Why so negative? Fran does not need to go...

[tverwers13]

Where to start....

Whatever happened to loyalty within a fanbase? Some of you have some real unrealistic expectations. Quit being so negative. We are turning into a toxic fanbase both on the football and basketball side. We all have the right be frustrated, of course but just remember...There is a reason ALL OF US are coaching these D1 sports programs from our recliners, couches, and a barstool.

Do any of you remember the type of program Iowa basketball was when Fran took over? Pitiful. Did not compete whatsoever, hundreds of empty seats, not fun to watch.

Since 2018, Fran's record is 72-35. He recruits in state talent who are major contributors to the program. And he continues to reload with young "hidden" talent and develop. Do we remember how Garza was as a freshman? I'd say fairly mediocre. Fran's development of Garza was amazing and look at him now.

Why in the world would we ever get rid of a coach who starts 7-3 in a rebuilding year (Yes...whether you like it or not, this is a rebuilding year). We lost 60% of our scoring from last year. We've all seen it this year, this is a new system....One I personally like. With the way we play, if we are having an off shooting night (Like last night) it will be very tough to win. That being said, there will not be very many times when we shoot 25%.

There's no arguing that Iowa's end of the season goals have not been met for a few years now. But don't come in here and say we need a change after last night's game alone. Don't make this CyHawk game our Super Bowl. Iowa State was flat out the more talented and better team. All 3 losses stung, but all 3 losses are not bad losses. If we end the season 10-20 or so, then yeah, that's hard to argue against firing Fran. But I will say this....Do not jump ship on this team or Coach McCaffery.

Similar words can be said about our football coaching staff too...We had so many good words to say to start the season off! A lot of good can still come from this season. Let's rally behind this team! Be supportive through thick and thin! Don't be that toxic fan!

 

[SotaHawk87]

Agree OP this has been a massive overreaction from our fan base for a bunch of sophomores. This will be an up and down year and most reasonable people expected that! Future is bright.

 

[FSC1214]

I think it’s pretty clear Fran has a high floor, but usually a not super high ceiling. New hires are always a gamble. You could get a home run hire, or you could get Steve Prohm.

 

[comet_y2k]

This is year 12... why are they in a rebuild?

Iowa State went 2-22, fired everyone and put together a better roster in 6 months with an all new staff then what Fran has put together in year 12.

 

[CuttyDoesIt]

I think it’s pretty clear Fran has a high floor, but usually not a not super high ceiling. New hires are always a gamble. You could get a home run hire, or you could get Steve Prohm.

Or lick

 

[tverwers13]

This is year 12... why are they in a rebuild?

Iowa State went 2-22, fired everyone and put together a better roster in 6 months with an all new staff then what Fran has put together in year 12.

Sounds like you got it all down and figured out...maybe you should apply.

 

[Mohawkeye]

Agree. Lots of histrionic bridge jumpers. I like the trend of the program and the trend in recruiting. This team isn’t as good as we thought 3 games ago nor as bad as we fear today. I continue to think we are a .500 borderline NIT team and thats ok after a run of 3 pretty good years and a NPY. One of these years Fran will catch magic in a bottle and make an NCAA run. Most years not. Just don’t take me back to the Lick years.

 

[83Hawk]

This is year 12... why are they in a rebuild?

Iowa State went 2-22, fired everyone and put together a better roster in 6 months with an all new staff then what Fran has put together in year 12.

This.

How many Sweet 16’s has Fran taken the Hawks to? There are mid-major programs in the Sweet 16 nearly every year. How come a mid major can do it, but not Fran?

Has Fran ever won more than 1 game in the BTT? If he has, it hasn’t happened very much.

After 12 years…..THIS is all we can ever hope for with Hawkeye hoops?

And I am sick and tired of the “remember what happened when we ran Tom Davis out of town” idiocy. There are too many Hawk fans that have become so scared of what “might” happen, they are against any change.

ISU was able to turn their program around in one season. One! They have a roster head and shoulders better than ours. Meanwhile the apologists are lecturing us about our fandom and expect us to be happy with mediocrity.

