I love bill as our coach!!!!!
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Why does everyone assume Billy is going to be the next coach? I love the people who think Jamie will say, "here you go, Billy, good luck!"
I had heard from a source VERY close to the program that said that was the end goal.
and I've heard the exact opposite...which means no one really knows.
I work with a former player who has said the exact opposite, so whose source do we believe?
Yeah and that's fair. This was probably a solid 5-7 years ago so things could have easily changed.
on a different tangent...right now if I were to look at the coaching tree out there and pick one I'd like to see as our next coach? Originally...several years ago it was Frese. That's out of the question now (I assume). My next choice? Abrahamson.
Incorrect - Post #18 is mine and I don't say I want Bill gone. I say if he's not willing to adjust, it's probably time to go a different direction. Some of you act like he's above reproach because of what he's done in the past, and that's ridiculous, as are the excuses people continue to roll out (Soares injury, etc.).Twister Sister Summary - End of season arrives in jarring style
Like many of you I watched this game from a distance. I found a place in Des Moines to meet with some friends as my wife and I celebrated our wedding anniversary. I was wary of Toledo as I knew their style of play went directly against one of our long time weaknesses - speed to burn. In this...cyclonefanatic.com
Posts 18, 20 & 35 make it pretty clear that they want Bill gone. And one of those posters has posted a few times in this thread. So yeah, saying some posters want him gone is a fair statement and has nothing to do with sensitivity.
I don't say too much in these threads, but I have an excellent inside source as to what goes on within the team, and have for several years. I try not to break confidence and keep my comments "general" by design, but my intel is solid.
A couple items for offseason debate, as I'm curious what the die-hard Bill supporters believe:
1) How good is Bill at talent development? I'm of the opinion he's mediocre at best. Ashley Joens is / was self-driven and it's well-documented she developed her counter moves at home with her father. Did Bill make Ashley better? How about Lexi and Emily? I think those two regressed this year - how can that be? I was in the COVID sparse Hilton the night Lexi scored 32 points as a freshman, which remains her high point.
2) Is the revolving door of potentially useful transfers OK - Kylie, Aubrey, MEM, Maggie V all leaving when they could be contributors, some at positions of need? I don't want to hear about who needs how many minutes - they could all benefit from a few minutes of rest.
3) Does Bill play favorites and does he have a doghouse, which is difficult to escape once a player is placed there? Most of the team hung around Ames and played together last Summer. MEM reportedly did her own thing and "returned" when the fall semester began. She got in Bill's doghouse, never got out and is now in the portal.
4) Is it really OK for Bill to lie? Several weeks ago there was limited debate about whether or not MEM was still injured. Somebody who claims to have inside information (not me) said she was fine and was immediately attacked by the Bill faithful. Now the Register comes out and says she was fully healthy all season, which quite a few of us already believed. Still the die-hards make excuses, such as he was "protecting her".
5) Best debate topic for last. Whether we like it or not, Caitlin Clark is killing it for EIU. I believe CC was ISU's if we wanted her, with brother Blake on the football team and at least one of her parents an alum. I know Ashley didn't like the idea of playing with CC, nor did Aubrey. Did Bill bow to pressure and stop recruiting CC, for fear of losing Ashley to the transfer portal? I believe he did, under the premise she would damage team chemistry. With the benefit of hindsight, was that the proper decision? Hell no - she's a once in a lifetime college talent, makes players around her better and should be leading ISU to the Final Four, not EIU. Bill should have been a good enough coach to bring in Caitlin and retain Ashley - can you imagine those two on the same court? Would Lexi be better playing alongside CC - let's ask Gabby Marshall!?! My opinion - Bill screwed up hugely when he didn't go to the wall for CC.
Now let's have a good old-fashioned respectful debate, with honest exchange of thoughts and minimal disrespect / dumbing of posts. It's going to be a long off-season until hopes springs eternal with the new class of freshman and whomever we can court in the transfer portal. Go...
No. 3 - I think this is normal everywhere - even at work. It's a matter of preference but it's also a matter of trust and a matter of whether someone is truly fit with the "culture". I recall one article involving FB team where Matt Campbell mentioned that he knew that the team would be successful when he found players working out together in the winter or something like that.
