Uthoff, when asked where the team's confidence is at: "I don't know."

[Franisdaman]

Ughh. It was painful to watch Woody, Jarrod, and Sapp's OSU post game interviews.

Here is the Uthoff interview: http://www.hawkcentral.com/videos/sports/college/iowa/basketball-men/2016/02/28/81086990/

 

[Hawkeyestate81]

Uthoff is a Robin not a Batman. Is not the go to guy and not a leader.

 

[QChawks]

Uthoff is a Robin not a Batman. Is not the go to guy and not a leader.

Agreed. I don't see him as a floor leader.

 

[Hawkeyestate81]

Agreed. I don't see him as a floor leader.

White was the leader last year and they were a good tandem.

 

[noStemsnoSTICKS]

Did somebody really ask where the team confidence is "at"?

 

[UpstreamHawkeye]

Uthoff is a Robin not a Batman. Is not the go to guy and not a leader.

I can't help but find this funny -- batman, in some other uses, means a servant to an officer. Maybe Uthoff is a batman after all.

 

[Hawkeyestate81]

I can't help but find this funny -- batman, in some other uses, means a servant to an officer. Maybe Uthoff is a batman after all.

Just thinking of the first thing that would typically come to mind, Batman, the caped crusader who is large and in charge with giant balls, JU is Robin or a Batman with raisins for balls.

 

[UpstreamHawkeye]

Just thinking of the first thing that would typically come to mind, Batman, the caped crusader who is large and in charge with giant balls, JU is Robin or a Batman with raisins for balls.

Yeah, I know what you mean. Let's say JU is deserving of the title of Batman's batman, i.e. Alfred Pennyworth.

 

[Hawkeyestate81]

Yeah, I know what you mean. Let's say JU is deserving of the title of Batman's batman, i.e. Alfred Pennyworth.

Yes, this is accurate.

 

[flyunique]

this site last year was asking where White was......and him not being a leader..

 

[whatsup13579er]

His answer to, "Where is the team's confidence at?" was "I don't know." is the ultimate deer-in-the-headlights answer from someone who doesn't know how to fix what is happening. The correct answer from someone that still believed this team could accomplish something would be something like this, "Obviously our confidence is a little shaken right now. We've lost some close games that we had the chance to win. We need to limit our mistakes and execute a little better to win those games. We're not that far off."

The fact that a 5th year senior answered that question like that speaks volumes.

 

[Hawkeye_43]

Uthoff is a Robin not a Batman. Is not the go to guy and not a leader.

Uthoff is a tin man.

 

[FranklinHawk]

His answer to, "Where is the team's confidence at?" was "I don't know." is the ultimate deer-in-the-headlights answer from someone who doesn't know how to fix what is happening. The correct answer from someone that still believed this team could accomplish something would be something like this, "Obviously our confidence is a little shaken right now. We've lost some close games that we had the chance to win. We need to limit our mistakes and execute a little better to win those games. We're not that far off."

The fact that a 5th year senior answered that question like that speaks volumes.

I think he was pi$$ed and not in the mood to be interviewed. I took his comment to more mean "I don't feel like answering your questions" than really not knowing. The tone in Fran's and Jarrod's interviews was very similar.

 

[SDHawkDoc]

When had he ever presented himself in a way publicly that he wants to be in the lead, in the spotlight? Never.
He's still a very good player. It's not realistic to ask him to have a personality change at this point. Not going to happen in an interview, on the court, or anywhere else for that matter.

 

[LaoHawk]

That is why Fran is so upset and can't do anything to motivate Uthoff to be more aggressive, which is why he deferred those questions to ask Uthoff. Fran is tired of sticking up for Uthoff I think, so are some of his team mates I would imagine.

 

[OC_Hawk]

Did somebody really ask where the team confidence is "at"?

No. The question was "Where's you guys' confidence level as a team?". But his answer really was "I don't know".

 

[Pepperman]

Maybe Jarrod took the question to be "where did the team's confidence go?" Like, where is this team's confidence?

Grasping at straws, but perhaps that's a question you might answer "I don't know" to...

 

[SJeagleEye]

Have to feel bad for Uthoff. He was on pace to be a superstar, a hawkeye legend. All big 10, all-american. NBA player.

Instead?

Nothing.

He blew it, hate to say. Hopefully will still be able to be a decent NBA player.

 

[bravehawks1]

Oh well, he has a fiancé to go home to each night. At any rate, it was not a very good answer for a senior, leader or no leader! It probably shows some of the problems the team is having may be more than just a missed shot or poor defense.

 

[kzoohawk80]

That is why Fran is so upset and can't do anything to motivate Uthoff to be more aggressive, which is why he deferred those questions to ask Uthoff. Fran is tired of sticking up for Uthoff I think, so are some of his team mates I would imagine.