 

[fivecardstud14]

Football is over so the fans who never watch basketball happened to watch the Iowa-ISU game last night. That's my guess.

 

[83Hawk]

Agree. Lots of histrionic bridge jumpers. I like the trend of the program and the trend in recruiting. This team isn’t as good as we thought 3 games ago nor as bad as we fear today. I continue to think we are a .500 borderline NIT team and thats ok after a run of 3 pretty good years and a NPY. One of these years Fran will catch magic in a bottle and make an NCAA run. Most years not. Just don’t take me back to the Lick years.

“One of these years Fran will catch magic in a bottle and make an NCAA run.”

Its been 12 years. How long should we wait?

 

[cf2087]

Where to start....

Whatever happened to loyalty within a fanbase? Some of you have some real unrealistic expectations. Quit being so negative. We are turning into a toxic fanbase both on the football and basketball side. We all have the right be frustrated, of course but just remember...There is a reason ALL OF US are coaching these D1 sports programs from our recliners, couches, and a barstool.

Do any of you remember the type of program Iowa basketball was when Fran took over? Pitiful. Did not compete whatsoever, hundreds of empty seats, not fun to watch.

Since 2018, Fran's record is 72-35. He recruits in state talent who are major contributors to the program. And he continues to reload with young "hidden" talent and develop. Do we remember how Garza was as a freshman? I'd say fairly mediocre. Fran's development of Garza was amazing and look at him now.

Why in the world would we ever get rid of a coach who starts 7-3 in a rebuilding year (Yes...whether you like it or not, this is a rebuilding year). We lost 60% of our scoring from last year. We've all seen it this year, this is a new system....One I personally like. With the way we play, if we are having an off shooting night (Like last night) it will be very tough to win. That being said, there will not be very many times when we shoot 25%.

There's no arguing that Iowa's end of the season goals have not been met for a few years now. But don't come in here and say we need a change after last night's game alone. Don't make this CyHawk game our Super Bowl. Iowa State was flat out the more talented and better team. All 3 losses stung, but all 3 losses are not bad losses. If we end the season 10-20 or so, then yeah, that's hard to argue against firing Fran. But I will say this....Do not jump ship on this team or Coach McCaffery.

Similar words can be said about our football coaching staff too...We had so many good words to say to start the season off! A lot of good can still come from this season. Let's rally behind this team! Be supportive through thick and thin! Don't be that toxic fan!

Great post. I wish we would always win the national championship but I can still get enjoyment out of the positives when we don’t. Penn State football and Virginia basketball games, for example. Consistent winning seasons. The whining about coaching reminds me of Nebraska when Bo Pelini was shown the door—after a winning season and beating the Hawks, of all things. How’s that working out for you, Husker fans?

 

[Mohawkeye]

“One of these years Fran will catch magic in a bottle and make an NCAA run.”

Its been 12 years. How long should we wait?

How old is Jack? I mean, historically we make the Sweet 16 about once every 15-20 years?

 

[Ronman]

Just two years ago, Purdue went 16-15 and finished tied for 10th in the conference. Illinois was 12-21 four years ago. Indiana, one of the ultimate basketball schools, was 12-15 last year. These are all schools that have many more advantages for success than Iowa and they had bad years. It happens.

 

[Mohawkeye]

This.

How many Sweet 16’s has Fran taken the Hawks to? There are mid-major programs in the Sweet 16 nearly every year. How come a mid major can do it, but not Fran?

Has Fran ever won more than 1 game in the BTT? If he has, it hasn’t happened very much.

After 12 years…..THIS is all we can ever hope for with Hawkeye hoops?

And I am sick and tired of the “remember what happened when we ran Tom Davis out of town” idiocy. There are too many Hawk fans that have become so scared of what “might” happen, they are against any change.

ISU was able to turn their program around in one season. One! They have a roster head and shoulders better than ours. Meanwhile the apologists are lecturing us about our fandom and expect us to be happy with mediocrity.

What makes you so sure ISU has turned their basketball program around after 9 games?

