[hawkeye12345]

It is all about talent right now.

Look, all of the players on the current roster appear to have the desire and effort to want to win but they simply don't have enough talent to get it done on a regular basis. In order for this team to win, all players need to contribute, and on nights like last night that just didn't happen.

Our C's are too short and not big enough to keep players from getting to the rim. McCabe hustles his butt off and I love the energy and power that he brings but he is not a C even on the best of nights. Olaseni is raw and Archie, well, he's Archie.

Our PF position is stocked with talent (White, Basabe, McCabe) and once we get a C that can actually hold down the middle these guys will start having career games on a regular basis.

Our Wings (White, Gatens, Marble, Oglesby, May) all bring something to the table but some are playing out of position most of the time, others can't play D, others are playing out of position, others are playing behind Sr's, while others can only jump. Next year White and Marble will be the wings and they are going to be damn good at it too. The C position will have a legit C, the PFs can rotate and bang (McCabe and Basabe), the PG is a legit D1 baller with depth.

Our PG play has a kid playing out of position and excelling on most nights with the other fighting through injuries. He shocked the world last year and received B10 honors but this year has gotten off to a slow start and his weakness (D) is showing. He's not a shooter but can get to the rim...the problem is, when he gets to the rim, who is he going to dish it to? If other teams guards are just as tall as your C then the mismatch just isn't there when a PG dribble penetrates. The opposing guards will just rotate down. If they kick the ball out, and it happens to go to a guy that can only jump then expect a pump fake or a shot that crashes off the iron. Advantage opponent.

This year has been a roller coaster ride. You knew it was going to be sketchy and if you didn't then you were just lying to yourself. We've had great wins, terrible losses and several close calls.

[1977Hawkeye]

This team has SOME talent, but it still has holes in it's roster. We need a true center, and more help at the PG position. Those two issues should be remedied by next year's class. But for now, this team's ceiling is still somewhat limited. Nobody can tell me that there is no issue at all with the current personnel.

This team can be competetive, but let's not also forget that 2 of our wins came in games where our opponents shot horribly from behind the 3 point line. I still give our team credit for getting those wins, but if Wisconsin & Minnesota just have even an average night shooting the ball, the Hawks are likely 1-7 in conference play.