Kylie Feuerbach in transfer portal

[Pleasanthillclone]

A More Sober View of Kylie Feuerbach's Transfer to Iowa
from a Die-Hard Cyclone Fan Who has No Tie to the HawkeyeNation

A further response to @NEICyFan and other posters who share a neutral opinion on this transfer​

The discussion of a single ISU WBB player's transfer news has reached an unprecedented level (17 pages long and counting) and I'd like to touch on a deeper issue which I'm more concerned about.

I believe the negative reactions in this thread are never about her being a bad person. As a matter of fact, she's a good person and we still appreciate what she has done to the ISU WBB program. She does have the right to choose what's best for her basketball career and her life. IMO, the nature of those negative reactions is more about her impact on the CyHawk rivalry.

First of all, I respect all of the posters' opinions whether I agree or disagree, as long as they are rational without personal attacks (including hints of sarcasm or humiliation). I understand if the same issue is viewed from different angles, the opinions could be the opposite. I also understand we come from different backgrounds, but we all share the same thing in this community - the love for the ISU WBB program. I believe the diversity in opinions on this board with healthy discussions can help the forum grow because most of the posters here are well-educated and civilized people.

Regardless of where you come from, if you only root for ISU, or if you root for both ISU and Iowa, this thread wouldn't have reached this level if

1) Kylie decided to transfer to a different school other than Iowa
or
2) ISU was at a completely different competitive level than Iowa (like Baylor vs Texas Tech)

In those two scenarios, her transfer would make little to no impact on both programs. Unfortunately, the reality is her transfer has escalated the rivalry between the two programs that have been on a very similar competitive level for a long time.

If you are a fan who has ties to both schools and would root for both programs to succeed, then you are probably OK with this transfer because it's a win-win situation for you or it's not that big of a deal. But for a fan like me who is a die-hard Cyclone fan (as my username suggests) and has no tie to the Hawkeyes, this is a different animal. I'll try my best to be objective here as a women's basketball fan to explain my point of view.

Although I'm a die-hard CycloneWBB fan, I'm not a HawkeyeWBB hater. My hate for the Hawks is more from the men's sports side. On the contrary, Iowa WBB is a likable program and I can hardly find anything I don't like about them. Their games are fun to watch, to be honest. My bottom line is: I just don't root for their success and would stay neutral mostly when they play non-ISU opponents.

As most posters here would agree, ISU and Iowa are very close in competitive level with a slight difference, just like the relationship of big sister and little sister with a year difference in age. But it's that slight difference that frustrates me because in the past 5 seasons, Iowa is just a little better than ISU in every single year record-wise. I'm just sick and tired of ISU being the second fiddle or "1b" of the State, i.e. the "little sis" for half a decade and counting.

I'll just let the facts talk.

1. Regarding the records

Since the 2016-2017 season,

1) ISU has lost to Iowa 5 games in a roll, even though the scores were very close. Lisa Bluder has never won at Hilton before the period, then did it twice in the past 5 years.

2) Iowa had a better overall record than ISU in every season. Iowa had 20 or more wins in each season while ISU only had one 20+ win season (Bridget Carleton's senior year).

3) Both programs have made the NCAA tournament three times. Iowa had one Elite Eight and two Sweet Sixteen, while ISU lost in the Round of 32 twice and hasn't made Sweet Sixteen since 2010.

4) When facing the in-state rival Drake, ISU went 3-2, Iowa went 4-1.
When facing the in-state rival UNI, ISU went 2-1, Iowa went 4-1.

5) ISU has seen two of the program's all-time best players in Bridget Carleton and Ashley Joens in this period, while Iowa raises it with Megan Gustafson, Kathleen Doyle and Caitlin Clark who led Iowa for better records.

2. Regarding the coaching

There are three major aspects to judge how good a coaching staff is.

1) game preparation and in-game coaching
2) recruiting
3) player development

Combine all three, I think Iowa has done a slightly better job than ISU in the past five seasons.

