**2025-2026 Iowa Basketball Season Thread**

[AZmessDAWG]

Yeah.

 

[Uff Da]

I hate to keep harping on it because who gives a shit, but she's barely talked about Iowa this year. No visit back. No tweets about the postseason at all.

When your significant other and likely future spouse has a petty hatred for the University you attended, it's going to be hard for her to walk that line. He's got a temper as well.

Yeah, I don't care about Clark or what she thinks at this point. There are a lot of Iowa fans that are in love with Clark. Most probably don't realize how toxic Connor is about Iowa at this point.
Anyway, Ben has Iowa in the Elite 8, Fran and his family made their bed

 

[Lil Scamp]

I love Iowa women's team as most know and I really don't give a crap about Clark at this point

 

[BillyBob]

Frandawg had completely mailed it in at the end. Did he even want to be at Iowa at that point?!?!

How the fuck are they all so salty?

 

[Stu Beagle]

The irony is I think a lot of the bad feelings come from the fact the men’s program never got the support the women’s did while he was there

 

[Uff Da]

The irony is I think a lot of the bad feelings come from the fact the men’s program never got the support the women’s did while he was there

Also, people liked to watch Clark play and many loathed watching Connor play. Doubt Fran and family realize that Connor and Patrick were part of the reason for the lack of support

 

[newsbreaker]

The irony is I think a lot of the bad feelings come from the fact the men’s program never got the support the women’s did while he was there

Iowa fans did what fans should do, and voted with their feet and wallet. They voted against his Dad. I get it.

But the whole family thought they were bigger than the program, and were entitled to that for as long as they wanted.

 

[douglasbader]

It's all fucking absurd. Fran was treated better than any coach in the country. Most schools wouldn't have even given him the final year that he got and would have fired him the year before.

He was given every opportunity, and he responded by having one of his worst seasons in which his "star" player quit on him. He was let go and handed a nice buyout.

It's not Iowa's fault that Fran allowed Connor to play a year too long. It's not Iowa's fault that Patrick was a head case. It's not Iowa's fault that Jack ran over a guy and killed him. It's not Iowa's fault that Margaret gained 75 pounds and was a terror. It's not Iowa's fault that Fran could never land a PG. It's not Iowa's fault that he never got out of the Round of 32 and shit the bed multiple times. It's not Iowa's fault that Fran refused to hire a defensive assistant. It's not Iowa's fault. It's Fran's fault, and he got something like $50m and free college education for his children.

I still love the guy though.

 

[Revolver]

It's all fucking absurd. Fran was treated better than any coach in the country. Most schools wouldn't have even given him the final year that he got and would have fired him the year before.

He was given every opportunity, and he responded by having one of his worst seasons in which his "star" player quit on him. He was let go and handed a nice buyout.

It's not Iowa's fault that Fran allowed Connor to play a year too long. It's not Iowa's fault that Patrick was a head case. It's not Iowa's fault that Jack ran over a guy and killed him. It's not Iowa's fault that Margaret gained 75 pounds and was a terror. It's not Iowa's fault that Fran could never land a PG. It's not Iowa's fault that he never got out of the Round of 32 and shit the bed multiple times. It's not Iowa's fault that Fran refused to hire a defensive assistant. It's not Iowa's fault. It's Fran's fault, and he got something like $50m and free college education for his children.

I still love the guy though.

It’s not Iowa’s fault that Connor seems to have inherited his mother’s attitude.

 

[gohawkeyes811]

Agreed with all of that Doug. Also, I acknowledge that I loved all of Fran’s antics, blow ups, etc. while also understanding it was a bit embarrassing and basically adolescent type behavior. I still loved it.

But seeing McCollum this year, there’s a pretty stark difference.

 

[BillyBob]

The irony is I think a lot of the bad feelings come from the fact the men’s program never got the support the women’s did while he was there

all it takes is some tournament success to get program buy in

Frandawg couldn’t do it, and that’s on him

 

[HiawathaHawk]

This is incredible, you all need to read this.

 

[Dr. Zaius]

 

[fossilhawk]

From the first press conference, I thought he had a touch of ADHD/neurodivergence.

This confirms it. As a diagnosed ADHD-er, the passage about deadlines and hyperfocus is a full-on Leo DiCaprio point at the TV moment.

If you know, you know. If you don't, well, imminent deadlines give you fucking superpowers. Got a 20 page research paper you haven't started that's due tomorrow? It'll be done before the sun sets. Need to come up with a clever argument on a brief? Once you get close enough to the filing deadline you'll rip that fucker off like it's a goddamn Band-Aid.

This man talks of building something at Iowa, and if that's how his brain works, if he gets off by finding weaknesses in other teams' armor and exploiting them to the fullest, then buckle up, boys, because he just might fuck around and do it.

 

[Debit One]

This is incredible, you all need to read this.

How many hours of prep time do you suppose that Fran dedicated to devising a defense for each opponent?