 

[dekhawk]

Agree. Lots of histrionic bridge jumpers. I like the trend of the program and the trend in recruiting. This team isn’t as good as we thought 3 games ago nor as bad as we fear today. I continue to think we are a .500 borderline NIT team and thats ok after a run of 3 pretty good years and a NPY. One of these years Fran will catch magic in a bottle and make an NCAA run. Most years not. Just don’t take me back to the Lick years.

“one of these years fran will catch magic in a bottle and make a ncaa run”. That says it all. It’s year 12, he had two nba players on last years team and still could not even make the sweet 16. He is a mid major coach.

 

[unoHawkeye]

The last time Iowa’s best players were as young (from an eligibility standpoint) as our current best players (Murray’s, Perkins, Patrick, Ulis) are was in ‘17-‘18 when Cook, Bohannon, and Moss were sophomores, and Garza/Nunge were freshmen. We went 14-19, and 4-14 in the Big Ten.

The following season? Back in the NCAA tournament and even won a game. This year would be the equivalent of that ‘17-‘18 season, except the floor and ceiling are both much higher for this team

 

[Razorhawk2]

This.

How many Sweet 16’s has Fran taken the Hawks to? There are mid-major programs in the Sweet 16 nearly every year. How come a mid major can do it, but not Fran?

Has Fran ever won more than 1 game in the BTT? If he has, it hasn’t happened very much.

After 12 years…..THIS is all we can ever hope for with Hawkeye hoops?

And I am sick and tired of the “remember what happened when we ran Tom Davis out of town” idiocy. There are too many Hawk fans that have become so scared of what “might” happen, they are against any change.

ISU was able to turn their program around in one season. One! They have a roster head and shoulders better than ours. Meanwhile the apologists are lecturing us about our fandom and expect us to be happy with mediocrity.

Wow…this post sounds like a Nebraska fan wrote it. Did you forget what it was like the years following Dr. Tom? Half the fan base stopped watching basketball. With Fran we may never reach the final four but how many coaches do? Fran can be counted on most seasons winning around 20 games. I’ll take it! You may think the grass is greener on the other side but it’s not. Take a gander at the Nebraska board. We don’t want to become them!

 

[ISUBryce]

What makes you so sure ISU has turned their basketball program around after 9 games?

What is your definition of turning a basketball program around? I mean going from 2-22 in one season to 9-0 the next season sure seems like turning around. If they go 7-11 or 8-10 in the Big 12 I think they are in the tourney, which would be absolutely insane.

In the Big 12 preseason coach's poll, literally every other coach picked ISU last. This team was supposed to be terrible.

 

[Crazy Hawk]

I remember the same things being said about Woodbury....Gessell.....Uthoff.....If both Weiskamp and Garza return.....etc etc.....

Funny thing is....no matter the players that cycle through it is always the same story.

Fran has never gotten above getting teams into the NCAA Tournament. He is the guy you bring in to bring your program out of the trenches. That is his ceiling. He is exceptional at that. He has reached that at Iowa.

 

[HawkGem10]

Sounds like you got it all down and figured out...maybe you should apply.

Prob be better than the idiot we have in there now!

 

[Mohawkeye]

What is your definition of turning a basketball program around? I mean going from 2-22 in one season to 9-0 the next season sure seems like turning around. If they go 7-11 or 8-10 in the Big 12 I think they are in the tourney, which would be absolutely insane.

In the Big 12 preseason coach's poll, literally every other coach picked ISU last. This team was supposed to be terrible.

I would wait at least until the end of one season before I'd day he's turned it around. Typically 3 seasons to prove you've really made permanent improvement to a program. Steve Prohm started 8-0 as well. There is a helluva difference between basketball in December and basketball in February. Kudos to ISU for a great start but I'm not convinced yet.

 

[83Hawk]

I would wait at least until the end of one season before I'd day he's turned it around. Typically 3 seasons to prove you've really made permanent improvement to a program. Steve Prohm started 8-0 as well. There is a helluva difference between basketball in December and basketball in February. Kudos to ISU for a great start but I'm not convinced yet.

Apparently you aren’t convinced about Fran yet, either.

 

[FSC1214]

I would wait at least until the end of one season before I'd day he's turned it around. Typically 3 seasons to prove you've really made permanent improvement to a program. Steve Prohm started 8-0 as well. There is a helluva difference between basketball in December and basketball in February. Kudos to ISU for a great start but I'm not convinced yet.

