In 2018, a trio of underclassmen led the squad in sophomores Cook and Bohannon, and freshman Garza. Cook joined Greg Stokes as the only Hawkeyes to total more than 500 points and 200 rebounds their sophomore season, while newcomer Garza became just the fourth Hawkeye rookie in program history to score 400 points. Bohannon became the sixth Hawkeye in program history to total more than 400 points and 150 assists in a season and is the only Division I player to total more than 150 assists and 80 3-pointers as a freshman and sophomore over the last 25 years.
In 2016, McCaffery coached an Iowa team to heights that had not been seen in Iowa City in decades. The Hawkeyes were nationally ranked the final 12 weeks of the season, including ascending as high as No. 3 — its highest ranking since 1987. Iowa won five games over AP Top-25 teams. The Hawkeyes recorded back-to-back 12-win seasons in Big Ten play for just the third time in school history (1981-82 and 1987-88) and won an NCAA Tournament game in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1996-97. Additionally, Iowa swept Michigan, Purdue, and Michigan State (6-0) for the first time since 1954. Uthoff and Jok combined to average 35 points per game, Iowa’s third-highest scoring duo the last 40 seasons.
Individually, Uthoff became the fifth consensus All-American in program history. Jok’s game erupted garnering second-team all-conference honors as a junior.
In 2015, Iowa’s seven true road victories were the most by a Hawkeye team since 1987. And in the NCAA Tournament, McCaffery and the Hawkeyes posted the largest margin of victory ever in a 7/10 match-up, beating 10th-seeded Davidson, 83-52, in the second round. The 31-point win was the largest by any Hawkeye team in a postseason game.
McCaffery and the Hawkeyes have made Carver-Hawkeye Arena one of the most feared arenas to play in nationally. Fans have embraced McCaffery and his team’s style of play, with attendance increasing by more than 50 percent since 2010. The Hawkeyes won a school-record 18 home contests in 2013. Iowa won 13 consecutive home contests in 2019-20, its second-longest win streak inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena in a single season. The Hawkeyes have won 13 or more home games in each of the last six seasons (2019-24).
Under McCaffery’s direction, Iowa won 20 or more games four straight seasons (2013-16), the program’s longest streak in 15 years. The Hawkeyes accumulated 25 victories in 2013, which equal the second-most win total in school history (20 in 2014, 23 in 2019, 22 in 2015, and 22 in 2016).
McCaffery has served as head coach at four institutions: Iowa, Siena, UNC-Greensboro and Lehigh. The four teams had a combined record of 35-84 (.204) the season prior to his arrival. By year three, they had a total record of 89-45 (.664).
McCaffery came to Iowa following a five-year stint at Siena where he led the program to the best stretch in its 70-year history. It earned him entry into the Siena Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018. He led the Saints on an incredible run that ended with three straight conference championships and NCAA Tournament appearances. In so doing, Siena became the only program in the country to win its regular season and postseason title from 2008-10.
McCaffery’s Saints owned a 112-51 record in his five years with the program. After orchestrating the fifth greatest turnaround in Division I play his first year, McCaffery led Siena to a 20-win season and a MAAC Championship game appearance in his second season. In 2007-08, Siena took its biggest step forward under his direction, earning the MAAC regular-season and tournament championship, as well as an NCAA Tournament first-round win over Vanderbilt. In 2008-09, the Siena program enjoyed unprecedented success. Siena won the regular-season title by equaling a program record with 27 wins before capturing the tournament crown. The Saints went on to defeat Ohio State in double overtime in one of the tournament’s most exciting games.
In 2010, McCaffery led Siena to its fourth straight 20-win season, something never before achieved in program history. Siena ran away with the league title, clinching the No. 1 seed in the tournament and ultimately knocking off Fairfield in the MAAC title game.
The 2009 MAAC Coach of the Year is the third-winningest coach, by percentage, in league history (68-22, .756). He is the only coach to guide a MAAC program to two NCAA Tournament wins.