 

[HerkyHopeful]

Also, people liked to watch Clark play and many loathed watching Connor play. Doubt Fran and family realize that Connor and Patrick were part of the reason for the lack of support

And they multiple times on social media told Iowa fans that they suck. They're retarded and entitled. You know they believe their baby brother has no culpability for what he did either.

 

[Dr. Zaius]

McCollum on College Gameday right now. Always a great interview

 

[HerkyHopeful]

How many hours of prep time do you suppose that Fran dedicated to devising a defense for each opponent?

I know you're being facetious, but its kind of wild how he went heavy 2-3 zone for years without any real wrinkles added. I'd be shocked if there was any defensive coaching other than "player A is guarding player X" which is pretty wild at any college level.

 

[Gushawk]

It's all fucking absurd. Fran was treated better than any coach in the country. Most schools wouldn't have even given him the final year that he got and would have fired him the year before.

He was given every opportunity, and he responded by having one of his worst seasons in which his "star" player quit on him. He was let go and handed a nice buyout.

It's not Iowa's fault that Fran allowed Connor to play a year too long. It's not Iowa's fault that Patrick was a head case. It's not Iowa's fault that Jack ran over a guy and killed him. It's not Iowa's fault that Margaret gained 75 pounds and was a terror. It's not Iowa's fault that Fran could never land a PG. It's not Iowa's fault that he never got out of the Round of 32 and shit the bed multiple times. It's not Iowa's fault that Fran refused to hire a defensive assistant. It's not Iowa's fault. It's Fran's fault, and he got something like $50m and free college education for his children.

I still love the guy though.

this is a great list, to which I’d only add it’s not Iowa’s fault that Fran consistently recruited soft LATFG pussies and had a terrible strength program that kept them weak and incapable of handling physicality in the league most known for it.

 

[Herky823]

What does that even mean ? The truth about Iowa ?

Nobody knows that it means. But it’s provocative. It gets the people going.

 

[douglasbader]

This is incredible, you all need to read this.

He's nuts, and I get it. I'll get clowned for this, but I have something for my work I have been similarly nuts about since I was a kid and love to attack looking at it in the same sort of way. I've got a small group of guys around the world that are also nuts about it and we brainstorm and figure out things better than anyone in the industry can to the point where you can figure out things before they ever happen.

It's a thrill and rush when you go through the process and it does lead to a lack of sleep sometimes, but when you figure it out and you see the results weeks and months down the road it's an incredible feeling and the recognition you get is also a fun part of it. It's also fun because the puzzle is never really solved and there is always another challenge to come. It's a small niche thing but does have an impact, but 99.9% of people couldn't give a shit less about it.

No, I don't think I'm Ben McCollum and yes I'm a fucking douche/dork, but that article made me appreciate him all the more.

 

[HerkyHopeful]

What's bothered me at times this year are the comments how Ben started off in such a better spot. When Fran came, he inherited a dog shit roster at a time when it was harder to build a roster in a year. But Ben inherited one guy in Koch. Everyone else he brought along with him or brought from the outside. So while I think it's a valid comment, I still think it's being exceptionally generous to Fran and not giving as much credit to Ben that guys chose to follow him.

Other coaches built rosters with much bigger bank accounts (ahem, DRock) and ended up with shit teams this year.

 

[Kerky]

This is incredible, you all need to read this.

Now we know why he has such a large staff. (No pun btw)

 

[douglasbader]

What's bothered me at times this year are the comments how Ben started off in such a better spot. When Fran came, he inherited a dog shit roster at a time when it was harder to build a roster in a year. But Ben inherited one guy in Koch. Everyone else he brought along with him or brought from the outside. So while I think it's a valid comment, I still think it's being exceptionally generous to Fran and not giving as much credit to Ben that guys chose to follow him.

Other coaches built rosters with much bigger bank accounts (ahem, DRock) and ended up with shit teams this year.

I mean, that is true though in fairness to Fran. In 2010, you couldn't just have guys follow you and play immediately. They still had to sit out for a year if they transferred. You could bring in a recruit like Basabe to play right away, but Fran couldn't exactly have his really good Sienna PG follow him and play immediately.

McCollum did get to start in a much better spot because of that. He could bring in a first round pick and core of a roster plus add other key players immediately. Ben got Bennett Stirtz, Fran was stuck with Cully Payne.

 

[Dr. Zaius]

I mean, that is true though in fairness to Fran. In 2010, you couldn't just have guys follow you and play immediately. They still had to sit out for a year if they transferred. You could bring in a recruit like Basabe to play right away, but Fran couldn't exactly have his really good Sienna PG follow him and play immediately.

McCollum did get to start in a much better spot because of that. He could bring in a first round pick and core of a roster plus add other key players immediately. Ben got Bennett Stirtz, Fran was stuck with Cully Payne.

And Cougs

 

[douglasbader]

And Cougs

Cougill never played for Fran, but here is the garbage he started with....

