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What the hell is going on with the basketball program?

RagnarLothbrok

RagnarLothbrok

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Apr 4, 2023
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Great to see some talent coming to IC!

On the other hand - more lanky wings and a skinny center.

Lewis 6'7" 180 lbs Wing
Diakite 6'10" 200 lbs C
Arigu 6'7" 220 lbs SF

Stars and rankings are great, but it would be nice to get something Iowa really needs - a top guard or some beef inside.

But beggars can't be choosers! Welcome!
 
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Hawk_4shur said:
Great to see some talent coming to IC!

On the other hand - more lanky wings and a skinny center.

Lewis 6'7" 180 lbs Wing
Diakite 6'10" 200 lbs C
Arigu 6'7" 220 lbs SF

Stars and rankings are great, but it would be nice to get something Iowa really needs - a top guard or some beef inside.

But beggars can't be choosers! Welcome!
Click to expand...
They will only do as well as they are coached.
 
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Bank of Hawk said:
Ok if Iowa can pull off some upsets and squeak into the ncaat somehow, then i will be ok with retaining him, with his recent uptick in recruiting.

Do I think that will happen? No, it’s a moon shot, but a moon shot is what is needed.
Click to expand...
The biggest issue most of us have had with Fran is recruiting too many unathletic white guys to try to fit into his system. That has led to terrible defense and rebounding and many frustrating ends to otherwise promising seasons.

If Fran can consistently recruit players to change the narrative of Iowa looking like the Wisconsin Badgers while trying to play like the Boston Celtics, then there is going to be more enthusiasm and better basketball.

Iowa is never going to do better than Fran IF Fran can continue to improve recruiting and finally land a dynamic point guard (maybe he’ll land one via the portal). If it’s true Fran couldn’t land the players he wanted because he had no NIL money to offer, then Fran deserves a little grace for having to rely on the J Crew sales counter to try to defend P5 talent.

Let’s see what Fran can do with better talent.
 
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Hawk_4shur said:
Great to see some talent coming to IC!

On the other hand - more lanky wings and a skinny center.

Lewis 6'7" 180 lbs Wing
Diakite 6'10" 200 lbs C
Arigu 6'7" 220 lbs SF

Stars and rankings are great, but it would be nice to get something Iowa really needs - a top guard or some beef inside.

But beggars can't be choosers! Welcome!
Click to expand...
It’s trending in the right direction.

I’m trying to be cautiously optimistic. If Fran lands a point guard of consequence this spring, then I will get excited perhaps.

The greater point is it seems like Fran expects to be back next year. I’m going to try to be hopeful this is a sign of things to come and that the NIL money has improved significantly.
 
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RagnarLothbrok said:
It’s trending in the right direction.

I’m trying to be cautiously optimistic. If Fran lands a point guard of consequence this spring, then I will get excited perhaps.

The greater point is it seems like Fran expects to be back next year. I’m going to try to be hopeful this is a sign of things to come and that the NIL money has improved significantly.
Click to expand...
Don't get me wrong, I like these adds. At least he's getting some sought-after skinny wings!

It's kinda like this years roster - I like all the guys on the team, I just don't like them all on the SAME team!
 
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Hawk_4shur said:
Don't get me wrong, I like these adds. At least he's getting some sought-after skinny wings!

It's kinda like this years roster - I like all the guys on the team, I just don't like them all on the SAME team!
Click to expand...
Agreed.

Payton Sandfort would be a fantastic role player on about any P5 team. The problem is he’s expected to take on too much of the offensive load and is often erratic and woeful from 3. Payton needs a point guard who can beat guys off the dribble so he can spot up and drain 3s. When he’s trying to generate his own shot or curl off screens and take off balance 3s, he’s terrible.
 
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Hawk_4shur said:
Don't get me wrong, I like these adds. At least he's getting some sought-after skinny wings!

It's kinda like this years roster - I like all the guys on the team, I just don't like them all on the SAME team!
Click to expand...
Cookie cutter recruits!

Halloween Cookies GIF by Finger Industries
 
RagnarLothbrok said:
The biggest issue most of us have had with Fran is recruiting too many unathletic white guys to try to fit into his system. That has led to terrible defense and rebounding and many frustrating ends to otherwise promising seasons.