No. 5 IIRC someone mentioned that there was no chemistry among CC and our players when she came for her OV. I don't know the entire story but I heard from someone who is close to EIU WBB that CC is high maintenance. We don't know what was at stake - would we get CC but lose Emily Ryan and/or Lexi Donarski? I certainly don't know. Was BF too cautious? Could be. IIRC BF mentioned that he felt he invested too much on trying to get Taylor Greenfield (who went to Stanford) - did it make him extra cautious? I'd love to hear an inside story how our recruiting with CC evolved - what she wanted etc.
Sorry if I misunderstood. What direction were you suggesting?
1. I think this a collection of all the coaches, not just Bill. I look at the volleyball team as an example. Joe does DS, former coach Jen had the middles, former coach Fiona had the setters and CJL had the hitters. Jody has the guards, Latoya with down low, and Billy and Bill are a mix. (Correct me if I am wrong). I also believe it comes down to the want of the player.
2. I think since the transfer requirements changed to not having to sit, it is a merry-go-round all around. All school are not immune.
3. I used to laugh that Ezell said she was always in the doghouse. I think it depends on the player and their want to get better (and their mental health). You can always get back out of the doghouse, but you need to work together.
4. I don't think Bill lied and I also think MEM was doing much better health wise. But again, we are not at practices, and we are also not on the medical staff. This topic is a no-win situation.
5. We were in Clark's final 3. Was that a mercy thrown our way like Harrison Barnes with ISU or did we have a shot. My guess is that Iowa offered her the world and ISU said she would have to earn. She is an amazing talent, but from what I and many others have seen is that she would not have been a good fit with the ISU way.
I, too, have an inside sources but when I talk to them it is not to get the inside scoop but to have a friendship. Let the cards fall where they may as this isn't my job but one of my favorite hobbies. Go Cyclones!
Good post. Players and coaches are all accountable. CBF is a good coach but I just don't think he's a great coach because as a whole he recruits the same type of players over and over and power 5 players and others are bigger, faster or stronger, you name it. Soares is an exception and I hope she gets to come back!! We'll see what next year brings. Go Cyclones.
Uhhh...that ain't happening.
https://cyclonefanatic.com/forum/threads/stephanie-soares-injury-waiver-is-denied.278093/unread
I don't want him to leave but I can understand someone that might. At some point, right or wrong, if there doesn't seem to be progress folks can get antsy. I believe Bill has shaken things up a bit with recent recruiting so hopefully that helps. I do not recall a time before him, and his success relative to before is meaningful, but at some point even legends overstay their welcome. If I were a Syracuse fan, for instance, I would be thankful that Boeheim is finally gone, for example. That being said, I am excited to see what he does with the players he has and has recruited.
Shoot,I remember Deb Oing as coach. We scrimmaged against her group in State Gym. It was a blast and the lack of team success then was a bit of a mystery.
Give me a break. It was just fun,dude. No,just seemed like the overall program could do something.
1) I think this is a fair criticism to a certain extent. However, I think it's clear that Ryan and Donarski developed from the freshman to sophomore years before the fall off this season. Donarski obviously became a great defender, and Ryan's scoring was definitely better in her sophomore year than her freshman. Sure, Donarski's high scoring point was still her freshman year, but 32 points is high for anyone; I don't think we should expect that to be broken, even with development.
2) I have been one to defend the starters' minutes to a certain point. It isn't what I would do if I were a coach, but I still don't think that it actually has resulted in the worse single-game performances that some people seem to think it has. I think there can be reasonable criticism when players that contributed or could contribute transfer out. But also, with the current construction of the team, I still just have a hard time criticizing the playing time aspect. Would any of those notable players really have stayed if they knew they'd play 15 minutes instead of 10? Those roles aren't that different.
3) Was it really a doghouse or was she just not playing well? She averaged 17 minutes last year, shooting 46% from three. This year she averaged 9.5 minutes, shooting 19% from three. Seems like it's reasonable to get significantly less minutes if you aren't making shots any more, especially with the defense and rebounding that Fritz provides.
4) I was one of those people believing Bill, which I maintain was entirely reasonable (the coach vs. a poster on CF?). But also, I'm not sure the Register article and Bill's comments are necessarily completely in opposition. The Register didn't actually give a quote from Maggie talking about health. It's possible she came into the season more healthy than the last couple years, but she still had issues later in the season. Or it's possible that she still stayed out of full, 100% practice as a precaution.
5) I guess I can't speak to this at all. But do we really know that Bill didn't try that hard for Clark?