"Barz says he'll remain a Panther"

[DrewDog]

http://www.wcfcourier.com/articles/2006/03/29/news/breaking_news/doc442a8bba52c55010922847.txt

[BCPanther]

Man, is anyone else getting goosebumps on what Coach Jake can do here?? It is great to have another coach who is selling the great community we have here at UNI.

Do you realize that two years from now our startin frontline will go 6-8, 6-9, 7-1?? There's a first at UNI. With the athleticism of Koch and Barz we will look a lot like that Georgetown team that was a nightmare matchup for everybody!!

[UNIAlum95]

Unbelievable

This is great news. You almost never hear about a coaching change that doesn't shake up the recruiting class or veteran players. It certainly says a lot about Jake that all five are still coming here.

It continues to be a great time to be a Panther. What the heck were we so worked up about a week ago?

[ejacobson]

Thats what grooming a successor (who is a good coach to begin with) and keeping things in house do for you. The boat does not get rocked enough to spill people out.

Great news about Mr. Barz sticking with the Panthers, and kudos to coach Ben for beating down the recruiting trail in a timely fashion.

[Panthers to the Bone]

This is another example of what I have been saying about PJ Hogan. The man gets the recruiting job done. UNI fans will continue to appreciate him more and more.

[UNI Prof]

Barz could be another exciting player here at UNI. I'm really glad he's staying in the fold.

BTW,
I think he'll have a great time here.

[joecooll6]

Lets strike up the J-town fight song!

I get more and more excited about Coach J every day.

[joecooll6]

and

"Barz, a second-team all-stater this season by the Iowa Newspaper Association, averaged 17 points and nine rebounds per game this year. He plans to spend much of the summer in the weight room, hoping to gain 15 to 20 pounds"

attaboy

[CR Panther]

Wow, what a start for coach! He hit the streets hard and it paid off. My type of guy.

[Panthers#1]

I realize that this is a great start for our new coach. But I am ready to see how he coaches in a game. We know he can recruit but if you can't coach well in a game, it doesn't mean jack. I am assuming he is pretty good game coach, since he made a lot of decisions with McMoney, as well as a recruiter. I'm just ready to see if he can keep this Panther basketball team moving on to bigger and better things. I am pretty sure he can. At least I hope he can.

[panther2317]

I think what I like the most is that Coach Jake was such a large part of the decision-making process over the past few years. Mac gave him a lot of responsibility and that's going to pay off now in the future in my opinion.

I hope people give Jake their patience next season. I, for one, think he'll do great things, but we can't be ready as a fan base to toss him under the bus if the team comes out sluggish. I don't think they will...but they could lose a few games and I would hate to see the fans turn. (I've seen a few of us do that in the not so distant past and it's not pretty).

[SteinPizza]

I think what I like the most is that Coach Jake was such a large part of the decision-making process over the past few years. Mac gave him a lot of responsibility and that's going to pay off now in the future in my opinion.

I hope people give Jake their patience next season. I, for one, think he'll do great things, but we can't be ready as a fan base to toss him under the bus if the team comes out sluggish. I don't think they will...but they could lose a few games and I would hate to see the fans turn. (I've seen a few of us do that in the not so distant past and it's not pretty).

Agreed 2317, especially in conference play. Look at how much better the MVC will be next year, in theory at least. CU gets back Funk, SIU returns all five starters, Drake gets back Korver (and that huge Keita kid has yet to play to his potential), O'Bryant may not leave for the NBA, WSU & MSU are bound to be good, since they always are. We could finish .500 in conference play and still have a pretty good team. Everyone needs to give Coach Jake and staff a little slack next year.

[UNIAlum95]

A realistic goal is to finish in the top half of the conference. I really see that much improvement from the rest of the league. I would just love to see them in the 3 or 4 place come tournament time.

[panther2317]

Anywhere from 3 to 6 in the conference tournament will be ok as far as I'm concerned. We went ot the NCAA's this season as the #6 seed at Arch Madness. I'd be ok with having the opportunity to get to the semi-finals from the #3 vs. #6 game Friday night again in St. Louis.

[Marc Wigim]

Look at how much better the MVC will be next year, in theory at least.

Oh, man... the MVC will be SICK next year. Southern Illinois had NO SENIORS on their starting five, Creighton gets back Funk, they'll have Dotzler plus two studs coming in who were of national prominence, Wichita State will be pretty solid with what they have coming back, I've heard O'Bryant say he's not going anywhere, so Bradley will be a contender again, and UNI's "Fab Four" will make a bigger impact that most think. Winning the MVC next year would be a pipe dream, but a Top-3 finish should be a realistic goal. It could be another 4-bid or maybe 5-bid year for The Valley next year.