Bill Fennelly

[loyalsons4evertrue]

The fact of the matter is, Fennelly has given up on this team. The minute Addy was announced as being out indefinitely, he and his entire staff threw in the towel.

I've never seen a team be successful when they are:

a) so slow that it looks like they have weights tied to their ankles

b) refuse to play defense

c) refuse to rebound

d) refuse to move, set screens, pick n rolls, etc. RUN ACTUAL PLAYS on offense


No wonder Lexi, Denae, and Kylie all left years ago.

 

[loyalsons4evertrue]

We don't even have a top 100 player signed for next year. Iowa has 3. I think every team in the conference has at least 1.

I think another sign that Bill is wanting to get through next season and hang it up....but right now it sucks so bad. We have zero depth whatsoever.

 

[WartburgClone]

Bill is Fran minus the embarrassing outbursts.

He had some of those years ago, though not as bad as fran.

 

[deadeyededric]

We don't even have a top 50 class. Cincinnati even has a top 10 class.

2025 Overall Women's Basketball Team Rankings

In order to create the most comprehensive Team Recruiting Ranking without any notion of bias, 247Sports Team Recruiting Ranking is solely based on the 247Sports Composite Rating.

247sports.com

 

[casey1973]

The fact of the matter is, Fennelly has given up on this team. The minute Addy was announced as being out indefinitely, he and his entire staff threw in the towel.

I've never seen a team be successful when they are:

a) so slow that it looks like they have weights tied to their ankles

b) refuse to play defense

c) refuse to rebound

d) refuse to move, set screens, pick n rolls, etc. RUN ACTUAL PLAYS on offense


No wonder Lexi, Denae, and Kylie all left years ago.

Been saying this for years. Do the right thing and retire. We can rebuild just like CJR. Please....

 

[throwittoblythe]

I really didn't start paying attention to WBB until 2020. You'll have to enlighten me.

 

[ZorkClone]

Well we can’t fire him he got us to an Elite 8 17 years ago. That means he earned the right to destroy the program.

 

[cycloneworld]

Well we can’t fire him he got us to an Elite 8 17 years ago. That means he earned the right to destroy the program.

Fennelly deserves all of the credit for making this program relevant. But look at Fran McCaffrey and his last 15 years - basically the same except Bill got to one Sweet 16 a few years ago.

I suspect the administration is okay with always being competitive but don’t think this staff is the one to take it to the next level.

 

[ZorkClone]

Fennelly deserves all of the credit for making this program relevant. But look at Fran McCaffrey and his last 15 years - basically the same except Bill got to one Sweet 16 a few years ago.

I was being sarcastic. Like I don’t understand why some think he’s earned the right to retire. In the sports world, no one has truly earned the right to retire. It’s only because he coaches WBB that he wasn’t fired 10 years ago.

 

[WartburgClone]

Well we can’t fire him he got us to an Elite 8 17 years ago. That means he earned the right to destroy the program.

Leave No Trace - Bill is leaving the program the way he found it.

 

[throwittoblythe]

Fennelly deserves all of the credit for making this program relevant. But look at Fran McCaffrey and his last 15 years - basically the same except Bill got to one Sweet 16 a few years ago.

I suspect the administration is okay with always being competitive but don’t think this staff is the one to take it to the next level.

I said it in this thread or another one: I think Pollard is fine with the status quo in WBB, so we're not going to see any changes until either Bill decides or fan support drops.

The exact same thing happened with my STL Cardinals over the last few years. The team has been mediocre for 3+ seasons. But up until this year, the fans kept showing up. They were consistently a top 5 organization in MLB for tickets sold. Then this season, the fans got fed up and stopped going. Attendance dropped to the bottom 1/2 of the league. They pushed their existing GM to move on and get someone else in.

I see the same thing here. Pollard is fine with the fact that the team is underperforming because we still drawing 7-10k per game which is WAY better than most schools. Unless that changes, his hand is not forced.

 

[barometriclow]

I really didn't start paying attention to WBB until 2020. You'll have to enlighten me.

Thread 'Schroll Taking leave of absence.'

Dec 31, 2011

Schroll Leaving WBB

Hopefully she returns...

