Brands Interview

[ptomaselli]

I got the definite impression that Brands does not expect them all to come back. Marinelli said yes. Desanto said he is coming back. Eierman said that wrestling is his future and he will do what is best for his career. Since his future is freestyle.....who knows if he will come back to college. I am guessing not. Kem Dog? Great young man. If I had to guess.......I would say he is moving on.

If both Kemerer & Marinelli both come back, does Patrick Kennedy hit the Transfer Portal?

 

[Ja1339]

The Iowa fans on HR are celebrating the team title like the guy enjoying his wedding, then learns his nemesis tapped his girl after the rehearsal party 🤯

 

[PSUbluTX]

I got the definite impression that Brands does not expect them all to come back. Marinelli said yes. Desanto said he is coming back. Eierman said that wrestling is his future and he will do what is best for his career. Since his future is freestyle.....who knows if he will come back to college. I am guessing not. Kem Dog? Great young man. If I had to guess.......I would say he is moving on.

Eierman also announced he's coming back right after Marinelli.

Vanquished combatants predicting their return to glory and avengement over their conquerors immediately following a loss is a story as old as sport itself. I’m sure many other considerations, pressures, and life events in the weeks and months to come will trump current emotion and dictate who actually makes it back next year for Iowa (or any other team).

One other observation about Brands’ interview. He mentioned more than once that some of his guys won “pay-back matches” in this tournament. While I can imagine 20 year-old student athletes thinking this way, that seems like such an odd thing for the head coach of a major wrestling program to say. Contrast that with Nick Lee’s interview right after beating Eierman. No talk of pay back or revenge, just expressing gratitude at winning this time and refusing to speculate on whether he might win it next year. Man I love our guys!

 

[BTAvenger]

With all these older guys supposedly coming back for Iowa what does that say about their development of younger guys for the future? As a coach Brands should at least have one eye for the future.

 

[District four]

I watched Tom Brands’ interview. Seemed like a typical Brands interview to me. He rarely comes across as happy or satisfied in the clips I’ve seen over the years. He’s fierce and passionate and unapologetic about being so. I admire his credentials but find his personality off-putting and consider some of his public comments/behavior to be embarrassing to his University and team. There are others that love everything about him and Terry and I accept that as a reasonable difference of paradigm and opinion.

What struck me as interesting is that several of Brands’ responses in the interview suggest that he does not expect all his wrestlers to come back next year. Did anyone else get that impression?

I got the same impression. Sounded like he took a xanax before the interview. What I wouldn't have given for iowa to run terry out there for the interview lmfao etc etc. See what I did there? Lol

 

[RandyL]

As noted above, any statemtns about returning must be taken with a grain of salt.
To me Eierman looks really large for 141; another yr of pulling weight?
If he returns it may be at 149, regardless of Olympic weights.

 

[District four]

If both Kemerer & Marinelli both come back, does Patrick Kennedy hit the Transfer Portal?

Ok I'm saying it right now. There's no way all the iowa seniors come back. The more I think about it the more ridiculous it sounds. Even brands said there's a lot to think about. There's also something to be said about not redshirting the best team. Was he telling some of the seniors that young bucks coming in are better? Lots will happen in the next year. All I'm saying is there are a ton of young kids coming into the iowa lineup not sure they stick around if seniors stay

 

[82bordeaux]

Ok I'm saying it right now. There's no way all the iowa seniors come back. The more I think about it the more ridiculous it sounds. Even brands said there's a lot to think about. There's also something to be said about not redshirting the best team. Was he telling some of the seniors that young bucks coming in are better? Lots will happen in the next year. All I'm saying is there are a ton of young kids coming into the iowa lineup not sure they stick around if seniors stay

The one thing they need to do is make room for Kennedy. He is too damn good to sit for another year, although he does have a shirt to use. It will be a 4 year war with Carter and Patrick. The next Cenzo-Marinelli, Hall-Valencia.

 

[diggerpup]

With all these older guys supposedly coming back for Iowa what does that say about their development of younger guys for the future? As a coach Brands should at least have one eye for the future.

They know Spencer Lee is their present & future.

Tom & Terry know they need to squeeze every single drop out of his eligibility.

 

[Ian]

The one thing they need to do is make room for Kennedy. He is too damn good to sit for another year, although he does have a shirt to use. It will be a 4 year war with Carter and Patrick. The next Cenzo-Marinelli, Hall-Valencia.

