Bill Fennelly

[CYdTracked]

Bill will probably pull the Bruce Pearl trick for Billy and retire in August to ensure Billy is hired as head coach.

Man I sure hope JP is better than that if he were to try that. I'd rather play the season out with an interim coach if that happened then re-evaluate after the season. My guess is there have already been conversations about how the hiring process will go whenever Bill retires whether that means JP has already told them that it would be an open search that Billy either will or will not be a candidate in the pool. This is too big of a hire to just hand it over to an assistant with no HC experience even if his last name is the same as the current HC. I think JP has already been bit enough in other sports by not hiring more qualified candidates too that I would be surprised if he's onboard with just handing it over to Billy with no reservations.

 

[BillBrasky4Cy]

Next year will be Bills last year. There will be no coaching changes because Bill has earned that respect.

That being said, his last 4 years will really taint his legacy. Arguably his most talented teams, but zero IQ and zero effort and it’s a reflection coaching

Addy Brown is one of his best players ever, but he opts to run everything through an individual that can’t play defense nor be effective more than 2 minutes at a time. Ergo, when that person is benched, no one knows how to run an offense.

Honestly, I will be kind of shocked if Addy stays. She has regressed due to her lack of usage which is freaking crazy. She has one shot left, why would she waste it in this system?

 

[BillBrasky4Cy]

Disagree. Everything should run through Jada first. Addy is slow and while she is great, I think Jada's speed and aggressiveness provides a unique advantage.

I do think that Audi's touches needs to be less, they are so high and some of them are forced resulting in TOs when there are plenty of other options.

Jada is a good player but she also needs to stay within her abilities. She's at her best when she's moving the ball and finding passing lanes and kind of letting the game come to her. When she gets sped up or tries to do too much she definitely gets exposed. Her lack of a 3 point shot needs to be fixed for next year or teams are just gonna sag and make life even harder for Audi.

 

[Drew0311]

This could be a "be Careful what you wish for" type situation. I don't follow womens basketball but from a distance the program seems to be stable and wins a lot of games and makes the tourney. Not sure you can ask for much more at Iowa State. We could get lucky I suppose and get a generational talent like Iowa got with Clark that jump started that program. However, before Clark Iowa was in about the same situation as we are right now. Now they are getting some higher profile recruits. I would not fire Bill. No reason in this enviroment to fire a coach like this. I would do it like Hurley at Arizona State. Just let the contract run it's course and then get a new coach if they think that is needed.

 

[ISUCubswin]

Jada has zero sense of momentum. Just last week we were up 13-3 and she took 4 completely out of control, nonsensical shots and immediately let Oklahoma State right back in the game.

I have no problem of Jada is creating with the ball in her hands, but it should be dictated by Addy when that happens.

 

[BillBrasky4Cy]

This could be a "be Careful what you wish for" type situation. I don't follow womens basketball but from a distance the program seems to be stable and wins a lot of games and makes the tourney. Not sure you can ask for much more at Iowa State. We could get lucky I suppose and get a generational talent like Iowa got with Clark that jump started that program. However, before Clark Iowa was in about the same situation as we are right now. Now they are getting some higher profile recruits. I would not fire Bill. No reason in this enviroment to fire a coach like this. I would do it like Hurley at Arizona State. Just let the contract run it's course and then get a new coach if they think that is needed.

If this would have been the Big 12 2-3 years ago this team would have finished well below .500 in conference play. Iowa State should expect to compete for the conference every year because let's face it, in womens hoops this league has taken a step back.

 

[BillBrasky4Cy]

Jada has zero sense of momentum. Just last week we were up 13-3 and she took 4 completely out of control, nonsensical shots and immediately let Oklahoma State right back in the game.

I have no problem of Jada is creating with the ball in her hands, but it should be dictated by Addy when that happens.

Perfect example, we had cut the lead down pretty quickly in the 3rd quarter and she came down and bricked that quick three. Those kinds of plays just KILL momentum.

 

[NWICY]

You might of considered holding your thoughts on this one. So 23 years ago is the most recent one I believe u listed to leave and your dieing on that hill. The point of the post was on target.

But it was inaccurate. No reason to make stuff up when the truth is there.

 

[Havs]

This could be a "be Careful what you wish for" type situation. I don't follow womens basketball but from a distance the program seems to be stable and wins a lot of games and makes the tourney. Not sure you can ask for much more at Iowa State. We could get lucky I suppose and get a generational talent like Iowa got with Clark that jump started that program. However, before Clark Iowa was in about the same situation as we are right now. Now they are getting some higher profile recruits. I would not fire Bill. No reason in this enviroment to fire a coach like this. I would do it like Hurley at Arizona State. Just let the contract run it's course and then get a new coach if they think that is needed.

