Why can't we get a point guard?

[RocknRollface]

Mike isn't a bad player he's just not a #1 ballhandler.

But he is a much better ballhandler than our other two starting guards which amplifies the problem tremendously.

Everyone panicked against ISU because they know what their weakness is.

Really wish Dickerson would have worked our. That's the big hole on this team, a guy who can blow by defenders when they play tight, even a guy like a Bryce Cartwright type would fill that need.

 

[And1Hawk]

Most talk on here isn't about how "bad" these guys are as people...it is about a long pattern of ineptness...played on national TV again...a monumental collapse that is inexcusable for a senior laden team.

Last year taught me to let things play out all the way. Still a long way to go in the season. Last year looked bleak when we dropped 2 games in a row in the middle of the season then the guys righted the ship and we finished strong at 12-6. Won our first tourney game in 10 years. It's worth just letting the guys do their thing and support them instead of being a Johnny over-reaction fan base.

It stinks to lose and lose in that fashion but we had the lead for all but 39 seconds and did some very positive things playing in a hostile environment with a lot of pressure. We missed a golden opportunity to get a key NCAA resume win is probably the worst part. You can add us to the list of teams they have come from behind to beat (won 6 straight when trailing by 15 or more).

This can serve as a learning experience when we head into difficult environments in the B1G. There is no doubt we need to figure out how to handle the last 2 minutes of halfs. That has been a problem for us. The good part is our program is down to figuring out how to close big games. Just keep working at it.

 

[hawkeye122671]

MG is awful when crunch time comes. I honestly cannot remember one time when, at the end of game, he delivered a good possession. Uthoff jumped him as they were walking off the court in the first half in Ames. Those final 3 possessions were brutal. Mike turned over 1 on a lacksidasical pass to Woody, then ran the offense thru Baer of all people and on last play, with uthoff sitting at 3 point line screaming for the ball to create, went the other way. I think mikes basketball iq is awful. If uthoff was standing at half court wanting to chuck up a sky hook, it was better than any option out there. Uthoff was open in second half too, mike or Anthony never got him the ball. It is beyond frustrating. I agree with most that say we are an above average point guard away from being a special team.

 

[DewHawk]

I think everyone is confused about who we are and what the goal is. If you are asking "Why don't we have the best point guard in the country?" Then the answer is that Fran hasn't been able to get him.

But the answer that you asked is silly. We have a point guard. He was a top 100 recruit coming out of HS. He has been a four year starter for us, and he led us to our first NCAA victory in quite some time last year.

He has outplayed nearly every point guard that we have played this year. The exceptions would be Morris and the kid from Notre Dame. If you are seriously thinking that we are going to have the best point guard on the floor every game that we play...then you should probably cheer for a different team. Maybe Duke or Kentucky.

There is a lot that goes in to coaching a B1G basketball team, and managing the roster is a pretty big part of it. It does seem strange that both Iowa and Michigan State passed on Morris. Why would that be? Are Izzo and Fran idiots? Hmmmm, I don't think they are. Could it be that maybe there was some other issue that kept them from recruiting that kid? Hmmmm, there might be.

Do you guys know everything that is going on inside Iowa Basketball...Michigan State Basketball...Iowa State Basketball? Hmmmm, I don't think so. Do you think there might be academics that are being considered...maybe character issues? One of the things that I have loved about both Fran and Kirk is their emphasis on character. I haven't heard that same emphasis coming out of Ames for a while now.

If you really are wanting to watch the best point guard in the country, and you aren't interested in watching the kids that Fran believes are the best kids for his team; then seriously, why don't you just become a fan of a different program?

Coach has done a fantastic job. Mikey has done an awesome job. The truth is that last night he was matched up against a better point guard. So you think the best thing to do is skewer him on the internet because of it. Let's reserve this conversation for about 10 years down the road...let's compare these two boys when they are 30 years old. I wonder how Dejean-Jones is doing now? How about the White (name, not color...lol) kid From ISU that was determined the screw some NBA team over his mental condition?

Don't call yourselves fans of Iowa if you think the best thing to do after our kid played his heart out...and failed...is to call him a failure on the internet. You are no fans. I will be cheering hard for Mike and Anthony to have great success the rest of this season...and the rest of their lives. They have demonstrated to all of us the character to make us all proud.

Go Hawks!

Well, thanks for straightening everybody out

 

[DewHawk]

Ronnie was once in a lifetime. Not only the best PG but the best player to ever play at IA - since at least the late 70's that I've been watching. I suspect ever but can't directly can't speak to pre-late 70's.