They have a nice group behind a lot their top guns (four-five years in the room takes its toll) but there would appear to a noticeable drop off. They will be active for transfers. But nice kids to build on in Brands, Assad, Kennedy, Ybarra, and coming in are Henson and Ayala but no comparison to recent PSU, OkSt, and OSU classes.

 

[js8793]

Ok I'm saying it right now. There's no way all the iowa seniors come back. The more I think about it the more ridiculous it sounds. Even brands said there's a lot to think about. There's also something to be said about not redshirting the best team. Was he telling some of the seniors that young bucks coming in are better? Lots will happen in the next year. All I'm saying is there are a ton of young kids coming into the iowa lineup not sure they stick around if seniors stay

There aren't at any of the weights with seniors. Lee, Desanto, Eierman, Young, Bull, and Kem are all significantly better than what they have behind them. Only Kennedy would be close, but he's never even made 165 before and he's definitely not on Kem's level. He has a redshirt to use next year, so it's not that big a deal.

 

[ptomaselli]

Ok I'm saying it right now. There's no way all the iowa seniors come back. The more I think about it the more ridiculous it sounds. Even brands said there's a lot to think about. There's also something to be said about not redshirting the best team. Was he telling some of the seniors that young bucks coming in are better? Lots will happen in the next year. All I'm saying is there are a ton of young kids coming into the iowa lineup not sure they stick around if seniors stay

With DrakeAyala coming in I don’t know how Brands doesn’t show DeSanto the exit.

 

[matter7172]

Tom lives and dies with his guys.

Tell that to the guys at Virginia Tech he left flapping in the wind.

 

[js8793]

Vanquished combatants predicting their return to glory and avengement over their conquerors immediately following a loss is a story as old as sport itself. I’m sure many other considerations, pressures, and life events in the weeks and months to come will trump current emotion and dictate who actually makes it back next year for Iowa (or any other team).

One other observation about Brands’ interview. He mentioned more than once that some of his guys won “pay-back matches” in this tournament. While I can imagine 20 year-old student athletes thinking this way, that seems like such an odd thing for the head coach of a major wrestling program to say. Contrast that with Nick Lee’s interview right after beating Eierman. No talk of pay back or revenge, just expressing gratitude at winning this time and refusing to speculate on whether he might win it next year. Man I love our guys!

Y'all are stretching so hard to find things to complain about lol. Looking forward to next year. It took a near collapse for you guys to get within 15, but next year there won't be that room for error.

 

[js8793]

Tell that to the guys at Virginia Tech he left flapping in the wind.

Tell that to all the guys at Iowa State, his own alma mater, that Cael left flapping in the wind. They've never recovered.

Don't be stupid.

 

[82bordeaux]

Y'all are stretching so hard to find things to complain about lol. Looking forward to next year. It took a near collapse for you guys to get within 15, but next year there won't be that room for error.

Because that's the first time we have ever seen a near collapse...
Lather, rinse, repeat.

 

[emahoney22]

It is here

Thanks for sharing

 

[James P. Whitters III]

The one thing they need to do is make room for Kennedy. He is too damn good to sit for another year, although he does have a shirt to use. It will be a 4 year war with Carter and Patrick. The next Cenzo-Marinelli, Hall-Valencia.

If PK is an actual equal to Carter they won't need to make room next year. He will take the weight he wants. I have heard people say he is better suited for 165. The only time I saw him this year was against Labs in the Nebby dual, but he didn't look the part of a guy who will beat Carter half of the time. He is very good though. I could see JE go to 149 especially if Yani is at 141 along with Lee. I really wish Lee would move up to 149 to add a little more size for his freestyle run. BB would be a top contender at 141 next year.

 

[matter7172]

Tell that to all the guys at Iowa State, his own alma mater, that Cael left flapping in the wind. They've never recovered.

Don't be stupid.

Yeah. They remember that 1-14 season while Tom saved his best team for Iowa the next year so fondly. You shouldn't throw around the word stupid because it will bounce right back at you. Only an Iowa fan would attempt to equate what Cael did at ISU to what Brands did at VT.

