[rhoffs8]

I've heard a lot of talk lately about whether May should be logging minutes or not, so I'm wondering what everyone thinks, would we still have won if he had played tonight against Minn? One thing I think could have helped is his quickness, recovering on defense before they were able to get a good look at a 3 would have possibly made a difference but who knows, they weren't missing anything. Anyway, just curious to hear opinions.

[DuffMan]

Not to sound like a dick (though I know I will) let me be the first to say I don't give a ****.

[DeputyHawk]

What a stupid question to ask after a big win like this.

[rhoffs8]

I just want to see what other people think, are we a better team with him off the floor or not. It doesn't detract from the win at all.

[Husky28]

Originally Posted by rhoffs8

I just want to see what other people think, are we a better team with him off the floor or not. It doesn't detract from the win at all.

Who cares? They won.

[EddyP]

To answer your question I don't think it matters at all. He played against Minny the first time, Wisky, and Michigan.

[bcl20]

They would have won or lost.

[tm3308]

Originally Posted by rhoffs8

I just want to see what other people think, are we a better team with him off the floor or not. It doesn't detract from the win at all.

I think his point was that this isn't the time to invite the May-bashers to the party. Even if YOU'RE not calling him out, let's not invite others to do so tonight.

[rhoffs8]

Fair enough, apologies.

[DaDynasty]

Well let me chime in here... 100% can tell you they would've had a 50/50 chance of winning it. But my sources won't let me tell you who told me that. Take it fwiw

[rhoffs8]

If every game had 50/50 odds I'd make a living off sports betting.

[SayberHawk]

What would have been the outcome if I hadn't read this post...

Eric May has done nothing to hurt this program...ever. In any other four year period of Iowa Basketball, Eric would have been a solid sixth, seventh or eighth man providing killer defense, rebounding and an occasional offensive contribution. Eric May chose Iowa over a couple of other mid-major schools; not Duke, Kentucky, Louisville or North Carolina. The idea that anyone should expect Eric to magically turn into some first team all B1G player is disconnected from reality.

I know you can't compare history and I'm not comparing players , but to illustrate my point, imagine if fan favorite Kevin Boyle had played with the same team Eric has played with over the last three years instead of Ronnie Lester, Kenny Arnold, Steve Waite, Steve Krafcison, Vinnie Brookins, Bobby Hansen and Mark Gannon in 1980.

Do you really think that KB would have been Freshman of the Year or been able to contribute the way he did without that complement of players??? He started in 1978 and only got better as the team grew to a final four participant in his junior year. He only had two seasons where he averaged more than 10 points per game. As a senior he was named Iowa's Most Valuable Player...team captain...was named one of the nation's elite defensive players by Sports Illustrated. He also AVERAGED 6.9 points per game.

I would argue that not a single player on the roster for the last three years would have started on that team. If Kevin Boyle played with Eric's group he would probably be equally as ineffective offensively. But in that complement of players, Kevin played in a similar style with tenacious defense and intensity and an occasional offensive contribution and became an Iowa legend with a very similar game surrounded by a final four roster.


I personally think that anyone frustrated with Eric's play should transfer that frustration to the pathetic recruiting and coaching inflicted on us by Alford and Lickliter. Those are the guys that failed to recruit quality players or ran off the ones that were. I'm tired of all the Eric May discussion and think that anybody who is a knowlegable about Iowa Hawkeye basketball fan will realize that Eric has met or exceeded what should be more reasonable expectations. As a lifelong Iowan and Iowa Hawkeye fan, I feel terrible for a kid that realized a life long dream to play for Iowa Hawkeyes only to join a team that was poorly recruited, poorly coached and subject to several years of disfunction. Two or three years from now, I think Fran will be happy to recruit guys like ERic to come in off the bench and contribute rather than some of the puds we've had in the past few years.

From what I see, Eric is a terrific kid that plays his tail off every time he enters the game and as one of our Iowa kids I'm extremely happy he was given the privelege to play at Iowa rather than North Carolina, Kansas, Wisconsin or Creighton. Let's just hope the next Kevin Boyle or comes to Iowa with the opportunity to play with a team loaded with athletes rather than the group he's had to play with.

On another note...I feel the same way about Gatens and a few other guys....we finally get these blue-chip Iowa kids to stay at home and they are rewarded with three different coaches, a revolving door of players and nothing but crap from a lot of Hawkeye Nation posters that have no business offering an opinion, let alone criticizing these fine young Iowa kids. I'd much rather have a full roster of Eric Mays and Matt Gatens than Pierre Pierce, Aaron Fuller or any one of about a dozen kids that ****** their college and potentially pro career down their leg and leave our Iowa Hawkeyes with a permanent stain on our program.