This attitude suggests we should never bother trying anything new ever because we're just little ole Iowa State who was bad back whenever and therefore that's who we shall always be. (This doesn't discount any known disadvantages to Ames, IA, but come on)

 

[JP4CY]

He’s only a legend because nobody else ever wanted him and he never left. Mediocre longevity does not equal being a good coach.

What? He's a native Iowan (has lived in Iowa for 90% of his life), went to college in Iowa, began his coaching career in Iowa, his D.I.L. played for him, his grandkids are in town.
Bill was EXTREMELY open about the love he had for his mom who lived in Davenport until passing a few years ago.

Look, people can obviously be frustrated about him as a coach, myself included, but all those points above are good reasons to want to stay.

 

[psycln11]

You would be incorrect. Let’s start with Brenda Frese. Then we go to Katie Abrahamson. And Robin Pingeton.

Jack Easley spent 9 years (03/04 - 11/12) in Ames before returning to Stillwater also. IIRC, Bill kind of forced the move to promote Jodi and Billy as well as bring on Steven.

 

[NWICY]

He gets next year but I don't plan on renewing my season tickets after Audi/Addy/Jada are gone if Bill is the coach after their eligibility expires.

That's a fair plan.

 

[JP4CY]

My biggest gripes about coach are that he'll stand there with arms folded and want the team to "figure things out on their own" too much.

 

[ema28]

You would be incorrect. Let’s start with Brenda Frese. Then we go to Katie Abrahamson. And Robin Pingeton.

And you could argue our best teams were with Brenda and Katie on the bench

 

[throwittoblythe]

This could be a "be Careful what you wish for" type situation. I don't follow womens basketball but from a distance the program seems to be stable and wins a lot of games and makes the tourney. Not sure you can ask for much more at Iowa State. We could get lucky I suppose and get a generational talent like Iowa got with Clark that jump started that program. However, before Clark Iowa was in about the same situation as we are right now. Now they are getting some higher profile recruits. I would not fire Bill. No reason in this enviroment to fire a coach like this. I would do it like Hurley at Arizona State. Just let the contract run it's course and then get a new coach if they think that is needed.

If we were a perennial Sweet 16 program with fans calling for a new coach to get us to a championship, I'd agree with you. But we're a program with tremendous (nationally elite) fan support who is at a point where we are barely making the tournament and not being competitive when we are.

The status quo is we're a perennial bubble team. We have a player who garnered large national attention this year. That high level of visibility could have taken us to a new level, had we fielded a solid (ahem, well-coached) team. We did not and that opportunity was wasted, in my opinion.

At minimum, we should expect to be a program that is in the top 3 of our below-average conference and winning at least 2 games in the tournament every year. There will be ups and downs, but that should be the average for the level of support our program gets.

I'll close by saying I get the financial challenges in this current environment and we can only invest so much in WBB which breaks even, at best. That doesn't mean we have to settle for a coach who is past his prime and refuses to adjust.

 

[clonedude]

If Bill retires…. how much money does it make sense to pay a WBB head coach in this era?

I don’t know the answer, just wondering? WBB does not make a profit, right? Or does it?

I know we have a LOT of WBB passionate fans here, which is awesome, but it still all comes down to $$ these days unfortunately.

 

[mred]

If Bill retires…. how much money does it make sense to pay a WBB head coach in this era?

I don’t know the answer, just wondering? WBB does not make a profit, right? Or does it?

I know we have a LOT of WBB passionate fans here, which is awesome, but it still all comes down to $$ these days unfortunately.

Bill makes around $900k. Baranczyk is a bit over a million for comparison, although both coaches also have retention bonuses that make a direct comparison tricky. If we were going after someone like Karius, we'd probably start at $650k give or take, if I had to guess. That would more than double her current salary.

 

[SolarGarlic]

Honestly, I will be kind of shocked if Addy stays. She has regressed due to her lack of usage which is freaking crazy. She has one shot left, why would she waste it in this system?

Her lack of usage? She took 14 shots yesterday. She hasn't regressed, she suffered a major injury and hasn't regained her form. She was getting plenty of usage early in the season when we were undefeated, in the top 10, and she was being discussed as an all american.

 

[SolarGarlic]

Jada has zero sense of momentum. Just last week we were up 13-3 and she took 4 completely out of control, nonsensical shots and immediately let Oklahoma State right back in the game.

I have no problem of Jada is creating with the ball in her hands, but it should be dictated by Addy when that happens.

She did the same thing last night. We start the 2nd half with a layup by Audi, get a stop, then she wants to play hero, and pulls up for 3 without passing once. Brick. Momentum gone.

Her lack of a consistent three point shot is a major issue with this roster, just like our mens team.

 

[SolarGarlic]

My biggest gripes about coach are that he'll stand there with arms folded and want the team to "figure things out on their own" too much.

I feel like this is a recent development and also annoys me. He looks like a smug ******* that's throwing his hands up instead of coaching. It's especially hard to watch when you have Miller on the other end with a ton of energy directing her team, coaching them as they come off the court, and fighting to win.