I don't buy this at all. It's not really Uthoff's game to be highly aggressive. When he does he tends to make mistakes and play a little out of control. Then Fran pulls him. I really don't like how Fran pulls guys out of the game when they make a mistake. It makes the players a little gun shy. Fran could also do a whole lot better of getting Uthoff involved in the game. Running some set plays and isolations for him. With each team having 5 timeouts and a media timeout every 4 minutes that's plenty of times to draw up some set plays and get certain guys involved.

I truly believe the post game interview responses where because Fran, Uthoff and everyone else knows what they really lost in the O$U game.

 

[HawkCycle]

You people make me sick!
I wish I could collectively squeeze your heads together. She it!

 

[Hawk_4shur]

Uthoff is a Robin not a Batman. Is not the go to guy and not a leader.

I couldn't have said it better. Ute is a SIDEKICK! Not a Hero. Doesn't make him a bad player of course. Love him. But when the pressure is on ......

 

[hawkfan1963]

It doesn't look good but the team can still suck it up and go out with a bang. Everyone has to give it their all every game. No sense playing apprehensive now. Not one single game for the rest of the season will be easy.

 

[ih8iast8]

Just thinking of the first thing that would typically come to mind, Batman, the caped crusader who is large and in charge with giant balls, JU is Robin or a Batman with raisins for balls.

Raisins for balls says the man who can't see his own balls or youch his own toes.

 

[Ihawkhoops]

Fran has nobody to blame but himself. How many years until he recruits a leader...a real vocal leader who will get guys up at crunch time and make plays? 4 years to recruit some help in here at the guard spot and we have 5 minutes of Trey Dickerson to show for it. Hard to believe Williams wouldn't be contributing something by now had he been given Ellingson's minutes. Also trying to figure out why Hutton and / or Moss' athleticism wasn't put on the court when Jones went out.

 

[HawkLogic]

I have not problem if Uthoff, Gesell, Clemmons, Woodbury don't want to talk. They have accomplished a lot. They can let their play on court speak for them...it they lose out, then so be it.

 

[DarkThunder#61]

His answer to, "Where is the team's confidence at?" was "I don't know." is the ultimate deer-in-the-headlights answer from someone who doesn't know how to fix what is happening. The correct answer from someone that still believed this team could accomplish something would be something like this, "Obviously our confidence is a little shaken right now. We've lost some close games that we had the chance to win. We need to limit our mistakes and execute a little better to win those games. We're not that far off."

The fact that a 5th year senior answered that question like that speaks volumes.

So then I guess you should probably fire him, then, since it bothers you that much...........right?

 

[HawkamongstGophers]

Man, you people are a bunch of weasels. A month ago Uthoff was All-American, POY, now he has raisins and no skills.

Do any of you have friends, because God knows I wouldn't want any of you watching my back.

They problem is not any one player.

Early success was because of exceptional ball movement. That started to change around B1G win 8-9. It continued through next games, but they still won, then it got worse and it has been crap since and hence the losses.

 

[Eternal Return]

I don't know, I saw a guy who was really pissed (under the surface) that the team played like s*** down the stretch. Uthoff is not a "coach-speak" or "player-speak" sort of guy. He was severely disappointed, frustrated, and seething and it showed. i don't think it's a bad thing at all. Presenting a rah-rah face after such a downer would have worried me more. That said, he did not play well and has't played well for weeks, really. Teams are clamping down on him, fouling him, he isn't hitting open shots dependably, and he's definitely frustrated. He's the type of guy who plays best when the game comes to him rather than taking over in some sort of Jordanesque way. He's a high-value complimentary player in a system that requires four or five players capable of shooting, slashing, and scoring. Iowa is hurt more than people realize (I think) by not having the point and 2G being outside shooters. McCaffery's system works best when the two/three guards and swing forwards/centers can hit outside shots. Then they're tough to defend. Clemmons and Gesell are good players, but not outside shooters that command perimeter respect and that has hurt both Jok and Uthoff as teams have adapted their defensive strategies (in addition to fouling regularly and substituting often to disrupt game flow).

 

[Eternal Return]

[QUOTE="HawkamongstGophers, post: 2314038, member: 10130"

Early success was because of exceptional ball movement. That started to change around B1G win 8-9. It continued through next games, but they still won, then it got worse and it has been crap since and hence the losses.[/QUOTE]

I think that's a big key to their slide, honestly. That and the adjustments other teams have made to disrupt offensive flow (fouling and in-and-out substitutions).

 

[Suterman]

This is a lame ass thread. Uthoff didn't want to be interviewed and who can blame him.

