Personally, I'd like to feel excited about Iowa wrestling again, and I just don't see that changing under Tom Brands. He's given us a lot of good years, and even some great ones, but I no longer believe he is the guy to make us better. I don't know what the answer is, but I'd rather be worse trying to get better than remain stagnant in the current situation.
POLL: Should this season be Tom Brands last as HC at Iowa?
- Thread starter LIV4GOD
- Start date
Beth is not going to fire T after this season … Next year will be the determining factor…
you've got the blinders on... we want the wrestling program to be considered important by the AD, well that means they won't let it go down the path we just saw from the men's basketball program. we've seen season ticket sales drop 3k from 2 years ago, 2k from last year, THOUSANDS of empty seats against PSU, again against Minnesota - thats not even touching on the losses against ISU and Minnesota for the first time in decades, worst loss in 60 years against PSU. There's nothing coming back to say they can right the ship next year.
I must apologize for my error. Rutgers beat Minnesota last night. The Brands may not, in fact, keep Iowa ahead of Rutgers.
I don’t have blinders on… I said Beth G is not going to fire T after this season. You are arguing with yourself in your lengthy post. I don’t like where Iowa is headed. Bottom line is Beth G won’t drop the hammer after one bad season
I absolutely count on that. I’m concerned with the direction we are heading … but be realistic … when you look at T’s overall body of work - Beth G is not going to fire T for one bad season. Simply will not happen…
How about after 4 of the last 5? And I'd even argue taking 2nd in 2023 was a failure with psu beating us by 55+ at ncaa.
It hasn't been "one bad season", its been 5 straight and getting worse by the year.
T will not be fired after this season. So keep arguing with yourself.
You don't know. No one on here knows.
I'm not arguing with myself nor am I predicting they will be. But the majority argees it's time. Waiting another year is only prolonging the inevitable and digging the program into a deeper hole.
It's time for new blood as Iowa HC. Brands has had a good run but the program is stagnate and falling behind.
I happento agree with you … that I think it’s time … I’m simply stating Beth G won’t pull the plug after this season … Next season - similar results - then ‘yes’
I agree with you. I think its time as well. But just because it's time doesnt mean Beth will do it. I, too, thinks she gives it one more year then makes the decision after we finish outside the top 10 next year. Barring the best portal haul in the history of the sport i dont see more than 3 or 4 AA next year
Then why would she bring him back? Read her recent comments on the program and it wasn’t that flattering. It was also before all hell broke loose.
Its just a gut feeling on my part. I think she will give him one more year to attempt to turn it around. Personally dont see it happening though. Count me in the camp that would like to go after Nolf asap
Good on you.
Where does Bob Nicholls stand on the Brandses, the current team and direction of the program?
She’s heard some of the concerns from fans, but no one else has been Penn State and no one is working harder than Tom to beat them. Chad acted like he was going to ask tough questions in that part of the podcast and it was more less like someone asking and than hiding under the table while she easily deflected it.
More important piece would be fundraising for renovations to Carver and does a wrestling team not living up to expectations effect that. It doesn‘t appear too.
More important piece would be fundraising for renovations to Carver and does a wrestling team not living up to expectations effect that. It doesn‘t appear too.
I think their biggest weakness...people skills...is their biggest weakness. Not being able to relate to different kinds of people hurts recruiting. It hurts in pushing the right buttons for guys with different midsets .
They had no problems recruiting or coaching Spencer, ADS, Metcalf, Ramos, Gilman, etc. They were cut from the same cloth.
Just my opinion.
They had no problems recruiting or coaching Spencer, ADS, Metcalf, Ramos, Gilman, etc. They were cut from the same cloth.
Just my opinion.
Definitely wouldn’t put Spencer in that category. Totally different personality.
I meant more of their mindset to competing.
Remember the Larry Lee recruiting story that he was concerned that Spencer was too much like Terry? And Terry said that made him the perfect coach because he knew better than anyone the mistakes he made?
Yet, Spencer made the same basic mistake Terry did in the Olympics. He should have backed off from the Purdue kid. We were literally yelling, "Get off your knees. Back off!"
He has previously expressed that he is a supporter of the Brands, rather than of Iowa. Whether that stance has changed I am not sure.
It's all about mindset. Iowa, for the most part, and especially against better competition, wrestles timid. They seem to be paralyzed by their fear of making a mistake. What you get is mind numbing, 4 takedown performances. It needs to be instilled to let it fly, the match they wrestle today, win or lose, will make them better for the next one. That is the Iowa style of old. Wear the opponent out and bend them to your will. Wherever this was lost, it needs to be found again. I don't think TNT are the ones to bring them to the promised land again.
Well then eff that.
The Univ of Iowa and Hawkeye Wrestling are bigger than the Brandses and Bob Nicholls.
Let's go Beth!
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The same Beth who's holding Iowa back with rev share $?
Definitely isn't doing Iowa wrestling favors with it. Hopefully that changes soon.
His buyout isn't going to be free. If you want to put out a candle you first take away the oxygen and then let it burn itself out.
Now this one is downright comical. So, Beth is so forward thinking that she held back money from the program to squeeze Brands out of it? Is that really the take you are going with????
Is it not entirely possible that wrestling simply isn't as important to her as many of you want it to be?
The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one. From a fan support perspective, wrestling currently is still no lower than #4 on the Iowa sports hierarchy. If it's not important to her then that's a problem. Once the Caitlin Clark euphoria passes for good, it will be back to #3. IMO, she understands where it all stands.
Not sure how that response has anything to do with the post I was responding to or the point of my post. The guy literally insinuated that the revenue sharing holdback was to remove the oxygen from the candle that is Brands.
There have been plenty of posts on here from people that would know, detailing a slew of obstacles that Iowa itself has put in place that have negatively affected the Iowa wrestling program. But, there is such a drive to blame and remove Brands to the point that NO ONE wants to even begin to acknowledge these things. Instead the guy literally twisted one of these into one of the most ridiculous things I have ever read...