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anon_b29nm7v7dwp6r
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I don’t think asking for the sweet 16 once in 12 years when you have multiple decent seed appearances and a 2x national player of the year is too much to ask?
Why so negative? Fran does not need to go...
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anon_b29nm7v7dwp6r
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And this, if last year hadn’t ended as a disastrous failure then this year would be easier to stomach.
Apparently it is.
In the last 12 years Butler (twice) and Loyola have made the Final Four. But we have fans that think it is unrealistic to expect Iowa to make a Sweet Sixteen.
So, if Fran is not the answer, and Iowa finishing the last 12 years without sniffing a Big Ten title, why do the students stay away from the game in droves. Even watching the Illinois game on Monday, I saw lots of empty seats on TV.
So what is it, a lack of success, the coach, the system, the arena, the location of the arena, the location of the students in the arena, or the price the university charges the students?
Either way, the university has yet to address the problem in all the years that Fran has been here and I will say that it can't be a good look for the recruits that Fran go's after.
So what is it, a lack of success, the coach, the system, the arena, the location of the arena, the location of the students in the arena, or the price the university charges the students?
Either way, the university has yet to address the problem in all the years that Fran has been here and I will say that it can't be a good look for the recruits that Fran go's after.
What you bolded is a question about the PG position. Where did I say "Joe T. is the problem"? Fran has played 5 guys at PG so far this year The fact that Joe T. keeps getting benched for extended stretches would certainly indicate Fran is not happy with his play,. I still like Joe T's game and think Fran needs to put his big boy pants on and let him play through some of the bumpy spots.
My reference was to the conference Fran came from and the one he currently plays in.
I’m sure the clones would accept you with open arms. You seem like a very intelligent person and a diehard fan!
Fran is ok. No hall of Famer, but neither are most other major conference coaches.
His team's tourney performance is unimpressive. That's my biggest gripe.
Otherwise, he puts a relatively entertaining product on the floor. Continues to be maddening for the same or similar issues year after year. But still entertaining.
His team's tourney performance is unimpressive. That's my biggest gripe.
Otherwise, he puts a relatively entertaining product on the floor. Continues to be maddening for the same or similar issues year after year. But still entertaining.
Ah, the old “go root for another team” comeback. How original.
I realize you think everybody should just accept things as they are, be happy, and never offer any criticism. Superfan.
I would actually counter with this: people like you are not real fans. The true fans are the ones who see the weaknesses in a team and hope for better. They are the ones who want the team to actually compete for things like more than 1 win in the Big 10 tournament, or a Sweet 16. Iowa could lose every game and you wouldn’t care. You would give Fran a raise and extension. You were probably upset when Lick was fired.
There really isn't much point to this discussion (which is not unusual). The Fran must go crowd and the Fran should stay crowd aren't going to agree.
Iowa has won the B1G 3 times since Bucky O'Connor did it twice in the 50's. They've been to the S16 5 times since then.
The Hawks have won 20+ games 7 times in the last 9 years. I don't think Fran is going anywhere.
Iowa has won the B1G 3 times since Bucky O'Connor did it twice in the 50's. They've been to the S16 5 times since then.
The Hawks have won 20+ games 7 times in the last 9 years. I don't think Fran is going anywhere.
Every fan wants Iowa to do well. The difference, is some fans think coming to social media and bashing all the coaches/recruiting/players is somehow going to change things, like................you.
No I’m not a super fan like you. I’m just a simple man who realizes this is just a game played by young men who bust their asses everyday for “fans” like you, who are never going to be satisfied! I also realize that our coaches definitely have flaws, I’m just more of an optimist, and assume the coaches are aware and working on these glaring weaknesses that even someone as dense as you can see. But you can keep on bitching, that always helps!
I love the guys that claim they don't want McCaffery fired; they just don't want him coaching the Iowa team anymore.
Okay “real” fan. Let’s hear your suggestions for “fixing” Iowa’s basketball program
Teach defense and rebounding for a start (if there isn’t anyone on staff who can do this, get rid of the deadwood and hire someone who can). Hit the transfer portal hard. These are just common sense. Notice I didn’t say anything about firing Fran?
How about you? Or do you think everything is just fine as it is?
He hasn’t done anything to be fired or be on the hot seat. But he hasn’t done anything spectacular for the multi millions he has made. He’s a players coach.
He is a mediocre, at best, strategist. But he has an above average eye for talent.
His teams get often blown out against superior competition, but he has improved his sideline demeanor. His teams also generally beat teams for which they have superior talent.
He’s had some NBA talent go through the program. But often plays too many players making it more difficult to get into a game flow.
He is a mediocre, at best, strategist. But he has an above average eye for talent.
His teams get often blown out against superior competition, but he has improved his sideline demeanor. His teams also generally beat teams for which they have superior talent.
