Toussaint = Lester?

[JRHawk2003]

Unfair to Joe.

Ronnie is greatest player in my lifetime

 

[Robster Raws]

Joe T needs to understand his job is to run the offense and play D. For the next two years.

Take what’s given to you offensively, but this offense isn’t running through him any time soon. When he starts to look for his offense first so far this year, he’s struggled.

Last night was a huge step in the right direction. He’ll be key in games w Illinois and Michigan St for sure.

 

[IamHawkeye]

I saw Ronnie Lester play for 2 years and he was the best player on the court in every game I watched. In fact he was the best player I have ever seen in an Iowa uniform and it isn't even close. Like Joe T, he was unbelievably quick but with better handles. He would routinely blow by defenders and knew how to finish in addition to being a terrific passer/facilitator, lifting up everyone around him. Super fun to watch. Would have likely had a long and glorious NBA career had he not blown out his knee during their 1980 Final Four season. Magic Johnson called him the toughest Big 10 player he ever played against. I still believe that if he doesn't go down in their Final Four matchup against Louisville the Hawks win the national championship that year. So the answer is no. Although I am a big fan of him, Joe T isn't close to being Ronnie Lester. Yet.

Ronnie originally hurt his knee against Dayton, going for a layup and a Dayton guy clobbered him. Would that I could remember his name, ugh. Then Ronnie was out for a while and was able to come back late in the year which made the Final Four possible, even though Iowa's regular season record was not stellar due to his absence. And he wasn't the only injury that year, though none as bad as Ronnie;s. I wouldn't say-- IIRC-- that he blew his knee out in the Final Four, more like the re-injury was enough that he just couldn't continue.

 

[hawk0954]

While JoTo has struggled at times this year, at his best he reminds me of a young Ronnie Lester. That’s some high praise. I still go with Lester as the best pure point guard that Iowa has ever had. JoTo is fearless and operates like Ronnie did with cool and amazing instincts in tight quarters. His ball handling is superb. Some of his drives and dishes are astonishing. His quicks and defensive tenacity are starting to change the way other teams play. The cherry on top was his 3-pointer in front of the Rutgers bench. If he can be any kind of outside threat and round out his game offensively, he will make himself into an all-timer.

don't see it.

 

[unIowa]

Needs to handle the ball better and work on that shot. With the roster and scheme, he could really put up some numbers

I think his handles are fine, even plus (most of the time), it is just his feet get moving faster than his brain can compute at this point in his career. He is figuring it out, future for him is mega bright.

 

[jonesy5960]

Ronnie originally hurt his knee against Dayton, going for a layup and a Dayton guy clobbered him. Would that I could remember his name, ugh. Then Ronnie was out for a while and was able to come back late in the year which made the Final Four possible, even though Iowa's regular season record was not stellar due to his absence. And he wasn't the only injury that year, though none as bad as Ronnie;s. I wouldn't say-- IIRC-- that he blew his knee out in the Final Four, more like the re-injury was enough that he just couldn't continue.

Right. That's why I said he blew out his knee during their 1980 Final Four season. He was out for an extended period during the season and then he re-injured it during the Final Four game against Louisville. Too bad sports medicine wasn't as advanced as it is today. He was never quite the same player after that which limited him in the pros.

 

[paladinhawk]

He is nowhere near where Simpson was as a soph at this time.

Really? Not a huge difference IMO
GP MIN FG% 3P% FT% REB AST BLK STL PF TO PTS
... 26.5 46.7 ..28.6 51.6 ..3.2 ...3.7 0.0 ...1.3 1.3 1.5 7.3
....17.3 37.5 ...21.7 77.1 ..2.1 ...2.7 0.1 ...1.3 1.7 2.0 6.9

 

[countit]

Love Joe T’s potential but he has not even been usable in over half his freshman games. He played well last night. Lol if he has another double digit scoring game this board will have him as a 1 and done

 

[DewHawk]

IMO JT will be a very good player at Iowa, but Ronnie Lester was on another level that I have not seen on any team. I agree with someone above not fair to compare JT to RL. Different players and times. Let's just enjoy watching JT the next 3.5 years.

 

[BlackNGoldBleeder]

While JoTo has struggled at times this year, at his best he reminds me of a young Ronnie Lester. That’s some high praise. I still go with Lester as the best pure point guard that Iowa has ever had. JoTo is fearless and operates like Ronnie did with cool and amazing instincts in tight quarters. His ball handling is superb. Some of his drives and dishes are astonishing. His quicks and defensive tenacity are starting to change the way other teams play. The cherry on top was his 3-pointer in front of the Rutgers bench. If he can be any kind of outside threat and round out his game offensively, he will make himself into an all-timer.

Is this meant to be funny?

Right now, Joe T reminds me of Kevin Smith.

 

[Aleksei]

Is this meant to be funny?

Right now, Joe T reminds me of Kevin Smith.

No disrespect to Joe, and I wish the kid a great career, but that’s what I thought too! Really, Lester? This might be a candidate for the post of the year.

 

[BlackNGoldBleeder]

No disrespect to Joe, and I wish the kid a great career, but that’s what I thought too! Really, Lester? This might be a candidate for the post of the year.

For the record, I think Joe will have a fantastic career at Iowa, but to compare him to arguably the best to ever put on an Iowa uniform is ridiculous.

 

[Ronman]

Ronnie didn't really struggle as a Freshman. He was ready the moment he hit the Fieldhouse floor and took the PG position away from Cal Wulfsburg, who came in with Lute and would eventually wind up as his son-in-law. He was very serene on the court and could just blow by and around other guards. He had deadly floater that he regularly hit in the lane. It was indeed a very sad day when he got hurt in that Dayton tournament and even though he made it back for the last regular season game against Illinois he was not quite the same player. Still, even at 75% he was the best player on the court. Took a hard foul early in the Louisville game, which he was single-handedly keeping us in and which, I think, cost us a National Championship.

 

[HoustonREDHawk]

It's a shame that the minutes played stat isn't available for Ronnie's seasons. I have no idea what he averaged playing time as a freshman, but is it possible he was close to a 30 minute guy that season. If so, Joe T's scoring stats are quite comparable with Joe currently ahead in FT accuracy.

As I recall, Ronnie's minutes and points increased a lot during the second half of his freshman season. I didn't get season tickets until his soph year, so I don't remember his first year as well as his final 3.

Beyond Ronnie, if Iowa had stayed healthy during Ronnie's senior year, the Hawks would have at least been one of the top 2 teams. Louisville was also a great team that year.

 

[iowa surfer]

I never got the chance to watch Lester play so I can't compare there. What I do know is Iowa hasn't had a guy like him that I can remember. At the end of the game last night I felt very good with him having the ball in his hands. Yes, he makes freshman mistakes, and I am not going to say he is the second coming. He is so strong and quick with the ball that I can't wait to see what the next step will be for him.

Agree. Time+Time. But he Shakes off Bad Games like Tossing Empty Beer Bottles Away. NEXT. A Tough Guy Gaining Experience.Go JT and Hawks..