Very few athletes

[abby97]

I'm not trying to state the obvious, but why can't Iowa ever get good athletes? We had great role players this year in Garza and JBO but if someone had to create their own shot we were done. Why is it that everyone can get athletes but Iowa? Every time I look at who we are getting or shows interest it appears to be a small town tall set shot player. We need some of those but we need athletes. Just look at some of the small schools in the tourney, why didn't any or those come to Iowa?

 

[ChiDoc]

No, it was the officiating! They let other teams grab and hold and foul at will, it’s been this way for YEARS!

Has absolutely nothing to do with Frans recruiting. You must not know anything about basketball...

 

[hawkifann]

We had great role players this year in Garza and JBO

So much wrong in that entire post.

1. Garza is a role player? In the sense that he’s a big and doesn’t create off the dribble, maybe fine, but I’ve never heard a NPOY described as a role player. A role-playing big is a defensive stopper or just a back to the basket guy....not someone who can shoot 40%+ from 3, take other bigs off the dribble and post up anywhere. Just stop there.

2. Garza and JBo are great? JBo had a great career, but I’m sure he’d be the first to say that this year has not been his best.

3. No mention of Weiskamp, who actually can create his own shot.

4. There are a lot of really athletic guys - Keegan, Toussaint, Perkins, Patrick McCaffrey, Ulis, Nunge & CJ when healthy. Several of those guys, when healthy, can go hunt their own shots.

Ultimately, Iowa didn’t get the right mix of guys and they didn’t get it done, but to compare Iowa’s lineup to something out of Hoosiers just isn’t accurate. Outside of Garza, JBo and CMac, there’s a lot of athleticism - and lack of athleticism never held Garza back.

 

[EvilMonkeyInTheCloset]

I'm not trying to state the obvious, but why can't Iowa ever get good athletes? We had great role players this year in Garza and JBO but if someone had to create their own shot we were done. Why is it that everyone can get athletes but Iowa? Every time I look at who we are getting or shows interest it appears to be a small town tall set shot player. We need some of those but we need athletes. Just look at some of the small schools in the tourney, why didn't any or those come to Iowa?

We need more of these guys on all the other teams I see that play defense like this for 40 minutes.........

 

[BlackNGoldBleeder]

I'm not trying to state the obvious, but why can't Iowa ever get good athletes? We had great role players this year in Garza and JBO but if someone had to create their own shot we were done. Why is it that everyone can get athletes but Iowa? Every time I look at who we are getting or shows interest it appears to be a small town tall set shot player. We need some of those but we need athletes. Just look at some of the small schools in the tourney, why didn't any or those come to Iowa?

I stopped reading after you called Garza a role player.

You are right, though, that Fran struggles to get good players and athletes.

 

[HawkLogic]

So much wrong in that entire post.

1. Garza is a role player? In the sense that he’s a big and doesn’t create off the dribble, maybe fine, but I’ve never heard a NPOY described as a role player. A role-playing big is a defensive stopper or just a back to the basket guy....not someone who can shoot 40%+ from 3, take other bigs off the dribble and post up anywhere. Just stop there.

2. Garza and JBo are great? JBo had a great career, but I’m sure he’d be the first to say that this year has not been his best.

3. No mention of Weiskamp, who actually can create his own shot.

4. There are a lot of really athletic guys - Keegan, Toussaint, Perkins, Patrick McCaffrey, Ulis, Nunge & CJ when healthy. Several of those guys, when healthy, can go hunt their own shots.

Ultimately, Iowa didn’t get the right mix of guys and they didn’t get it done, but to compare Iowa’s lineup to something out of Hoosiers just isn’t accurate. Outside of Garza, JBo and CMac, there’s a lot of athleticism - and lack of athleticism never held Garza back.

athletic teams don't give up 90+ points. Athletes do what Oregon did to Weezy, Fredrick, JBo, CMAC---render them helpless.

The bench has some decent athletes but they don't have good shooting skills. They are not in the mold of Oregon athletes. Oregon had a bunch of 6'6 dudes that could guard anyone and hit the three and if iowa went out to guard them, they blew by for layups. The recovery of the Oregon dudes at the 3pt line on defense is why Weezy, Fredrick, JBO could get shots off---any opening
was closed and Iowa guards ended up doing ball fakes and passing. Iowa defense in contrast didn't do anthing well...gave up wide open 3balls, couldn't stop penetration, and even post defense was so so.

 

[grayhair81]

Hickory, baby!

 

[ROCKY MOUNTAIN HAWK]

I stopped reading after you called Garza a role player.

You are right, though, that Fran struggles to get good players and athletes.

Agree OP has some points but calling Garza a roll players cancels his points out.

I mean no harm & not trying to be mean but when I read the Garza a role player part, I instantly thought all we need is 4 more Garza type roll players at the other positions & we’ll win every tourney game by 30+

 

[Kaiser_Soze]

I will take a Garza 365 days a year. What I do not want any longer are Guards that should be playing at Central Michigan.

 

[hawkifann]

athletic teams don't give up 90+ points. Athletes do what Oregon did to Weezy, Fredrick, JBo, CMAC---render them helpless.

The bench has some decent athletes but they don't have good shooting skills. They are not in the mold of Oregon athletes. Oregon had a bunch of 6'6 dudes that could guard anyone and hit the three and if iowa went out to guard them, they blew by for layups. The recovery of the Oregon dudes at the 3pt line on defense is why Weezy, Fredrick, JBO could get shots off---any opening
was closed and Iowa guards ended up doing ball fakes and passing. Iowa defense in contrast didn't do anthing well...gave up wide open 3balls, couldn't stop penetration, and even post defense was so so.

Iowa was stuck this year between identities. The lack of athleticism in the starting lineup compared to the athleticism coming off the bench was something I don’t think Fran ever really got comfortable with. I do think that a healthy Fredrick without the lower leg injuries is a pretty good athlete. He can get his own shot and he can play D....we just haven’t seen that Fredrick in 3 months.

 

[markfromj]

Every Hawk player is an athlete.

 

[TampaHawkfan]

I will take a Garza 365 days a year. What I do not want any longer are Guards that should be playing at Central Michigan.

This the correct answer. I love Keegan on the perimeter playing D, but he can't do it all himself. Need a lot more like that.

 

[hawkifann]

Agree OP has some points but calling Garza a roll players cancels his points out.

I mean no harm & not trying to be mean but when I read the Garza a role player part, I instantly thought all we need is 4 more Garza type roll players at the other positions & we’ll win every tourney game by 30+

Garza is simply not a role player at the college level. He may be in the pros, we’ll see. A role player is a guy who can have success within a very defined role - the guy who is a spot-up shooter; the big who is out there to bang and grab boards; the pass-first PG; the defensive stopper.

What’s Garza’s one role? He dominates the paint offensively. He is a 40%+ 3pt shooter. He can take quite a few bigs off the dribble to score. He’s a good rebounder. While not an athletic defender, he‘s a decent shot-blocker without racking up fouls.

A role player will never win a National Player of the Year award.

 

[IllQChawk]

What I saw of Fredrick all season long was a player that liked to mix it up and drive to the basket but whenever he did, he usually got blasted and ended up on the floor grimacing in pain.
He definitely needs to get stronger so he can absorb those hits and not become injured so easily. Not having him healthy for todays game sucked, he's a winner and didn't get to contribute like I know he wanted to. On to next season...