The 2008 season will also go down as one of the most memorable in Siena basketball history. McCaffery became just the 31st coach to take three different programs to the “Big Dance”, and he was the first to do so with three programs from one-bid leagues (conference’s that sent just one team the year his program advanced). Siena pounded Rider in the MAAC title game on its home floor to earn the MAAC’s automatic bid. Less than two weeks later, McCaffery put together the perfect game plan and Siena led from start-to-finish in a triumph over Vanderbilt. Many considered the victory the greatest in school history, challenged at the time only by the program’s 1989 upset of Stanford in the NCAA First Round.
Siena won 20 games in McCaffery’s second season (2007) and tied for third place in the MAAC with a 12-6 finish. McCaffery’s Saints were the highest scoring team in the league, and they peaked at the right time, winning seven of their last eight regular-season games and advancing to play for the league championship.
McCaffery’s first recruit — senior Kenny Hasbrouck — graduated as the most important player in program history. He was named MAAC Rookie of the Year as a freshman, MAAC second team and All-Tournament team as a sophomore, CollegeInsider.com Mid Major Player of the Year, MAAC first team and MAAC Tournament MVP as a junior and MAAC Player of the Year, MAAC Tournament MVP, NABC All-District and MAAC first team as a senior.
His second class is widely regarded as the best in program history. Edwin Ubiles, Alex Franklin and Ronald Moore finished their four-year careers with a 97-38 (.719) overall record, three MAAC Championships in four title game appearances, three-straight NCAA Tournament appearances and two NCAA Tournament first round victories. Ubiles was a two-time MAAC first team, NABC All District first team and MAAC Tournament team selection and the 2007 MAAC co-Rookie of the Year. Franklin, a two-time NABC All District selection, earned 2008 and 2009 MAAC second team and MAAC Tournament team honors. He won the 2010 MAAC Player of the Year award (Siena’s second straight) and the 2010 MAAC Tournament MVP. Moore, the pulse of the team, earned 2009 MAAC second team and 2010 MAAC first team honors as well as a spot on the 2010 MAAC Tournament team. He became the MAAC’s all-time assists leader in the 2010 MAAC Championship game.
In total, four Saints were named to either the first or second All-MAAC team in 2009, newcomer Kyle Downey was an All-Rookie selection and Clarence Jackson was named MAAC Sixth Man of the Year.
McCaffery took over at Siena from UNC-Greensboro, where he posted a 90-87 record in six seasons. In his first year at the helm, Greensboro placed third in the North Division. He guided the Spartans to the 18th-best improved record among NCAA Division I teams.
In McCaffery’s second season, he guided the Spartans to unprecedented heights with a 19-12 record and the 2001 SoCon Tournament Championship. The Spartans defeated Chattanooga in the finals and received the SoCon’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The following year (2001-02), McCaffery led the Spartans to their first 20-win season since joining the conference. It marked the first time the program claimed a share of the SoCon North Division title as well. After falling to eventual tournament champion Davidson in the conference tournament semifinals, the Spartans were awarded a berth into the 2002 NIT.
In his final year in Greensboro, McCaffery brought the Spartans to the brink of the NCAA Tournament before a SoCon Championship game loss to Chattanooga. He led UNCG to a victory over Davidson in the semifinals, defeating a team that had been 16-0 in conference play. A big part of that success was SoCon Freshman of the Year Kyle Hines.
McCaffery spent the 11 years prior to his arrival at Greensboro at Notre Dame as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, working on the staffs of Richard “Digger” Phelps and John MacLeod.
Among the players he recruited to play for Notre Dame were Pat Garrity, Academic All-American of the Year in 1998, and Troy Murphy, the Big East Player of the Year in 2000 and an eventual first-round NBA draft pick. Garrity was also a first-round NBA draft pick and the Big East Player of the Year in 1997. In addition to Murphy and Garrity, McCaffery was involved in recruiting NBA First Round picks LaPhonso Ellis (1992 Draft, No. 5 Denver), Monty Williams (1994 Draft, No. 24 New York) and Ryan Humphrey (2002 Draft, No. 19-Utah Jazz).
