ANDREW FRANCIS NAMED TO IOWA BASKETBALL COACHING STAFF

storminspank

Justin VanLaere
http://www.hawkeyenation.com/basketball/coach-mccaffery-adds-francis-to-staff

April 8, 2010


ANDREW FRANCIS NAMED TO IOWA BASKETBALL COACHING STAFF

IOWA CITY, IA - - University of Iowa Head Basketball Coach Fran McCaffery has named Andrew Francis an assistant coach on his basketball staff. The hiring of Francis was announced Friday and becomes effective immediately.

“I am very happy to have Andrew be part of the Hawkeye basketball family,” said McCaffery. “I’ve worked closely with Andrew for three years and he is the complete package. He’s a tremendous coach and excellent recruiter. His scouting reports are incredibly thorough and his on-the-court teaching is spectacular.”

“I’m excited and honored to have this opportunity at a great institution like the University of Iowa,” said Francis. “I have met so many wonderful people during the interview process. It’s been a calming and welcoming feeling that I have received from everybody since arriving on campus. I felt welcome even before I got here. Being able to coach in such an incredible league like the Big Ten is exciting.”

Francis served the last three years on McCaffery's staff as an assistant coach at Siena. While on the Saints’ coaching staff, he helped guide Siena to three straight conference titles and NCAA Tournament berths, and four consecutive 20-plus win seasons. Francis helped coach six all-conference student-athletes, two Player of the Year honorees and the league’s Sixth Man of the Year.

He arrived at the Siena program after a two year stint at Villanova University, where he served as an administrative assistant/video coordinator on Jay Wright's staff.

While at Siena, Francis assisted in all aspects of the program, including: recruiting, player development and scouting.

A Brooklyn, NY, native, Francis joined the Wildcats' staff in August, 2005. He assisted the program in a variety of roles while directing the video operations of the basketball office.

Francis is a 1992 graduate of Brooklyn’s Abraham Lincoln High School. He played basketball at Fulton Montgomery Community College in Johnstown, NY, before completing his college career under Coach Sidney Green at Long Island University-Southampton. Francis graduated in 1998 with a degree in marketing and management.

After a knee injury ended his professional playing career, Francis became a volunteer assistant coach at Concordia College. From 2003-05, he served as the head women's coach at Mt. St. Vincent College, compiling a 26-27 record. In addition, he served as a volunteer assistant coach for the Westchester Wildfire of the United States Basketball League.
 
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A couple of things completely unrelated to the Hawkeyes--Francis was a senior at Lincoln High the same year that Stephon Marbury was a freshman and there was a book by Darcy Frey called "The Last Shot" written about their high school basketball team that year. I just did an online search of the book and the words "Andrew Francis," "Francis," and "Andrew" appear a total of zero times in the book. It seems weird to me that a whole book was written about the team he was on his senior year of high school and he was never mentioned.
 
Francis "offficial" Jess Settles will be next/soon. No idea who will be the third but (a) he will be older, senior to Francis & Settles, and (b) his name will not be Wayne Morgan: while McCaffrey may know him from the past, like him, all that, there is no way that the U of Iowa brings in a guy with his connections to Tarkanian.
 
Coach McCaffery Adds Francis to Staff | Hawkeye Nation

April 8, 2010

ANDREW FRANCIS NAMED TO IOWA BASKETBALL COACHING STAFF

IOWA CITY, IA - - University of Iowa Head Basketball Coach Fran McCaffery has named Andrew Francis an assistant coach on his basketball staff. The hiring of Francis was announced Friday and becomes effective immediately.

“I am very happy to have Andrew be part of the Hawkeye basketball family,†said McCaffery. “I’ve worked closely with Andrew for three years and he is the complete package. He’s a tremendous coach and excellent recruiter. His scouting reports are incredibly thorough and his on-the-court teaching is spectacular.â€

“I’m excited and honored to have this opportunity at a great institution like the University of Iowa,†said Francis. “I have met so many wonderful people during the interview process. It’s been a calming and welcoming feeling that I have received from everybody since arriving on campus. I felt welcome even before I got here. Being able to coach in such an incredible league like the Big Ten is exciting.â€

Francis served the last three years on McCaffery's staff as an assistant coach at Siena. While on the Saints’ coaching staff, he helped guide Siena to three straight conference titles and NCAA Tournament berths, and four consecutive 20-plus win seasons. Francis helped coach six all-conference student-athletes, two Player of the Year honorees and the league’s Sixth Man of the Year.

He arrived at the Siena program after a two year stint at Villanova University, where he served as an administrative assistant/video coordinator on Jay Wright's staff.

While at Siena, Francis assisted in all aspects of the program, including: recruiting, player development and scouting.

A Brooklyn, NY, native, Francis joined the Wildcats' staff in August, 2005. He assisted the program in a variety of roles while directing the video operations of the basketball office.

Francis is a 1992 graduate of Brooklyn’s Abraham Lincoln High School. He played basketball at Fulton Montgomery Community College in Johnstown, NY, before completing his college career under Coach Sidney Green at Long Island University-Southampton. Francis graduated in 1998 with a degree in marketing and management.

After a knee injury ended his professional playing career, Francis became a volunteer assistant coach at Concordia College. From 2003-05, he served as the head women's coach at Mt. St. Vincent College, compiling a 26-27 record. In addition, he served as a volunteer assistant coach for the Westchester Wildfire of the United States Basketball League.

But today is Thursday.
 
Tigger: I saw Jess over at CHA over the noon hour today in a suit and what also looked like a setup for a photo-shoot (several chairs lined up in front of one of the baskets). Also saw several others in suits as well, but from the mezzanine couldn't really tell who they were. There was a flurry of activity taking place at CHA, though.
 
Tigger: I saw Jess over at CHA over the noon hour today in a suit and what also looked like a setup for a photo-shoot (several chairs lined up in front of one of the baskets). Also saw several others in suits as well, but from the mezzanine couldn't really tell who they were. There was a flurry of activity taking place at CHA, though.

The women's team had a photo shoot.
 
Wow. If we really do hire Jess Settles as a fulltime assistant, I hope the last assistant is a dynamite recruiter. Nothing against Jess, but he has no experience and no meaningful recruiting contacts outside the state of Iowa.
 
We have to trust Coach Fran. He wouldn't hire Jess if he doesn't think he's a nice addition. I'm not buying this particular rumor however.
 
Wow. If we really do hire Jess Settles as a fulltime assistant, I hope the last assistant is a dynamite recruiter. Nothing against Jess, but he has no experience and no meaningful recruiting contacts outside the state of Iowa.


I have to agree, he would be last on my list of the former player's names that have come up since Fran has been hired.
 
A couple of things completely unrelated to the Hawkeyes--Francis was a senior at Lincoln High the same year that Stephon Marbury was a freshman and there was a book by Darcy Frey called "The Last Shot" written about their high school basketball team that year. I just did an online search of the book and the words "Andrew Francis," "Francis," and "Andrew" appear a total of zero times in the book. It seems weird to me that a whole book was written about the team he was on his senior year of high school and he was never mentioned.

The book is only focused on three or four players and much of it takes place during the summer. It wasn't really about the team, so it's not weird that he's not mentioned.
 
Welcome aboard Coach Francis.

I predict an even greater use of the phrase "lighten up Francis" in the future.
 
I just don't see what Jess Settles gets us?

Nice guy - good player. But there are high school players in Iowa that would not even know who Jess Settles is.
 
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