Is Next Year’s Team Honestly Going To Be Any Good?

[OnlyCyclones]

To me the team's improvement over the course of the year visually evident. Every player has made strides. That doesn't translate to wins when we have injuries and roster imbalance playing in the toughest league in college hoop. Improvement isn't linear in the win-loss column, especially in basketball where one or two new players can completely turn a team around. Just look at Tech under Beard.

 

[ClonesTwentyOne]

Fran coaching at ISU?

I'm so glad we have Prohm over Franny.

 

[FredCyclone]

So your saying that it will be the same as it has been since 2001 and your point?

I am just preparing the fan base for the Prohm Era. Years of mediocrity is awaiting the fan base......

 

[OnlyCyclones]

Right, but this year our "depth" consists of a slow stretch forward with bad knees, an undersized former football player who prefers to jack up long 2's or 3's, and a couple of underclassman guards who can't generate anything offensively. Not to mention zero walk ons to use as practice dummies. Things can only go up from here.

Ding ding ding. There's only upwards from here. Trust the process.

 

[awd4cy]

I agree that depth is an issue. Depth doesn’t seem to be any better next season. Relying on freshman for depth is risky business unless you can bring in recruits like Duke and Kentucky. I also don’t feel like I’m overreacting, but you’re entitled to your opinion.

Depth looks to be way better than this year.
Babb, Wigginton, Shayok, THT, Lard could be our starters with Talley, Jacobson (other potential starters) Solomon, Lewis (will be improved likely) and Griffin. A lot of talent in that bunch.

 

[ForbinsAscynt]

Lard and Wiggington will continue to improve and already have shown they will be an all time great duo for ISU imo.
Can't deny how productive Babb has been at point guard.
Shayok has been reported to be the best player on the team currently.
THT highlights show some serious NBA potential. I'll go on record saying he starts by conference games
Not sure where Solo's ceiling is but I have to think he can take this season as motivation into the offseason. I think we see him Talley and Jacobson off the bench next year.
All other freshman + Lewis and I think we have the deepest line up in recent memory.

Short answer yes.

 

[kingcy]

There will be no conference championships or final fours under Prohm.

Can't coach team offense or defense.

Great recruiter.

Well there has been all of 2 to this point.

 

[octaviouspoon]

I am just preparing the fan base for the Prohm Era. Years of mediocrity is awaiting the fan base......

You and the OP just going to tag team this one, huh?

 

[cyclonerich]

I knew this wasn’t going to be an easy season, but it’s become a disaster very quickly. We have two games where we look like world beaters then go back to looking like scrubs against Baylor and Texas Tech tonight. This brings me to my ultimate question: is ISU really good to be as good as everyone thinks next season? Sure, we get Shayok, but we lose Jackson and most of our lineup next season is going to consist of the same guys that can’t put together any sort of consistent string of games. Our players don’t seem to be making any strides during this season, and, if anything, we are looking worse as the season goes on. We have no bench, guys like Lewis seem like they won’t contribute at all. I’m starting to lose optimism in this team, especially for next season. If we are going to be good then guys like Zion Griffin and THT are going to have to be world beaters from day one. These guys can’t put together a solid 40 minutes anymore and it is beyond frustrating watching our guys play. What are everyone else’s thoughts on next season? I hope I’m wrong, I just don’t see us being any decent.[/QUOT

 

[ISUChippewa]

I am just preparing the fan base for the Prohm Era. Years of medicority is awaiting the fan base......

You are clearly one of the butthurt fans I referenced in my post last week after this poorly-coached team thumped a Top 20 West Virginia without its starting point guard.

This team played tough against a Top 10 team on the road with only 8 healthy players and played them fairly evenly for most of the game. Get it through your thick head that CFH isn't coming back to coach this program and start being a bigger fan of Iowa State, not just a big fan of Iowa State just when CFH was the coach.

Either that or just be honest with us and admit that you cannot and will not give Prohm a chance, because God forbid anybody besides CFH coach basketball at Iowa State. Stop insulting our intelligence, you are not fooling anyone.

