watch the game to keep blood pressure from boiling.

Not that I disagree with the OP's thought but folks.....pretty dang early in the season just a few games in, don't ya think? I mean critical changes on 11/18? I totally agree with Hannah first though....like CC said, she doesn't realize yet just how good she can be....

A little rope here for this team....the talent is there to be pretty darn good. These BB seasons are long and a journey for sure and gotta figure some things out....plus teams want to beat Caitlin and the Hawks...we are going to get teams best shot and throw in pathetic officiating on the road......buckle in!

I think loyal fans are just sick of seeing the same things year after year. Poor or non-existent defense and rebounding, too many turnovers, mismanagement of the bench.

Bluder is afraid or unwilling to play the players that can help. And I think we're all disappointed to not see improvement.

Kate had me excited with two early baskets and then disappeared. Gabby is great on defense but doesn't look for her shot. Court awareness has been poor on both sides of the ball.

Addy barely played despite Monica not having a good game. Taylor has yet to see the floor two games in a row despite the fact that she's a prolific shooter.

iowa was exposed by Creighton in the NCAA tourney and now everyone is going to use the same model. Take away Monica by clogging the passing lanes and aggressively drive on offense.

If the coaches don't make some adjustments quickly, it's going to be a very disappointing season.

 

[LarryMullenJr.]

Gabbie has been going backwards for a couple years now. Hate to bash the kid but it is what it is.

 

[BGHAWK]

O'Grady 5 minutes? McCabe zero minutes? Please!

 

[mick82]

I think Lisa needs to bench Gabbie Marshall, McKenna Warnock, and Kate Martin. They are way too inconsistent offensively and are below average on defense.

Hannah is already an upgrade to Kate and Taylor McCabe is a better 3-point shooter than Gabbie. Also, I love the addition of Molly Davis and she should be one of the starters.

This current team is definitely not a top-10 team unless they make some critical changes.

Typical of Iowa teams. Highly rated and fall on their butts!!!!

 

[Suterman]

Keep the same starting line up, but if they are ineffective, pull them out. Put them back in if the replacements don't get it done, Caitlin and Monica can't do it all.

 

[Vegas Chris]

It seems all the starters have regressed from last year from what I have seen, except Warnock looks the same. Definitely need to get the bench some more minutes.

 

[EvilMonkeyInTheCloset]

I say fire all the players that can't play defense and use NIL to hire all new players that can......

That should help us win a national championship.

 

[ronnh]

I think loyal fans are just sick of seeing the same things year after year. Poor or non-existent defense and rebounding, too many turnovers, mismanagement of the bench.

Bluder is afraid or unwilling to play the players that can help. And I think we're all disappointed to not see improvement.

Kate had me excited with two early baskets and then disappeared. Gabby is great on defense but doesn't look for her shot. Court awareness has been poor on both sides of the ball.

Addy barely played despite Monica not having a good game. Taylor has yet to see the floor two games in a row despite the fact that she's a prolific shooter.

iowa was exposed by Creighton in the NCAA tourney and now everyone is going to use the same model. Take away Monica by clogging the passing lanes and aggressively drive on offense.

If the coaches don't make some adjustments quickly, it's going to be a very disappointing season.

Your comment about Gabbie is great on defense but doesn't look for her shot is way off. Gabbie is a liability on defense. She has consistently shown she cannot guard anyone one on one. Other guards go right around her. She just is not quick enough to get her shot off or play defense. The only way she can get a shot is for someone like Caitlan to drive and kick it out to her. I said it last spring. If Bluder does not upgrade Gabbie and Kate this team will not get any better and Iowa will not get to the next level. This is a shame since players like Clark only come around once in a lifetime. You have to have a better supporting cast.

 

[GunnerHawk]

Wow, all the experts come out of the woodwork. Bashing a coach and players that won the BIG regular season and tourney. It is only the third game of the season. We will get better, give it a rest. Coach Bluder is trying to figure which rotation works best. If you watched the game, the Hawks were playing against KSU and the refs. FWIW, we will have a bullseye on our back all year, ladies better come ready every night because we'll get everybody's best effort.

 

[BGHAWK]

I would find it difficult to find the best rotation if you don't play a good part of the rotation.

 

[GunnerHawk]

I would find it difficult to find the best rotation if you don't play a good part of the rotation.

Lisa Bluder has won over 800 games as a basketball coach. She also watches the girls play every day in practice. I trust her to know who to play vs. some arm chair internet know-it-all who always finds fault.

 

[BGHAWK]

Lisa Bluder has won over 800 games as a basketball coach. She also watches the girls play every day in practice. I trust her to know who to play vs. some arm chair internet know-it-all who always finds fault.

If you are referring to me as some arm chair internet know-it-all who always finds fault, please provide proof. If you are just referring to those in general, no problem.

 

[herkhatescy]

Wow, all the experts come out of the woodwork. Bashing a coach and players that won the BIG regular season and tourney. It is only the third game of the season. We will get better, give it a rest. Coach Bluder is trying to figure which rotation works best. If you watched the game, the Hawks were playing against KSU and the refs. FWIW, we will have a bullseye on our back all year, ladies better come ready every night because we'll get everybody's best effort.

Agree about the refs. They were really really terrible

 

[joemc2]

If you are referring to me as some arm chair internet know-it-all who always finds fault, please provide proof. If you are just referring to those in general, no problem.