3. Regarding the goal for the near future

Lisa Bluder and Caitlin Clark have both said the goal is to reach the Final Four and compete for the B1G championship in public. While the goal of ISU remains unclear (I have read, watched and listened to every single ISU coach and player's interview that I could possibly find). The closest answer I could find is to compete and meet higher expectations next season.

4. Regarding the fan support

1) Attendance: ISU is still with an upper hand but Iowa is closing the gap fast.

2) Social Media following: Iowa is getting better now since the program gets more national exposure with Caitlin Clark's popularity

3) Fan forum traffic: CycloneFanatic is dominating HawkeyeNation on the WBB forum, which is the one I'm really proud of.

Overall, I don't think either program is capable of suddenly going supernova to reach Baylor or UConn's level. The competition will stay close. I'm a realist fan. What I hope is for the balance to be restored back to the old days, for ISU to at least get back to the same 50-50 level with Iowa so both programs can have a chance of being the "1a" or "big sis" of the State in turn.

To me, this KF transfer thing is a trigger to a much deeper issue about the CyHawk rivalry. Whether she can become a positive addition for the Hawks is to be determined, but it certainly doesn't help ISU in this matter.

For ISU to get back to the even level with Iowa, or surpass Iowa, IMO the ISU coaching staff needs to do the following

1) Develop players better, especially make it a priority to ensure Donarski and Ryan achieve close to Ashley Joens level. A team with three legitimate stars usually can go very deep in the postseason.

2) Change or optimize player usage with more options. Can't always rely on Ashley Joens exclusively. Need to get other players involved in crunch time, be more unpredictable.

3) Recruit better players at the high school level and from the transfers, especially good post players. I understand we can develop freshman posts but they need time to become P6 level players but there's only one or two years left for Ashley Joens, so the quickest route is to get a better one through the transfer portal. Iowa doesn't have a problem recruiting good post players, neither should ISU.

If ISU can improve more than Iowa in the foreseeable future, then I guess losing KF to Iowa isn't really a big deal after all. You may treat my previous passionate takes in this thread as being out of the envy or jealousy of the Hawks being more successful than ISU did in recent years.

In conclusion, I have nothing personal against Kylie. As a Cyclone fan, I want ISU to get back to its glory days and achieve as much as Iowa did in recent years.

Peace.

I need a tl;dr summary.

 

[acoustimac]

This is one of the reasons why I have a hard time getting into Iowa State WBB. I don’t like it when coaches do this. I think it’s flat out poor coaching to not understand your players well enough that you drive them away from the program.

and you know this how? It’s comments like this that drive me nuts. People act like Bill's behavior is isolated...only our coach does it. As I’ve said many times...it’s more common than it is rare.

 

[tomvet]

Kylie Feuerbach is a great kid who comes from a great Cyclone family. It's been fun watching her this past year. I wish her nothing but the best in her future endeavors.

 

[BCClone]

and you know this how? It’s comments like this that drive me nuts. People act like Bill's behavior is isolated...only our coach does it. As I’ve said many times...it’s more common than it is rare.

Fred had a lot of transfers, he must have been hard on them and not understood them going by that logic. In regards to who you replied to.

 

[Yellow Snow]

What was her major?

Global health studies. She now works helping under privileged women with pre-natal care.

 

[kcdc4isu]

Many on here have posted their opinion on why KF left. She said in the paper interview it was not the right fit. That can mean many things, issues with other players, coaches decisions (which a number on here like to say is the reason) on amount of playing time (which I feel is the issue) or a change in direction of major and wanting to find the right place to get it. For what ever reason I just hope there was no tampering by outside sources and hope she finds her time at Iowa enjoyable. When we play Iowa I want us to show no mercy. We are just as strong today with what we have coming in this fall as we were before she left. Will be interesting to see just how much playing time she gets on an team that returns most players and has a good recruiting class coming in.