He would be right there with Don Nelson, Connie Hawkins (freshman only), John Johnson, Fred Brown, etc. as the best if he had stayed healthy. Maybe the best and thta is since the early 60's.

 

[sgt_knock]

the Lane kid at ICW isnt a D1 PG?

 

[b10fn]

Last year taught me to let things play out all the way. Still a long way to go in the season. Last year looked bleak when we dropped 2 games in a row in the middle of the season then the guys righted the ship and we finished strong at 12-6. Won our first tourney game in 10 years. It's worth just letting the guys do their thing and support them instead of being a Johnny over-reaction fan base.

It stinks to lose and lose in that fashion but we had the lead for all but 39 seconds and did some very positive things playing in a hostile environment with a lot of pressure. We missed a golden opportunity to get a key NCAA resume win is probably the worst part. You can add us to the list of teams they have come from behind to beat (won 6 straight when trailing by 15 or more).

This can serve as a learning experience when we head into difficult environments in the B1G. There is no doubt we need to figure out how to handle the last 2 minutes of halfs. That has been a problem for us. The good part is our program is down to figuring out how to close big games. Just keep working at it.

We haven't had a PG since Fran has been here. How is that for patience?

 

[Jim4edwards]

Really good post. What's not to like and respect about MG. Perfect? Of course not but you can go to bed at night knowing this kid is a first class kid. He always stands up and addresses the media in a respectful manner win or lose. He's a Christian and a finance major working on his masters degree. By the way he's not exactly a bad basketball player. It's not easy to be an elite player at this level. If it was everyone would be elite. There's 330 or so starting D1 point guards.

I was much more critical of him and some of the other guys until I realized who they were behind the scenes, met their parents and realized what a schmuck I was for criticizing them. Proud to have all of these guys in our program.

You want to know what type of team and players we have? We lose a 1 pt game to a nationally elite ranked in-state rival at their place and their fans flock over to our message boards seeking validation. What does that tell you about their team when they come here to seek attention instead of just being able to savor a victory and move on. That confirms what I know about the type of guys and team we have. When you have to continually tell everyone else how great you are, well that just screams insecurity and maybe you know inside that you are not that great.

GO HAWKS! Looking forward to more games.

I think people are too hard on MG. I don't think his being a Christian is relevant whatsoever. If he was a Muslim or Atheist it'd be OK to not like or respect him? I'm probably being over critical but reading that just made me smh.

On a different note, I am a bit nervous about Iowa's PG situation going forward. A lot of reliance on Williams development imo as I see Bohannon as being 50/50 on panning out. I think all non-consensus 4*/5* recruits are 50/50. Just wish there was a sophomore or junior PG on the team.

 

[CentralIAHawk]

It is amazing that we have the B1G Conference runner-up in Assists (7/gm), when we don't even have a PG. In fact, we happen to be the only team in the conference with TWO leaders in the top ten.

Fran & the boys must be amazing to accomplish that without a PG even on the roster!

Go Hawks!

 

[And1Hawk]

I think people are too hard on MG. I don't think his being a Christian is relevant whatsoever. If he was a Muslim or Atheist it'd be OK to not like or respect him? I'm probably being over critical but reading that just made me smh.

This is a tangent and i do not want to streer us off discussion any further than I have. My fault for stating his profession of faith and I did that based on what I value not in order to upset any one. I also do not want to put words into Mike's mouth because that would be unfair but being a Christian means you are called to love and pray for non-believers just as much as believers not the opposite. So I would and do also support those of other faiths and no faith just as much as I would guess Mike would do the same. I am just impressed with him as a person of faith and I think that adds to his leadership abilities that's why I mentioned it. Does not mean he is perfect and that I do not get upset when he makes a mistake. You are free to disagree and I understand.

 

[CentralIAHawk]

Mike isn't a bad player he's just not a #1 ballhandler.

But he is a much better ballhandler than our other two starting guards which amplifies the problem tremendously.

Everyone panicked against ISU because they know what their weakness is.

Really wish Dickerson would have worked our. That's the big hole on this team, a guy who can blow by defenders when they play tight, even a guy like a Bryce Cartwright type would fill that need.

I strongly agree with your last paragraph.

Go Hawks!

 

[DanL53]

I know he doesn't play much, and didn't expect him too with Clemmons and Gesell in front of him, but I think we've got our point guard of the future in Williams.

Now, we can be nervous and worried because we haven't been handed a crystal ball. I'm just going by what I've seen and I think the kid has the tools to be a good one.

