Re: Can't be much fun for the wrestlers
Quote:
Originally Posted by
cyfan9
As a freshman Jon was the 6 seed and finished 7th in 2008.
As a sophomore Jon was the 8 seed and finished 4th in 2009. I think he should have won the title that year. He lost in TB2 in the semis to the 12 seed King that went on to win it. IMO that was one of the more frustrating matches I have watched in a long time.
As a junior Jon was the 4th seed and lost in the round of 12. That was the tournament he got hurt (concussion) in one of his first matches and just didn't look right at all.
And as a senior he was the 1 seed that won the tourney. This was up at 174. IIRC, he had stated that the cut to 165 was hard and he felt much stronger at 174.
So to me, Jon was not "mired in the middle of the pack at his weight until he started wrestling under KJ". I think he did improve a lot between his junior year and senior year. In no particular order 1) I believe the disappointment of not being an AA his jr year and losing the potential to be a 4x AA was a huge personal motivation factor. Think he took his out of season workout regimine to a whole new level. 2) He spent a lot of extra time with TnT. 3) Think KJ provided a different coaching style and did improve his arsenol. 4) The weight cut was not as bad.
If a 6 seed, an 8 seed, and a 4th seed (and 2x AA before Sr year) is "middle of the pack" than PLEASE PLEASE give me 10 middle of the pack guys!
Thanks Cyfan9 for pointing out the facts. Reader was really good before KJ arrived. Sure KJ gets to say Reader won a title under him but how much did KJ develop Jon? I don't think enough to say without a doubt Jon wouldn't have won it without him as coach.
Re: Can't be much fun for the wrestlers
The wrestlers need a new Head Coach, ASAP.
Re: Can't be much fun for the wrestlers
Quote:
Originally Posted by
leroycyclone
The wrestlers need a new Head Coach, ASAP.
Ya Think...........
Re: Can't be much fun for the wrestlers
I believe the coach can only do so much. But if you ever wrestled, a lot of your development comes from your senior or upper classmate. Without those kind of guys in the room it will take more time to develop. And you just can't have one guy, but a multiple amount of them. For the light, middle and heavy weights. And those guys just haven't had those kind of guys in the room on a consistent basis. And I don't think any coach that ISU gets can come and change the program overnight. But in due time ISU will get better and be back on top.
Re: Can't be much fun for the wrestlers
without a quality coach the wrestlers won't do well either. Funny thing, I think ISU's new motto should be, "the place where you can send a talented hard working wrestlers, break them down until they question their desire and abilities.. the end."
Re: Can't be much fun for the wrestlers
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Bobby45
Ya Think...........
Yes. No need to wait any longer.
Re: Can't be much fun for the wrestlers
Quote:
Originally Posted by
psyclone51
They don't have a Jon Reader or Jake Varner on the team any more,....
and they won't anytime soon, which is why their mired in this horrendous downward spiral the last three years
Re: Can't be much fun for the wrestlers
I think what is most frustrating and disappointing is that there does not seem to be progress forward with the program or the wrestlers. In fact, it seems that ISU is going in reverse.
His first year, with what Cael left him, KJ managed to finish 3rd at the NCAA, and completed a very good dual meet season.
What has happened since then? In the last couple of years, the wrestlers (at least to me) do not appear to have much aggresiveness or stamina, and do not appear to be prepared to face their opponents.
KJ is a Olympic Gold medal winner, and a World Champion. Plus, he has a couple of excellent assistants. Maybe I am naive, but it would seem to me he should be able to do pretty well with recruiting, even against the Penn States and the Iowas. Also, there are fewer and fewer colleges with wrestling, which should mean that there is even more likelihood that ISU can get top recruits with less competition.
There are some good recruits.....but when I watched Meeks wrestle at the state championships, and then the other night......it did not look like the same wrestler at all. Yes, he is wrestling on the college level now, but he just did not look as agressive, as prepared, or as strong as he did in high school. How can that happen?
Something has to be done.....soon. This is a too proud and too tradition-laden program to just let it fail like this.
Re: Can't be much fun for the wrestlers
Now it is time for someone else to step up. Every school graduates leaders every year, it is up to the guys still in the room to develop that leadership.
Re: Can't be much fun for the wrestlers
I think Kyven and Michael Moreno are stepping up.
Re: Can't be much fun for the wrestlers
The only thing that Iowa State Wrestling had going for it in the past 10 years was Sanderson. When he left he took any chances of ISU ever having a competitive wrestling program with him. KJ was the only person that really wanted to come to ISU and he was the bottom of the barrel.
Re: Can't be much fun for the wrestlers
Bottom of the barrel is pretty harsh. He is an Olympic gold medalist and from our last National Champioship team and an AA. He has a staff the consists of a 4 time AA in Troy Nickerson. 2 World team members and AA from Iowa State in Trent and Travis Paulsen, and recently undefeated National Champ Jon Reader.
This staff is not bottom of the barrel and I think we are lucky to have these guys at Iowa State. I think there has been some growing pains, but I see improvements in this team from last year to this year.
Re: Can't be much fun for the wrestlers
Quote:
Originally Posted by
buf87
Bottom of the barrel is pretty harsh. He is an Olympic gold medalist and from our last National Champioship team and an AA. He has a staff the consists of a 4 time AA in Troy Nickerson. 2 World team members and AA from Iowa State in Trent and Travis Paulsen, and recently undefeated National Champ Jon Reader.
This staff is not bottom of the barrel and I think we are lucky to have these guys at Iowa State. I think there has been some growing pains, but I see improvements in this team from last year to this year.
Not all good wrestlers make good coaches, obviously.
Re: Can't be much fun for the wrestlers
And all good high school kids don't make good College wrestlers. We lost a big senior class KJ's 1st year and had some big recruits not pan out. We had about 30 kids in the room and now have around 50 kids. We have tried bring in some big name recruits and some didn't pan out, Joey Cozart is the 1st that come to mind, #29 in the nation overall. Destin McCauley is another that comes to mind. Both were suppose to provide immediate help.
Re: Can't be much fun for the wrestlers
My take on it is getting someone in there to drive these guys if that is beating them up one side and down the other or embarrassing them in front of the guys so they dont want it to happen again (making sure to know where each guys line is and not crossing it, which every good coach should know how to find it), and then telling them what they need to do in order to become national champions. Have guys showing them to go after the kill and not sit back on their heels. Keep attacking attacking attacking, and dont stop until you cant move or the other guy is humiliated. I know I will never be upset with a cyclone wrestler that is the aggressive one in the match but ends up getting pinned because he went after the guy but got caught (as long as it isn't something that could have easily been avoided)
I think the guys TnT, Reader and Nickerson are great to have in the room, we need to add another for the lower weight guys. Jackson maybe stop tweeting and start talking with the guys going over techniques and tape. And as been mentioned getting someone to step up and be the leader (we had varner, had reader, had sorenson) now looking like Kyven wants to but hasnt reached that role fully yet. Just a couple things I think and have already been mentioned that needed pointed out again.