Fundamentally Inept Right Now

[Lineup]

with players like Robert Jones you won't win

 

[Cyinthenorth]

Pretty clear Moser is a good coach based on what he did with Loyola Chicago.

I haven't heard much from CW & BB on Moser, but my take it's more fit vs. the X's & O's. Plus can he recruit 4 & 5 star kids.

He has 2 top 100 kids as freshmen this year--uzan and oweh

 

[isucy86]

He has 2 top 100 kids as freshmen this year--uzan and oweh

Top 70-100 are nice players, but I think their fans want top 50 players like Trae Young.

They want to recruit on the same level as Texas & Baylor. Part of the territory when your AD makes the big bucks.

 

[BoomerClone]

OP’s post was long. Didn’t read. I bet it says something about how we are weak as a team and the coaching staff is to blame. Correct me if I’m wrong. I’m not reading that novel.

 

[BoomerClone]

Question, will this fanbase be happy with a 7-10 seed tourney and a second round appearance? I would, I also think ISU makes the sweet 17 again this year as a 7-10 seed.

 

[Revenge of Macloney]

Right now I think it's fair to start to question the staff's ability to recognize (repetitive) fundamental flaws and make adjustments, both at the individual and team level. The number of things this team does, game in and game out, that costs it games are mind-boggling.

1. No offensive game plan. I think most of us have a realistic view point when it comes to having explosive athleticism and the problems that creates. It also doesn't help when, in some cases, guys are missing wide open looks. With that said, we often come down the court and waste 15 seconds cycling and the ball 6 feet beyond the arc. This causes a repetitive issue of having to jack up crap shots late in the shot clock. There should be a greater focus on getting the ball up the court quicker and looking to initiative meaningful ball movement, as in things that will lead to baskets or open looks. Early in the season guys were cutting to the basket, we looked run the offense through Osun (was better today but was compromised by fouls/being dinged up), and or driving in and kicking out. We are basically maximizing our natural deficiencies by making us (as a team) extremely easy to guard.

2. Over-helping on defense. This has been a constant issue and one I do not understand. Time and time again we are either play good defense and giving help when it's not needed, or having 3 guys collapse to a ball handlers in the lane. It's leading to defensive meltdowns and wide open shooters. It's a team-wide issue but the biggest offender is Holmes. He has absolutely no idea what he is doing defensively and over-helps on nearly every possession. I think at least half of our defensive breakdowns could be directly attributed to him. It's been so pervasive and has gone on so long that it appears the staff isn't addressing it. If they are guys like Holmes need to be benched for it. It's hard to win when guys have wide open corner 3s on every possession.

3. Staff's inability to influence outcomes within games. At some point it's hard to shrug off being constantly outplayed and out coached in every 2nd half. From questionable substitutions, not anticipating opponent adjustments, to not utilizing timeouts to manage game flow, this team is a constant second half trainwreck. From the outside coaches make little in the way of noticeable adjustments. The only 'adjustment' I noticeably see is the occasional switch to zone, a defense we are futile at running.


Basically this team looks like a ship without a rudder, one floating aimlessly at sea. At some point the staff needs to make some philosophical adjustments to get this team on track. What we are seeing is will beyond individuals struggling. Today epitomized most of what we've been seeing over the last 5 to 6 games.

Fairweather fans, maybe the biggest.

 

[NWICY]

Why are you counting AJ? He was never on the team! Should CMC say well, our one year wasn’t as great because Joe Butrow went to LSU and not ISU? I understand how Williams was a hit but Lipsy has done better than expected and we honestly don’t know how Williams would have pencilled out. Ward was supposed to be decent, wouldn’t you count that as a miss? You are trying to have it both ways.

I have to ask, if a team is limited talent wise, is that the players fault?

No but he should say I will quit trying to run a delayed RB hand off on 3rd and short 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage, when a QB sneak will work and did work the 2 times (I made up this #) we did it last yr.

 

[alarson]

It's possible. I am starting to believe TJ does a great job of getting teams to peak early and taking advantage of that through about the midpoint of the season.

Good thing about this is, if it stays consistent over time, that in this new era where so many more teams are building new rosters every year, we'll be more likely than not to take advantage of some early games while other teams are still gelling, building up a tournament-worthy resume even in down years (which, if we're honest, talent-wise this year should be considered more like a down\rebuilding year).

If TJ consistently makes the tournament and can put together the occasional run deeper when the talent is there, he'll be here a long, long time should he choose to (and all signs say he wants to be here for the long haul)

 

[cayin]

There is talk on this forum TJ is not a good XOs type of coach. I'm not sure about that, it looks like in most games he has a good game plan as the team starts off good. But I think an argument can be made he is not good at in game adjustments, using the right player combinations at the right time, and countering the opposing coaches in game adjustments. Even at that, you have to consider he doesn't have as much talent and athleticism as other teams, his team is probably fatigued, he has a true freshmen point guard and is coaching in the toughest league in the country. If the team he recruited this year were here, that is Green and Williams, I bet we have at least 5 more wins. We could go harder on defense and go to the bench more in the guard court without much drop off. Heck, just Williams alone, a long 6'5 guard, would have really helped with perimeter defense. What if Grill never gets hurts, we still have a couple of more wins.
TJ is still a young coach, he is learning and we are blessed to have him. We have a coach that wants to be here, we don't have to worry about him moving on if he has some success. He already has what we need the most, the ability to recruit talented players to Ames. That alone is huge for our program. He appears to know how to build a great culture. If he gets better at in game coaching, which he should with more experience, we should have a great program with him at the helm.

 

[simply1]

I think I can guess the answer to your question.

Given your post count, that’s funny.

 

[dafarmer]

With what we had back from last year, am I happy with this year's record and team? Satisfied with our chance for the big dance-wildly elated, no. But I don't know the team dynamics are and am not going to speculate.

 

[Bubba Hubba]

I read the first 10 posts and then skipped to the end, so forgive me if this is now off-topic.

Both things can be true, or so it seems to me. 1) Overall, TJ has over-performed as the coach of two teams that have noticeable talent shortcomings. 2) Something has gone awry in the last 8 games for this team and part of it is (or seems to be) coaching.

TJ shouldn't be "held accountable," given that he's over-performed, but the coaches should be looking at themselves and their own gameplans to see what needs to be adjusted or scrapped.