 

[CycloneRulzzz]

A More Sober View of Kylie Feuerbach's Transfer to Iowa
from a Die-Hard Cyclone Fan Who has No Tie to the HawkeyeNation

A further response to @NEICyFan and other posters who share a neutral opinion on this transfer​

The discussion of a single ISU WBB player's transfer news has reached an unprecedented level (17 pages long and counting) and I'd like to touch on a deeper issue which I'm more concerned about.

I believe the negative reactions in this thread are never about her being a bad person. As a matter of fact, she's a good person and we still appreciate what she has done to the ISU WBB program. She does have the right to choose what's best for her basketball career and her life. IMO, the nature of those negative reactions is more about her impact on the CyHawk rivalry.

First of all, I respect all of the posters' opinions whether I agree or disagree, as long as they are rational without personal attacks (including hints of sarcasm or humiliation). I understand if the same issue is viewed from different angles, the opinions could be the opposite. I also understand we come from different backgrounds, but we all share the same thing in this community - the love for the ISU WBB program. I believe the diversity in opinions on this board with healthy discussions can help the forum grow because most of the posters here are well-educated and civilized people.

Regardless of where you come from, if you only root for ISU, or if you root for both ISU and Iowa, this thread wouldn't have reached this level if

1) Kylie decided to transfer to a different school other than Iowa
or
2) ISU was at a completely different competitive level than Iowa (like Baylor vs Texas Tech)

In those two scenarios, her transfer would make little to no impact on both programs. Unfortunately, the reality is her transfer has escalated the rivalry between the two programs that have been on a very similar competitive level for a long time.

If you are a fan who has ties to both schools and would root for both programs to succeed, then you are probably OK with this transfer because it's a win-win situation for you or it's not that big of a deal. But for a fan like me who is a die-hard Cyclone fan (as my username suggests) and has no tie to the Hawkeyes, this is a different animal. I'll try my best to be objective here as a women's basketball fan to explain my point of view.

Although I'm a die-hard CycloneWBB fan, I'm not a HawkeyeWBB hater. My hate for the Hawks is more from the men's sports side. On the contrary, Iowa WBB is a likable program and I can hardly find anything I don't like about them. Their games are fun to watch, to be honest. My bottom line is: I just don't root for their success and would stay neutral mostly when they play non-ISU opponents.

As most posters here would agree, ISU and Iowa are very close in competitive level with a slight difference, just like the relationship of big sister and little sister with a year difference in age. But it's that slight difference that frustrates me because in the past 5 seasons, Iowa is just a little better than ISU in every single year record-wise. I'm just sick and tired of ISU being the second fiddle or "1b" of the State, i.e. the "little sis" for half a decade and counting.

I'll just let the facts talk.

1. Regarding the records

Since the 2016-2017 season,

1) ISU has lost to Iowa 5 games in a roll, even though the scores were very close. Lisa Bluder has never won at Hilton before the period, then did it twice in the past 5 years.

2) Iowa had a better overall record than ISU in every season. Iowa had 20 or more wins in each season while ISU only had one 20+ win season (Bridget Carleton's senior year).

3) Both programs have made the NCAA tournament three times. Iowa had one Elite Eight and two Sweet Sixteen, while ISU lost in the Round of 32 twice and hasn't made Sweet Sixteen since 2010.

4) When facing the in-state rival Drake, ISU went 3-2, Iowa went 4-1.
When facing the in-state rival UNI, ISU went 2-1, Iowa went 4-1.

5) ISU has seen two of the program's all-time best players in Bridget Carleton and Ashley Joens in this period, while Iowa raises it with Megan Gustafson, Kathleen Doyle and Caitlin Clark who led Iowa for better records.

2. Regarding the coaching

There are three major aspects to judge how good a coaching staff is.

1) game preparation and in-game coaching
2) recruiting
3) player development

Combine all three, I think Iowa has done a slightly better job than ISU in the past five seasons.

3. Regarding the goal for the near future

Lisa Bluder and Caitlin Clark have both said the goal is to reach the Final Four and compete for the B1G championship in public. While the goal of ISU remains unclear (I have read, watched and listened to every single ISU coach and player's interview that I could possibly find). The closest answer I could find is to compete and meet higher expectations next season.

