Player development under CFH

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whippetranch

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Feb 9, 2013
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I was thinking this morning about the players who have come through ISU under Hoiberg's tenure and how much BETTER many of them became as they progressed through their time in Ames.

I'm not just talking about players with a "troubled" past like White and Lucious but also guys like McGee and Babb who were a full step-change better their senior years. Ejim last year made this jump and now guys like Kane and Hogue are playing well-above their expectations based on past performance (granted they are in different leagues this year).

I've also seen playing time improve and regress for players along with their performance (see McGee for the former and Gibson for the latter). From my playing days in high school I can fully appreciate both the fact that CFH's staff invests in players not in the starting 5 but also rewards them for performance.

I haven't read alot about this topic and think it is an underrated part of the success we have had in recent years.

If I was a senior in HS or a transfer considering ISU, that would be something to look at beyond play style, facilities, etc.
 
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CloneCone10

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Dec 15, 2013
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The biggest improvement you didn't even mention. Naz Long last year I didnt think could play for drake and this year hes the man and I still think will be a starter before the years done.
 

ISUguy

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I agree. There is also a tie in with this concept with the team we played yesterday, Texas Tech. Tubby Smith was run out of Minnesota and one of the reasons was that players did not seem to improve under his watch and along with that there were continued middle of the road results. I believe the 13-0 start is tied in strongly with player improvement and not just improved recruiting of players.
 

ajk4st8

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DG was crazy good his SR year too. I was glad he had a year to show cyclonenation how good he could be.
 

azepp

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I think he does a great job developing players and a large part of that is putting them in a position to succeed, something that the previous HC was not as good at. CFH builds the system around the players instead of trying to fit the players into the system. Now guys get to showcase what they're good at. It makes the whole team better which leads to wins and boosts confidence which, IMO, is the single most important factor in turning an average player into a good or great player.
 

ISUFan22

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DG is all you need to watch to see this. DG has the talent before Fred showed up - but Fred and staff molded that very, very well
 

whippetranch

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Completely agree on the Long and Garrett comments... I didn't want my post to get TLDR.

CFH is recruiting prototype NBA PG/SG hybrids - fast, lanky, handles, and smart - and molding them to their best abilities.

I would never want go against anybody who gets minutes on a Hoiberg team in pickup ball.
 

benjay

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Mar 23, 2006
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Fred runs an NBA system, which is another way of saying Fred does not run a system. He teaches his players how to maximize their offensive potential as a team by recognizing the individual talents of the players on the floor. Everyone shares the ball, and everyone gets good looks. It's a golden age.
 

Cycsk

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It would be interesting to hear from some former coaches whose players ended up with us, particularly if those coaches are no longer with their teams and might be more likely to be honest in their evaluation of the players. We see it, but I wonder if they see it (and would admit it).
 

Wesley

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That above said is all true. However, the shooting percentages of our transfers by a previous thread showed the players stayed about the same. If they shot well at other schools, they continued at about the same pace - Babb, Clyburn, JakeA, Booker, Kane, etc. However, it seems assists and rebounds and passing is what improves about our players.
 

ISUFan22

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Fred runs an NBA system, which is another way of saying Fred does not run a system. He teaches his players how to maximize their offensive potential as a team by recognizing the individual talents of the players on the floor. Everyone shares the ball, and everyone gets good looks. It's a golden age.
When chasing down a leader in a Nascar race, the guy chasing often takes the opposite strategy of the leader - risk/reward.

Seems like ISU MBB and Fred have done the same.

I just think back to when he was hired and give total genius credit to Pollard and whoever else played a major role in the decision making on that. Clearly knew something most others did not.
 

Thompsonclone

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Really hoping Dorsey-Walker makes that jump like Naz did. The potential is there. IMO he just needs minutes. I think he could be scoring about the same as Naz if he played the same amount of minutes.
 

Dryburn

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I think the best example so far is DG. Let's be honest, if GMAC had stayed as coach, it is very unlikely that DG would now be playing for the Jazz. It's that simple.

I wish Royce had stayed another year or two. Not just for ISU's sake, but because I think if he had stayed his skill set would have developed to something so valuable that an NBA team would work out any problems with his issues that they needed to do, in order for him to play. I think he thought they should do that anyway, but after only 1 solid year, he was still kind of an unproven entity for them.
 
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Tedcyclone

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All coaches in all sports should follow his lead... eh hmmm football ... He takes guys and lets the season play out to their individual and team strengths. He adapts to everything he has. Fred will always be successful doing that.
 

Bewilderme

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Really hoping Dorsey-Walker makes that jump like Naz did. The potential is there. IMO he just needs minutes. I think he could be scoring about the same as Naz if he played the same amount of minutes.

Agree with this - I think when Sherron does get in the game, he looks to make his mark immediately. This is understandable as it shows he wants to earn more playing time; he just seems to push a little too hard at the moment which can get him yanked from the game.

That said, the past few games he has really started to let things come to him, which coincides with him getting minutes that aren't garbage time. I hope he sticks with us for the long haul, he has a ton of potential.
 

Die4Cy

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All coaches in all sports should follow his lead... eh hmmm football ... He takes guys and lets the season play out to their individual and team strengths. He adapts to everything he has. Fred will always be successful doing that.

The football team didn't do anything well enough this year to hang their hat on, offensive, defensive, or special teams. Hopefully, CPR can find that identity the way CFH has, because Fred's turned it into a calling card of sorts. A big plus for ISU basketball.
 

Wesley

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The football team didn't do anything well enough this year to hang their hat on, offensive, defensive, or special teams. Hopefully, CPR can find that identity the way CFH has, because Fred's turned it into a calling card of sorts. A big plus for ISU basketball.
This is so true. Maybe the tight end exceeded. JGeorge and JWashington made a lot of tackles. Kirby made some good runs. That was about it.
 

Gnomeborg

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hey look, a positive basketball thread turned into a chance to bash the football team!

This should be a drinking game.
 

3GenClone

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Hoiberg took the 3rd best scorer from a Penn State squad that finished 7th in the Big 10 and made him one of the best defensive players in the Big 12 and was one day away from making an NBA roster. How crazy is that??