Losing to Mizzu was simple...

[dbronco7sc]

I agree with the above two posts in that... yeah... it sucks to lose bad... but we came into this year knowing... big turnover in players... McD's first year... REBUILDING YEAR... He needs to get his guys... he's getting them in only a year at a time. Next year... they don't have to worry about teaching a new system to an entire team... just a few guys... and they can work on more special, new things to throw at teams. We'll have a bigger arsenal of plays next year... our defense will be a year more mature... just because we get excited from some games doesn't take away the sense that this team has problems too. We DID take Kansas to the wire, we DID upset Missouri at home... we CAN do these things... now we need to work on consistency... that's all... so to answer the question... YES... NO QUESTION IN MY MIND... McD is the man to take us where we want to go!

 

[Wesley]

No offense guys but someone of you guys need your heads checked. Honestly after we just barely lose to Kansas everyone was ready to start building the statue of McD outside of Hilton and now you’re already questioning whether or not we made the right hire? There are some things that are out of McD control right now. We are too small and not strong enough to compete with most of the teams in the big twelve. Strength is something that you can't keep up against as the big 12 season wears on. We looked good in our first couple games but our guys are getting worn out. It's the same reason a lot of freshmen go into a slump around this time of year, they just can't take the bruises and they don't have the stamina yet to keep going at the rate they were before. Basically we have a team full of freshmen that are worn down.

But back to the original point. Don't throw McD under the bus for one game. Lord knows if UNI would have had an attitude like this they would still be a 7 wins a year team going nowhere instead of a perennial NCAA qualifier... just my little rant

We are not too small. We normally outrebound the other team. I have seen JR Richardson who is a shortie persist and dribble smartly for nebraska.Corey can do the same. Our real problem is we dribble into trouble and we do not pass the ball professionally. Ten more games for some of these walkons. McD is not under the bus but he may be chasing the bus.

 

[cybsball20]

What I really dont get was the philosophy in the last 7 minutes of the game... If I had just showed up I would have sworn that ISU was the team with the double digit lead... They were slowing the ball down, passing around the perimeter, jogging back and setting up half court D, not a whole lot of urgency for a team down as much as 20. Meanwhile Missouri kept up the pressure d and attacked the basket. Did our coaching staff give up?? It didn't look like we made an effort to come back.

 

[mwitt]

How aren't we too small? We're smaller than every team we play in the Big 12. Our best "banger" is a 6'7" kid who was playing high school basketball this time last year.

 

[Michael Lastuvka]

I agree with the above two posts in that... yeah... it sucks to lose bad... but we came into this year knowing... big turnover in players... McD's first year... REBUILDING YEAR... He needs to get his guys... he's getting them in only a year at a time. Next year... they don't have to worry about teaching a new system to an entire team... just a few guys... and they can work on more special, new things to throw at teams. We'll have a bigger arsenal of plays next year... our defense will be a year more mature... just because we get excited from some games doesn't take away the sense that this team has problems too. We DID take Kansas to the wire, we DID upset Missouri at home... we CAN do these things... now we need to work on consistency... that's all... so to answer the question... YES... NO QUESTION IN MY MIND... McD is the man to take us where we want to go!

This bumbling kool aid rant brought to you by dbronco7sc.:biggrin9gp:

 

[Wesley]

We can juno abnd rebound better than most. Two started can jump almost 40 inches and Mike Taylor can jump well too. We maybe are light in weight, but good position takes care of a lot of this. We are not getting beat because we are too small. We are getting beat because we are playing dumb basketball. That should be fixable. I just hope it is soon. We may be in Top 10 in team turnovers. Add 35% shooting becaause we take some real lousy shots and you cannot defend your way into a win.

 

[mwitt]

You're right, good position can trump that. But it's a lot more difficult to get good positioned when your opponent has 30 pounds on you.

 

[dbronco7sc]

This bumbling kool aid rant brought to you by dbronco7sc.:biggrin9gp:

And it tastes good! Grape kool aid... the kind that stains your lips purple!

 

[Stormin]

C'mon. We only have a few returning scholarship players from last year. Staff gets a late start in recruiting but does a credible job. They play a lousy game and you are ready to can McD. Heck the BB team played like that EVERY game last year. And we had Blalock and Stinson. Bad Loss. No Doubt. But we knew this team would have growing pains. Mizzou played a great game. Give them some credit.