ISU women's basketball: Schroll to take leave of absence | The Des Moines Register | DesMoinesRegister.com


Update...she is leaving.

• Palmer
• Replies: 277
• Forum: Women's Basketball

 

[WartburgClone]

I really didn't start paying attention to WBB until 2020. You'll have to enlighten me.

Player from 15 years ago. Got ripped into during a timeout in a late-December non-con game. Played one more game then transferred out before the start of Big 12 play.

 

[acoustimac]

I really didn't start paying attention to WBB until 2020. You'll have to enlighten me.

It was a dark time when Bill had cancer and it impacted his personality quite a bit. He chewed on Jessica Schrol so badly she left mid-season her junior year. AD had to sit Bill down and read the riot act. It was not pretty. It was 14 years ago. Ancient history.

 

[isucy86]

We don't even have a top 50 class. Cincinnati even has a top 10 class.

2025 Overall Women's Basketball Team Rankings

In order to create the most comprehensive Team Recruiting Ranking without any notion of bias, 247Sports Team Recruiting Ranking is solely based on the 247Sports Composite Rating.

247sports.com

Its tough to have a top 10 recruiting class when your team brings in 1 player. Beaty was a 4 star. So not sure that example is pertinent.

But recruiting is the issue. The staff struggles to identify athletes with basketball skills. In the modern womens game, P4 players must be able to create their own shot. We only have 3 players with that skill: Crooks, Brown and Williams (kind of).

And other than Jackson, not sure there is an above average defender on the team.

 

[isucy86]

I said it in this thread or another one: I think Pollard is fine with the status quo in WBB, so we're not going to see any changes until either Bill decides or fan support drops.

The exact same thing happened with my STL Cardinals over the last few years. The team has been mediocre for 3+ seasons. But up until this year, the fans kept showing up. They were consistently a top 5 organization in MLB for tickets sold. Then this season, the fans got fed up and stopped going. Attendance dropped to the bottom 1/2 of the league. They pushed their existing GM to move on and get someone else in.

I see the same thing here. Pollard is fine with the fact that the team is underperforming because we still drawing 7-10k per game which is WAY better than most schools. Unless that changes, his hand is not forced.

Don't think attendance has anything to do with it. Pollard's support has to do with Fennelly having a consistent winning program for the 30 years he's been at ISU. He's going to give Fennelly the ability to go out on his terms.

 

[throwittoblythe]

Don't think attendance has anything to do with it. Pollard's support has to do with Fennelly having a consistent winning program for the 30 years he's been at ISU. He's going to give Fennelly the ability to go out on his terms.

Sports is a business. Pollard is an accountant.

Season ticket sales dropping combined with declining performance of the FB team is what cost Rhoads his job. Sales were on the decline, Rhoads got to a point where fan interest was getting worse.

WBB is a cost to the AD. It costs more than it brings in. We're lucky we have the fan support we do to offset those costs. If attendance dropped a lot, I'm sure Bill's seat would heat up substantially in this environment because it puts even more pressure on an already strapped budget.

However, we're only able to spend so much on WBB, period. We're not going to spend more on a coach than we are now. Unless he could find a low-cost up and comer in the sport, it's just easier for Pollard to stay the course.

I don't expect any change until Bill decides he's ready to be done OR fan support tanks.

 

[Yaz]

It was a dark time when Bill had cancer and it impacted his personality quite a bit. He chewed on Jessica Schrol so badly she left mid-season her junior year. AD had to sit Bill down and read the riot act. It was not pretty. It was 14 years ago. Ancient history.

I remember that as well. To call it Ancient history is BS. EDIT: And far from the only time, sick or not.

 

[throwittoblythe]

I remember that as well. To call it Ancient history is BS.

I seem to remember a story from not too long ago where there was some kind of lawsuit against Bill/the WBB Staff? I think that one was seen as more on the player though, right? I can't recall the story, specifically.

 

[FarmerCy1]

I seem to remember a story from not too long ago where there was some kind of lawsuit against Bill/the WBB Staff? I think that one was seen as more on the player though, right? I can't recall the story, specifically.

Nikki Moody, Iowa State settle discrimination suit for $60,000

Iowa State says a lawsuit filed by a former star player against women's basketball coach Bill Fennelly has been settled for $60,000.

www.espn.com