 

[FinalFourCy]

I'd consider Babb that

Teams only need one?

He is, but I’d consider going into a season with NWB the only primary ball handler as not conducive towards making a big step forward.

Due to better depth and seasoning we should be improved. We’ll still have some of the same weaknesses though, unless we have a better spring than the past few years. Will we ever have a good defense again?

 

[ca4cy]

I'm so glad we have Prohm over Franny.

I'm a Prohm supporter, but that ain't saying much.

Oh and this thread is a great final insult to a crappy night. We lose 1 rotation player and have a proven P5 guard waiting to take his place that will have practiced with the team for over a year. NWB will have experience playing the point, as will LW as a result of his injury. Lard and Solo with another offseason of development? A healthy Talley from the get go? THT and some other really nice looking freshman coming in to fill various roles? Enough depth to handle injuries and adversity? I'm not saying we win 30 games and hang banners, but to say we won't be better is just wallowing in self pity after a rough game. Step away from the ledge.

 

[fsanford]

I am just preparing the fan base for the Prohm Era. Years of mediocrity is awaiting the fan base......

So glad your looking out for us. But I need more proof of your skills to predict the future, what else you got?

 

[CycloneRulzzz]

response to seeing the OP

 

[cyclonedave25]

I agree that depth is an issue. Depth doesn’t seem to be any better next season. Relying on freshman for depth is risky business unless you can bring in recruits like Duke and Kentucky. I also don’t feel like I’m overreacting, but you’re entitled to your opinion.

Depth will be way better next year.

I imagine the starting lineup something like this for the first game:
Babb
Wigginton
Shayok
Lard
Young

THT, Talley, Jacobson, Griffin, Lewis, Long on the bench.
And then Conditt and Haliburton need to add some weight before they really contribute.

 

[FinalFourCy]

Depth will be way better next year.

I imagine the starting lineup something like this for the first game:
Babb
Wigginton
Shayok
Lard
Young

THT, Talley, Jacobson, Griffin, Lewis, Long on the bench.
And then Conditt and Haliburton need to add some weight before they really contribute.

Weight is overrated. If Halliburton can create or simply handle the ball, he’ll play, and potentially a lot with our current roster.
If Conditt can come from the weak side and block shot, run the floor, and hit outside shots he’ll play.

 

[ca4cy]

response to seeing the OP

I should've saved myself a paragraph and just posted that.

 

[WastedTalent]

Will we ever have a good defense again?

Again? You living in 2001?

In today's college basketball, with the way fouls are called to help ther offense, there's no such thing as really good defenses.

There's teams that slow down the game, and don't allow high point totals, and there's ultra athletic teams, with length, that are able to get stops when they need to. Hopefully Iowa St can be close to the latter.

 

[rochclone]

Nothing wrong with the effort tonight but the execution in the half court was just brutal. Tech is very athletic on defense and made a concerted effort to take away Lindell and Donovan. We need a third shooter and with simply don't have that. In fact even with NWB and Lewis I'm not sure we have that.

The biggest issue for next year is still the ability to make shots consistently from 3. THT will need to be very good. Shayok will be very good and is presence should allow LW the ability to become a better point guard as he won't have to worry about having to score as much. I have my doubts that LW should/will be a point guard but I suspect he will have that opportunity next year.

We will be better but there is a lot of ground to make up. My biggest concern is "learning how to win" next year. The only proven winner at the college level will be Shayok and this team will have to learn to make plays in the half court in the last five minutes.

I thought CSP did as well as he could tonight..,.simply hamstrung by a short bench. I do think we have to see some better sets in the half court in the last five minutes. It really seems like running LW or DJ off the baseline with a staggered screen is about the only thing we have as a go-to set.

 

[psyclone51]

I think we are tending to underestimate Lewis' potential. Some here say he will transfers, and that may be so, but if he stays, I do not think you can keep this guy down for another season. He has way too much potential. How much he plays? I don't know, but I would not be surprised he pushes for much bigger minutes next year.