***Official ISU vs. KSU Game Thread***

[Palmer]

Seriously!! I guess you didn't see Kelsey running off all of the screens most of the game and Karr or Hill face guarding her all game.

You are wrong.

Bolte was in the corner much of the game..standing around.

 

[Palmer]

Saw this one coming a mile away. 8 seed here we come. That's probably generous for this team as well.

Same story most every year ... lack of athleticism to create our own shots keeps ISU from getting over the hump year after year after year.

I'm happy with 22 wins out of this group because I'm not sure they are that good of a team.

Bill needs to find a couple difference makers pretty fast or the challenge to score is just going to get more painful that it already is.

Why cannot we recruit more athletic players? The big elephant in the room is why we don't recruit more African American athletes for the women's team.

just asking.

 

[Wesley]

Why cannot we recruit more athletic players? The big elephant in the room is why we don't recruit more African American athletes for the women's team.

just asking.

Unfortunately this is what he needs to do for recruiting to keep up with the Joneses.

 

[twistedredbird]

Why cannot we recruit more athletic players? The big elephant in the room is why we don't recruit more African American athletes for the women's team.

just asking.

hello, see next years class.

 

[jbhtexas]

Unfortunately this is what he needs to do for recruiting to keep up with the Joneses.

If you take a look at the last 5 years (and probably longer), in the Big 12, ISU's roster is generally physically smaller (not necessarily height but build) than the other teams. There are a couple of problems with that...

1) The game is now very physical, and players tend to get worn out at the end of the season from constantly fighting against stronger players.

2) While there usually is ample recuperation time between games during the regular season, that same amount of time is not afforded during tournaments, and the season happens to end with two tournaments. Being more physically worn down than your opponent is a significant disadvantage in a tournament format.

 

[mwwbbfan]

Why cannot we recruit more athletic players? The big elephant in the room is why we don't recruit more African American athletes for the women's team. just asking.

And then everyone will complain that they cannot shoot and are not as skilled. Unfortunately ISU and everyone else are looking for athletic, skilled players. As much as we love ISU Ames is not a destination that most high school kids dream of coming to and being in the middle of one of the smallest population states in the country make this an extreme challenge.

 

[gizzsdad]

Why cannot we recruit more athletic players?

This is not intended in any way as a slight to our student athletes, my wife and I have loved watching how hard our kids play year in and year out. We have been the least athletic team in the B12 for every year we have had season tickets, which is since 1998.

The successes of this program have been built, in order, by the following:

1) The incredible effort of our players - which is demanded by the coaching staff.

2) BF is clearly one of the best X and O coaches in the country - and has surrounded himself with a staff who completely buy in to his philosophy.

3) The support of one of the best and most loyal fan bases in the country.

The reason we have not been successful at recruiting elite athletes is very clear and very closely related to the number of transfers out we have seen the last 3-4 years - a fact which is largely denied/discounted by the Kool-Aid drinkers on this forum.

Implying closeted racism is not productive.

 

[Palmer]

This is not intended in any way as a slight to our student athletes, my wife and I have loved watching how hard our kids play year in and year out. We have been the least athletic team in the B12 for every year we have had season tickets, which is since 1998.

The successes of this program have been built, in order, by the following:

1) The incredible effort of our players - which is demanded by the coaching staff.

2) BF is clearly one of the best X and O coaches in the country - and has surrounded himself with a staff who completely buy in to his philosophy.

3) The support of one of the best and most loyal fan bases in the country.

The reason we have not been successful at recruiting elite athletes is very clear and very closely related to the number of transfers out we have seen the last 3-4 years - a fact which is largely denied/discounted by the Kool-Aid drinkers on this forum.

Implying closeted racism is not productive.

I was not implying this at all. Just curious as to why we have not made the same recruiting ties that other programs as ISU has.

 

[Palmer]

hello, see next years class.

I don't follow WBB recruiting that closely....I am just going off the past 15 years.

 

[Tornado man]

The reason we have not been successful at recruiting elite athletes is very clear and very closely related to the number of transfers out we have seen the last 3-4 years - a fact which is largely denied/discounted by the Kool-Aid drinkers on this forum.

You lost me - what is this reason that "is very clear?"

 

[mred]

You lost me - what is this reason that "is very clear?"

I'm pretty sure he's talking about how hard he works the team and his intensity as a coach.

 

[twistedredbird]

I don't follow WBB recruiting that closely....I am just going off the past 15 years.

All four of our recruits next year are either all or part African American. I think the diversity this brings the team will be huge. Moody and Williamson are both quick off the bounce and have an outside shot. I think both will be competing for starting positions in the guard court next year. Some say Moody was a big steal. Even though in the top 100, based off her senior year, some say that was a low ranking and ISU got a steal.