4. Regarding the fan support

1) Attendance: ISU is still with an upper hand but Iowa is closing the gap fast.

2) Social Media following: Iowa is getting better now since the program gets more national exposure with Caitlin Clark's popularity

3) Fan forum traffic: CycloneFanatic is dominating HawkeyeNation on the WBB forum, which is the one I'm really proud of.

Overall, I don't think either program is capable of suddenly going supernova to reach Baylor or UConn's level. The competition will stay close. I'm a realist fan. What I hope is for the balance to be restored back to the old days, for ISU to at least get back to the same 50-50 level with Iowa so both programs can have a chance of being the "1a" or "big sis" of the State in turn.

To me, this KF transfer thing is a trigger to a much deeper issue about the CyHawk rivalry. Whether she can become a positive addition for the Hawks is to be determined, but it certainly doesn't help ISU in this matter.

For ISU to get back to the even level with Iowa, or surpass Iowa, IMO the ISU coaching staff needs to do the following

1) Develop players better, especially make it a priority to ensure Donarski and Ryan achieve close to Ashley Joens level. A team with three legitimate stars usually can go very deep in the postseason.

2) Change or optimize player usage with more options. Can't always rely on Ashley Joens exclusively. Need to get other players involved in crunch time, be more unpredictable.

3) Recruit better players at the high school level and from the transfers, especially good post players. I understand we can develop freshman posts but they need time to become P6 level players but there's only one or two years left for Ashley Joens, so the quickest route is to get a better one through the transfer portal. Iowa doesn't have a problem recruiting good post players, neither should ISU.

If ISU can improve more than Iowa in the foreseeable future, then I guess losing KF to Iowa isn't really a big deal after all. You may treat my previous passionate takes in this thread as being out of the envy or jealousy of the Hawks being more successful than ISU did in recent years.

In conclusion, I have nothing personal against Kylie. As a Cyclone fan, I want ISU to get back to its glory days and achieve as much as Iowa did in recent years.

Peace.

1 key to mention, I have no idea how serious the interest was on the players end was regarding coming to isu but of the big 3 you mentioned from Iowa both Gustafson and Clark were targeted by ISU. Those 2 were major recruiting wins by Iowa. I think that has added fuel to fire of this rivalry.

 

[CyclonesFan4ever]

I need a tl;dr summary.

I'm sorry my previous post might be too long for you to read. There's just a lot on my mind last night. I can summarize it for you.

I don't hate Kylie as a person, nor do I hate Iowa WBB as a program. KF is a good person and I appreciate what she has done to ISU in the past season. She can choose to go wherever she wants. What makes me frustrated about this transfer is that it has escaped the CyHawk rivalry and might make the Hawks even better (or it doesn't help us). They are already better than ISU each season in the past five years (regardless of how slightly better) and I don't want to see ISU stay as the second fiddle or "1b" team of the State anymore. I hope ISU can find ways to improve (such as in-gaming coaching, player development and recruiting) to at least match with Iowa evenly record-wise like the old days (be the "1a" team in turn). This way KF's transfer might not look as impactful as it appears. I hope this summary is good for you.

 

[CyclonesFan4ever]

My fellow WBB posters,

It's @mred who broke the KF committing to Iowa news in a previous post. I can't help but notice that he received "6 dislikes" in that post. I totally understand those reactions were for the news and nothing against mred. But they do impact mred's overall reaction score in a negative way. mred has been one of the mainstays, the legends and the #1 WBB stat guru of this board for a long time and he deserves better.

To the posters who left the dislike reaction in that post, may I suggest you change the reaction from dislike to a neutral one such as "informative"? Small gestures like this could mean a lot to a loyal member here. Thank you for your consideration.

 

[RClone]

Well spin it anyway you want ... one outstanding character attribute seems missing ... Loyalty. One normally doesn't pack it to a hated rival ... unless another quality is also missing ... Respect. Respect for your former team, respect for previous coaches, and most importantly ..Respect for your previous fans. That is my take on this fiasco. For sure..she's got the attention now that she feels entitled to. And oh...bad form by Frau Bluder ...but that is how Iowa rolls.