Anybody that calls out or places blame on May, Gatens or for that matter any single one of the guys on the current squad does not deserve to be posting here. We've currently got about a dozen reasons to be optomistic with Fran as our passionate new coach and what appears to be a great group of young Fran recruits like White, Oglesby and all the others from his recruiting class this year and what looks like a talented class coming in next year. I for one will be watching with great interest to see if the Hawks can recapture some of the talent and passion of years ago when the Fieldhouse and CHA were sold out and rocking with some terrific teams --- I think we are on our way....

[tm3308]

Originally Posted by SayberHawk

What would have been the outcome if I hadn't read this post...

Eric May has done nothing to hurt this program...ever. In any other four year period of Iowa Basketball, Eric would have been a solid sixth, seventh or eighth man providing killer defense, rebounding and an occasional offensive contribution. Eric May chose Iowa over a couple of other mid-major schools; not Duke, Kentucky, Louisville or North Carolina. The idea that anyone should expect Eric to magically turn into some first team all B1G player is disconnected from reality.

I know you can't compare history and I'm not comparing players , but to illustrate my point, imagine if fan favorite Kevin Boyle had played with the same team Eric has played with over the last three years instead of Ronnie Lester, Kenny Arnold, Steve Waite, Steve Krafcison, Vinnie Brookins, Bobby Hansen and Mark Gannon in 1980.

Do you really think that KB would have been Freshman of the Year or been able to contribute the way he did without that complement of players??? He started in 1978 and only got better as the team grew to a final four participant in his junior year. He only had two seasons where he averaged more than 10 points per game. As a senior he was named Iowa's Most Valuable Player...team captain...was named one of the nation's elite defensive players by Sports Illustrated. He also AVERAGED 6.9 points per game.

I would argue that not a single player on the roster for the last three years would have started on that team. If Kevin Boyle played with Eric's group he would probably be equally as ineffective offensively. But in that complement of players, Kevin played in a similar style with tenacious defense and intensity and an occasional offensive contribution and became an Iowa legend with a very similar game surrounded by a final four roster.


I personally think that anyone frustrated with Eric's play should transfer that frustration to the pathetic recruiting and coaching inflicted on us by Alford and Lickliter. Those are the guys that failed to recruit quality players or ran off the ones that were. I'm tired of all the Eric May discussion and think that anybody who is a knowlegable about Iowa Hawkeye basketball fan will realize that Eric has met or exceeded what should be more reasonable expectations. As a lifelong Iowan and Iowa Hawkeye fan, I feel terrible for a kid that realized a life long dream to play for Iowa Hawkeyes only to join a team that was poorly recruited, poorly coached and subject to several years of disfunction. Two or three years from now, I think Fran will be happy to recruit guys like ERic to come in off the bench and contribute rather than some of the puds we've had in the past few years.

From what I see, Eric is a terrific kid that plays his tail off every time he enters the game and as one of our Iowa kids I'm extremely happy he was given the privelege to play at Iowa rather than North Carolina, Kansas, Wisconsin or Creighton. Let's just hope the next Kevin Boyle or comes to Iowa with the opportunity to play with a team loaded with athletes rather than the group he's had to play with.

On another note...I feel the same way about Gatens and a few other guys....we finally get these blue-chip Iowa kids to stay at home and they are rewarded with three different coaches, a revolving door of players and nothing but crap from a lot of Hawkeye Nation posters that have no business offering an opinion, let alone criticizing these fine young Iowa kids. I'd much rather have a full roster of Eric Mays and Matt Gatens than Pierre Pierce, Aaron Fuller or any one of about a dozen kids that ****** their college and potentially pro career down their leg and leave our Iowa Hawkeyes with a permanent stain on our program.

Anybody that calls out or places blame on May, Gatens or for that matter any single one of the guys on the current squad does not deserve to be posting here. We've currently got about a dozen reasons to be optomistic with Fran as our passionate new coach and what appears to be a great group of young Fran recruits like White, Oglesby and all the others from his recruiting class this year and what looks like a talented class coming in next year. I for one will be watching with great interest to see if the Hawks can recapture some of the talent and passion of years ago when the Fieldhouse and CHA were sold out and rocking with some terrific teams --- I think we are on our way....

If you want to blame Pierce, that's fine. But I don't blame Fuller for leaving.

[SayberHawk]

seriously..that's what you took away from that post?

[tm3308]

Originally Posted by SayberHawk

seriously..that's what you took away from that post?

Since I've already posted supporting essentially the same position you're taking, then yeah. I'm not going to address the points I agree with when I already posted in support of him.