He helped the Irish to NCAA Tournament appearances in 1989 and 1990. Notre Dame reached the NIT finals in 1992 and advanced to the quarterfinals in 1997.
At 26, McCaffery was the nation’s youngest Division I head coach when he was hired on Sept. 11, 1985, at Lehigh. McCaffery capped his three-year tenure with the Engineers with a 21-win season and an NCAA berth in 1988.
In three seasons as head coach at Lehigh, he compiled a 49-39 overall record and guided the team to the NCAA Tournament in 1988. At the time, he was the youngest head coach to reach the NCAA Tournament. His Lehigh teams had two winning seasons in three years and the 1987-88 squad’s 21-10 record remains the best in program history. Lehigh had just four winning seasons in the 55 years prior to his arrival.
McCaffery was assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Lehigh from 1983-85 and helped the team to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1985. As recruiting coordinator, he helped sign Darren Queenan, who remains Lehigh’s all-time leading scorer. Queenan was second in the nation in scoring in 1988.
McCaffery was assistant varsity coach and head sub-varsity coach at his alma mater, Pennsylvania, during the 1982-83 season. At Penn, he worked for Craig Littlepage, who is now the director of athletics at the University of Virginia.
McCaffery lettered three years as point guard on the men’s basketball team at Pennsylvania as one of the first transfers to play for the Quakers. He earned a bachelor’s degree from The Wharton School of Finance and Commerce in 1982. In 1985, he received his master’s degree in education from Lehigh.
In three seasons as a player, he helped lead Penn to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances and Ivy League titles and one berth in the NIT. As a senior in 1981-82, he led the Ivy League in steals and assists and was voted the team’s Most Inspirational Player.
Recruited as the successor at point guard to Skip Brown at Wake Forest, McCaffery played one season at Wake Forest (1977-78), helping the Demon Deacons to a 19-10 record. Nicknamed “White Magic,” he started 11 games as coach Carl Tacy’s team finished runner-up in the ACC Tournament to eventual NCAA runner-up Duke. Wake defeated North Carolina twice in three meetings and won five of the eight games it played at the Greensboro Coliseum.
The McCafferys’ have been a champion for Coaches vs. Cancer and the American Cancer Society (ACS). The McCafferys’ have been actively involved with the Coaches vs. Cancer program and have raised significant funds to support ACS efforts, including more than $5.0 million since becoming Iowa’s head coach in 2010. His efforts were honored during the 2015 Final Four weekend, as McCaffery was honored with the Coaches vs. Cancer Champion Award. The distinction is awarded annually to a college coach who has been engaged vigorously in the Coaches vs. Cancer program’s fundraising, education and promotional initiatives and has demonstrated leadership in the fight to save more lives from cancer. The ACS awarded the McCaffery’s with the Fighting Spirit Award in 2015.
In addition to their work with the American Cancer Society and Coaches vs. Cancer, the McCaffery’s help spearhead the launch of a new Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Program in Iowa City.
McCaffery, a Philadelphia native who attended LaSalle High School, and his wife, Margaret, have four children: sons, Connor, Patrick and Jonathan and a daughter, Marit. Connor and Patrick played a combined 11 seasons for their father as Hawkeyes.