 

[js8793]

Yeah. They remember that 1-14 season while Tom saved his best team for Iowa the next year so fondly. You shouldn't throw around the word stupid because it will bounce right back at you. Only an Iowa fan would attempt to equate what Cael did at ISU to what Brands did at VT.

Tom told them he would take the Iowa job if they offered it. They knew that when they hired him. Cael completely blindsided ISU and took 2 national champion recruits, including and all-time great, and another multi AA away from them just like Tom did. You can twist yourself into a pretzel to convince yourself it's different, but it's not. Both guys took the best opportunity available.

Again, don't be stupid.

 

[js8793]

If PK is an actual equal to Carter they won't need to make room next year. He will take the weight he wants. I have heard people say he is better suited for 165. The only time I saw him this year was against Labs in the Nebby dual, but he didn't look the part of a guy who will beat Carter half of the time. He is very good though. I could see JE go to 149 especially if Yani is at 141 along with Lee. I really wish Lee would move up to 149 to add a little more size for his freestyle run. BB would be a top contender at 141 next year.

Tbf, that was his first match as a true freshman against the 3rd best guy in the country. Starocci didn't look like a guy who could hang with Kemerer his first match after a full year in the room already. If Kennedy does stay at 174, it could be a great rivalry.

For those who haven't seen, here's their only meeting:



I'm really struck by how much Carter's motion on his feet has changed. He was much more of a grinder in high school.

 

[PSUbluTX]

Y'all are stretching so hard to find things to complain about lol.

Not a complaint, just an observation. But I can see how a Brands fan might be a bit sensitive about scrutiny of Tom and Terry's behavior.

For an interesting glimpse into their psyche read this from when they were competing: Sports Illustrated: The Brands Twins Live to Inflict Pain on the Mat. Here are a couple snippets from Tom and Terry's own words:

• Tom Brands: "When I get on top of an opponent, I want to rip out his arm and hand back a bloody stump. That might sound demented, but I thrive on the brutality of the sport. The object is to inflict intense legal pain."
• Brutal, savage, ruthless is how they described themselves on T-shirts at Iowa, where they won 295 of 311 matches and five national titles. "I'm motivated by an absolute hatred of losing," says Tom, his mouth tightening. It's a mouth that even in repose suggests a knowledge of cruelty.
• As a college sophomore Terry had to be restrained by teammates after a Wisconsin wrestler became ill and forfeited a match to him. "I wanted to grab him by the throat and strangle him," says Terry.

I'm guessing it's hard for the Brands to discipline DeSanto for what likely feels to them like perfectly rational behavior that would result in suspension/expulsion anywhere else.

Here's another gem from a Psychology Today article:

• While hyper-masculinity may build sports champions, it is the same characteristic that, according to researcher Grant M. Johnson of Brandeis University, has a significant correlation with self reported drug-use, drinking and driving, and sexual aggression. In a documentary by ESPN covering championship wrestling team Iowa Hawkeyes, Olympic gold medallist and assistant coach, Tom Brands, comments on one of his wrestlers’ losses matter-of-factly, saying “I don’t feel sorry for him,” as the wrestler breaks down in a hysterical cry.

So, complaining? Not at all. I would be if I were an Iowa fan. Loudly. But as it is, I'm simply glad the Brands boys and their wrestlers of the same ilk are all yours.

 

[dunkej01]

I watched the interview.

No doubt that there is some pride, relief, joy, and validation that the Hawks won the team title. Tom Brands grew up in Iowa; as an Iowa wrestling and Dan Gable fan; was a 3x champ for Iowa; assistant coach to both Gable and Zelesky at Iowa; and took on a lot when he left Va Tech to return to Iowa, and probably felt a sense of duty to the 3-4 guys who lost a year of eligibility for leaving Tech for Iowa. I can only think of one other coach (John Smith) in any sport- college or pro- who has so much of their life invested into the program they coach. Tom Brands really appears to welcome the heavy responsibility of delivering NCAA Championships to the wrestlers and fans of Iowa wrestling. And he did that - so there has to be some deep satisfaction, especially considering that they had to take the title from the other two programs and coaches that Iowa considers their peers (Ok State and Penn State). But, you could see it in his body language and hear it in his words that he is also feeling the emotional effects of the weekend.