If Fran can consistently recruit players to change the narrative of Iowa looking like the Wisconsin Badgers while trying to play like the Boston Celtics, then there is going to be more enthusiasm and better basketball.

Iowa is never going to do better than Fran IF Fran can continue to improve recruiting and finally land a dynamic point guard (maybe he’ll land one via the portal). If it’s true Fran couldn’t land the players he wanted because he had no NIL money to offer, then Fran deserves a little grace for having to rely on the J Crew sales counter to try to defend P5 talent.

Let’s see what Fran can do with better talent.
Click to expand...

Fran does have a type of player he can develop, a forward and power forward. Garza, Murray twins, among others who have gotten significantly better playing in his system.

Problem is the pg position, he hasn’t shown an ability to develop one into an elite pg… a true pg coach would have coached up Joe T to at least all big honors, similar Perkins seemed like he had a higher ceiling than he ended up showing.

He seems to develop shooting guards better than point guards.

Some coaches simply rely more on their pg to run the show and know how to work with and get the maximum out of the pg position; that is not Fran and never will be.

Even if he got an already made pg in the portal, i question if he would be able to use him effectively
 
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RagnarLothbrok said:
It’s trending in the right direction.

I’m trying to be cautiously optimistic. If Fran lands a point guard of consequence this spring, then I will get excited perhaps.

The greater point is it seems like Fran expects to be back next year. I’m going to try to be hopeful this is a sign of things to come and that the NIL money has improved significantly.
Click to expand...
I appreciate the optimism Ragnar. I think we agree on a lot of points (especially when it comes to Curtis' antics lol)

For me...other than a deep NCAA tourney run... would ever get me off the "fire Fran " train. I use to be one of his biggest supporters and tried to convince people to give him more time. My support was slowly waning...and then the Richmond debacle happened. It was basically a re-run of the NW St loss with Alford.

I was completely checked out after that. Even with these new style of recruits I don't think he can get me back. And based on attendance I don't think I'm the only one. I still watch periodically. At some point we just have to all realize he is a lame duck coach. Good for the mid-majors but not a coach to get you a higher ceiling. We have seen his ceiling. Appreciate getting Iowa back to respectable but it is what it is.
 
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RagnarLothbrok said:
NIL?

We got a 4-star transfer in halfway through the season and now a top 50 commit?

www.hawkcentral.com

Joshua Lewis commits to Iowa basketball, becoming one of top recruits in program history

Class of 2025 wing Joshua Lewis has committed to Iowa, becoming one of the best prospects the program has landed in the modern recruiting era.
www.hawkcentral.com

Is Fran really landing all these studs then bolting after the season?
Click to expand...
They've been advised that there will be a new sheriff in town next year. My guess.
 
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Hawk_4shur said:
Great to see some talent coming to IC!

On the other hand - more lanky wings and a skinny center.

Lewis 6'7" 180 lbs Wing
Diakite 6'10" 200 lbs C
Arigu 6'7" 220 lbs SF

Stars and rankings are great, but it would be nice to get something Iowa really needs - a top guard or some beef inside.

But beggars can't be choosers! Welcome!
Click to expand...
Don't forget the beef, Dezmon Briscoe. 6'8", 220 also coming in
 
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TRHawkeye145 said:
I appreciate the optimism Ragnar. I think we agree on a lot of points (especially when it comes to Curtis' antics lol)

For me...other than a deep NCAA tourney run... would ever get me off the "fire Fran " train. I use to be one of his biggest supporters and tried to convince people to give him more time. My support was slowly waning...and then the Richmond debacle happened. It was basically a re-run of the NW St loss with Alford.

I was completely checked out after that. Even with these new style of recruits I don't think he can get me back. And based on attendance I don't think I'm the only one. I still watch periodically. At some point we just have to all realize he is a lame duck coach. Good for the mid-majors but not a coach to get you a higher ceiling. We have seen his ceiling. Appreciate getting Iowa back to respectable but it is what it is.
Click to expand...