Steve Prohm also didn’t have a program to turn around, he inherited a top 5 team.

 

[83Hawk]

Wow…this post sounds like a Nebraska fan wrote it. Did you forget what it was like the years following Dr. Tom? Half the fan base stopped watching basketball. With Fran we may never reach the final four but how many coaches do? Fran can be counted on most seasons winning around 20 games. I’ll take it! You may think the grass is greener on the other side but it’s not. Take a gander at the Nebraska board. We don’t want to become them!

I get it…..because of Lickliter you are scared to make any change. You are content with making the NCAA tournament a few times, even if they never get to the Sweet 16. You are content to never win more than 1 game in the BTT and never contend for a conference championship.

Because of Lickliter you now think that any coach Iowa would hire will be just as bad. You are perfectly fine with “middle of the road.”

 

[NewVicHawkeye]

Somebody needs to rebound. But I still support Fran 100%.

Rebound the damn ball guys!

 

[BrewHawk]

With Fran we may never reach the final four but how many coaches do?

There are 25 current active D-1 coaches who have made the Final Four.

 

[HawkLogic]

Agree. Lots of histrionic bridge jumpers. I like the trend of the program and the trend in recruiting. This team isn’t as good as we thought 3 games ago nor as bad as we fear today. I continue to think we are a .500 borderline NIT team and thats ok after a run of 3 pretty good years and a NPY. One of these years Fran will catch magic in a bottle and make an NCAA run. Most years not. Just don’t take me back to the Lick years.

I don't think there is any serious Run Fran out of town talk and even if there were, it would take a lot more than a single losing B1G year to get him into hot seat. It was 5 years ago when he went 4-14 in B1G play and Fran told the press he was not on the hot seat because of his body of work.

Right now Fran is 103-103 in B1G play after 12 years. I would venture to say since 1990, the Iowa program is just a smidge above 0.500 in B1G. We've had 4 coaches over that period and only Lickliter was a complete joke as a coach.

There is nothing special about Fran as a coach--he is average for Iowa, like his record shows. I don't think Fran's upside is anything beyond last year's finish---which I personaly found dissappointing. He is limited by his indifference to defense and the fact that he purposely surrounds himself with a weak assistant coaching staff that knows not to rock the boat.

If we did not have Fran as coach, there is probably is a 75% chance that the next guy would also be 0.500 coach in B1G and 25% chance that he might be Lute Olson or Lickliter. I do have a problem with a coach that puts on blinders and plays favorites, so I would not cry if Fran moved on. The Iowa kids like weezy and Gatens that already bleed black and gold mostly go to Iowa regardless of who is coach.

 

[isuisshit]

I think it’s pretty clear Fran has a high floor, but usually a not super high ceiling. New hires are always a gamble. You could get a home run hire, or you could get Steve Prohm.

I'd rather watch one of prohm's teams any day of the week than watch Lickliter ball.

 

[TailgateTom]

What makes you so sure ISU has turned their basketball program around after 9 games?

They’ve already quadrupled their win total from last year, so there’s that.

 

[TailgateTom]

“one of these years fran will catch magic in a bottle and make a ncaa run”. That says it all. It’s year 12, he had two nba players on last years team and still could not even make the sweet 16. He is a mid major coach.

And the Best player in all of NCAA basketball, for the last two years.

 

[TailgateTom]

Sounds like you got it all down and figured out...maybe you should apply.

So you’re saying it’s clear as day to a random message board poster, but not to the man being paid to do the job?

 

[Razorhawk2]

There are 25 current active D-1 coaches who have made the Final Four.

Out of 358 current active D-1 coaches. Odds are highly likely that a D-1 coach will never sniff the Final Four.

 

[fivecardstud14]

And the Best player in all of NCAA basketball, for the last two years.

You can't sit there with a straight face & say Garza was better than Jalen Suggs. If you want to spout about awards Toppin won it the year prior.

