Well Fran could have told him to go into the portal so he could pull him back out again so Fran can tell people he continues to get quality players out of the portal...
Tough day for EIU hoops hopes
- Thread starter MuskieCy
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The B1G also had some real good teams throughout that era.
I was at a neighborhood social event Sunday night and most of the attendees were Iowa fans. One of them asked me for "A scouting report on the ISU basketball team this fall". When I mentioned that we have a very solid recruiting class coming in he quickly pointed out that he was asking about our women team. So, at least in that moment, Bluder's Bunch has firmly surpassed Mad Fran and company. Or should I say Mad Fran and Family?
In the least-announcement announcement in the history of announcements...
Yeah I was just thinking the same, he just finished his RS JR year. He should have one regular year left plus a COVID year. So maybe this is his way of saying he doesn't plan on using the COVID year...otherwise I've got nothing on why this is any kind of announcement.
Editing to add that I did kind of wonder about this, given his mental health issues this winter. Thought maybe he'd step away from the game completely, a.k.a. "retire". Or transfer down a level but stay nearby, like a UNI or Drake, maybe go hang out with Connor in Indiana and play at Indiana State or Valparaiso etc.
Maybe this is a tardy announcement that Patrick won't be entering the NBA draft.
I actually thought there was a >50% chance one of the scenarios you lined out would be what happens.
As much as I like to make fun of how much Iowa fans write off his first few years, Dr. Tom took over an absolutely loaded roster. Once he had his program in place, it's honestly not that different. Mostly around .500 in the league, slightly better sometimes, around 20-10. Got first sweet 16 in his lame duck year, which again was the first one since he had his own players.
Same reason why Prohm is not a good coach despite making a Sweet 16 here. Once the players he inherited were gone we sucked.
Take away the first 2 seasons of Dr. Tom and Fran, and here are the numbers:
Dr. Tom: Overall - 19.5/11.4, Conf - 9/8.6
Fran: Overall - 21.2/12.4, Conf - 10.3/8.5
Difference is Tom has 1 S16 to Fran's zero.
That's not a huge difference.
Either way, in the last almost 40 years, they've had one coach do a little better, one coach do a little worse in Alford, one coach do way worse in Lick, and now Fran. I'm not convinced there is some higher level they can achieve barring some incredibly special coach.
HAHA I am pretty sure he has announced in years passed that he was going to test the NBA draft waters. What a joke. I don't know if that was the intent of this most recent announcement, but if so...how absurd. Writing has always been on the wall pretty much since the first season he saw regular minutes.Maybe this is a tardy announcement that Patrick won't be entering the NBA draft.
The numbers bear it out.
I don't know, but I feel like Iowa should have a higher ceiling. They should at least be able to reach the Sweet 16 once per decade. That isn't a very high bar, but they haven't been able to reach it for over 2. They do have the randomness of having a Wooden winner, another finalist, and multiple first team AA's though, so I guess there's that?
The Big 10 was competitive for a good stretch in the early 2000s and maybe into the early 2010s, but it is ripe for the taking right now. Izzo is hanging by a thread and Painter is flawed. Howard probably has 2 seasons left at Michigan, max, before they give him the boot. Ohio State has been down for a few years. Wisconsin is what they are as long as Gard is still there. Idk, it just seems like the potential is there for Iowa (or really anyone else in the Big 10) to make a push to be top dog or at least part of a top tier that doesn't currently exist.
It’s not fair to say until things shake out and it’s speculation, although information speculation, at this point.
There was some thought he could step away from basketball due to mental health issues and other health battles he has fought through. Last year was rough for him on and off the court. Patrick is actually eligible for a 6th year in 2024-2025. He took a year of high school off (cancer treatment), redshirted, and the Covid year.
He'll stay as long as possible because of his lucrative Falbo Brothers NIL contract....
He didn’t take any time away from bb in high school- the treatment was in his 8th grade year and he played varsity all 4 years at West. He also was “redshirted” before kindergarten and turned 23 this past March- he’s a year older than most kids his grade- should have graduated HS in 2018. He was over ranked coming into HS because of his name and dropped like a rock in the rankings over those 4 years.
So you are saying the potential is there that he could stay two more years and in spring 2025, be 25 years old and playing against a freshman who is still 17 . . . 8 year difference IN COLLEGE.
