It's not a perfect comparison, but...
Iowa got Hayden. We entered a long, dark period.
We got TJ....
Iowa got Hayden. We entered a long, dark period.
We got TJ....
The Fran Fade has started
- Thread starter Drew0311
- Start date
No way should Iowa go after Drake's McCollum (sp?). He's a great coach, and I rarely miss a game, but he has been head D1 coach for exactly 0.5 seasons. The vast majority of the players on Drake's starting rotation are D2 guys he brought with him. He needs time to learn how to evaluate D1 guys, and a some time to learn NIL and the portal. McCollum could be a good get for Iowa but not at this point. The Bradley coach would be a better get for Iowa which is why I hope they don't go after him.
I mean if Fran makes the Big 10 tourney that should be enough for him to keep his job. that is a bar Licklighter wouldn't have met.
Iowa fans won’t talk about hiring someone unless they are currently living in Iowa or have ties to Iowa. It’s bizarre.
The only thing you have to do is live here for a while, and you quickly understand that in most of the rural areas other than around Ames, they are EIU fans. I know literally dozens of them, that have no connection to EIU other than being a fan of that team. Hell I had a former student that wanted to go into Ag. Business, she came up to Ames for a visit, liked it, more than Iowa City, and then decided to go to EIU. I asked her why, when they do not even offer her major, and she said, "My parents and I both want me to be a Hawkeye" its really that simple. Neither parent went to college, nor their grandparents or their siblings, but they all root for EIU, and rip ISU every chance they get.
Until the last five years or so, half the student population of EIU was from out of state, they were killing it getting kids that could not get into Illinois, but wanted to have a B10 education, while ISU student population was around 60% instate at the time.
I don't know that there will be a mad rush to get into those 2 conferences competition-wise. But pay-wise, they can do more than most of the B12 and ACC. It will be interesting to see what iowa's new AD does here. Their BB support is withering on the vine and they are in full blown apathy now. Does she pull the plug and make a move or let it ride for another year? Personally, I believe that they can't afford to wait it out...even if I hope that they do. I do think that it's somewhat wishful thinking to believe that they couldn't pull a DeVries from WV or a Klieman from KSU in FB. I think that they can afford it if they need to.
I think that most fanbases are like that. They look for ties to the university and state. Makes for easy discussion even if a good AD will actually look beyond that. One thing that I'll say though, Pollard figured out after Chizik and Prohm that the biggest factor in hiring a coach is fit. You just can't hire someone that doesn't fit in with midwest culture and recruiting and expect them to win.
Wardle has been at Bradley for 10 seasons, made the NCAA tournament one time and has a career record of 93-82 at the school. If you are forcing out your current coach, he is not the type of guy you hire to get to the next level. Guy has won one conference title in that time, and then lost to Drake in the conference tournament and ended up in the NIT. If you are going to gamble and fire Mad Fran, then you either have to get DeVries or the Drake coach and hope they are a home run hire. The Drake coach won four national titles at NW Missouri state, and while only in his first season at Drake, they are currently in 2nd place and they did beat Bradley this season on the road. The guy is from Iowa, born in IC and grew up in Storm Lake, still in his 40's, and like the former Wisconsin coach has been a winner at every level, and would jump at the chance for the pay increase and the P4 job at EIU.
This is why I want Iowa to get him. I think it would be a bad hire long term
I have known hundreds if not thousands of Hawk fans over the years. If you asked me to name one of them who actually went to school there, I'd have to think for a long time.
Edit: We've lived in Colorado since 2019 and the coolest Hawk fans I've ever met have been out here. They're actually grads with careers -- not Tavern Hoks -- and are good people who are gracious toward ISU.
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Mccollum is definitely above Wardle who would be far down the list I'd hope. It will probably be a coach from mid major that as always comes with risk and uncertainty. I'd really like Iowa to go after Will Wade
So you are looking at it from the ISU prospective, while I was looking at it from the EIU prospective. I hate EIU, but it would make no sense to fire Fran and then bring on a coach like the guy from Bradley. She is going to have to have a home run hire here, or wait another year, which I think she will do. It lowers the buyout and gives him one more season to turn it around. They would not have to pay his buyout all in one season, but could spread that out over the life of the contract.
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Neither coach would be great imo. I'm not trying to talk **** about the MVC this year but it's not that great. You have Bradley and Drake. Drake has been a fun story because of Ben and them winning some games against a few P5 teams, but let's call a spade a spade here... Miami is the worst high major basketball team and it's probably not close, and Kansas State is bad. FAU is not FAU of the last couple seasons. Now that Vandy win was good there is not doubt about that.
Bradley also hasn't beaten anyone this year. San Fran is their best win, who is decent. Idk, I think hiring Ben would be pretty risky, but I guess why not? He's likely going to be sought after so if another high major school would hire him, why wouldn't Iowa?
Its weird, but I guess they figure that someone with ties to the state is more likely to stay here and not leave. But if you look at the current coach and the 3 or 4 before him, none had any ties to Iowa or the university.
The new Glenn "Stick" Vidnovic. Okay, before you guy's time on earth but "The Stick" was a player for Iowa much long time gone when I was a HS kid in NE Iowa. BTW, good Iowa team and everybody in Iowa could probably have named the starting lineup.
I sincerely doubt at least with past Administration but maybe new AD is more of risk taker. He's likely to go to sec school I'd think but I also can't see a lot of sec jobs being open when I look at conference.
Totally agree. I honestly don’t know who they can get though. I personally don’t see DeVries as an option. If Fran lasted two more years I would bet my house DeVries would be next coach. Not after one year though. Could be wrong.
Honestly I have really liked Anthony Grant for a long time. That Covid year they was null really ****** that team over. They were so good and I think Grant would have had some big offers. That’s the kind of coach Iowa could actually get I think.