I think most of us can agree that Tom Brands appears to get as emotionally-invested in his athletes, their matches, and the program as any coach out there. Not even knowing all of things that are going on behind the scenes, here are a few things- none of which are related to Penn State or Penn State going 4-for-4 in finals- that could certainly weigh heavy on him, even during a time of great achievement, that he is dealing with himself but also having to help each one of his athletes deal with:

- Two out of three finalists lost OT heartbreakers - as a coach, this has to hurt you because there's no doubt that it hurts the athletes. If they feel like they failed, then he feels like he failed because he is there to help them win those matches.
- Eierman transfers out of his home state program into Iowa, bumps Murin up (resulting in Murin not making AA), to finally win a title as a senior at the school he always dreamed of wrestling for, then loses in OT to a guy he beat two weeks ago. No doubt that Eierman is heart-broken and grappling with what to do next year.
- 6th-year senior Kemmerer, who showed faith in Iowa and was the first Young Guns wrestler to make the commitment to the Hawks and helped change the culture, does everything right throughout his career but loses in OT to a freshman he beat handily two weeks ago. No doubt that Kemmerer is heart-broken and grappling with what to do next year.
- One of the guys who also seems to do everything right and has had great success his entire Hawk career but has had disappointing NCAA tourneys, Marinelli, comes into the tourney as the #1 seed AGAIN, only to be upset AGAIN early in the tournament. Whether injured physically or emotionally, the pain is enough to have Marinelli withdraw from the tournament - probably a hugely troubling thing for a coach like Tom Brands to handle. Don't forget the heartbreak that Marinelli had to deal with only a year or two ago when his best friend died in a car wreck on his way to Iowa to witness the surprise engagement of Marinelli to the friend's sister, who also happens to be an Iowa wrestling manager. No doubt that Marinelli, a 5th year senior, is heart-broken and grappling with what to do next year.
- Austin DeSanto, who appears to be well-liked by his teammates for his work ethic and intensity, transfers into Iowa with a dark cloud as a result of his behavior, a short leash for bad behavior, and a bright spotlight on how the coaches would manage him. DeSanto has a huge tournament with a 3rd place finish and lots of bonus points, but has a WTF moment that leads to Iowa coaches having to ban him from coming back to the arena to accept his individual award or be part of the team award for fear of the wrestler being ejected and losing all of the team points he earned and costing Iowa the team title. That had to be a hard conversation for Brands to have and a hard thing for DeSanto to have to accept.
- His nephew, Nelson Brands, falls short of his goals and is one of only three wrestlers not to reach All American status - the other being Marinelli, who withdrew after his upset loss; and Murin, who was forced to bump up from his AA weight due to Eierman transferring in.
- Gable- who Brands has idolized all of his life- not being at the Championships for the first time in, probably, 55ish years (pretty sure I heard Gibbons mention that Gable was watching on TV from Florida).

Any one of those things on its own could take some of the luster off the 1st place trophy and subdue the celebration a bit.

Wrestling isn't like other sports due to the individual nature of the National Tournament - any one player in baseball, football, basketball, etc can have a bad game but still feel just as happy about the team championship as the players who had a great game. But wrestling...the goals of the guys at the top programs are individual championships first, which will help their team achieve success. Although the team can still achieve that success, the wrestler still feels the pain of falling short of reaching their goal and, in a weird way have a feeling of failing the dreams and sacrifices of themselves, family, coaches, etc. Sure, Tom Brands is a coach, but he'll always be a wrestler and he'll likely always see the NCAA Wrestling Championship Tournament through this lens. As he mentioned in the interview, unless they finish with 10 champs, he's going to feel some disappointment because he's going to have the guys he cares about feeling disappointed.

Sorry for such a looooonnnngggg post but it's just a very wordy way of saying that Penn State going 4-for-4 probably isn't the thing that had Tom Brands looking not as happy as some would expect the coach of the newly crowned NCAA Champ to look.

Sooooo....you are kinda say'n he had other things on his mind.

#blessyourfingers

 

[js8793]

Not a complaint, just an observation. But I can see how a Brands fan might be a bit sensitive about scrutiny of Tom and Terry's behavior.