 

[farmrmac]

This post is exactly why I quit coming to this site. After a win, we are going to the NCAA's and after a loss we might as well cancel basketball. UNBELEIVABLE, how old are you people!?

 

[DaddyMac]

Oh good gravy folks.

Recruiting takes time boys and girls. Mac got this job when? April? And he's supposed take us to the pinnicle in 8 months? We have ZERO inside presence, not a lick. We're playing against Big 12 centers with (maybe) Big 12 forwards. Wesley Johnson is a hell of an athlete and promising player, but he's playing out of position at the 4 spot. We don't have a legit PG and no consistent threat from outside.

You have bunch of fresh faces trying to get meshed with a couple of older ones - who are going from a wide open, run and gun, "defense? What's defense?" system, to a ball control, hard nosed, disciplined style. Do any of you think GMac would've recruited Hubalek, Clark, Grey or Marsen (Ross maybe)? That's not a knock on them, but Clark in particular is just lost in this system. Compound all this with the fact he had to recruit with the possibility of Blaylock returning, Taggart and a few others taking their time in leaving. So he had 3 or 4 months - TOPS, to get these kids signed, sealed and on campus. How he managed to get any of them to summer leagues in DSM is amazing.

The ONLY thing I'm really disappointed in is the turnovers. That kills me no matter what or when. And such stupid ones. When Tinsley bounced passes off Rancik or Shirley with amazing passes, you could live with it . I don't know what Jiri was doing first 3 minutes last night - apparently he thinks we wear black. And I'm more than tired of thes off the feet, over the shoulder, loft over the defender passes. A few fundamentals please. And we know who the culprit is there. But if you pull Taylor, who do you have?

But aside from that, shooting woes? Defensive mistakes? Gonna happen with a young, limited team. We have 4 guys on the court effectively playing out of position? Maybe 3. Rashon lacks the ability to create his own shot and Cory is offenseive incapable. Wesley is right in regards to rebounding. It's often case of hustle and heart. And honestly I've been astounded (and pleased) that we've done so well this long. But at some point, and sometimes. 260 beats 230. 6'10" beats 6' 6".

Everybody needs to relax. If you honestly thought we'd finish top half, send me some of what you're smoking and/or drinking - I'm always up for a party. McD had half a recuiting class and a quarter of a recruiting season to sell him at Iowa State. Making any judgements at this point on his abilities is just foolish

 

[BryceC]

I think some of the guys scolding people need to remember what McD said when he took the job over. He said we'd play tough defense and play with discipline. I can handle losing, that isn't what really pisses me off. The things I didn't like about the Wayne era were the lack of effort, the lack of discipline, etc. Frankly sometimes this year it looks as bad as it ever did last season.

I understand that we need players like Taylor on the floor because he's important to the success of the team. But the fact is I pray to god I never see Taylor play one single minute at the point next season. If he does some of the stuff he did last night, with more depth on the team next season I want to see his *** on the bench immediately end of story. I have never watched a player I found more frustrating.

That being said, I think McDermott is an excellent coach and I see a lot of Sweet 16's in the future. I think a lot of what we are seeing as well is a function of lack of team depth and competition (much like we saw on the offensive line last year).

If there were a "god awfully terrible shots" stat, we would have filled that one up as well. We don't make the extra pass and play smart. Or, if we do make the extra pass, it's right to Hannah. It's just frustrating to watch is all.

 

[URBCLONE]

I think some of the guys scolding people need to remember what McD said when he took the job over. He said we'd play tough defense and play with discipline. I can handle losing, that isn't what really pisses me off. The things I didn't like about the Wayne era were the lack of effort, the lack of discipline, etc. Frankly sometimes this year it looks as bad as it ever did last season.

I'm with you Bryce. That was horrible to watch last night. I was not expecting the 'pinnacle' this season. By the same token, I did not expect to get blown out by 22 at home against Missouri. BTW - did you see the quote in the paper from WJ "We went into this game thinking we would win because we won down there". What? They actually believe that they will win just by showing up?

The talent level of the program is scary right now. How did it happen that ISU went from back to back conference championships to this? I lay a ton of blame at the feet of BVD and his inept coaching search back in '03.

 

[URBCLONE]

I think some of the guys scolding people need to remember what McD said when he took the job over. He said we'd play tough defense and play with discipline. I can handle losing, that isn't what really pisses me off. The things I didn't like about the Wayne era were the lack of effort, the lack of discipline, etc. Frankly sometimes this year it looks as bad as it ever did last season.