It seems to be always the same- very good team with excellent offense but not enough athleticism to play good defense and rebound. Can’t compete with the elite athletic teams. Not that KSU was that, just a real bad game by Iowa

 

[MitchLL]

Marshall just has too slow of feet.

And perimeter offense is erratic, at best.

 

[Kabby]

Wow, all the experts come out of the woodwork. Bashing a coach and players that won the BIG regular season and tourney. It is only the third game of the season. We will get better, give it a rest. Coach Bluder is trying to figure which rotation works best. If you watched the game, the Hawks were playing against KSU and the refs. FWIW, we will have a bullseye on our back all year, ladies better come ready every night because we'll get everybody's best effort.

We are not getting better when our defense, rebounding and passing are still below par. That ain't changing

 

[doughawk]

I believe Iowa was favored by 7.5 or 8.5 points in Manhattan. I think the game was lost in the last few minutes by turnovers by Stuelke, Martin, Molly and bad shot selection. This team can’t win with Caitlin shooting 33 percent on so many shots. Martin and Marshal look the same as the last two years. They have lots of game experience, but skill’s haven’t advanced much. Stuelke, Affolter, and Molly need to be comfortable playing in the system rather than out of control. And if they don’t step up, then we play the veterans more. This team should be better, but if Caitlin doesn’t start hitting a higher percentage and handle being defended aggressively it will be a disappointing season. I hope Lisa gets them straightened out soon. We should never have lost to KSU or overtime with Drake.

 

[FrankBurns00]

Affolter and McCabe need more minutes!

I'm a huge Bluder supporter, but I've never been a fan of how she handles bench players. They never play for long enough to get any sort of rhythm. Affolter played just 9 minutes and didn't see the floor after missing 2 shots. McCabe hasn't seen the floor in 2 games. With McCabe I worry that it's Lauren Jensen all over again.

 

[calvinjones666]

Hanna needs more minutes. Bluder has a quick hook with her. She’s the best rebounder and with her athleticism can create shots. I think she can average 10-15 points per game. Points we desperately need.

 

[natchrlman]

If you are referring to me as some arm chair internet know-it-all who always finds fault, please provide proof. If you are just referring to those in general, no problem.

guilty conscience?

 

[BGHAWK]

guilty conscience?

Why would I have a guilty conscience? I responded to the other person's post. I received no reply. Maybe you have something more to offer. Probably not.

 

[DodgerHawki]

Hanna needs more minutes. Bluder has a quick hook with her. She’s the best rebounder and with her athleticism can create shots. I think she can average 10-15 points per game. Points we desperately need.

Yeah she does things that no one else on the team can do. They need to find ways to get her on the floor. Will have to work through how multi-year starters handle not playing as much. That is a hard one. It's easy to say from our keyboards, but these are real people we are talking about and real team dynamics.

 

[retrodent]

Hanna needs more minutes. Bluder has a quick hook with her. She’s the best rebounder and with her athleticism can create shots. I think she can average 10-15 points per game. Points we desperately need.

Hanna, Monica, Clark, Molly and warnock should start. If warnock is not showing up then put Kate in

 

[natchrlman]

I wonder if that mask isn’t affecting Kates play….. sure would think all those lights cause some glare then you get sweat in there maybe screw up depth perception a bit…… she was playing much better end of last year

 

[Suterman]

The Drake team that took us to OT just beat #22 Nebraska by 18. I think that was a pretty good win for Iowa.

 

[tippet1]

So true. Their defense has never been good enough. They don't seem to handle expectations well. Clark isn't shooting well either.

I think it is due to who Bluder recruits. I would say over 80% of the players she recruits, their lateral quickness is horrible. Due to that, they have to play a lot of zone. Makes me wonder if she is not comfortable teaching man to man defense or would rather not have to do it..

 

[wneff]

I think it is due who Bluder recruits. I would say over 80% of the players she recruits, their lateral quickness is horrible. Due to that, they have to play a lot of zone. Makes me wonder if she is not comfortable teaching man to man defense or would rather not have to do it..

I've always privately had this theory about her coaching style, but recently heard Bluder (maybe It was Jan) somewhat confirm it in an interview. Bluder, Jensen, and Fitzgerald all grew up playing forward (Jensen might have played a little guard, but led the state/nation/world in scoring as a HS senior.) in Iowa 6-girl basketball. The game is offense to them. It's what they know and what they do.

 

[Suterman]

I've always privately had this theory about her coaching style, but recently heard Bluder (maybe It was Jan) somewhat confirm it in an interview. Bluder, Jensen, and Fitzgerald all grew up playing forward (Jensen might have played a little guard, but led the state/nation/world in scoring as a HS senior.) in Iowa 6-girl basketball. The game is offense to them. It's what they know and what they do.

Yes it is who they are.

 

[cleotishaywood]

Well, something needs to change, or the ceiling will be the same as in previous years with this starting five. Gabbie, McKenna, and Kate have not improved much over the years IMO. Because of the other starters consistently struggling there is entirely too much pressure on Clark to carry the team and it shows in her game. But I doubt Bluder will ever figure out a solution.

Bluder needs more athleticism on the wings. Players who are quicker who can move faster latterally.

 

[UpstreamHawkeye]

Marshall only played 18 minutes today. Maybe the coaches are onto something.

 

[Suterman]

I wonder if that mask isn’t affecting Kates play….. sure would think all those lights cause some glare then you get sweat in there maybe screw up depth perception a bit…… she was playing much better end of last year

Maybe.....she didn't wear it today.