For an interesting glimpse into their psyche read this from when they were competing: Sports Illustrated: The Brands Twins Live to Inflict Pain on the Mat. Here are a couple snippets from Tom and Terry's own words:

• Tom Brands: "When I get on top of an opponent, I want to rip out his arm and hand back a bloody stump. That might sound demented, but I thrive on the brutality of the sport. The object is to inflict intense legal pain."
• Brutal, savage, ruthless is how they described themselves on T-shirts at Iowa, where they won 295 of 311 matches and five national titles. "I'm motivated by an absolute hatred of losing," says Tom, his mouth tightening. It's a mouth that even in repose suggests a knowledge of cruelty.
• As a college sophomore Terry had to be restrained by teammates after a Wisconsin wrestler became ill and forfeited a match to him. "I wanted to grab him by the throat and strangle him," says Terry.

I'm guessing it's hard for the Brands to discipline DeSanto for what likely feels to them like perfectly rational behavior that would result in suspension/expulsion anywhere else.

Here's another gem from a Psychology Today article:

• While hyper-masculinity may build sports champions, it is the same characteristic that, according to researcher Grant M. Johnson of Brandeis University, has a significant correlation with self reported drug-use, drinking and driving, and sexual aggression. In a documentary by ESPN covering championship wrestling team Iowa Hawkeyes, Olympic gold medallist and assistant coach, Tom Brands, comments on one of his wrestlers’ losses matter-of-factly, saying “I don’t feel sorry for him,” as the wrestler breaks down in a hysterical cry.

So, complaining? Not at all. I would be if I were an Iowa fan. Loudly. But as it is, I'm simply glad the Brands boys and their wrestlers of the same ilk are all yours.

Lol, whatever you need to do to cope with second place is fine by me.

 

[dunkej01]

Tom told them he would take the Iowa job if they offered it. They knew that when they hired him. Cael completely blindsided ISU and took 2 national champion recruits, including and all-time great, and another multi AA away from them just like Tom did. You can twist yourself into a pretzel to convince yourself it's different, but it's not. Both guys took the best opportunity available.

Again, don't be stupid.

This argument so tiring.

Whether its coaching, tuba playing, your love life or an attorney most everyone chooses what is best for them or their family.

So how it's ok everywhere but sports is so annoying.

You get one shot at this thing called life. Make the most of it.

If you were that valued by your former "thing" they would have moved heaven and earth to keep you.

If they didnt recover after you left says more about them, than you in my opinion.

I would like to believe everyone and I mean everyone on here has improved their lives by leaving something else behind.

I plan to do it with a fishing hole in 2 weeks and it will put more than enough food on my table.

#perspective

 

[matter7172]

Tom told them he would take the Iowa job if they offered it. They knew that when they hired him. Cael completely blindsided ISU and took 2 national champion recruits, including and all-time great, and another multi AA away from them just like Tom did. You can twist yourself into a pretzel to convince yourself it's different, but it's not. Both guys took the best opportunity available.

Again, don't be stupid.

Clown. Cael took one wrestler from Iowa State's roster (his brother) and he got a sixth place finish one year. He took two *recruits* from ISU (Matt Brown is a real stretch because of the timing, btw) - young men who never even matriculated to ISU, much less joined the wrestling team. Other than that, he didn't disturb the roster at all.

In his first season at VT, Brands led the team to a record 16 dual meet wins. In his second and last season at VT, Brands held back the best wrestlers on the team so he could use them at Iowa afterwards and VT went 1-14 in duals. The program became a quick joke. They finished tied for 60th (60th!!) in the NCAA tournament the year after Brands left.

Cael's last year at ISU, ISU finished second at NCAAs. The year after Cael left, ISU came in third in the NCAA team race. I think it's pretty obvious that what happened afterwards to ISU was more a matter of Kevin Jackson doing a bad job than anything about Cael.

VT, on the other hand, finished so far out of the team race the year after Brands left they considered dropping the program. But, yeah, Cael's actions were much worse. 🤣 Talk about revisionist history. I'm not stupid, but you *are* delusional.

 

[Lion8286]

Tom told them he would take the Iowa job if they offered it. They knew that when they hired him. Cael completely blindsided ISU and took 2 national champion recruits, including and all-time great, and another multi AA away from them just like Tom did. You can twist yourself into a pretzel to convince yourself it's different, but it's not. Both guys took the best opportunity available.

Again, don't be stupid.

Hey, you made the statement that ”Tom lives and dies with his guys”. That statement was proven to be a lie by what he did at VT. You lost the argument, accept that, and move on.

 

[Chickenman Testa]

Lol, whatever you need to do to cope with second place is fine by me.