Fran McCaffery |
Born |
May 23, 1959 |
Hometown |
Philadelphia, Pa. |
High School |
LaSalle, 1977 |
College |
B.S. in Economics, The Wharton School (Penn), 1982
Master of Education, Lehigh, 1985 |
Family |
Wife, Margaret |
|
Sons, Connor, Patrick and Jonathan Francis |
|
Daughter, Marit Katherine |
|
Brother, Jack (sportswriter in Philadelphia area) |
Coaching Honors |
MAAC Coach of the Year, 2009 |
NABC District I Coach of the Year, 2009-10 |
Coaches vs. Cancer Champion Award, 2015 |
Coaching History (34 years) |
1982-83 |
Assistant Coach, Penn |
1983-85 |
Assistant Coach, Lehigh |
1985-88 |
Head Coach, Lehigh (youngest head coach in America at age 26) |
1988-99 |
Assistant Coach, Notre Dame |
1999-05 |
Head Coach, UNC-Greensboro |
2005-10 |
Head Coach, Siena |
2010-present |
Head Coach, University of Iowa |
Coaching Chart |
Overall |
531-368 (.591) – (28 seasons) |
At Iowa |
280-192 (.593) – (14 seasons) |
At Siena |
112-51 (.688) – (five seasons) |
At UNCG |
90-87 (.508) – (six seasons) |
At Lehigh |
49-40 (.551) – (three seasons) |
NCAA Tournament |
6-12 – (12 appearances*^) |
NIT |
7-5 – (five appearances) |
Preseason NIT |
1-1 – (one appearance) |
*McCaffery is the first coach to bring three different programs from one-bid leagues to the NCAA Tournament (conferences that sent just one team the year his program advanced). |
^With 20 wins and tying for fifth place in the Big Ten, Iowa likely would have competed in the NCAA Tournament; NCAA canceled the season on March 12 due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. |
McCaffery in Postseason Play |
1988 |
NCAA Tournament – – Lehigh |
1989 |
NCAA Tournament – – Notre Dame |
1990 |
NCAA Tournament – – Notre Dame |
1992 |
NIT – – Notre Dame |
1997 |
NIT – – Notre Dame |
2001 |
NCAA Tournament – – UNC-Greensboro |
2002 |
NIT – – UNC-Greensboro |
2008 |
NCAA Tournament – – Siena |
2009 |
NCAA Tournament – – Siena |
2010 |
NCAA Tournament – – Siena |
2012 |
NIT – – Iowa |
2013 |
NIT – – Iowa |
2014 |
NCAA Tournament – – Iowa |
2015 |
NCAA Tournament – – Iowa |
2016 |
NCAA Tournament – – Iowa |
2017 |
NIT – – Iowa |
2019 |
NCAA Tournament – – Iowa |
2020 |
NCAA Tournament canceled due to COVID-19 global pandemic |
2021 |
NCAA Tournament – – Iowa |
2022 |
NCAA Tournament – – Iowa |
2023 |
NCAA Tournament – – Iowa |
2024 |
NIT – – Iowa |
Playing Experience |
Wake Forest, 1977-78 |
Penn, 1979-82 |
Notable players recruited and/or coached at Iowa |
Kris Murray |
Sporting News, Associated Press, USBWA Third Team All-America; All-Big Ten First Team honoree (unanimous by media); Associated Press All-Big Ten First Team selection; John R. Wooden Award Semifinalist; Naismith Player of the Year Trophy Semifinalist; Lute Olson National Player of the Year Finalist; Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Finalist; NABC First Team All-District and USBWA All-District; Emerald Coast Classic All-Tournament Team; ESPN National Player of the Week and Big Ten Player of the Week (Dec. 5); only Division I player to average 20 points, 7+ rebounds, 1+ block and make 65+ three-pointers in 2023; ranked 21st nationally in points per game (20.2); first Hawkeye in 45 years to total 30+ points and 20+ rebounds in a game (Bruce King in 1977); netted double figures in 27 games, including reaching 20+ a team-best 15 times; totaled six double-doubles. |
Keegan Murray |
Posted numbers and accomplishments no other Hawkeye underclassman has achieved in 2022 as a sophomore; consensus first-team All-American; Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year; finalist for the John R. Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy, Lute Olson Award and Lefty Driesell Award; USBWA and NABC All-District; All-Big Ten First Team (unanimous); Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Player and All-Tournament Team; Academic All-Big Ten; six-time Big Ten Player of the Week (one of only three Big Ten players to earn at least six Big Ten Player of the Week honors since the weekly award was introduced prior to the 1981-82 season); broke the school single-season scoring (822), and field goals made (307) and attempted (554); accumulated 1,046 points in 66 games as a Hawkeye becoming just the fifth Hawkeye to reach over 1,000 career points in their first two