Richmond ****ing Spiders was a big breaking point for me as well. It's apparent that Iowa's ceiling only goes so far as how well they are shooting. They are so bad defensively (combo of coaching and philosophy) that I don't think it matters who they bring in. If you can't coach a team to get stops, then you just aren't going to win tough games consistently.

I'd love to be proven wrong, but my default setting anymore is apathy, and anything above that is a bonus.
 
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like-woahh said:
Richmond ****ing Spiders was a big breaking point for me as well. It's apparent that Iowa's ceiling only goes so far as how well they are shooting. They are so bad defensively (combo of coaching and philosophy) that I don't think it matters who they bring in. If you can't coach a team to get stops, then you just aren't going to win tough games consistently.

I'd love to be proven wrong, but my default setting anymore is apathy, and anything above that is a bonus.
Click to expand...

Remember when Richmond lost by infinity the next game? Good times.
 
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Hawk_4shur said:
Don't get me wrong, I like these adds. At least he's getting some sought-after skinny wings!

It's kinda like this years roster - I like all the guys on the team, I just don't like them all on the SAME team!
Click to expand...
The sum of the parts isn’t greater than the….
The total when you add up the single….
The value of the individual units is more…

I know what you mean and I agree
 
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QChawks said:
the recruits don't matter when you have a bad system

it's like Iowa football, we could have a 5* QB and we'd still suck at scoring points
Click to expand...
Fran doens't have a bad system. He just doesn't coach defense well, if at all. The offense is usually a top 10 offense in the country.
 
Hawk_4shur said:
Don't get me wrong, I like these adds. At least he's getting some sought-after skinny wings!

It's kinda like this years roster - I like all the guys on the team, I just don't like them all on the SAME team!
Click to expand...
Completely agree.

For example, the Sandforts are really solid players. They would be lethal when surrounded by a team of athletes.

But you really don’t shouldn’t have two Sandforts on the floor at the same time, and you shouldn’t play them major minutes at the 4. Unfortunately we do both because we have no other options.
 
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SI_NYC said:
Fran doens't have a bad system. He just doesn't coach defense well, if at all. The offense is usually a top 10 offense in the country.
Click to expand...
Do you think the offense would still be averaging close to 90 a game if they bought into having a more defensive approach to the style of play....
 
nosok23 said:
Do you think the offense would still be averaging close to 90 a game if they bought into having a more defensive approach to the style of play....
Click to expand...
I dont know, but it wouldn't have to if they played defense. Hell, even 90 a game hasn't been enough on some occasions this year.

Why does good offense and good defense have to be mutually exclusive?
 
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nosok23 said:
Do you think the offense would still be averaging close to 90 a game if they bought into having a more defensive approach to the style of play....
Click to expand...
That's a great question, and it's something I've considered before. I'm not entirely sure, but from what I understand, Fran focuses more on honing offensive skills during practice and spends less time coaching defense. Given that, it's probably safe to assume the offense might decline somewhat if more time were dedicated to defensive coaching.
 
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SI_NYC said:
That's a great question, and it's something I've considered before. I'm not entirely sure, but from what I understand, Fran focuses more on honing offensive skills during practice and spends less time coaching defense. Given that, it's probably safe to assume the offense might decline somewhat if more time were dedicated to defensive coaching.
Click to expand...
Yep
 
RagnarLothbrok said:
NIL?

We got a 4-star transfer in halfway through the season and now a top 50 commit?

www.hawkcentral.com

Joshua Lewis commits to Iowa basketball, becoming one of top recruits in program history

Class of 2025 wing Joshua Lewis has committed to Iowa, becoming one of the best prospects the program has landed in the modern recruiting era.
www.hawkcentral.com

Is Fran really landing all these studs then bolting after the season?
Click to expand...
Maybe there is more here than we are able to see. I thought getting the kids out of the program was the right idea. Get that pressure off Fran and whole family. He needs to recruit better and maybe we're seeing it. The 2 transfers he brought in were needed and hopefully we get another guard or 2 in the portal. If he's not going to leave on his own, he's not going to go until his contract is up, that seems pretty clear.
 
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Maybe Fran is just that good of a guy and there is already someone replacing him yet he is assisting with recruiting… makes nearly no sense. Except how the team and him don’t really seem sold on this season effort wise.
 
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