 

[The Dad]

He's nuts, and I get it. I'll get clowned for this, but I have something for my work I have been similarly nuts about since I was a kid and love to attack looking at it in the same sort of way. I've got a small group of guys around the world that are also nuts about it and we brainstorm and figure out things better than anyone in the industry can to the point where you can figure out things before they ever happen.

It's a thrill and rush when you go through the process and it does lead to a lack of sleep sometimes, but when you figure it out and you see the results weeks and months down the road it's an incredible feeling and the recognition you get is also a fun part of it. It's also fun because the puzzle is never really solved and there is always another challenge to come. It's a small niche thing but does have an impact, but 99.9% of people couldn't give a shit less about it.

No, I don't think I'm Ben McCollum and yes I'm a fucking douche/dork, but that article made me appreciate him all the more.

 

[Dr. Zaius]

Whoops…..Basabe was a culture changing player though

 

[BillyBob]

Cougill never played for Fran, but here is the garbage he started with....

View attachment 70882

 

[Debit One]

If the players on both sides are of equal talent, I cannot think of a coach that I would without question take over McCollum. He's getting everything that these guys have to give.

 

[Debit One]

I suspect that Folgueiras is the guy whose ass McCollum chews most frequently, yet Folgueiras seems to love being part of this team.

That's a great sign.

 

[Dr. Zaius]

Cougill never played for Fran, but here is the garbage he started with....

View attachment 70882

After reviewing the files, Cougs was still technically at Iowa when FM was hired although academically ineligible. Not that it makes much difference but good on Fran for not taking him back.

 

[Herky823]

On some level, Fran has to endorse this. And I like Fran.

but this is clearly in defense of him. At some point you call your kid and say stop doing this on my behalf unless you think he’s right

 

[26.2]

He's nuts, and I get it. I'll get clowned for this, but I have something for my work I have been similarly nuts about since I was a kid and love to attack looking at it in the same sort of way. I've got a small group of guys around the world that are also nuts about it and we brainstorm and figure out things better than anyone in the industry can to the point where you can figure out things before they ever happen.

It's a thrill and rush when you go through the process and it does lead to a lack of sleep sometimes, but when you figure it out and you see the results weeks and months down the road it's an incredible feeling and the recognition you get is also a fun part of it. It's also fun because the puzzle is never really solved and there is always another challenge to come. It's a small niche thing but does have an impact, but 99.9% of people couldn't give a shit less about it.

No, I don't think I'm Ben McCollum and yes I'm a fucking douche/dork, but that article made me appreciate him all the more.

People will forever be searching for the perfect salt/butter combo on their popcorn. I wouldn't lose sleep over it.

 

[Dr. Zaius]

 

[CamelTones]

 

[L. Wade Childress]

Frandawg had completely mailed it in at the end. Did he even want to be at Iowa at that point?!?!

How the fuck are they all so salty?

Supposedly, they were completely shocked when he was actually fired. How do you not at all see that coming?

 

[Stu Beagle]

Conor is like most IL fans I know. Think they are pretty special despite winning jack shit

 

[L. Wade Childress]

And they multiple times on social media told Iowa fans that they suck. They're retarded and entitled. You know they believe their baby brother has no culpability for what he did either.

I actually don’t blame Jack much for that accident. It was just a really shitty tragedy.

 

[Dr. Zaius]

FM’s staff also black balled Gatens from working at the university on the way out

 

[L. Wade Childress]

this is a great list, to which I’d only add it’s not Iowa’s fault that Fran consistently recruited soft LATFG pussies and had a terrible strength program that kept them weak and incapable of handling physicality in the league most known for it.

I don’t think our current team looks much different. They just have a different attitude.

 

[hawkchick79]

FM’s staff also black balled Gatens from working at the university on the way out

How so?

 

[Dr. Zaius]

How so?

“Strength” coach made false racial accusations to get him cancelled

 

[L. Wade Childress]

After reviewing the files, Cougs was still technically at Iowa when FM was hired although academically ineligible. Not that it makes much difference but good on Fran for not taking him back.

he was diabetically ineligible as well

 

[26.2]

How so?

Zaius is known for making shit up FYI. Like that big Iowa fan/Florida fan rumble after the game that supposedly happened.

 

[Dr. Zaius]

Zaius is known for making shit up FYI. Like that big Iowa fan/Florida fan rumble after the game that supposedly happened.

You keep your trolling, I’ll keep my sources

 

[L. Wade Childress]

“Strength” coach made false racial accusations to get him cancelled

wait what?

 

[Iowatheltics]

On some level, Fran has to endorse this. And I like Fran.

but this is clearly in defense of him. At some point you call your kid and say stop doing this on my behalf unless you think he’s right

Yeah its time for Dad to grow up and tell his son to do the same

 

[Lee Beevers]

You keep your trolling, I’ll keep my sources

lol this would have been reported on had it happened.

 

[Dr. Zaius]

lol this would have been reported on had it happened.

Nope