You guys are having a hard time coping with first place

 

[District four]

There aren't at any of the weights with seniors. Lee, Desanto, Eierman, Young, Bull, and Kem are all significantly better than what they have behind them. Only Kennedy would be close, but he's never even made 165 before and he's definitely not on Kem's level. He has a redshirt to use next year, so it's not that big a deal.

I honestly think the " we don't redshirt the best team" was not a side ways remark about penn state as some believe. In the context of what he was saying in that interview I got the impression that he was saying whoever is best on our team will go senior or not. What were your thoughts on that statement. Maybe I'm off base not sure

 

[82bordeaux]

I honestly think the " we don't redshirt the best team" was not a side ways remark about penn state as some believe. In the context of what he was saying in that interview I got the impression that he was saying whoever is best on our team will go senior or not. What were your thoughts on that statement. Maybe I'm off base not sure

Sorry 4: I think you missed it.

 

[a_mshaffer]

I honestly think the " we don't redshirt the best team" was not a side ways remark about penn state as some believe. In the context of what he was saying in that interview I got the impression that he was saying whoever is best on our team will go senior or not. What were your thoughts on that statement. Maybe I'm off base not sure

fair enough

 

[RoarLions1]

This argument so tiring.

Whether its coaching, tuba playing, your love life or an attorney most everyone chooses what is best for them or their family.

So how it's ok everywhere but sports is so annoying.

You get one shot at this thing called life. Make the most of it.

If you were that valued by your former "thing" they would have moved heaven and earth to keep you.

If they didnt recover after you left says more about them, than you in my opinion.

I would like to believe everyone and I mean everyone on here has improved their lives by leaving something else behind.

I plan to do it with a fishing hole in 2 weeks and it will put more than enough food on my table.

#perspective

Bump.

 

[js8793]

Clown. Cael took one wrestler from Iowa State's roster (his brother) and he got a sixth place finish one year. He took two *recruits* from ISU (Matt Brown is a real stretch because of the timing, btw) - young men who never even matriculated to ISU, much less joined the wrestling team. Other than that, he didn't disturb the roster at all.

In his first season at VT, Brands led the team to a record 16 dual meet wins. In his second and last season at VT, Brands held back the best wrestlers on the team so he could use them at Iowa afterwards and VT went 1-14 in duals. The program became a quick joke. They finished tied for 60th (60th!!) in the NCAA tournament the year after Brands left.

Cael's last year at ISU, ISU finished second at NCAAs. The year after Cael left, ISU came in third in the NCAA team race. I think it's pretty obvious that what happened afterwards to ISU was more a matter of Kevin Jackson doing a bad job than anything about Cael.

VT, on the other hand, finished so far out of the team race the year after Brands left they considered dropping the program. But, yeah, Cael's actions were much worse. 🤣 Talk about revisionist history. I'm not stupid, but you *are* delusional.

Revisionist history. Spencer Lee is the first true freshman Tom Brands ever wrestled. Metcalf, Borschel, and Slaton redshirted because that's just what was done at that time. Tom Brands didn't know he was going to be the head coach of Iowa a full year before it happened. It's a nice little story you told, but none of the guys he took with him were on the team his first year when they were good. He didn't hold anybody back out of some conspiracy to return to Iowa. Don't be stupid.

ISU did alright that first year because they had a bunch of older guys that didn't follow for their final year other than Cyler. For example, if Varner was a freshman (like Metcalf, Borschel, Slaton), he absolutely would have left too and for good reason. Once Cael's guys left in the next 2 years, it was all down hill because KJ couldn't attract talent. Just like it took Dresser a few years to start attracting new talent at VT.

Brands took 3 elite wrestlers away from VT. Cael took 4 from ISU (forgot about Andrew Long). That's the nature of the business. You can bet your last dollar that if Cael announced tomorrow he was taking the job at [insert school here], he'd be taking quite a few of the youngsters with him because they came here to wrestle for Cael, not because they like blue and white.

What we had was a situation where two schools wanted to upgrade their wrestling programs. They hired two elite coaches. Both coaches brought along a couple youngsters they had recruited to their previous school. Both coaches also brought national titles. There is nothing wrong with what either did.

 

[js8793]

This argument so tiring.

Whether its coaching, tuba playing, your love life or an attorney most everyone chooses what is best for them or their family.