 

[MepoDawg#]

Bigger issue is Uthoff didn't attempt a shot in the final 9 possessions and didn't hit a fg in the last 12+ min. He struggling and it's getting to his head. Fran gives him the green light. I'd rather see him or Jok shoot and miss then another MG late game drive to the hoop.

 

[IamHawkeye]

Fran has nobody to blame but himself. How many years until he recruits a leader...a real vocal leader who will get guys up at crunch time and make plays? 4 years to recruit some help in here at the guard spot and we have 5 minutes of Trey Dickerson to show for it. Hard to believe Williams wouldn't be contributing something by now had he been given Ellingson's minutes. Also trying to figure out why Hutton and / or Moss' athleticism wasn't put on the court when Jones went out.

Vocal guys don't always make plays, many times they are just vocal. Rah, rah, doesn't mean actually doing it. Remember last year when Uthoff make the shot against Minnesota up there?!People on here said wow, he made the winning shot! He DID it!

 

[Ihawkhoops]

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but if you don't think passion, emotion, and 'want to' matter in sports, then you haven't played them. OSU was going nuts at every time out and we sauntered over to the bench with heads down. Who didn't think we would melt down late in the game? That in itself is telling.

 

[jasonrann]

I don't hang any of this on Uthoff solely. We have a senior laden team. Anything that has happened, good or bad, the team can own collectively. I'm hoping they can right the ship for one more good run. Seems only fitting these guys should go out on a high note.

 

[bravehawks1]

I am not a big fan of Uthoff's response here, but given that he was singled out for the question, the answer was probably appropriate. He probably could have responded that we are a team and we all need to look at ourselves and just work hard to play better for the next game and rest of season.

The one guy that is really getting a pass in the discussion is Clemmons. He seems like a pretty quiet guy and doesn't get the microphone stuck in front of him very often, but I have not seen much from him on the court during this slide. Everyone has been talking about MG dribbling and the shooting of Jok and Uthoff, but I really think that Sapp could be the difference maker for this team. He has the ability to put up 20 but seems like he is content to play the complimentary player role. Bottom line, it will probably take 5 starters and at least 2 or 3 of the bench guys to all come together to get the job done, don't think this is a one player fix at this point. And they may have to overcome Fran's shortcomings to get it done too.

 

[whatsup13579er]

I am not a big fan of Uthoff's response here, but given that he was singled out for the question, the answer was probably appropriate. He probably could have responded that we are a team and we all need to look at ourselves and just work hard to play better for the next game and rest of season.

The one guy that is really getting a pass in the discussion is Clemmons. He seems like a pretty quiet guy and doesn't get the microphone stuck in front of him very often, but I have not seen much from him on the court during this slide. Everyone has been talking about MG dribbling and the shooting of Jok and Uthoff, but I really think that Sapp could be the difference maker for this team. He has the ability to put up 20 but seems like he is content to play the complimentary player role. Bottom line, it will probably take 5 starters and at least 2 or 3 of the bench guys to all come together to get the job done, don't think this is a one player fix at this point. And they may have to overcome Fran's shortcomings to get it done too.

He is the 4th scoring option out of the starting 5 and was the 2nd leading scorer in the Wisconsin game behind Jok. He is not the problem.

 

[BGHAWK]

This is a lame ass thread. Uthoff didn't want to be interviewed and who can blame him.

And the thing of it is, is that it's the same old lame ass posters posting their same old crap day in and day out. It must really suck to live their life through a few 18-22 year olds' wins and losses.

 

[83Hawk]

Confidence is a big thing. If you expect to win, hit the big shot, make the free throws, etc, you usually do. During the first part of the Big 10 schedule, the Hawks had swagger. I remember one game where Uthoff was at the 3 point line and was closely guarded. He popped in the 3, then gave the defender a look like: "You can't stop me."
That's gone now.

This is 2 years all over again. They can still pull themselves out of the funk, but time is running out. A win today would be HUGE.

 

[Chewback]

Man, you people are a bunch of weasels. A month ago Uthoff was All-American, POY, now he has raisins and no skills.

Do any of you have friends, because God knows I wouldn't want any of you watching my back.

They problem is not any one player.

Early success was because of exceptional ball movement. That started to change around B1G win 8-9. It continued through next games, but they still won, then it got worse and it has been crap since and hence the losses.

The lack of ball movement recently is what is driving me crazy. I think that has a lot to do with the apparent bad shooting because they simply cannot set up the kind of shots they were getting in the first part of the season. There is very little pressure on the opposing defense as a result. I have no answer for why this is happening now or how to get them back to moving the ball again. It's starting to remind me of Lick ball.