He was listed at 6’10” before TJ came and made everyone list correct heights. At this point, the only measurements I trust come from the NBA combine. Niang is 6’6.75” without shoes, and he played the 5 for a few years.
RECRUITING: Jaren Holmes commits to Iowa State
- Thread starter JStanz51
- Start date
Completely agree with this. Hell, I'd say Baylor had two freshman who may have been better, but they had a lot less weight to carry. The loss with Hunter is less what he was last year, but so much more about what we think/hope he could have been.
We lost our best player in Brockington. And our most promising Freshman in Hunter. Big holes to fill. We will see who we end up with. TJ is an amazing recruiter and won games last year with amazing coaching and good luck in many games. Prohm was a terrible Coach. Why do you forbid the mention of the dumpster fire that he left our program in? Prohm killed Hilton Magic. Never forget. Never want it to happen again.
Great addition!Jaren breaks down his pledge to the Cyclones here. Great stuff from him.
RECRUITING: Cyclones land St. Bonaventure transfer Jaren Holmes
Mar 20, 2021; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; St. Bonaventure Bonnies guard Jaren Holmes (5) shoots against Louisiana State Tigers guard Ja'Vonte Smart (1) and forward Josh LeBlanc Sr. (11) during the second half in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Mandatory Credcyclonefanatic.com
Welcome
I think Ward has a much higher ceiling and a higher floor than Conditt. Could’ve been what we were running and asking him to do too much at times but there were many moments where Conditt was just unplayable.
I think Hunter's defense was outstanding out top though. Outstanding as a player of any year, not just as a freshman. That's certainly a loss.
Offensively, he could be dynamic at times, but he probably gave back as much as he got. He's certainly going to get far better in that regard, so we did lose those potential gains too.
This just doesn't match either Conditt's or Ward's actual production last year. Maybe Ward ends up better utilized here.
No one is forbidding the mention of the dumpster fire. It is why 7-11 seemed so good, and also why it was likely we would be better without him. But the same benefit of relativity no longer applies, the question isn't whether next year will be better than two years ago.
If you're bringing up Prohm going 2-22 when questioning whether next year's team is better than this past year, let alone whether the backcourt is loaded, you're lost.
You are saying TJ did great coaching last year, which would mean it would mostly take a better roster to be better. It is very arguable right now whether that is the case with the roster.
Imo the offense being so bad leaves room for improvement in coaching too
I think Ward is more of a junkyard dog type of guy. I think he’s also a lot more athletic and coordinated than Conditt.
Sure I guess. But Conditt was a better player offensively in the B12 than Ward was at VCU last year. Maybe Ward is a better fit but he's not a surefire upgrade from Conditt IMO.
Ideally, ISU lands a Bates, Basile, or Osunniyi so Ward isn't being asked to be the #1 big.
Oh for sure and that’s the plan right now. Also I’d like to throw in that I don’t think Ward is better right now. I think he could be better some day.
Look at Conditt's play with Haliburton and better guards. His ceiling looked as high as Wards, if not higher.
Junkyard dog types are rarely viewed as the higher ceiling types. You're basically saying limited talent, but hard worker. Do you mean more likely to have an impact?
It will be tough for Ward to be a junkyard dog type if by design he is beyond the 3P line on offense like Conditt, while also on a team that doesn't or can't drive.
If we make the Tourney next year and make it to the Sweet Sixteen I will be more than pleased. TJ will have to continue to coach us to a few wins we probably wouldn’t get otherwise. Big 12 is a meat grinder.
My comments during the season about Hunter was he was thrown into the position and was learning the hard way. His turnovers we're terrible and I just hoped he would learn; especially his passes. Seems he was easy to scout/read for easy steals.
Yeah I do agree. I think you’re right in that I believe he’s more likely to have an impact and I think he’s going to hurt us less. Either way he’s not our guy to fill Conditts role. He’s there for Jones minutes I believe.
So, Best of The Rest?
Being in the new The Rest is going to be challenging but at least we are getting some veteran guys and we fans don't have to panic about not having enough players to even compete. It's the new norm, The Best rob from the Best of the Rest and The Best of the Rest rob among themselves and lower. Some teams, like my homie Gophers aren't likely to ever emerge from this and will remain buried. We at least have a chance to break through by catching lightning in a bottle every once in a while. Without our near miracle turnaround we might be ****** like the Gophers but last year presented a model to at least keep us afloat.
So, you agree it is questionable whether we're better next year, let alone loaded in the backcourt? If so I have no idea why you objected. If you just wanted to use this as an opportunity to bash Prohm, proceed.
Including the tournament round reached is a risky metric on a one season basis. It is mostly a crapshoot, and can lead you astray in both directions to the job done.
A lot riding on Holmes. My belief is he was targeted originally as a complementary piece to an improved Hunter and AJG. Maybe even with IB if he came back for the NIL we were offering. Now we need him to be a good #2 in the Big 12. I wonder if he's better suited for the #3 guard role like Gabe had a year ago. But you take what you can get, particularly now with NIL
No, I think its comical that a poster disagrees with you and you want to BET THEM. Their reply isn't to YOUR liking and you CALL THEM OUT again.
Lighten Up. It's OK for people to have different opinions than you!! It doesn't mean they are dumb or even wrong!
Like you said, Relax It is a Message Board. And it's not a generic message board, it's an ISU Sport message board. So if people are optimistic about the players we recruit- AWESOME. If you can't be a FANATIC about your team, what can you be a Kool-Aid drinker? You don't get any virtual money for being the "I Told You So" guy.
I think he'll hurt us the same on offense if we use our 5 like that again. Maybe more, as Conditt was surprisingly a decent passer at the 5. Both are the types dependent more on the system and teammates to make an impact on offense.
Whether he is better on defense, I'm not sure. He should have better ability to defend more positions. His athletic profile in terms on help defense potential is elite, but you don't really know on team defense until you see it. His ability to defend the block could be lower.
Although I wonder if in hindsight they'd add Ward if they knew they could later add Osunnyi, I like going all-in on defense in the NIL era. It's exactly how Green and the UNI types have always been good while having no chance winning recruiting battles against 90+ other programs.
