All "Gripes" with Greg McDermott

[Wesley]

Re: Puzzled by Coach Mac

Ham's departure was a real deal-breaker. We can't point to odd circumstances here, or players leaving because a new coach showed up. This was Mac's guy all the way, the exact kind of guy he excels with, and he wanted out, too. It's hard to see that we can keep a team together right now.

I'll be fired up, but we've got ourselves in a monster-truck sized hole right now. We're counting on signing three guys, probably JUCOs, that aren't necessarily making indications of committing here. We need to see a team with tons of newcomers gel together instantly, which we haven't really seen yet, and to gel well enough to get to postseason play.

I'm torn right now, and the fence isn't a real pleasant place to be.

It has taken McD very many game into the season to jell his teams each of the last four years. A case could be made that we jelled in our last two games when DG had a nice run. For Ham to leave after so many years and to be on the pivot point to excel next year, it just does not add up except he did not want to hang around for another two years of This.

 

[ca4cy]

Re: Puzzled by Coach Mac

Also if you are going to throw the Harrison Barnes rock at Mac, make sure you are throwing Collison and Heinrichs rocks at someone. Also make sure there is a Lafrentz one in there too.

Were any of them from Ames? Did any of their fathers play for ISU? Did any of their moms work for ISU? Did any of them spend SIGNIFICANT time around our team/facilities etc? I see what you're saying but it's not remotely the same thing. Hinrich wasn't "even" a McD AA and while he was a great player, we got Tinsley instead. That worked out ok I think.

Back to the earlier point, I am among those that was never happy with the McDermott hire. He did a nice job at UNI but never won a conference title and never won a NCAA game. Pollard could have taken more than 3 days to make that hire. He settled and now he and McDermott are going to completely drive us into the abyss of college basketball. If you think we're going have a hard time making a good hire now, just wait until we're coming off a single digit win season with a bunch of jucos. But at least it will cost us $500,000 or a million less on the buyout.....so we got that goin' for us, which is nice.

 

[CycloneErik]

Re: Puzzled by Coach Mac

It has taken McD very many game into the season to jell his teams each of the last four years. A case could be made that we jelled in our last two games when DG had a nice run. For Ham to leave after so many years and to be on th epivot point to excel next year, it just does not add up except he did not want to hang around for another two years of This.

That last line there is an item of major concern to me. Ham's seen the inside for 2 years, and said enough was enough. That's scary to me.

We did gel nicely in those last couple/few games. We need to do that early next year.

I'm wondering what we have for a schedule. My gut tells me that Houston Baptist is coming back to town, and we'll be largely untested heading into the conference season, at which point we'll have to gel again at the tougher level of competition.

 

[BigBake]

It's funny how this stuff happens. For example we fired Wayne Morgan after he took us to the post season twice in three years and never had a losing seasons....Iowa fires Alford after he has one losing season (barely) in 8 seasons and going to the post season 6 of those times with a winning pct of almost 60%

Then he goes to New Mexico, has three 20+ win seasons in three seasons, and right now has a Mountain West team as a 3 seed.

I'm laughing because you just counted the NIT as post season play. Sorry in my book but going to the NIT is an embarassment. Staying home or NIT are the same to me.

 

[Palmer]

Re: Puzzled by Coach Mac

I'm laughing because you just counted the NIT as post season play. Sorry in my book but going to the NIT is an embarassment. Staying home or NIT are the same to me.

Right now....the NIT looks years away. :sad:


I hope the staff can pull a rabbit out of the hat next year.

 

[BigBake]

Re: Puzzled by Coach Mac

Plenty of good recruits come out of Iowa and we need to be recruiting here and elsewhere. It'd be foolish to ignore Iowa players.

What Mac and any coach who comes here was saying is that yo recruit Iowa kids when you can and they are worthy. To build a team completely of kids from the east coast won't work here. Part of being a fan of a near by univ is watching local kids on that team be successful.

That doesn't mean you take only Iowa kids but that when a kid is good enough for Big 12 ball you get him on your team because the fanbase will love him....see Fred Hoiberg.

 

[Wesley]

Re: Puzzled by Coach Mac

I'm laughing because you just counted the NIT as post season play. Sorry in my book but going to the NIT is an embarassment. Staying home or NIT are the same to me.

Good point. Yet if the NCAA goes to 96 teams, they will have folded in the NIT teams. Then the CBI will be thought of as the old NIT leftovers.

 

[BigBake]

Right now....the NIT looks years away. :sad:


I hope the staff can pull a rabbit out of the hat next year.

Good....I never want to play in it. NCAA or bust.

 

[BigBake]

Re: Puzzled by Coach Mac

To me Mac is still a good coach but it just didn't click at ISu for him. And sometimes that happens. It doesn't reflect on his abilities just that he hit a bad streak of unfortunate events that ultimately prevented him from being successful at ISU.

I think any coach today has a small window to prove themself to players and recruits. If you miss that window there is essentially no going back.

 

[ca4cy]

Re: Puzzled by Coach Mac

Good....I never want to play in it. NCAA or bust.

I agree with the basic premise but you have to add a little context. Wayne's NIT appearance came in his first season as head coach. We were coming off the most tumultuous (sp?) period in ISU hoops history with LE's firing. To get to the NIT with a freshman backcourt (3 new starters) seemed like a pretty decent accomplishment. Also, it wasn't just a NIT appearance, it was a NIT final four that laid the foundation for the NCAA tournament run the next year.

Nobody is bragging about the NIT appearance, but when you compare it to McDermott's woeful failures as the ISU coach, it seems like quite the feat.