So how it's ok everywhere but sports is so annoying.

You get one shot at this thing called life. Make the most of it.

If you were that valued by your former "thing" they would have moved heaven and earth to keep you.

If they didnt recover after you left says more about them, than you in my opinion.

I would like to believe everyone and I mean everyone on here has improved their lives by leaving something else behind.

I plan to do it with a fishing hole in 2 weeks and it will put more than enough food on my table.

#perspective

Totally agree.

Don't get why so many on this board are so bitter. You guys have dominated the last 10 years of the sport. 2 years in second doesn't change that and everybody knows you'll be back, if not next year, the year after. It won't kill you to give your opponents a little credit.

 

[District four]

fair enough

? I wasn't responding to you it was directed at the hawkeye fan but thanks for the input

 

[js8793]

I honestly think the " we don't redshirt the best team" was not a side ways remark about penn state as some believe. In the context of what he was saying in that interview I got the impression that he was saying whoever is best on our team will go senior or not. What were your thoughts on that statement. Maybe I'm off base not sure

I never even considered that it would be a sideways remark about PSU. PSU wrestles true freshman more than Iowa. I wouldn't read too much into it.

 

[matter7172]

I honestly think the " we don't redshirt the best team" was not a side ways remark about penn state as some believe.

Except Brands did exactly that (i.e. redshirted the best team) when he was at Virginia Tech and tanked the program. So again, the "truth" is very loose. The following seems pretty spot on from a VT perspective: https://virginiatech.sportswar.com/mid/8535121/board/vtwrestling/

 

[MikeDerukey]

The Iowa coaches, wrestlers, and fans have been waiting a very long time to win a team championship. Not only have they been fighting for a decade to win one but PSU and Cael have been running roughshod over the entire NCCA for the last decade. Cael Sanderson and Penn State dethroned Iowa and have become the gold standard over the last decade. Make no mistake about this, Iowa did not only want to win a team championship but they wanted to stick it to PSU and Cael in the process. I know their fans feel this way.

The problem is that Cael and Penn State completely overshadowed Iowa winning the team championship by dominating Friday and Saturday night. It sure doesn't feel like PSU was runner up. I feel like this team won. I imagine that even by winning the team title that Iowa and their fans might feel like they are still playing second fiddle to Cael and PSU after what PSU did on Friday and Saturday night, racking up 4 individual championships with two of them coming at the expense of Iowa. PSU and Cael are still getting nothing but positive attention and praise for what they did over the weekend. It seems like people are still paying more attention to PSU despite Iowa winning the team title.

I know that the Iowa program and fans are over the moon about winning the team title, but I believe there will always be a hole this year because they certainly did not stick it to Cael and PSU like they wanted to.

 

[James P. Whitters III]

The Iowa coaches, wrestlers, and fans have been waiting a very long time to win a team championship. Not only have they been fighting for a decade to win one but PSU and Cael have been running roughshod over the entire NCCA for the last decade. Cael Sanderson and Penn State dethroned Iowa and have become the gold standard over the last decade. Make no mistake about this, Iowa did not only want to win a team championship but they wanted to stick it to PSU and Cael in the process. I know their fans feel this way.

The problem is that Cael and Penn State completely overshadowed Iowa winning the team championship by dominating Friday and Saturday night. It sure doesn't feel like PSU was runner up. I feel like this team won. I imagine that even by winning the team title that Iowa and their fans might feel like they are still playing second fiddle to Cael and PSU after what PSU did on Friday and Saturday night, racking up 4 individual championships with two of them coming at the expense of Iowa. PSU and Cael are still getting nothing but positive attention and praise for what they did over the weekend. It seems like people are still paying more attention to PSU despite Iowa winning the team title.

I know that the Iowa program and fans are over the moon about winning the team title, but I believe there will always be a hole this year because they certainly did not stick it to Cael and PSU like they wanted to.

This is exactly true. My Iowa buddies lacked the swagger Sat. night. They still are very happy with the team title, but you expressed the mixed emotions perfectly.

 

[RoarLions1]

Totally agree.

Don't get why so many on this board are so bitter. You guys have dominated the last 10 years of the sport. 2 years in second doesn't change that and everybody knows you'll be back, if not next year, the year after. It won't kill you to give your opponents a little credit.

It's not that many really.