ISU MBB – A lost season or the return to greatness?
CycloneFanatic.com
Jeremy Lind
I wanted to set a few things straight as well as analyze where we are in yet another rebuilding time at
ISU. There’s been a lot of recruiting discussion taking place and that ties in well to what I want to talk about.
Note: This is a new format for an analysis that I hope provides useful. It’s a cross between an analysis discussion and a question/answer article.
Analysis:
First of all, let’s remember that we have a new staff that has not even stepped on the floor of Hilton to earn their pay yet, don’t be too hard on them. They are a very young and talented crew that has impressed everybody they’ve worked with so far. They are incredibly proud and determined to make
ISU the best in the Big XII.
Secondly, this staff has already proven it can and will recruit some of the top players nationally. Remember that word nationally as many of you quickly questioned
GMac’s resume and thought he was certain doom for
ISU.
Thirdly, this new Super-Mac is here for the long-haul. UNI fans are mad, Iowa fans are jealous, and
ISU fans damn well better be proud. We landed a young, determined, and honest coach that will make every single one of us proud. He’s here for the long-haul and has no other place he’d rather be than at Iowa State; that is very rare and special in college sports these days.
What do we have so far? A very scrappy, quick, young, and energized team ready to prove all the critics wrong this year. We have probably the most under-rated and obviously the most unknown recruiting class in the country stepping on the floor this year. Heck, most of the players we signed weren’t even on any of our radars until the new staff showed up.
I love the versatility of the new players and think the staff did an award-worthy job of getting quality players and kids to come to a program that has potential, but hasn’t lived up to it lately. I’ve personally talked to some of
ISU’s current roster and new kids and I can tell you that not only are they far more talented than you would expect from late signees, but they are well-rounded kids that are so excited to come to
ISU and experience “The Magic”.
With some new players mixed in with a couple of returnees,
ISU obviously has a lot of work to do, but they’re off to a great start so far in the off-season. Look for some new styles of play this coming season, but most importantly of all, look for constantly changing and adapting styles as the staff shifts to exploit the team’s strengths.
If there is one thing that stands out the most with the new staff and the AD, it’s the constant references to “Hilton Magic”. I’m not sure but I think a couple of you may remember what that is, although it’s been a while since we’ve seen anything vaguely resembling it. The staff and administration knows that the fans are the key to the future of this program. Luckily,
ISU MBB has the greatest fans in all the land.
I know I’m a basketball optimist (come on you have to be at
ISU) but I truly believe that this team will be one of the most exciting to watch in the past 10 years or so. They have talent, speed, energy, determination, underdoggedness (new word), and they have the will and desire to make all of us very happy. They are all of that, but just as importantly, they were all under the radar and incredible pickups for so late in the game. They have something to prove to not only themselves, but all of those schools that didn’t give them a second glance.
We may not win the conference this year, but I really can’t see the new staff and the new roster settling for the bottom of the conference ranks. Heck, we went into last season expecting very big things and finished almost last in the conference. What ever happened to those over-achieving
ISU squads that made it happen with Magic? That’s back and it’s going to be better than ever real soon…
I like ‘em, I like ‘em a lot!
Q&As:
Why do I dare say Craig Brackins is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, recruits in the history of
ISU MBB?
Easy enough question; simply because Brackins provided us energy, hope, and guidance when our program was in shambles, once again. He not only gave the fans hope, he showed other recruits that
ISU’s good enough for one of the top players in the country now, not ‘maybe’ in the future. We’re a strong program that isn’t very far from being championship caliber in just a couple of years (around 3).
Shambles, isn’t that a little strong?
Absolutely not. We were yet again at the center of a national spotlight and Brackins helped remind people that we may get kicked and beaten, but we won’t settle for laying on the ground for long. We have high goals for our program that not so long ago was winning conference championships in one of the most competitive conferences in the country. We had a choice, underachieve again or go out and get the best to take us not only to our prior level, but to a whole new level.
Why did
ISU lose a recruit to Creighton? Isn’t that embarrassing?
Absolutely not. Creighton is a great program that almost always overachieves. There are very few pressures on a player going to the small conference powerhouse and a mid to high level recruit like Walker is almost guaranteed fame and playing time right away. I don’t look at it as embarrassing at all because Walker isn’t a major program difference maker and will fit in perfectly at Creighton where he doesn’t have the competition for PT that he would at
ISU. Walker wasn’t ever going to be a starter right away at
ISU and would have had trouble competing against some of the other players, both right away and down the road.
Why are McFarland and Stinnett so uncertain of their plans?
Well, they’re young kids that have their whole college lives ahead of them. That’s enough to make anybody uncertain about just about everything. Let’s also be honest, they are decent players but they aren’t make or break recruits for
ISU, they are for Idaho or some other smaller programs. I think they have potential but I honestly think the staff can and will do better. We all want to think they’re amazing player because that’s who the staff is going after right now but they aren’t the only ones being recruited. I think our current and known recruits will surprise people and those two won’t even be close to the caliber of some of our future signees.
Where does
ISU finish the season? What’s your crystal ball say?
No worse than 7th in the conference, most likely a little higher if they “gel” early on. They will work harder than any team we’ll face and that will be enough to get past a lot of them. We have a good set of games this year to help grow the players as well as test them. Some games should be easy, but some will be almost unwinnable. I don’t see
ISU blowing anybody out, but I also don’t see them getting blown out by even the best we’ll face. We’ll overachieve but we’ll have some growing pains as well.
Attendance will suck for this season, nobody wants to see mediocrity!
Umm, we can Pack the Jack for mediocrity, why not a warm arena? Let’s face it;
ISU will sell more tickets this year than any of the past two or three seasons. People like the new staff and they like the philosophy that the staff will use on the court. I expect an atmosphere at all conference games this year that would be at least twice as good as any game the past three seasons. The players are excited, the staff is excited, and every fan out there better show that we’re ready to move on and get back to the Magic. Let me rephrase that; not back to the Magic, but to a whole new level of Magic.
ISU MBB – A lost season or the return to greatness? 
...great read. 
Linear Mode
