Niang popularity as a Cyclone

[ruxCYtable]

I wish Fred no ill will but I don't give him a second thought. He doesn't exist to me. Georges is it and I'm gonna go out on a limb and put Emily Ryan on the short list as well.

 

[CyPunch]

No. Your wrong there. Hoiberg is still popular, and did a lot for Ames and ISU, but he did chose to move on. Fans can also choose.

So you disagree, that's fine.

FYI - The I@ST1 account is an Iowa troll pretending to be an ISU fan. No clue why it hasn't been removed

 

[CyPunch]

It's Georges. There are simply no holes in the resume.

-Two time All-American
-Sweet 16's, Big 12 Championships
-4 year player
-All-time CyHawk moment and 3-1 vs Iowa
-4 wins over Kansas (twice in KC)
-Off the charts personality and fan favorite
-Successful NBA career

It's going to be quite the scene inside Hilton when Georges gets his jersey retired in a few years.

 

[Iastfan112]

I wonder how some of you would answer this if Fred never went to Nebraska. Without Fred you don't have Georges. But reality is Georges still really loves being here whenever he can. Hoiberg never liked the pedestal.

I actually think it's less about Nebraska and more about when he left ISU for the NBA. Yes he'd elevated the program, but only back to what felt like previous levels from 10-15 years before. Then you factor in getting bounced in a big upset in his final tournament with ISU it sours folks perception of the tenure as a whole. Merely switching the Sweet 16 run from his penultimate year to his final one and I do think the perception of him would be different.

Oh and as a final wrinkle his struggles as an NBA coach probably plays a role. Makes some folks go, "You had such a good thing here, you left to fall on your face that hard?"

 

[BoomerClone]

Niang is definitely my all time favorite ISU basketball player. On and off the court he is pure ISU and is a great representative. There is no question of his school loyalty and that is what makes him so enduring to fans. Also, if he wouldn’t have broke his leg in that NCAA game (the year escapes me) ISU would have won the title.

 

[SouthJerseyCy]

No, there were plenty of people who were upset that he left his alma mater for the Bulls. Additionally, a lot of hate also went towards Jamie and Leath for not doing anything to stop him from going to the Bulls. Despite, Hoiberg probably letting them both know his aspirations. This was also the same seasons where someone from the Des Moines Register wrote that hit piece about how Hoiberg left because he was upset over things that Jamie had done; in the hit piece, I remember that when the team was in Hawaii that the team had all their bags by the pool hanging out checked out of their hotel until their shuttle arrived rather than paying for an extra night in a hotel until their shuttle arrived while not even staying the night.

Yes, there was a lot of dirt digging to try to find someone to blame, and you sort of back up my point that a lot of the mud-slinging was at Jamie and Leath. I just don't see how someone could hold it against Fred for chasing his NBA dream especially given his background in the league. As ISU fans we should want our coaches/athletes to get chased by those at the highest levels of their sports. Those folks don't call upon coaches who stink.

That's not to say that Georges is not equal/higher. I just think it's a silly debate to have and even dumber to completely disown Fred for going to the Bulls.

 

[CyberJJJ]

Georges said it best himself...

 

[CyberJJJ]

And if that didn't cement it for you, here are a few memories that might help...

 

[JM4CY]

Georges said it best himself...

This speech is one of the most special things I’ve ever seen as a Cyclone.

 

[JM4CY]

I’m kind of jumping in here late but what the hell are we even debating here?

 

[exCYtable]

I’m kind of jumping in here late but what the hell are we even debating here?

Whether or not I@ST1 is Mrs. Hoiberg. The rest is non debatable.

 

[CyberJJJ]

We don't have to cut down one great Cyclone to raise another up!

 

[SolarGarlic]

Sigh...look, I like most of your posts, particularly when it comes to politics, but this is just absurd and silly.

FFS, Fred has a season that is starting in a couple of months to get ready for. I think it's perfectly okay to cut him some slack for not being at the game today.

And honestly, this is the kind of sh!t that just validates my personal opinion that the ISU fan base is the most f*cking insecure group of fans in the whole damn country, or at least the Midwest.

I'm sure I'm going to get "dumbed" and "disliked" by a few posters for writing that, but I really don't give a rip anymore at this point; it needs to be written. Whether it's people whining about Jared Stansbury leaving CycloneFanatic for what he felt was a good professional opportunity (God forbid!) or others losing their sh!t when Fred left for Nebraska in the first place ("He never loved us!! He hates us!!!") it really just makes us look f*cking pathetic and I'm just over it at this point.

I should have known when I opened up this thread that it was just going to devolve into some sort of silly debate like this, instead of just being an opportunity to show a Cyclone legend like Georges some much deserved respect and love. I've been here too long by now to expect anything different.

I love our fanbase, but we have a considerable group of fans that are completely out of touch with reality. And the sensitivity! It's embarrassing, but most fanbases have them. We just carry a bigger chip on our shoulder than most. Part of our charm.

And it doesn't matter to me. Niang, Hoiberg. Hoiberg, Niang. It's 1a and 1b. I love both of them.

 

[Rabbuk]

I’m kind of jumping in here late but what the hell are we even debating here?

Is a hotdog a sandwich

 

[VeloClone]

Is a hotdog a sandwich

More importantly if you were a hotdog would you eat yourself?

 

[simply1]

I’m kind of jumping in here late but what the hell are we even debating here?

Niang > Hoiberg

 

[NWICY]

I say Niang for sure. Cyclones wrote to him and he wrote back. The love that he has given Ames from the time he stepped foot on campus and still to this day are hard to beat. The dude gave it his all, embraced us fans and he'll definitely be an all time favorite. This is why he's still my CF thumbnail. Fred is up there, but the thing with him is yeah he was well liked, he came back and resurrected the program, but did decide to leave. While I don't hold that against him and understand career paths, it happened so Georges is the icon in my book.

There was something about those guys - Niang, Monte, Naz who just represented the team with class and did everything they could with and for fans and the school. It was a fun time and so enjoyable to watch and experience. Brock, Lazard and DM is kind of up there for football the way they gave it their all, brought the team back, and still carry the ISU torch to this day in the NFL. They're just really good dudes who seem to love life and have fun while not forgetting Ames in the process. Had Haliburton stayed longer and/or didn't get hurt I think based on his likeability and representing ISU, he'd be up there too. They just have a charisma about them that bring a positive attitude to others and are well liked.

I'll give Hali a shout out last 2 yrs he's been back for Georges charity event. So yeah I'm agreeing with you about Hali.

 

[carvers4math]

Georges seemed just as nice in person as he did from a distance. One of my sons encountered him quite a bit, as well as Naz.

 

[cyatheart]

Think it depends ..Marcus Fizer or Seneca are the first that always come up if I'm out with cyclone gear on....inside our fan base prob George, but outside prob some others.

 

[cyatheart]

One really cool thing, that showed how good George was, when he came out of the game at Phog Allen the last time he got a standing ovation. I have a hard time hating Kansas as much since that.