 

[aeroclone]

Re: Puzzled by Coach Mac

Hamilton's departure was an optimism killer, at least for me.

I'm in the same boat on that one. I thought he should some great potential this year, and I was looking forward to seeing him back next year healthy and with another year to get stronger. I also though DG looked more confident and aggressive down the stretch. I really thought we could build around those guys and that if Colvin or one of the JuCos could step up, we could at least avoid taking a step backwards next year. And then came the transfer news... :sad:

 

[CloneIce]

Re: Puzzled by Coach Mac

I feel as if I am one of the only people who was NOT excited by Mac's hiring in 2006. I was so-so about it, and then he said "I'll be recruiting HEAVILY in the state of Iowa" and I had a beer right after.

Most people I know were very lukewarm at first... because of recruiting.

I was worried that he wouldn't be able to recruit at the level necessary, that we would build 3 years to be a 9 seed, then build 3 more to be an 8 seed, etc (which is about what I expected if we kept Morgan). But I did expect good team play and a bunch of players working together and that our "revolving door" (during the Floyd/Eustachy days, it took a short hiatus when WM was coach) would not come back under GM.

Certainly never expected the team chemistry/player retention/coaching issues.

 

[CloneIce]

Re: Puzzled by Coach Mac

Also if you are going to throw the Harrison Barnes rock at Mac, make sure you are throwing Collison and Heinrichs rocks at someone. Also make sure there is a Lafrentz one in there too.

Why? The situations are not even close to being the same. Every good recruit isn't exactly the same. HB was a great opportunity, he was a huge Cyclone fan who loved ISU, whose Mom worked for ISU and whose Dad played for ISU. None of the others had those connections.

Heinrich was committed to ISU before Floyd left.

Collison and Lafrentz would have been Hawkeyes if they weren't Jayhakws.

 

[CloneIce]

Re: Puzzled by Coach Mac

I'm laughing because you just counted the NIT as post season play. Sorry in my book but going to the NIT is an embarassment. Staying home or NIT are the same to me.

I used to think that way, until GM came here and did his thing. We haven't even snifffed the NIT in 4 years.

Now winning 18 games and going to the NIT looks like paradise compared to what we are used to.

 

[bawbie]

Re: Puzzled by Coach Mac

I'm in the same boat on that one. I thought he should some great potential this year, and I was looking forward to seeing him back next year healthy and with another year to get stronger. I also though DG looked more confident and aggressive down the stretch. I really thought we could build around those guys and that if Colvin or one of the JuCos could step up, we could at least avoid taking a step backwards next year. And then came the transfer news... :sad:

I thought (talking optimistic optimism here) that we had the chance to be a solid defensive team next year, with a lot of focus and hard work. We could have that identity. But that was reliant on having a defensive cornerstone in the paint. and unless McDermott finds Cato Jr working in a grocery store, we don't have that now.

 

[Wesley]

Re: Puzzled by Coach Mac

The way the players leave around here is unusual. The coach is not yelling at them, he is not over demanding, they just leave.

Reminds me of Florida Marlins trading away their players every year to start over by getting a new cheaper team.

It really makes it hard for the fans to connect when the team is under constant change and rotation. We are now depending on a player who had to leave twice during the season and another one who walked out on the team. What is going on in the clubhouse?

The HB decision was a lo ball decision.

 

[Tre4ISU]

Re: Puzzled by Coach Mac

Why? The situations are not even close to being the same. Every good recruit isn't exactly the same. HB was a great opportunity, he was a huge Cyclone fan who loved ISU, whose Mom worked for ISU and whose Dad played for ISU. None of the others had those connections.

Heinrich was committed to ISU before Floyd left.

Collison and Lafrentz would have been Hawkeyes if they weren't Jayhakws.

The fact is still that none of them came here and all were in Iowa. I am not saying we should have had them, I am just saying that they were Iowa guys who we did not get. I know HB was a lot closer to the school and program but he was also more highly sought after than any of those guys. I was not saying that those situations were the same, just pointing out that he is not the only good player to come out of Iowa that we have not gotten.

 

[CYKOFAN]

Re: Puzzled by Coach Mac

Who knows, we may have had a shot at HB if only Greg had shown any progress by his 3rd year. On the other hand, the way HB made the "in your face announcement" of his Carolina committment, he may not have liked GMac or another possibility is that his family may not have been happy about the way Morgan was canned. We'll probably never know.

 

[CYKOFAN]

Re: Puzzled by Coach Mac

BigBake- North Carolina and UConn are in this year's NIT, so it must be worthwhile if those teams didn't turn it down. Fact is it's great tourney experience for a young team, and gives players and fans an opportunity to play and watch more basketball. I had a lot of fun watching us get big wins against Marquette, Georgia and I believe Florida on our way to NYC for that dramatic game against Rutgers, basically a home game for them. I'd put that run at least on par to a first round NCAA loss, maybe better.

 

[Goldfinger]

Re: Puzzled by Coach Mac

Who knows, we may have had a shot at HB if only Greg had shown any progress by his 3rd year. On the other hand, the way HB made the "in your face announcement" of his Carolina committment, he may not have liked GMac or another possibility is that his family may not have been happy about the way Morgan was canned. We'll probably never know.

If Harrison or Shirley Barnes didn't like McDermott then they had a strange way of showing it. HB would regularly come back from after his visits to schools and come to Mac's office to talk about it. Shirley would be seen on campus having lunch with Mac. HB and Doug McDermott were good friends.

Apparently Harrison Barnes didn't say it often enough for some of you to believe him-he wanted to play for a national championship! North Carolina, Duke or Kansas, it was going to be one of those three.