***2024-2025 Iowa Men’s Basketball Season Thread***

[Silky Johnson]

Disagree pretty strongly with the last part. There's this myth that if you play slow, you don't really need good basketball players. Bennett and Ryan had talented teams.

I don’t disagree but it gives you a chance in more games than this does. And to be clear I’d rather Fran had just constructed a better roster and chose to sort of care about defense at some point in his life.

 

[The Dad]

I wonder if anything important happened between then and now

Yeah, lots of losses.

I’m surprised anyone would be surprised by things happening throughout the course of a season.

Some of us are able to look at a team’s overall makeup and depth and accurately evaluate how that team will be able to weather things.

 

[kenos]

there were five top 150 kids on this roster and some decent role players

its a coaching and (primarily defensive) development problem

 

[CamelTones]

Dix and Koch are the only players I care if they go. I also assume Dix is gone for a payday somewhere either way.

This isn’t a hire they can drag their feet on given the new coach will need to bring in at least 5 transfers. I can’t imagine Beth doesn’t at least know her decision by now. If it’s to move on then she better be working some back channels already.

Hypothetically if Fran returns, he’s going to have a pretty shitty roster to work with. The 3 freshman plus the Miami transfer that are more developmental players. Koch as a freshman again. Fart Jr. maybe 2 of Dembele, Freeman, Dix and Traore at best. And unfortunately Harding.

So at minimum, from the portal, he would need to bring in another pg (really 2) a defensive post, another power forward, and possibly a wing. All of that with almost 0 NIL dollars.

Fran made his own bed with his defensive philosophy, however it is also fair to point out he’s trying to assemble a roster with 1 arm tied behind his back from a funding standpoint. A lot of that is on him. Some of that is Clark drawing attention to women’s basketball. Some is just where college basketball is right now.

 

[Hawk&Balls]

Fran has also been here 15 years. That's a lifetime in coaching. It's just time for something different.

 

[HerkyHopeful]

Maybe one NCAA tournament run over 15 years would have helped him get a few more funds by now.

 

[HerkyHopeful]

We're over 25 years out from a sweet 16 - that's a generation of Iowa fans who haven't really seen any meaningful success. That's fucking terrible

 

[CamelTones]

Fran has also been here 15 years. That's a lifetime in coaching. It's just time for something different.

Counter point, that’s when Bluder made her first sweet 16 so maybe Fran is just getting started. (He’s not).

I’m trying to imagine Fran trying to hang onto Uthoff, White, Jok, Wieskamp, Cook and the Murray twins in the NIL era. He lost Frederick when it was just the portal. This isn’t exactly an attractive job.

 

[Thomas Wolsey]

I saw it from the start. Payton and Josh are not the type of guys you want in your foxhole.

The Dad
Wants black guys in his foxhole.

 

[The Dad]

The Dad
Wants black guys in his foxhole.

 

[Hawkstrat]

I think it might be the relative age of the posters on here, but this place tends to be a little too apocalyptic when it comes to Iowa basketball and NIL going forward.

I'm not pretending Iowa isn't in a tough spot. Having a small donor base and trying to compete in multiple sports, including two non-revenue ones, makes NIL money tight.

But being in one of the two power conferences with the revenue sharing money coming shortly, should allow Iowa to compete.

 

[HiawathaHawk]

I think it might be the relative age of the posters on here, but this place tends to be a little too apocalyptic when it comes to Iowa basketball and NIL going forward.

I'm not pretending Iowa isn't in a tough spot. Having a small donor base and trying to compete in multiple sports, including two non-revenue ones, makes NIL money tight.

But being in one of the two power conferences with the revenue sharing money coming shortly, should allow Iowa to compete.

Supposedly we had $1.5M total for the roster this year which was bottom 1/4 of the Big Ten. But it sounds like increasing it by $1M-$1.5M would put us middle of the pack in the Big Ten. On top of revenue sharing, that puts us ahead of a lot of comparable programs.

It’s not nothing, but I don’t think they need to find a new $3-$5M from scratch.

 

[CamelTones]

Supposedly we had $1.5M total for the roster this year which was bottom 1/4 of the Big Ten. But it sounds like increasing it by $1M-$1.5M would put us middle of the pack in the Big Ten. On top of revenue sharing, that puts us ahead of a lot of comparable programs.

It’s not nothing, but I don’t think they need to find a new $3-$5M from scratch.

The revenue sharing sorta helps, but all the other schools in the conference are also getting that money. So if Iowa is $3-5 million behind right now, they’ll be $3-5 million behind with the revenue sharing.

The men will also be competing with wrestling and women’s basketball for that money. They can’t afford to dip too far into the football budget of that money. So there’s a chance the men’s program still gets less of a share compared to other programs.

 

[HiawathaHawk]

The revenue sharing sorta helps, but all the other schools in the conference are also getting that money. So if Iowa is $3-5 million behind right now, they’ll be $3-5 million behind with the revenue sharing.

$3-$5M behind what? Maybe the very top end of the league but we’re not getting there. I was talking about just getting to the middle pack.

 

[L. Wade Childress]

Yeah, lots of losses.

I’m surprised anyone would be surprised by things happening throughout the course of a season.

Some of us are able to look at a team’s overall makeup and depth and accurately evaluate how that team will be able to weather things.

northwesterns best player got hurt and missed the rest of the season

 

[douglasbader]

$3-$5M behind what? Maybe the very top end of the league but we’re not getting there. I was talking about just getting to the middle pack.

I didn't mean for a single year, I meant for at least the near future.