He’s had some NBA talent go through the program. But often plays too many players making it more difficult to get into a game flow.
I think that most of us “super fans” agree with this completely but because we don’t constantly bitch about the program we are “content with mediocrity” and don’t want to see Iowa be better 🙄
Most don’t believe that Fran has done what’s required to receive a raise or extension
I think this team is exactly where I thought it would be. Fran was put in a bad spot with both CJ and Jack transferring, and if we had both of them, this would be a tournament team. He attempted to fill the hole with Rebraca which is looking like a poor pickup but he should have until the end of next year to get the necessary players in the program to right the ship. Yes, I would like to see him bring in a defensive minded assistant as well. Complaining about what is evident to literally everybody watching, including Fran, helps nothing
I also don’t hate the idea of letting all of our sophomores cut their teeth and get valuable experience versus just recruiting over them for a one year fix and be in the exact same hole next year. Patience is a virtue
I'd say he is a well above average offensive strategist and deserves a lot credit for helping guys develop on that side of the ball. His teams always play with great movement and take care of the ball. But the glaring inability to even pull together an average defensive team is undeniably a long term trend at this point that cannot simply be blamed on personnel.
Joe needs to put on his big boy pants and stop his inconsistent, out of control play that has been going on for the entire time he has been here. He has talent, but his decision making has not improved from the day he stepped onto campus until the present.
He has had talent. I think that’s his #1 strength, identifying talent, Garza and the Murray twins for example. I don’t credit Fran for Garza’s development because it was clear Garza outworked every player in the off season. I don’t see a whole lot of development with some players though, Joe T still has the same turnover tendencies he had had a freshman. JBo still gets shut down when other teams focus on him, I don’t see much improvement with JBo on defense. Connor has regressed since his third year in the program. So it’s a mixed bag with developing players from what I see.
Maybe he is slightly above average bball strategist compared to all college basketball coaches in all divisions. Not in power five where the competition is at it’s highest. He gets schooled quite often when other teams find ways to get stops.
What answers did he have for ISU the other night? What answers did he have against Oregon last season? (remember Fran had two NBA players, three if you count Keegan Murray, on roster last year). I didn’t see any adjustments to the positive. But I saw the other coaching staffs having solid game plans and make adjustments in the game.
Basketball strategy includes both offense and defense. So maybe he is average, maybe slightly above average offensive bball coach, but far below the average defensive minded coach. Can’t win big games if they can’t get stops in crucial moments.
What big games has he won? I know he has had a few big wins, but I can’t think of any off the top of my head.
Spot on… sick of the we are just Iowa narrative . This administration has no guts at all. Happy to be just above average in football and basketball . Problem is some our fan base is a bunch of enablers. They continue to shell out the cash to go watch an inferior product. Other teams in this day and age accept and enable change to increase their chances to be successful . Iowa? Not so much . Happy to just be above average…
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I don't disagree with you, but Fran recruited him and he is 1 of 2 viable options at PG. If Ulis bumps him for the starting spot, we still need Joe to contribute. Jbo or Connor at PG are not legitimate options IMO. The entire team was awful against ISU, so I don't think Joe was any less effective than others.
I don't know want any PG can do with an offense that gets as stagnant as Iowa. Nobody was open, no post to feed, and ISU was up into everyone. I guess Fran needs a Brockington who can take a game over, but we don't have that guy.
We're in our 5th straight year of having one of the most efficient offenses in the country. Very few coaches have a recent track record that good when it comes to offense and the ones that do had at least equal talent to what Fran has had. I fully understand the frustration with Fran and the wins and losses have not stacked up the way they probably should have in recent years especially late in the season when the melt downs happen. However it'd be flat out delusional to claim he's not a good offensive coach just looking at the numbers and track record. In fact I'd say the offensive output is even more impressive when you consider how bad the defense is. It's always harder to score when you're taking the ball out of your own net and facing a set defense and lord knows we don't create many easy baskets for ourselves with our defense and rebounding.
Back those claims up with stats..
He hasn’t won anything of significance; that is the bottom lines. 12 years and no hardware whatsoever. Just a bunch of a wet the bed moments under the biggest lights.
Where in my posts did i ever claim he won things of significance?? My claim is he is a good offensive coach.. obviously that's only half the game so it doesn't always translate to wins which is the issue. But if you seriously want evidence that he's a good offensive coach here are our recent kenpom rankings for offensive efficiency:
Currently: #4
2021: #3
2020: #5
2019: #15
2018: #19
2017: #43
2016: #25
2015: #30
2014: #5
That's a top 25 offense in the country 7 of the last 9 years. Very few coaches have had that level of offensive success in that time frame. So yeah I'd say he's an above average offensive coach. Now the defensive ratings are obviously terrible which is why we never realize sustained winning stretches because you can't be a great team playing only half the game at a high level.
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