seasons; amassed 822 points, 303 rebounds, 68 blocks, 66 3-point field goals, 52 assists and 45 steal; one of only two Big Ten players this century and eighth overall with more than 800 points in a single season; only the second player in Division I history to amass more than 800 points, 60 blocks, and 60 3-pointers in a single season (Texas’ Kevin Durant in 2007); first Division I player with more than 800 points and 300 rebounds with a field goal percentage of 55 percent or better in a single season since North Carolina’s Antawn Jamison in 1998; totaled a Big Ten Tournament record 103 points and 38 field goals made in four games in leading the Hawkeyes to their third tournament championship and first since 2006; tied a Big Ten Tournament single game record with eight made 3-pointers made (10 attempts), in 32-point outburst in win over Indiana; tallied 20+ points 26 times and 25+ points 16 times in 2022, both of which ranked first nationally; increased his scoring average by +16.3 points from the previous season, which is the largest points per game increase by a Big Ten player in 49 years; ranked first in the country in Player Efficiency Rating (37.8), fourth in points per game (23.5), 34th in field goal percentage (.554), 46th in blocks per contest (1.94) and 51st in double-doubles (10); his 23.5 points per game average was tops among players from a major conference and marked the third consecutive season a Hawkeye led the Big Ten in scoring (Garza in 2020 and 2021); only player nationally to average 23+ points and 8+ rebounds; reached 30 points a league-best five times; voted to the 2021 All-Big Ten Freshman Team. |
Luka Garza |
His No. 55 will be retired from the University of Iowa Men’s Basketball Program; Iowa’s only two-time Big Ten and National Player of the Year, including the 2021 Consensus National Player of the Year, winner of the prestigious John R. Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy, Oscar Robertson Trophy, Lute Olson Award, Senior CLASS Award, and Associated Press, NABC and Sporting News National Player of the Year; two-time Pete Newell Big Man of the Year, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year, USBWA District VI Player of the Year, and unanimous consensus first-team All-America; first Hawkeye in 52 years to earn Big Ten Player of the Year honors; broke Iowa’s single-season (747) and all-time scoring (2,306) records; only Big Ten player to ever amass 2,250+ points, 900+ rebounds, 150+ blocks, and 100+ 3-pointers; one of three Big Ten players over the last 50 years to average 23+ points and 8+ rebounds in consecutive seasons; averaged 26.2 points per game (2020), becoming the first player to average at least 26 points in Big Ten play since Purdue’s Glenn Robinson in 1994 (31.1 ppg); only player in program history with two 700-point seasons and four 400-point seasons; scored 20 points or more in a school-record 19 straight games; one of two players in program history to score 40+ points in two games; poured in a career-high 44 points at Michigan — the most points scored in a game by an Iowa big man, third most in program history, most by an opposing player in Crisler Center history; netted 41 points versus Southern University, the most points by a Hawkeye in Carver-Hawkeye Arena history; his 34 points versus Iowa State are the most points scored by a Hawkeye against the Cyclones. |
Peter Jok |
Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American and Senior CLASS Award All-American; became Iowa’s fifth player in school history to lead Big Ten in scoring, averaging 19.9 points per game; established new school free throw records in single-game makes (22), career percentage (.864), and single-season accuracy (.911); first Hawkeye in school history to make 80+ 3-pointers in two seasons; scored 30+ points five times, which tied for first among players from Power 5 conferences in 2016-17 and ties for third best in a single-season at Iowa since 1970; became the first Hawkeye to win the College 3-Point Championships; became the first Big Ten player to win at least one game in all 14 Big Ten arenas. |
Jarrod Uthoff |