I don't know much about Ellis other than she is a physical wing with an outside shot as well.

Mays came to BB late, but has a huge upside. She is very physically strong, think Pop. Diamond in the rough.

I think the recruiting and this team are headed in the right direction. This is a rebuilding year with a lot of "fresh" faces into the system. Next year will be a telling year. And this year is not done people, the sky is not falling.

 

[BenEClone]

As much as we love ISU Ames is not a destination that most high school kids dream of coming to and being in the middle of one of the smallest population states in the country make this an extreme challenge.

This is a thought expressed in connection with all (possible exception of wrestling) sports. It suggests a self deprecating attitude and is very troubling to me. I attended school at ISU and I came from the east coast because ISU had what I wanted. We don't need "most kids", just our share. For this purpose let me resurrect an earlier notion inspired by the story of T.J. Otzelberger recruiting in New York City last week. Hoiberg intends to win a conference championship and a national champtionship. He recruits the best he can get where ever they are from. I suspect Johnson has the same ambition for VB. Pollard wrote down his goals for the department (important step in good goal setting). Perhaps all the coaches should do that.

"Most of us plateau when we lose the tension between where we are and where we ought to be." John Gardiner
​

 

[Three4Cy]

All four of our recruits next year are either all or part African American. I think the diversity this brings the team will be huge. Moody and Williamson are both quick off the bounce and have an outside shot. I think both will be competing for starting positions in the guard court next year. Some say Moody was a big steal. Even though in the top 100, based off her senior year, some say that was a low ranking and ISU got a steal.

I don't know much about Ellis other than she is a physical wing with an outside shot as well.

Mays came to BB late, but has a huge upside. She is very physically strong, think Pop. Diamond in the rough.

I think the recruiting and this team are headed in the right direction. This is a rebuilding year with a lot of "fresh" faces into the system. Next year will be a telling year. And this year is not done people, the sky is not falling.

Exactly - listening to the game Tuesday, Cindy Stein said Bill told her this was a "rebuilding" year, so to be honest it sounds like he expected some of this to happen.

 

[Three4Cy]

This is a thought expressed in connection with all (possible exception of wrestling) sports. It suggests a self deprecating attitude and is very troubling to me. I attended school at ISU and I came from the east coast because ISU had what I wanted. We don't need "most kids", just our share. For this purpose let me resurrect an earlier notion inspired by the story of T.J. Otzelberger recruiting in New York City last week. Hoiberg intends to win a conference championship and a national champtionship. He recruits the best he can get where ever they are from. I suspect Johnson has the same ambition for VB. Pollard wrote down his goals for the department (important step in good goal setting). Perhaps all the coaches should do that.

"Most of us plateau when we lose the tension between where we are and where we ought to be." John Gardiner
​

Men's recruiting vs women's recruiting are night and day.

As for Volleyball, look at the roster - our current players are from Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, and Nebraska. 2011 recruits are from Iowa and Missouri.

 

[Palmer]

All four of our recruits next year are either all or part African American. I think the diversity this brings the team will be huge. Moody and Williamson are both quick off the bounce and have an outside shot. I think both will be competing for starting positions in the guard court next year. Some say Moody was a big steal. Even though in the top 100, based off her senior year, some say that was a low ranking and ISU got a steal.

I don't know much about Ellis other than she is a physical wing with an outside shot as well.

Mays came to BB late, but has a huge upside. She is very physically strong, think Pop. Diamond in the rough.

I think the recruiting and this team are headed in the right direction. This is a rebuilding year with a lot of "fresh" faces into the system. Next year will be a telling year. And this year is not done people, the sky is not falling.

excellent...thank you for the info.

 

[mred]

It should also be pointed out that 3 of our 4 incoming recruits (and our one 2012 verbal) are from Texas. BF has made a big shift in his recruiting focus, and it'll be interesting to see how it changes ISU's style of play the next few years.

 

[mwwbbfan]

Men's recruiting vs women's recruiting are night and day.

As for Volleyball, look at the roster - our current players are from Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, and Nebraska. 2011 recruits are from Iowa and Missouri.

That was the part of my thought that I did not include. It is documented that most WBB players stay within 3-4 hours from home. THe biggest exceptions are the national type recruits and they are the ones that typically head to the so called Elite (UConn, Tenn Stanford) type programs. I also think that being the northern most school hurts all of the programs.

The big difference in men's and women's basketball is the lottery ticket of the NBA for the men. A lot of the high schoolers think that is where they will end up and will go wherever they think will help them get to the league and the millions of dollars associated with it. Fred has done a GREAT job of selling that so far as he should. Women are looking more for the college experience since the WNBA does not offer the same prestige or money that the NBA does. That is why Ames is a tougher sell for WBB than MBB.