Let's hear from the Fran apologists. I'll start the microwave for a fresh bag of popcorn.
Part 2 of "Program needs a new direction"
- Thread starter MitchKing
- Start date
There has absolutely been no improvement over his tenure. Sure, a conference tournament. A graph similar to the stock market....would show Iowa BB a 'flat line' all the way....no pulse, just no improvement. I know it is tough, but the AD's job is to hire and fire. Seriously, Fran needs to get the boot. If Patrick wants to stick around, that would be ok. I think he is a good player. Get this done, and move on.
Ghost town here. Hate this is where we're at as a program. Maybe we luck out like Iowa State did several years ago with McDermott. Things weren't going so well up there, McDermott takes the Creighton job and ISU is bailed out from firing him... at least that's the way I remember it. Maybe Fran to ND would be best for both sides.
The refs, the floor was slick, Connor played baseball (oh wait that was the last 5 years), Ulis has a hurt wrist (sorry that was last year), jet lag from the trip to Chicago and tip off was too early so guys were sideways. Can someone explain to me why Fran ran Joe T. off to give Ulis more PT?
Who would want Fran? He makes too much money for Notre Dame and has done zero in the tournament. He could go back to a Siena level program but he would take a massive pay cut. His recruiting will never be able to offset his poor coaching.
Apologist here.
This loss saved us from tomorrow night’s embarrassing Tom Izzo’s revenge beat down.
This loss saved us from tomorrow night’s embarrassing Tom Izzo’s revenge beat down.
Iabcuda, thanks for admitting to being an apologist. You make a good point as well.
Iowa athletics needs a new set of fans. I'm so tired of Iowa "fans" bitching about the results of teams that the rest of the college athletic world would consider a successful season.
Either enjoy the ride or find a new school to "support"
Either enjoy the ride or find a new school to "support"
Well, I guess Frank told us. Mediocrity it is! Just be happy with what we have! Fans are not good fans because they want a little more! How dare we question a program/coach that after 13 years, can't take that next step. Just by dumb luck Iowa should be able to string together back to back wins in the big tournament every so often. Meanwhile, getting taken out by bad Wisconsin, Nebraska and Ohio State teams seems to be the norm.
Proving my point.
Not one other school in the Big Ten looks at Iowa as having a mediocre athletics program. Iowa, with a population of 3.2 million people. Only Mississippi has a smaller population, while also having 2 power five conference schools.
Iowa athletics have consistently outperformed what their profile says they should be capable of, over the vast majority of the past 40 years. If you can't handle that, it sounds like you would fit in well with the folks over in Lincoln.
Hey MitchKing....haha...wow....Frank must be happy with mediocrity after 13 years. I can't think of any other college program where this would be acceptable. He would have been gone a long time ago. I'm sure he is a nice guy, and does care. But to be happy and content with where we are after 13 years is insane.
If Fran said after season 8, 10, 12 "Hey, we have to be better on defense. It's great to score points but we haven't met my expectations for making a Sweet 16. Moving forward I am bringing in assistant coach _________ who will be in charge of making sure we get better defensively and me and the staff need to bring in some defensive-minded players via recruiting or transfers". If guys don't defend, they won't play." Even if he wasn't sincere, I would at least like to hear something resembling accountability. Instead Fran believes he is doing us a favor by gracing us with his presence.
Yeah, we should hire someone like Todd Lickliter. (reminder that Lickliter was named national coach of the year at Butler, finished the year ranked #13, and could have chosen any open job he wanted).
Or we could hire someone and go to the Sweet 16 like ISU did last year. So the only option other than Fran is doomsday right?
Go ahead and try to find other teams in the past 20 years that made the NCAA and then hired a new coach. How many of them went further in the tourney the next year?
I bet you can't find many/any. That's because you don't replace a coach that goes to the tourney. If your coach leaves, you hope to stay at the same level, but usually your program regresses.
ISU was a complete dumpster-fire the prior year (not a tourney team) which in a strange way helped them build a new roster much quicker. They literally could offer multiple starting positions. It will be interesting to watch ISU the next few years. My guess is that they will settle back into what they have been for most the past 25 years, an upper half of the league team that makes the tourney.
Bosses love $$$$. It's run as a Bottom- line business. But Hawks have waay tough players and also cool fans.
Great family man and Community involvement, the BEST! But coach? Read his coaching record. If it squawks! a duck maybe huh? Lady Hawks blast away today. And Hawks players waay tough...
Don't agree. Watch what ISU does in the portal compared to Fran. FDU made the 2nd round with a new coach and (3) D-2 transfers oh btw, they beat # 1 seed Purdue. It's not easy I get it, but it's not that hard to affect something better than 11th, 13th, and 14th defensively in the big ten the last 3 years. It's the same deal with Iowa football and offense. Nobody is asking for Ohio State, Alabama, etc., offensive production but when you are consistently awful something needs to be changed. Agree?