I agree. The end of the Lick era was the lowpoint for Iowa bb since Dick Schultz...we are talking 40 some years,gang. When a program gets down that far, they can be cannon fodder for a decade or more. Iowa bb was on life-support and they were being measured for the casket. Fran had to to emergency resuscitation,and luckily was able to revive the fading patient.
Fran had little time to salvage this program,and he basically made zero mis-steps,anyone of which could have been fatal. Retaining Zach and Devyn,bringing in Melsahn, nailing Josh,and then grabbing Aaron and Gabe,and finally, securing Woody and Gesell....every recruit has panned out,above their rankings. He installed a style of play that attracted fans and recruits alike. He won some big games vs top 25 teams. He schmoozed the I Club folks. He recruited tirelessly and scored on the recruiting trail. He made the NIT and won a tourny game in Year 2.
Fran earned this contract by his performance. He had a two year probationary trial run,and he came thru with flying colors,unlike Lick.
He has shown a track record of turning around programs,and has Iowa on track for a major turnaround. He is the kind of coach you roll the dice on...it is a good gamble. And every coach is a gamble. Give me the guy who plays fast,talks fast,pitches his program fast,and wins fast. IU gave Crean 4 years to start to show some progress,and are now being rewarded. We have locked in Fran for the rest of his career,I think. Iowa has much better luck when they lock in longterm coaches in fb and bb.
Fran is one of those competitors who will never be satisfied,as he hates to lose. I like that kind of coach for the longterm.