 

[Razorhawk2]

I get it…..because of Lickliter you are scared to make any change. You are content with making the NCAA tournament a few times, even if they never get to the Sweet 16. You are content to never win more than 1 game in the BTT and never contend for a conference championship.

Because of Lickliter you now think that any coach Iowa would hire will be just as bad. You are perfectly fine with “middle of the road.”

No you don’t get it…I’m not scared I’m realistic. College athletics has never seen more parity and winning is not easy even with the hottest coaches on the market. I thought Frost and Hoiberg were home run hires and Nebraska fans are already asking who they can hire next.

 

[83Hawk]

No you don’t get it…I’m not scared I’m realistic. College athletics has never seen more parity and winning is not easy even with the hottest coaches on the market. I thought Frost and Hoiberg were home run hires and Nebraska fans are already asking who they can hire next.

No, I do get it. And you are not being realistic. You threw out Frost and Hoiberg at Nebraska as examples……now do the coaches who succeeded.

It is quite obvious you don’t think Iowa can do any better in basketball than they are now (only worse). Lute and Dr. Tom (in his early years using Raveling’s recruits) would beg to differ.

Yours is a loser mentality which Gary Barta also shares. As long as Barta and fans like you think this way, Iowa basketball will never be anything more than middle-of-the-pack.

By the way…..how is that new coach at ISU working out so far?

 

[tverwers13]

No, I do get it. And you are not being realistic. You threw out Frost and Hoiberg at Nebraska as examples……now do the coaches who succeeded.

It is quite obvious you don’t think Iowa can do any better in basketball than they are now (only worse). Lute and Dr. Tom (in his early years using Raveling’s recruits) would beg to differ.

Yours is a loser mentality which Gary Barta also shares. As long as Barta and fans like you think this way, Iowa basketball will never be anything more than middle-of-the-pack.

By the way…..how is that new coach at ISU working out so far?

You sound the farthest thing away from an Iowa fan.

 

[mooresville hawk]

This.

How many Sweet 16’s has Fran taken the Hawks to? There are mid-major programs in the Sweet 16 nearly every year. How come a mid major can do it, but not Fran?

Has Fran ever won more than 1 game in the BTT? If he has, it hasn’t happened very much.

After 12 years…..THIS is all we can ever hope for with Hawkeye hoops?

And I am sick and tired of the “remember what happened when we ran Tom Davis out of town” idiocy. There are too many Hawk fans that have become so scared of what “might” happen, they are against any change.

ISU was able to turn their program around in one season. One! They have a roster head and shoulders better than ours. Meanwhile the apologists are lecturing us about our fandom and expect us to be happy with mediocrity.

I hear what you are saying and do agree to a certain point. There is only one way to go when you are 2-22 as ISU was last year and cleaning house with coaches and players is that direction. They have played well so far this year, but it is a little early to use them as a an example for what Iowa needs to do.

I do not see Fran being fired at this point in the season and do not think that he should be, Maryland not withstanding. It was expected that Iowa would struggle to begin the season after losing as much as they did from last year’s team. This year’s team has been a pleasant surprise for most of this young season so far, even though the competition was not that strong to start.

The time to evaluate the program to me is at the end of the season. Too often fans overreact to a win or loss during the season and lose perspective. It will be interesting to see how this team bounces back from the ISU game. They have some time off, which should also help Keegan’s ankle recover.

 

[mooresville hawk]

Prob be better than the idiot we have in there now!

Your reply says more about you than Fran or other poster on this board. You may want to look in the mirror.

 

[CEIABall]

It's easier to stomach a development year like this one with eyes on a "contender" year next season if there was any hope that Fran and co could actually win something when the roster has all the pieces. To not even make the sweet 16 with what we had last year just gives me the sense of eternal hopelessness that even the "good" teams are doomed to eventual mediocrity. Does that mean we should fire Fran? No I'm pretty far from that point because he consistently puts a decent competitive team out there but man is it frustrating.

 

[BrewHawk]

Out of 358 current active D-1 coaches. Odds are highly likely that a D-1 coach will never sniff the Final Four.

Guess that depends on whether or not you think we should have one of the best 25 coaches. There has been no Elite Eight or Sweet Sixteen either.