The Athletic likes our portal gains
- Thread starter Whtnhawk
- Start date
Apparently you cannot, because I never said or implied they wouldn't improve. Quite the opposite in fact.
Iāll give you that one,
but the question remains from me , ā do you think Iowa fans will continue to support a team of paid temporary players ā ?Believe me, you certainly implied that they were not good enough for your liking.
I don't know what the future holds anymore than anyone else. What I do know is that fans want and follow winners. The men are a prime example of that. All new players save one and yet attendance and awareness was way up because the product was better. Teams/programs need to adjust to the new world order or they will drift towards the bottom and fan interest along with it.Iāll give you that one,
Look. Layla was absolutely terrible this year. You can lie to me and tell me she wasn't, but that would still be a lie. That is NOT to say she won't get better. Of course she will, but nobody knows what that looks like next year.
IDGAF about Addie. She's a Badger.
Donāt believe I ever said Layla Hays was great this year, BUT she was a division 1 player in the rotation on a top 10 team. You give no credit to her and she was nowhere near āabsolutely terrible ā. So , who is really lying here? I thought I was talking about development in the future. Guess that upset your narrative.
She wasn't "absolutely terrible."
I would say that Layla Hays is without much doubt or controversy, if not the best, then one of the best backup centers Iowa has ever had in the past 26 years. There were some seasons that they didnāt even have what you might call a true center to substitute, and yet they were still relatively successful. I believe Hays raises the bar for the Hawkeyes relative to past teams with regard to providing backup at the center position. And if Heiden were to be injured, it absolutely would be a ābig blowā to the teamās full potential just as it would be for almost any other important player. So yes, of course there is some drop off, but itās not nearly as much as it used to be. The ceiling for this team with Hays substituting at center is still very high in my opinion.
Iām with Whynot. I donāt think either of us has to stick our head in the sand. We understand the direction that college sports is heading. We just donāt lIke it. Two individual opinions.
You were talking shat. You said that I stated that neither Layla nor Addie would improve. I stated the opposite of that and called you out on it. Layla was in the rotation of a top 10 team because Jan had no other options at the 5. Everybody knows that. I already laid out the conference numbers for her.
40% FG average Team worst
35% FT average Team worst
4.0 PER Team worst
4.4 Per 40 TOV rate Team Worst
Now you can argue that she needs time to develop, because that's a reasonable take and one that I have personally espoused, but you cannot argue that those aren't terrible numbers.
The player in the portal that I believe gives Iowa the greatest boost in potential ceiling is the one I mentioned before, the grad transfer from TCU Aaliyah Roberson. I think she would be perfect as a backup at the ā4ā position (in the four-out offense), and could also provide insurance at center if needed. Alas she is probably a long shot.
I don't really think anybody likes it, with the exception of the players who are now making bank. It just is what it is so you have to play the game the way it's now designed to play.
I NEVER stated that you stated that Hays and Deal would never improve! I stated that YOU were bagging on their performance, which you were.
Layla played in the rotation on a top ten team with an experienced senior who could and did play in the 5 position.
I donāt much care about the FRESHMAN stats of a 18 year old girl in conference play who was a thousand miles away from home and parents. I care about what she could become.
And again I ask, ādid you ever play this game?
And for the umpteenth time, I only care about next year and whether or not there is someone available in the portal who can help fill the void while Layla develops her game. Why wouldn't you do that if someone were available?
You guys are arguing like a pair of raccoons that broke into a meth lab. "Eyes" level of thread derailment....
I totally agree, probably the end of college sports as we have known it. But also, there are people that want Jensen fired for losing 7 games, so what do you do? Currently the talent pool of players is all going through a sifter. The best players will level-up to find a place to play, while developmental players will sift downward. The margins for winning in the Big Ten are getting smaller and smaller as this starts to happen. Look at moves being made in the conference. (Iowa could have a better team next season, but still end up with a worse record than this past season.)The pressure to win AND put a likable product on the court is at this crossroads.
Once again, if Iowa wants to win, AND develop elite athletes within the program, they have to win first. Maybe then they attract more talent from HS. But still, high school talent is always a gamble even with the elite players. They pressure to fill seats AND win is huge, so how does a coach/program navigate that?
And back to Layla.
She's not likely to stay at Iowa and play off the bench behind Heiden, hoping for a chance her senior year. Too much opportunity and money out there sifting to a spot. I mean, maybe, but it wouldn't surprise me at all if this is her last year as a Hawkeye. We will see, but I think the point is, a lot of time and resources go into developing players with no contract inspiring loyalty. Development is a two way street. Will it ultimately be worth developing players for another program? That's a tough pill.
Given Jan's reputation for post development, i could actually see Layla sticking around assuming Jan doesn't recruit over her. Playing time is a consideration, but there isn't a big bag waiting out there for a player like Layla today so Iowa isn't being pushed to pay a lot to keep her in place. These are all of the reasons she's still here and why she may likely stick it out in the future. It gets a little murkier of course if Layla develops a stronger game that would make her more attractive to the outside world.
Would hope, I guess, but 6'5 will always have opportunities somewhere. Should be interesting to see what happens.
Not a single inconsistent or incongruous statement from me in this entire thread aside from whatever is spinning around inside your little brain, but if you can find one be sure and let me know.You have got to be a politician the way you spin your positions,
I don't know Iowa City, so please answer me: is Iowa City such a boring city where nobody wants to live, that even if the program had millions and millions to pay for the biggest stars from the Transfer Portal and the recruiting class, they wouldn't accept playing for Iowa because they don't want live in Iowa City? OR if the program had millions and millions available to pay for three or four superstars, would they accept playing for Iowa and living in Iowa City? If the answer to the second question is YES, then the problem and the solution are just one: MONEY.
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Dang for a moment there I got flashbacks of me and Anon going back and forth LOL.
Anon is likely very sad because he's 90% on ignore and the last 10% won't reply because they know he's a tool bag. Lonely times when you are frosted off an internet message board.
She was in there for defense for sure, and we could argue all day about whether that was enough to offset the absolutely dismal year she had offensively, but as bad as she was, her conference EFG% was still .036 higher than Layla's and of course she was light years better at the free throw line.
Feurbach was a 4th option scorer on offense, 3rd at best depending on how the opponent played her ā¦.she failed to convert a lot of open 3s for sure.
Everyone knows that she played extensive minutes for one major assignment - defend the opponentās top perimeter scorer. IMO KF proved her worth despite her offensive woes. I hope Whiting accepts the stopper baton next season.
I like the chart of # of available players vs. points per game, but not sure the Hawks need a proven scorer. I agree that a forward that could play some minutes at the 5 would be ideal.
I think reality is starting to set in for portal entrants that a scholarship plus small amount of NIL $ is much better than a year at a community college.. We'll see, but I don't think JJ is relaxing poolside right now.
What do you mean? Every freshman should come right in and start and average 20 points a game like a Caitlin Clark.