Garnered the following honors as a senior in 2016: became Iowa’s fifth consensus All-American and first since 1952; named the Division I Men’s Basketball Academic All-American of the Year; unanimous first-team All-Big Ten honoree — Iowa’s first since 1997; one of only three Hawkeyes to amass 1,000 points and 150 blocked shots in a career; ranks 19th in Iowa career scoring, a feat accomplished in only three seasons; NABC and USBWA All-District selection; ranked second in the Big Ten in scoring (18.9) and first in blocked shots (2.6); first Hawkeye in 10 seasons to lead the league in rejections. |
Devyn Marble |
Garnered the following honors as a senior in 2014: second Team All-America by College Sports Madness, first-team All-Big Ten, NABC First Team All-District Team, USBWA All-District VI Team and named to the 2013 Battle 4 Atlantis All-Tournament Team. Marble was a third team all-league selection as a junior and named to the 2013 NIT All-Tournament team. He ranks fifth in Iowa career scoring (1,694, sixth in assists (397) and seventh in steals (176). The two-time captain is one of only two Big Ten players since 1985-86 to amass 1,675+ points, 375+ assists, 450+ rebounds and 175+ steals. |
Aaron White |
Garnered the following honors as a senior in 2015: first-team All-Big Ten, NABC First Team All-District Team, USBWA All-District VI Team and named to the 2014 2K Classic All-Tournament Team. Finished his illustrious career ranked second in Iowa scoring (1,859) and third in rebounding (901). Became the first Hawkeye to ever amass 1,800 points and 900 rebounds and lead the team in rebounding all four seasons. He made more free throws than any other Big Ten player the last 50 years, raking third in Big Ten annals with 618. |
Joe Wieskamp |
Joe Wieskamp became the first junior in program history to amass more than 1,250 points, 550 rebounds, 175 3-pointers, 100 assists, and 75 steals. A three-year starter, Wieskamp was a two-time All-Big Ten honoree and was recognized on the All-Big Ten Freshman Team. He left school ranking ninth in career 3-pointers made and 24th in scoring. Wieskamp was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs in the second round of the 2021 NBA Draft. |
Matt Gatens |
Second Team All-Big Ten in 2012; Named Honorable Mention All-Big Ten in 2010; 2009 Big Ten All-Freshman Team Selection; ranks sixth in Iowa scoring (1,635); ranks second in 3-pointers made (239). He us currently playing professionally in Turkey. |
Notable players recruited and/or coached as an assistant at Notre Dame |
Pat Garrity |
Big East Player of the Year 1997; second team All-America in 1998; Academic All-American of the Year in 1998 and a two-time Academic All-American; selected #19 in the 1998 NBA Draft by Milwaukee |
Troy Murphy |
Big East Player of the Year in 2000 and co-Big East Player of the Year in 2001; Big East Rookie of the Year in 1999; two-time consensus first team All-American and All-Big East honoree; selected #14 in the 2001 NBA Draft by Golden State |
LaPhonso Ellis |
Only Notre Dame player to lead the team in blocks each of his four seasons; Selected #5 in the 1992 NBA Draft by Denver |
Monty Williams |
Selected #24 in the 2002 NBA Draft by Utah |
Notable player recruited and coached at Lehigh |
Darren Queenan |
Co-East Coast Conference Player of the Year in 1987; Lehigh’s all-time leading scorer and ranked second in the country in scoring in 1988; one of the most prolific scorers in NCAA history, he is one of only eight players to have amassed 2,700 points and 1,000 rebounds; four-time first team all-conference honoree; Played 16 years professionally overseas. |
Mike Polaha |
1988 Sporting News All-American; Two-time All-East Coast Conference honoree (1987-88); only Lehigh player to score 1,400 points and have more than 400 rebounds and assists. |
Mike Androlewicz |
1986 first team All-East Coast Conference selection. |
Notable player recruited and coached at UNC-Greensboro |
Kyle Hines |
2005 Southern Conference Freshman of the Year; 2007 Southern Conference Player of the Year, becoming the first player from UNC Greensboro to earn the honor; All-American in 2007; three-time USBWA All-District selection; one of only four players to garner All-Southern Conference accolades; one of only six players in NCAA history to ever record 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 300 blocks in a career. |
Demetrius Cherry |