I'm with you Bryce. That was horrible to watch last night. I was not expecting the 'pinnacle' this season. By the same token, I did not expect to get blown out by 22 at home against Missouri. BTW - did you see the quote in the paper from WJ "We went into this game thinking we would win because we won down there". What? They actually believe that they will win just by showing up?

The talent level of the program is scary right now. How did it happen that ISU went from back to back conference championships to this? I lay a ton of blame at the feet of BVD and his inept coaching search back in '03.

 

[ISUFan22]

BTW - did you see the quote in the paper from WJ "We went into this game thinking we would win because we won down there". What? They actually believe that they will win just by showing up?

That's exactly how they played too...completely uninspired. G-Mac tried the past 2 days to get them motivated and ready for this game - using the seeding for the Big 12 tournament, etc.

Didn't take like I thought it would.

 

[jbhtexas]

The talent level of the program is scary right now. How did it happen that ISU went from back to back conference championships to this? I lay a ton of blame at the feet of BVD and his inept coaching search back in '03.

As far as lack of talent, LE started that mess. WM did recruit some talent, but most of it bailed when he left. And yes...it would have been better to take some time back in '03 and perform a more diligent MBB coaching search...

 

[ISUFan22]

And yes...it would have been better to take some time back in '03 and perform a more diligent MBB coaching search...

I don't think it was our search that was faulty. It was no one really wanted the job so we had to give it to Wayne. Plus, we were looking at a mass exodus then, as one of the stipulations any new coach had was to keep Wayne - in order to keep the recruits we had.

If you said letting our kids hold us hostage to an extent when looking for a new coach was the wrong thing to do - I can agree with that for the most part.

 

[URBCLONE]

That's exactly how they played too...completely uninspired. G-Mac tried the past 2 days to get them motivated and ready for this game - using the seeding for the Big 12 tournament, etc.

Didn't take like I thought it would.

You're exactly right. They played totally lethargic last night. GM even called the effort 'pitiful' on the post game interview. You would think they would have learned their lesson after the debacle at CU.

 

[ISUChippewa]

So, it seems like this post has turned into a historical perspective on how this program went wrong after two straight conference championships in the early part of the decade, which is just fine by me. I enjoy discussion.

I beleive that even without LE's public, alcohol-induced, meltdown that the program had stagnated and was losing traction. It seems that half of our ballyhooed recruits he got (Jerome Harper, Tommie King, Chris Alexander, etc.) didn't last long or didn't come to campus at all. Only playing half of the recruits you originally sign is a surefire way to hurt a program, and I think it's fair to put the blame squarely on LE's shoulders for numerous recruiting mistakes.

The '03 coaching search....I was frankly pretty happy with Wayne Morgan his first two years; a 20 victory season and a first-round NCAA win are pretty good places to start. Last season was an unmitigated flop, and while I questioned it at the time, I think that making a coaching change is the right way to go (especially after Gary Thompson, of all people, was quoted in the Register as saying that he felt the program lacked some discipline and direction). So, to be a revisionist, who should we have hired in '03? If Lebo had actually taken the job, how would he be doing right now? Personally, I would have taken Dana Altman in a heartbeat. I will never understand why it seemed that a fair amount of Cyclone fans regarded him as a horrible coach and possible choice.

 

[jbhtexas]

I'm with you Bryce. That was horrible to watch last night. I was not expecting the 'pinnacle' this season. By the same token, I did not expect to get blown out by 22 at home against Missouri. BTW - did you see the quote in the paper from WJ "We went into this game thinking we would win because we won down there". What? They actually believe that they will win just by showing up?

Some of them probably did believe that they could win by just showing up, because they are freshman and don't know any better.

You've heard the saying "You can't teach an old dog new tricks"? Let me modify it slightly..."You can rarely teach a JUCO MBB transfer to play differently than he did at the JUCO". MT and CM are what they are. They are nearing the end of their third year playing college MBB and their play, barring a miracle, is not going change dramatically from what it is now. They play because they are the best option ISU has right now.

Realistically, unless the new freshman coming in are a bunch of Kevin Durants, ISU is going to be struggling for a couple of years. As someone posted in a thread a while back, ISU is where A&M was about 4 years ago. Good things can happen, but it will take time.