 

[b10fn]

Mike isn't a bad player he's just not a #1 ballhandler.

But he is a much better ballhandler than our other two starting guards which amplifies the problem tremendously.

Everyone panicked against ISU because they know what their weakness is.

Really wish Dickerson would have worked our. That's the big hole on this team, a guy who can blow by defenders when they play tight, even a guy like a Bryce Cartwright type would fill that need.

He is not a B10 basketball player...certainly not a starter. In his defense, I haven't seen a B10 caliber guard recruited by Fran (Marble was a legacy recruit that committed to the prior coach).

 

[CentralIAHawk]

I know he doesn't play much, and didn't expect him too with Clemmons and Gesell in front of him, but I think we've got our point guard of the future in Williams.

Now, we can be nervous and worried because we haven't been handed a crystal ball. I'm just going by what I've seen and I think the kid has the tools to be a good one.

The interesting season will be: Williams-junior, Bohanon-soph, McAffrey-Frosh. I will be interested to see how PG minutes get distributed during that B1G conference season.

Go Hawks!

 

[DanL53]

The interesting season will be: Williams-junior, Bohanon-soph, McAffrey-Frosh. I will be interested to see how PG minutes get distributed during that B1G conference season.

Go Hawks!

Having listened to the Barnstormers coaches in a podcast last summer, I'm very excited to see Conner McCaffery at point. They had many good things to say about him, including a comparison to Jason Kidd. Apparently his basketball IQ is through the roof (wonder why) and his passing is so good now that in high school he actually has to tone it down for the skills of his teammates. Some knocks they had were that at his size he may not be able to cover smaller and quicker guards, and some concern about motivation to play defense all the time. The latter of course, it seems like many high school kids have the same issue. As to smaller guards, there are always switches. Or maybe Conner finds the tools to supplement with effort and skill than by talent alone?

It will indeed be interesting. But then every year is in college ball with guys leaving or showing up.

 

[83Hawk]

I think everyone is confused about who we are and what the goal is. If you are asking "Why don't we have the best point guard in the country?" Then the answer is that Fran hasn't been able to get him.

But the answer that you asked is silly. We have a point guard. He was a top 100 recruit coming out of HS. He has been a four year starter for us, and he led us to our first NCAA victory in quite some time last year.

He has outplayed nearly every point guard that we have played this year. The exceptions would be Morris and the kid from Notre Dame. If you are seriously thinking that we are going to have the best point guard on the floor every game that we play...then you should probably cheer for a different team. Maybe Duke or Kentucky.

There is a lot that goes in to coaching a B1G basketball team, and managing the roster is a pretty big part of it. It does seem strange that both Iowa and Michigan State passed on Morris. Why would that be? Are Izzo and Fran idiots? Hmmmm, I don't think they are. Could it be that maybe there was some other issue that kept them from recruiting that kid? Hmmmm, there might be.

Do you guys know everything that is going on inside Iowa Basketball...Michigan State Basketball...Iowa State Basketball? Hmmmm, I don't think so. Do you think there might be academics that are being considered...maybe character issues? One of the things that I have loved about both Fran and Kirk is their emphasis on character. I haven't heard that same emphasis coming out of Ames for a while now.

If you really are wanting to watch the best point guard in the country, and you aren't interested in watching the kids that Fran believes are the best kids for his team; then seriously, why don't you just become a fan of a different program?

Coach has done a fantastic job. Mikey has done an awesome job. The truth is that last night he was matched up against a better point guard. So you think the best thing to do is skewer him on the internet because of it. Let's reserve this conversation for about 10 years down the road...let's compare these two boys when they are 30 years old. I wonder how Dejean-Jones is doing now? How about the White (name, not color...lol) kid From ISU that was determined the screw some NBA team over his mental condition?

Don't call yourselves fans of Iowa if you think the best thing to do after our kid played his heart out...and failed...is to call him a failure on the internet. You are no fans. I will be cheering hard for Mike and Anthony to have great success the rest of this season...and the rest of their lives. They have demonstrated to all of us the character to make us all proud.

Go Hawks!

I don't think you understand my meaning. Did I say anything about having the best point guard in the country? Hmmmm...I don't think so. Did I say Mike was a bad player or person? Hmmmm...No I didn't.

Mike may play the point guard position, but he is not a "true" point guard when compared to what many other teams have....he does not have the ability to break down the other team off the dribble, to penetrate, stop and pop or dish to the open man. That is a liability at crunch time. Just look at the end of regulation in the FSU game, or the end of the ISU game.

Mike has many fine qualities. But a true point guard he ain't.