1999 Southern Conference Preseason Player of the Year; two-time first team all-league accolades |
Courtney Eldridge |
2002 All-Southern Conference honoree. |
David Schuck |
2002 All-Southern Conference honoree. |
Ronnie Burrell |
2005 All-Southern Conference honoree. |
Jay Joseph |
2001 Southern Conference Rookie of the Year. |
Notable Players Recruited and/or Coached at Siena |
Kenny Hasbrouck |
2006 MAAC Rookie of the Year; 2008 collegeinsider.com Mid Major Player of the Year; 2009 MAAC Player of the Year and NABC All-District. Hasbrouck, who has his number retired, was McCaffery’s first recruit at Siena. He became Siena’s first player to ever make an NBA roster when he signed with the Miami Heat as a free agent in 2010. Currently, he is playing overseas in Spain. |
Edwin Ubiles |
2007 MAAC co-Freshman of the Year; two-time NABC District 1 selection; 2010 first team all-league honoree; ranks third in all-time career scoring at Siena |
Ronald Moore |
2010 first team all-MAAC selection; led the country in assists, was a Bob Cousey Award finalist and an NABC All-District honoree in 2010, and is the MAAC’s all-time assists leader. |
What Others are Saying About Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery |
“Coach McCaffery adds a different flavor and is good for the Big Ten Conference. This an attractive program for highly skilled players. His system advocates putting the biscuit in the basket, putting points on the board. That’s fun. Fran has things going in Iowa City. He get talented players, not just because of his system but because he can coach.”
Gus Johnson – – College Basketball Analyst, FOX “Fran McCaffery has won at Lehigh, UNC-Greensboro, Siena and Iowa. His teams are enjoyable to watch with their style of play; he lets his kids play free. He has the Hawkeyes in the NCAA Tournament on a yearly basis.”
Doug Gottlieb – – College Basketball Analyst, CBS
“Fran McCaffery is a fine basketball coach, and an even finer person. He can teach the game, identify and attract talent, and he is a man of great substance and integrity.”
Jay Bilas – – College Basketball Analyst, ESPN
“Fran McCaffery is a great hire for Iowa. He was a great assistant coach and has done a great job in making Siena the Gonzaga of the east. He has brought back the traditions of Iowa basketball.”
Digger Phelps – – College Basketball Analyst and former Head Coach, Notre Dame
“Iowa made an outstanding choice. Fran McCaffery-coached teams are well coached and very well organized.”
Ronnie Lester – – UI All-American
“Fran is respected by his coaching peers, Coach McCaffery is a proven winner who rebuilt the Siena program in quick fashion by being a relentless recruiter who instilled an up tempo style that fans loved and players embraced. During the search process he expressed his vision for the future of the Hawkeye program, while understanding the proud tradition of University of Iowa Basketball.”
Bobby Hansen – – UI Final Four Member, 1980; World Champion, Chicago Bulls; Hawkeye Radio Network Analyst
“Fran is a tireless worker, who is going to go out and grind, and that’s someone Iowa needed. He won’t be afraid to say, ‘Hey, this guy is a top-10 recruit and we’re going after him because we’re Iowa’. That’s the way it should be. I want the program to be at the level where I chose Iowa over Notre Dame, Kentucky, Michigan and Michigan State. Fran is going to go out and do the work that he’s always done. He’ll identify kids he feels can take us to the next level.”
Kenyon Murray – – Iowa Hawkeye Lettermen (1993-96)
“The No. 1 thing about Fran, is that he has a great feel for the game, and, he understands players. Fran has a great knack for setting an offense and he is a great defensive coach. He has great relationships with his players. This is a great fit for Iowa and a great fit for Fran.”
John MacLeod – – Former Head Coach, Notre Dame and former Head Coach, Golden State
“I have been impressed with Coach McCaffery’s consistent success. His teams are well prepared and his development of players, particularly on the perimeter, fit in well in Iowa City.”
Shon Morris – – College Basketball Analyst, BTN
“Fran McCaffery is a good choice for Iowa and Iowa is a good choice for Fran.”
John Feinstein – – Sportswriter and author |