 

[clonebb]

Mods should delete this thread. Traitor doesn’t deserve to have her name on a Cyclone site.

 

[CyclonesFan4ever]

There are four kinds of college student-athletes in my eyes. You be the judge of which player belongs to which kind.

1) Players who commit to both the program and the school. When adversity hits within the program, this kind of player would fight through it and find a way to make it work with personal sacrifice for the greater good, sometimes achieving great success in the end.

2) Players who commit to both the program and the school and really want to make it work. However, the programs and/or the schools can't provide good enough opportunities for the players to succeed. When players of this kind find new schools that fit them, they would make the most of it.

3) Players who commit to the program (sometimes just the coach) only. This kind of player would pretend to be loyal to the school but when adversity hits, the true "Me First" mentality would take the front seat and seek instant gratification. This kind of player will likely not have a better chance to succeed at the next school.

4) Players who don't understand what commitment truly means. It often ends up with disciplinary actions such as early dismissals from the programs.

 

[Cyfan1965]

Lisa Bluder would take a one eyed pegleg pirate transfer if she can stick it to ISU.

 

[erinmd32]

There are four kinds of college student-athletes in my eyes. You be the judge of which player belongs to which kind.

1) Players who commit to both the program and the school. When adversity hits within the program, this kind of player would fight through it and find a way to make it work with personal sacrifice for the greater good, sometimes achieving great success in the end.

2) Players who commit to both the program and the school and really want to make it work. However, the programs and/or the schools can't provide good enough opportunities for the players to succeed. When players of this kind find new schools that fit them, they would make the most of it.

3) Players who commit to the program (sometimes just the coach) only. This kind of player would pretend to be loyal to the school but when adversity hits, the true "Me First" mentality would take the front seat and seek instant gratification. This kind of player will likely not have a better chance to succeed at the next school.

4) Players who don't understand what commitment truly means. It often ends up with disciplinary actions such as early dismissals from the programs.

Are maybe she really wanted to be a Cyclone but just wasn't happy here and felt it was beneficial for her to go somewhere else.

We are talking about a 18-22 year olds here.

I am curious about which one of these you would label Stacy Frese, and Anne O'Niell at their previous schools?

 

[Cyfan1965]

Frese got benched by Angie the game after having a career high. I talked to her parents at the big 12 tourney in 2000. I saw Stacy at the great midswestern ice cream company in IC the day after the benching game. She looked like a wreck physically and emotionally and from what they said she was.

 

[qwerty]

I hope the hawks lose every game every time so if that means a successful career more power to her. Maybe the only time I can sort of hope Iowa doesn't lose is in FB to Pedo State.

Yeah, I personally hope Kylie plays great and has an outstanding career, all while being on sub .500 teams at Iowa.

 

[Cyched]

I will never speak to her again

 

[cyups2323]

If the reason she is transferring is bill yelling at them it really confuses me. Don't these kids watch games before they commit here? It's pretty obvious that he uses the tough love approach. If that is gonna be a problem for you why commit?

 

[CyclonesFan4ever]

I am curious about which one of these you would label Stacy Frese, and Anne O'Niell at their previous schools?

Here's an old ISU Daily article about Anne O'Neil. It touched on the topic of her transfer.

https://www.iowastatedaily.com/anne...cle_36346df8-8102-51bd-9382-9512e5d6f709.html

 

[Tornado man]

I think we may find that our new signee, Nyamer Diew, might prove to be an upgrade in the long run as far as team needs go.

I've seen them both play, having officiated a few SC East games - I can't think of a single area where Diew is an upgrade. Feuerbach is a much more skilled, talented player. She was a highly recruited 4-star, top 100 player; Diew did make all-conference, yes.
As far as I know, ISU never considered Diew, never offered her out of high school. I guess I would assume transfer options A, B, and C fell through.