Iowa is in a weird spot where their best chance is long term developmental players mixed with hired guns. They can't go 90% hired guns like other schools. Fran is good at development, but life and time has passed him by.

 

[The Dad]

northwesterns best player got hurt and missed the rest of the season

And that caused them to turn from a first day lock into a first day bubble.

 

[CurdMan]

The revenue sharing sorta helps, but all the other schools in the conference are also getting that money. So if Iowa is $3-5 million behind right now, they’ll be $3-5 million behind with the revenue sharing.

The men will also be competing with wrestling and women’s basketball for that money. They can’t afford to dip too far into the football budget of that money. So there’s a chance the men’s program still gets less of a share compared to other programs.

Need to cut the BS of investing heavily in wrestling and WBB. Beth is going to realize very quickly that’s a major non starter to any new HC she tries to hire

 

[L. Wade Childress]

Need to cut the BS of investing heavily in wrestling and WBB. Beth is going to realize very quickly that’s a major non starter to any new HC she tries to hire

that money is almost entirely coming from donors that are giving to those programs directly.

 

[Wanderer]

that money is almost entirely coming from donors that are giving to those programs directly.

Wrestling takes 0 NIL other than the direct donors.

 

[CurdMan]

that money is almost entirely coming from donors that are giving to those programs directly.

Talking about revenue sharing

 

[L. Wade Childress]

Revenue sharing just pays the kids more. It doesn’t alter the relative landscape at all. Programs with strong NIL will still be able to offer way more money than their peers.

 

[Stu Beagle]

IMO, the key to the upcoming revenue sharing is it potentially makes kids less likely to transfer from a program

 

[Gushawk]

Revenue sharing could help relative to schools in certain other conferences couldn’t it?

 

[Stomper15]

The Dad
Wants black guys in his foxhole.

@ISUFan98 can neither confirm nor deny he had one in his foxhole during a rainy and muddy day back in the 60s.

 

[Hawkstrat]

Revenue sharing could help relative to schools in certain other conferences couldn’t it?

Yes.

 

[HiawathaHawk]

Revenue sharing could help relative to schools in certain other conferences couldn’t it?

Right. Big Ten and SEC jobs are more desirable.

 

[Uff Da]

Revenue sharing could help relative to schools in certain other conferences couldn’t it?

Seems logical that revenue sharing, say $2 million for MBB (10% of $20 million) would allow Iowa to recruit against non SEC/Big 10 schools.

The AD and University need to decide what they want out the Mens program. The current status has been rejected by the fans.

Recruiting can't be easy for Fran, but, the lack of a complimentary roster year after year is on him.

 

[Hawk&Balls]

Fran also created his own problems

 

[ISUFan98]

@ISUFan98 can neither confirm nor deny he had one in his foxhole during a rainy and muddy day back in the 60s.

No way to tell for sure.

 

[CamelTones]

Someone on TOS is concerned about the impact getting rid of Fran would have on Caitlin Clark’s relationship with the university so they think Iowa should keep him.

And that’s enough internet for today.

 

[Hawkstrat]

Sounds like something Leistikow would say.

 

[Rolo Tomassi]

I don’t disagree but it gives you a chance in more games than this does. And to be clear I’d rather Fran had just constructed a better roster and chose to sort of care about defense at some point in his life.

Defense? We don't need no stinkin' defense!

 

[brantshawks]

https://www.sportingnews.com/us/ncaa-basketball/news/iowas-546-career-win-coach-predicted-retire-seasons-end-cbb-analyst-claims/b5f4607f81314b9cf6b40cb5

 

[HerkyHopeful]

Isaac Trotter, of course

 

[CamelTones]

Starting to be some smoke…

 

[HerkyHopeful]

Fran retiring is the best case scenario for sure

 

[Revolver]

A good coaching search is what we need in our lives. Flight watch. Panchero’s Watch. The whole works.

 

[brantshawks]

A good coaching search is what we need in our lives. Flight watch. Panchero’s Watch. The whole works.

We talking freezer buying up in here?

 

[Revolver]

We talking freezer buying up in here?

“You hear about Alford and that John Deere salesman?”

 

[AZmessDAWG]

He wanted a free home audio system when I was working at audio odyssey.

 

[brantshawks]

He wanted a free home audio system when I was working at audio odyssey.

Sorry coach, all's well got are free blowjobs, I'm afraid.

 

[Talkin' Goat]

Big Dick Beth!
Big Dick Beth!

 

[Geese]

A good coaching search is what we need in our lives. Flight watch. Panchero’s Watch. The whole works.

I know one thing, the news will hit HaLo before any of the Iowa reporters catch a whiff

 

[Pedro]

Sorry coach, all's well got are free blowjobs, I'm afraid.

@AZmessDAWG wasn't afraid of anything.

 

[douglasbader]

Fran retiring would be the honorable thing to do. He's made about $40m coaching at Iowa, not bad money to never have made it out of the first weekend of the NCAA Tourney.

Retire and go enjoy watching Jack play next year. If you want to coach again in a couple years, do it.

 

[Pedro]

He's made enough money to live a comfortable life. If he still has the urge he can host camps, be a consultant, get an easy scouting gig, etc.

It should be an easy win/win ending for everybody.

 

[L. Wade Childress]

Counterpoint: time at home with Marge

 

[Talkin' Goat]

I think we’re going to get the uneventful search and hire of DeVries, but I’ll gladly take it.

 

[YugoslavianMountainHound]

Fran is 66 fwiw, peacei.