We'll Be Back Better Than Ever

I think it's pretty clear Fred is doing his due diligence on every transfer he accepts in this program. It's not like he's been careless.

Has there even been a transfer that hasn't worked out? I mean, not every single one has been Royce White or Deandre Kane, but has there even been a move made yet that hasn't made this program better?

I trust Fred Hoiberg implicitly.
 
Has there even been a transfer that hasn't worked out? I mean, not every single one has been Royce White or Deandre Kane, but has there even been a move made yet that hasn't made this program better?

I trust Fred Hoiberg implicitly.

well other than thug life, but he was already in the program so it doesn't count
 
He is under 29% for his career, and was not good at it in high school.

Do you remember what Lucious or Kane's percentages were at their previous stops? :smile:

I think that we will be fine next year. For the people who say, We won't be as good", remember, with Georges, this team might well have gone a round or two further.

And for whomever mentioned this team winning close games, well, they also had some that the bottom fell out on. So, we might be better, and actually not lose to the bottom teams in the league as well. It all evens out.

What really gets a smile on my face is thinking about the next year--when Georges, Naz, Nader and McKay are seniors, and Morris, Thomas and SDW are juniors. Now, there's something to smile about!
 
Hoiberg has only made one bad move in his entire career.

A few years ago, Royce had one request. He said "I'll stay in this program until I graduate if you just dance for me coach." And Hoiberg was too nervous, and Royce went to the draft.

At least that's what I heard.
 
Hoiberg has only made one bad move in his entire career.

A few years ago, Royce had one request. He said "I'll stay in this program until I graduate if you just dance for me coach." And Hoiberg was too nervous, and Royce went to the draft.

At least that's what I heard.

I heard he did dance for him after the season was over. That was all Royce needed to see.
 
For whatever reason you all thought we were just an NIT team this year, then tournament team next year. I still think we are better next year.

We return five of the seven from the rotation. All of which were in their first year seeing minutes(other than Niang who will still only be a junior). They will all be improved. We throw in Nader and McKay. Nader is reguarded as the best guy on the team already, McKay is a tall post presence we haven't seen yet under Fred. Will be a better "team".
 
Are you kidding? Christopherson had a great senior season. We could have used him this year.

I thought hypothetical having one either Christopherson, Babb, or McGee was the hypothetical difference for this team between being very good (i.e. similar results to 2011-2012 and 2012-2013) and transcendent (1999-2000, and basically what we did this year in winning the Big 12 tournament, though a slight letdown in only a Sweet Sixteen appearance). We struggled for consistency on the outside shot and three-land all year long, and a number of our conference losses (both Kansas games, too) are easy to read as just failures to hit our threes.

Not blaming Naz or Thomas there, but a true freshman and a sophomore seeing his first significant minutes shouldn't be expected to be "that guy" on the outside who kills teams if they lose track of him from deep. We somewhat lacked that this year, and our offense had other options, but I can imagine McGee or Christopherson lurking at the corner or outside the elbow and waiting for a dish from Melvin or Kane all year if they choose to double the man inside (or freeing things up for the down-low game if the opposing defense was honest with the shooter). We lacked that most of the year this year, ironically, for a Hoiberg "lives by the three" team.

End of the year, though, we kind of started to have that more and more--Naz. His shooting won us the second Oklahoma St. game, and it was big in the Big 12 tournament, and, of course, without his shooting we don't beat UNC in the second round and don't *almost* come back on UConn in NYC. Notice how the team kicked it into a high gear when Naz really started hitting? Notice how our W/L in a lot of cases came down to Naz hitting or not hitting 2-3 open three looks early in the game or early in the second half? I'm excited for next year just for this alone, if Naz can play at that level consistently (and he started to late in the year) and Thomas can make the same fresh/soph leap (and the guy has plenty of potential, he did score 10+ in the Big 12 a couple times), and if Morris can do something similar and Custer gives us anything from deep... a weakness of last year's offense becomes a strength.

Better inside game/rebounding is just a cherry on top.

Really the only thing we seem to be missing is a big, alpha dog-style combo guard named DeAndre Kane, but many things next year look to be better. Kane's ISU career was unique, definitely, but I think we take enough steps forward everywhere else where this step backwards means we will be (at worst) the same.
 
For whatever reason you all thought we were just an NIT team this year, then tournament team next year. I still think we are better next year.

We return five of the seven from the rotation. All of which were in their first year seeing minutes(other than Niang who will still only be a junior). They will all be improved. We throw in Nader and McKay. Nader is reguarded as the best guy on the team already, McKay is a tall post presence we haven't seen yet under Fred. Will be a better "team".

I agree. It's the most experience (in an ISU uniform) that Fred will have had. It's basically the most stability he's had in the rotation since he's been here. That's not even counting SDW, Edozie or the guys we haven't seen play in at ISU yet. It may not be a better team W/L wise but this teams is good enough to make the second week of the tourney.
 
For whatever reason you all thought we were just an NIT team this year, then tournament team next year. I still think we are better next year.

We return five of the seven from the rotation. All of which were in their first year seeing minutes(other than Niang who will still only be a junior). They will all be improved. We throw in Nader and McKay. Nader is reguarded as the best guy on the team already, McKay is a tall post presence we haven't seen yet under Fred. Will be a better "team".
So what's the deal with Nader? Some say he isn't a post player yet others say he isn't good from the perimeter. Yet others say he's the best player on the team.
 
And he's had all year to work on that with Fred. I think you're underselling how much he'll have improved during this season.

Do you remember what Lucious or Kane's percentages were at their previous stops? :smile:!

Thinking it is wrong to assume or view him as bringing better perimeter shooting than Ejim is not underselling anything. And there is a big difference between thinking he could improve and saying Nader is a better 3P shooter than Ejim.

A bad 3P shooter is replacing Ejim, to think that the general consensus is that Nader is a better perimeter shooter is just wrong. He could improve, and he would need to just to get near Ejim's level. We would never lose a game if guys made the improvement expected on CF. Fred is not a miracle worker (see DG or Georges 3P% drop or Clyburn)
 
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I hope you're right, but it's going to be tough to replace two All-Big 12/All-American-type seniors. I think we'll take a step back. Maybe more of an NIT year.


Really? You make the second response to a thread like this and you have to predict us to have an NIT year! Regardless of whether you think it is true or not, why post this right at the start of a "pick me up" thread? We have months for you to post these thoughts . . . which are probably about the same as you posted last year! I just get that vibe.
 
Really? You make the second response to a thread like this and you have to predict us to have an NIT year! Regardless of whether you think it is true or not, why post this right at the start of a "pick me up" thread? We have months for you to post these thoughts . . . which are probably about the same as you posted last year! I just get that vibe.


Sorry I got sucked into the "Inspired Zone of Doom." Lots of you had already given him the business.

Now, back to the OP, it doesn't seem that many have mentioned the role of Hoiberg's coaching. He really helps guys to develop. It is hard to imagine that he could recruit and coach a team that won't make the NCAAs.

Looking forward to Cap City League to get an early glance at next year (and the year after). Based on last summer, I'm already really excited about Nader. He is going to be a force.
 

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