An honest discussion: what happened to Lynn Nance at ISU?

**Cydkar** · 12-23-2011, 08:34 AM

Please discuss. I think it's important to figure out why Lynn couldn't make it work at ISU. Johhny was able to, why not Lynn?

**MeanDean** · 12-23-2011, 08:43 AM

He didn't have the backing of the university. He had some moderate successes here. Didn't he end up winning a national championship at a lower level? He had a disciplined style but never had any top recruits, so maybe it was that. I know his style was more like the Wisky coaching philosophy so there wasn't the fan excitement you get with the run and gun Johnny liked.

**farewayfool** · 12-23-2011, 08:46 AM

Originally Posted by Cydkar

Please discuss. I think it's important to figure out why Lynn couldn't make it work at ISU. Johhny was able to, why not Lynn?

Because He has a She name. Come On Man! Lynn for a guy. I've seen Linn for males but not Lynn other than Nance.

Almost forgot my jimlad

**MeanDean** · 12-23-2011, 08:53 AM

Originally Posted by farewayfool

Because He has a She name. Come On Man! Lynn for a guy. I've seen Linn for males but not Lynn other than Nance.

Almost forgot my jimlad

So NOW we know why Fran can't win at EIU...

**Max57** · 12-23-2011, 09:01 AM

ISU needed a spark -- Johnny provided that. Nance didn't. The crowds were always like this season's "break" crowds: a smattering of people and no energy.

They played a boring brand of BB. We had some decent players: Andrew Parker, Herkle Ivy.

Johnny came in played a faster style and won some big games and people started showing up. Kinda like CPR. :-)

Edited to note: I missed the sarcasm of the OP.

**IowaSTATCyclone** · 12-23-2011, 09:07 AM

Let's multiply the honesty: what about Jim Criner? He won a national title at Boise State, and the World Bowl in NFL Europe and once caught a catfish the size of a puma.

What was it about ISU that made him give bags of cash to players in order to win about 40% of their games?

**tccoach** · 12-23-2011, 09:14 AM

Lynn Nance was an excellent basketball coach, but for some reason just couldn't get it done at this level...wait, are we talking about Coach McD or Nance???

**Cyvet95** · 12-23-2011, 09:46 AM

Originally Posted by tccoach

Lynn Nance was an excellent basketball coach, but for some reason just couldn't get it done at this level...wait, are we talking about Coach McD or Nance???

Nance was an excellent x's and o's guy but when Johnny was hired it was unbelievable!! Johnny was just a couple of years off of a final 4 appearance with Michigan. His going to ISU back then was the shock of the year. It put ISU on the map and no one could figure it out. I was in high school and happened to be home sick and they broke into the morning shows with the news. Imagine Thad Matta moving from Ohio State to Drake - it really was sort of like that. (Except that Drake had a lot more basketball tradition than the Cyclones back then.)

To relive some history - ISU's AD Lou McCollough called Orr to ask him about his assistant, Bill Frieder. Lou described the job to Johnny, what they could offer Frieder, and Johnny said, "Hey, what if I'm interested??" Johnny's coming to ISU was the single thing that put ISU on the path of becoming relevant. We had never been to the NCAA tourney at that point.

**cyman05** · 12-23-2011, 09:50 AM

Originally Posted by Cyvet95

Nance was an excellent x's and o's guy but when Johnny was hired it was unbelievable!! Johnny was just a couple of years off of a final 4 appearance with Michigan. His going to ISU back then was the shock of the year. It put ISU on the map and no one could figure it out. I was in high school and happened to be home sick and they broke into the morning shows with the news. Imagine Thad Matta moving from Ohio State to Drake - it really was sort of like that. (Except that Drake had a lot more basketball tradition than the Cyclones back then.)

To relive some history - ISU's AD Lou McCollough called Orr to ask him about his assistant, Bill Frieder. Lou described the job to Johnny, what they could offer Frieder, and Johnny said, "Hey, what if I'm interested??" Johnny's coming to ISU was the single thing that put ISU on the path of becoming relevant. We had never been to the NCAA tourney at that point.

Actually, ISU made the Final Four when the NCAA tourney was in its early days in the 1940's.

**IowaSTATCyclone** · 12-23-2011, 09:52 AM

Originally Posted by cyman05

Actually, ISU made the Final Four when the NCAA tourney was in its early days in the 1940's.

Need to have the caveat that the national tournament at that time was the NIT.

**cyman05** · 12-23-2011, 09:53 AM

Originally Posted by IowaSTATCyclone

Need to have the caveat that the national tournament at that time was the NIT.

You're right. But its nice to say ISU has been to a Final Four.

**brett108** · 12-23-2011, 09:54 AM

Originally Posted by cyman05

Actually, ISU made the Final Four when the NCAA tourney was in its early days in the 1940's.

Now you are sounding like an Iowa fan, using success that preceded you by 30 years to validate the program.

**Cy Hard** · 12-23-2011, 09:55 AM

Originally Posted by Cyvet95

Nance was an excellent x's and o's guy but when Johnny was hired it was unbelievable!! Johnny was just a couple of years off of a final 4 appearance with Michigan. His going to ISU back then was the shock of the year. It put ISU on the map and no one could figure it out. I was in high school and happened to be home sick and they broke into the morning shows with the news. Imagine Thad Matta moving from Ohio State to Drake - it really was sort of like that. (Except that Drake had a lot more basketball tradition than the Cyclones back then.)

To relive some history - ISU's AD Lou McCollough called Orr to ask him about his assistant, Bill Frieder. Lou described the job to Johnny, what they could offer Frieder, and Johnny said, "Hey, what if I'm interested??" Johnny's coming to ISU was the single thing that put ISU on the path of becoming relevant. We had never been to the NCAA tourney at that point.

You mean except for the Final Four and other times when Gary "The Roland Rocket" Thompson played?

**cyman05** · 12-23-2011, 10:00 AM

Originally Posted by brett108

Now you are sounding like an Iowa fan, using success that preceded you by 30 years to validate the program.

I'm just saying that although ISU basketball was bad before Orr, it wasn't a wasteland. Look at Northwestern. They've never made the NCAA tourney still today.

**cykadelic2** · 12-23-2011, 10:06 AM

Originally Posted by Max57

ISU needed a spark -- Johnny provided that. Nance didn't. The crowds were always like this season's "break" crowds: a smattering of people and no energy.

They played a boring brand of BB. We had some decent players: Andrew Parker, Herkle Ivy.

Johnny came in played a faster style and won some big games and people started showing up. Kinda like CPR. :-)

Nance never coached Hercle Ivy but he did coach Andrew Parker.

Nance actually finished 2nd in the Big 8 twice during the 1978 and 1979 seasons. The 78 team had Parker, Frog Fowler, Dean Uthoff, Chuck Harmison and Charles Harris. Parker led the Big 8 in scoring but Harris was a weak link at PG. Nance never did have a strong PG at ISU and that hurt him. The wheels started to come for Nance during his last season. He lost touch with his players and Nance had some off-the-court personal issues that negatively affected his coaching. Things got real bad for Nance when Fowler got ****** at Nance during a game, ripped his jersey off and stormed off the court. At that point, Nance was toast at ISU.