Early 2000 teams = tougher physically and mentally!! Current S&C coach makes $90k for 13 athletes - seems like we should be better physically.
Bill Fennelly
- Thread starter AltoonaFish
- Start date
I, too, am concerned about Addy's recent play. I'm convinced that she is only about 70% of her pre-injury self & am not so sure she will get her old form back until next season - hope I'm wrong.
She even commented that she doesn't expect to be 100% anytime this season. She's been grabbing rebounds and dishing the ball, but it's her shooting that has suffered mightily. I hoped every time she put up a three against ASU in KC. She finally hit a couple but she's far from her norm.
I’m sure some want him gone, but I think a lot of people just want him and the staff to do better. A coaching change will likely cause roster turnover. The issue is that we have underperformed last year and this. Some of that is coaching. It needs to be better because next year is it with most of these girls.
I think everyone that is a wbb fan wants the team to do better. I was honestly excited with what I was seeing early in the season with the defensive changes and especially with the offensive firepower. After the two injuries the team has never recovered that mojo. This may be heresy, but the team was playing better pre-Brown return than after. They had found a cohesion with the crew they had. Only parallel my car mind can think of is a part was removed (Brown) and when it was reinstalled something wasn't right (like a couple of teeth were missing from the timing gear) and the engine had a miss that made it run rough.
Get healthy and stay healthy is the first step. Everything we've seen related to this team since the beginning of January has been an engine running rough and the mechanics are scrambling to find a way to smooth it out to run at its best. In our case (for this season), there doesn't appear to be a way of fixing the missing teeth on that timing gear. So, the coaches have to put together a plan that allows things to work their best with what we have. I think what we hope is they can find something innovative to make up for the deficiencies. This late in the season that might require a miracle worker. Just imagine what the men's team would be like if Jefferson or Lipsey were only 70%?
After health it comes down to performance consistency. The coaches need to put players into situations that give them the best shot at performing well. What we saw versus ASU was disastrous from a player and coaching standpoint. If the players hit a few of those errant threes, Crooks gets freed up. When Crooks gets freed up she gets the ball more and scores. When she scores more the opponent has to choose how to slow the team down versus one player. So, what can the coaches come up with to help the guards perform at peak efficiency? Most of us would say more ball and personnel movement. Move Crooks out top to open up under the hoop and set screens. We, the fans, have lots of ideas. But it all comes down to the coaching staff and what they come up with to counter the "collapse on Crooks" defense.
I agree that the team was fun to watch the first third of the season. However, I think our struggles started even before the injuries to AJ and Addy. Our offense went from lots of ball movement to too much trying to force the ball inside to Audi and lots of stagnation on the wings. Plus the opposing coaches started attacking Audi on defense. We didn’t have an answer. Then the injuries happened and we really struggled. I feel bad for Addy, because she is such a talented player but her shot hasn’t returned yet. The Big 12 is down this year and our pre conference schedule was really soft. It just feels like we have greatly underperformed last year and this. Bill and the staff are a large part of that in my opinion. He used to be an advantage on the sideline, but he has struggled making adjustments. He isn’t leaving after this year, but we need him and the staff to be better. My guess is that Audi is likely playing through some knee soreness too. She isn’t moving as well as she was early and she gets knocked down more often.
I have struggled to watch the women's team for several years as I felt we were often being outcoached (our offensive sets when the clock is running out is a common complaint of mine). But I also recognize CBF has done an quality job over the years and typically puts out a team that I might actually have an interest in watching. Others are comparing him to other top notch coaches. As mentioned, Staley is making over $4M at South Carolina (with annual bumps of $250K). and their program loses over $5M each year. Mulkey makes over $3M at LSU If Iowa State wants to go down that road, they better have wealthy donors lined up to fund the process.
I’ve been of the view let him finish out next year and move on.
Like you said it has been a while since we had plus coaching. The last time I was positive about the team was probably 2012-2013. Back then we seemed to have coaching and took different strategies to different games.
Since then we always seem to have one game plan and if you beat it you beat it. There are no in game adjustments or anything.
CBF has built the program and done a great job. With that said the game has passed him on. He is now holding us back. Sure we may struggle after he is gone but I have no faith or optimism in anything better than this year going forward.
Not that I don’t think there can be improvements on offense, but defense is 100% the reason this team has underperformed these last two years.
As I posted on another thread, we are among the worst in the P4 for Torvik defense ranking and near the bottom in turnover defense. If we could even get to even an average P4 defense we would have likely won many more games.
And that would be the crux of my disappointment with the staff. Bill clearly can still coach an offense, we score a ton. He should have sought out someone who is good a coaching defense for these last few years, but I feel he’s gotten comfortable with his staff and doesn’t want to let anyone go.
As I posted on another thread, we are among the worst in the P4 for Torvik defense ranking and near the bottom in turnover defense. If we could even get to even an average P4 defense we would have likely won many more games.
And that would be the crux of my disappointment with the staff. Bill clearly can still coach an offense, we score a ton. He should have sought out someone who is good a coaching defense for these last few years, but I feel he’s gotten comfortable with his staff and doesn’t want to let anyone go.
Meh…that’s not an Iowa thing that’s a fan thing and that was a minority at that. It’s still stupid however
I think it’s time for Pollard to apply a more critical eye on the program. Ask some direct questions.
ISU spends way too much money from its budget on women’s bb, and has too big of a fan following, to have results like this.
ISU spends way too much money from its budget on women’s bb, and has too big of a fan following, to have results like this.
Happy retirement Bill, you've earned it and I thank you for your time at ISU!
Oh please. You have no idea if this is true. None of us know what coaches are out there at: smaller schools, or are assistants at successful programs, or winning coaches at schools with meager fan followings who might listen.
No one knew who Curt Cignetti was until two years ago…
I wish. Anymore I’m starting to feel like he’s gonna need some help finding the door
I know in the grand scheme of things, JP will only ever care about how football and MBB do, and that's how every AD operates, BUT the noise about Fennelly has never been louder than it is right now in my opinion.
I still think he coaches through next year and then hangs it up but man I am just sick and tired of getting my hopes up and being let down every single season.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, if Audi and Addy go their entire Iowa State careers without hosting NCAA tournament games in Hilton, that is one of the biggest failures in Fenn's coaching tenure.
I still think he coaches through next year and then hangs it up but man I am just sick and tired of getting my hopes up and being let down every single season.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, if Audi and Addy go their entire Iowa State careers without hosting NCAA tournament games in Hilton, that is one of the biggest failures in Fenn's coaching tenure.
And that is one of the reasons why it's the same ol same ol. Year after year..... The fans deserve a change.
Fans fill the seats. The program is talked about positively. Bill ain't going anywhere until he wants to (which is too bad).
