Here's My Writeup on the Fran-Arkansas Story

InGoodCo said:
yep - everything seems off about it .... but NOTHING surprises me anymore in college athletics. Iowa will never make the dance this year. Nebraska will never hire Hoiberg. Fran will never leave Iowa for Arkansas. It's like god is watching over HN and says "hold my beer".
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Yep the world has gone to Schlitz. :D
 
I do love the idea of God watching over the Iowa athletic department specifically, and yelling, "hold my beer!" That is just too good.

Regarding Raveling, I can't recall cause it has been a while, but he was quite a bit younger when he left, right? But, I get the point. Mr. Davis inherited a stacked roster. George could recruit like no one else, Tom was one of the best bench/developmental coaches ever. Magic mixture for a couple years.

Regarding Fran being unhappy. Maybe. But is Arkansas the cure for what ails you? Ask Dana Altman. He took the job for one press conference, saw the inbreds at the presser, and ran back to a Missouri Valley team with his tail between his legs.

Fran and Arkansas. Just cannot see it.
 
ssckelley said:
I don't like to accuse anyone of lying but in this case he's opening up a huge can of worms confirming he's had discussions with Arkansas. I think it's in his best interest to not confirm it.

But nobody is blaming you, you are just doing your job and reporting what you're being told.
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He could have also said. Yes, they contacted me and I said no. Or maybe that he chased them off his lawn telling them they were cheaters. The latter would have been believable and nobody would be questioning it.
 
hawkinarkansas said:
after 9 years at Iowa, here are the numbers Fran has put up:

Iowa Hawkeyes (Big Ten Conference) (2010–present)
2010–11 Iowa 11–20 4–14 10th
2011–12 Iowa 18–17 8–10 T–7th NIT Second Round
2012–13 Iowa 25–13 9–9 6th NIT Runner-up
2013–14 Iowa 20–13 9–9 6th NCAA Division I First Four
2014–15 Iowa 22–12 12–6 T–3rd NCAA Division I Round of 32
2015–16 Iowa 22–11 12–6 T–3rd NCAA Division I Round of 32
2016–17 Iowa 19–15 10–8 T–5th NIT Second Round
2017–18 Iowa 14–19 4–14 T–11th
2018–19 Iowa 23–12 10–10 6th NCAA Division I Round of 32
Iowa: 174–132 (.569) 79–86 (.488)
Total: 425–309 (.579)


Is this really a coach that is going to move Iowa to the next level? He clearly is several rungs above Lick, but he has maxed out at Iowa given his body of work. I would not be the least bit offended if he heads to Arkansas
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This.
 
Sampson just inked a long term deal with Houston. Take him off the market. Makes things a bit more interesting. I am betting Alford. Arkansas and he deserve each other....
 
lightning1 said:
I second the notion that this won't happen. This is the Ol' Kirk Ferentz ploy to get Fran a raise. Nothing more. Nothing less. Except this time, Gutless Gary was smart enough to get the rumor mill started before the raise/extension is announced.
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So you’re suggesting Fran hired a private plane out of Arkansas to spend several hours at the tiny Iowa City airport, go on to Minneapolis, then Reno, then Van Nuys?

I don’t recall Kurt ever going that far.
 
NorthKCHawk said:
Sampson just inked a long term deal with Houston. Take him off the market. Makes things a bit more interesting. I am betting Alford. Arkansas and he deserve each other....
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Alford said he was "set for life" when he was at Iowa. He needs to forget about coaching, people don't like him because of the way he is, needs to focus on the Steve Alford Motel in Indiana.
 
RobHowe said:
He didn’t have to respond at all.

As I said to someone yesterday, others will have this take. If someone wants to say Fran is lying, that’s his choice. I can’t prove for you if he is or isn’t. I can just report what I’m told.
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You did your job asking him about the report and reporting what he said. HN thanks you.

My point was that coaches reported to be looking to move on are in difficult positions when asked about it.
 
NorthKCHawk said:
I do love the idea of God watching over the Iowa athletic department specifically, and yelling, "hold my beer!" That is just too good.

Regarding Raveling, I can't recall cause it has been a while, but he was quite a bit younger when he left, right? But, I get the point. Mr. Davis inherited a stacked roster. George could recruit like no one else, Tom was one of the best bench/developmental coaches ever. Magic mixture for a couple years.

Regarding Fran being unhappy. Maybe. But is Arkansas the cure for what ails you? Ask Dana Altman. He took the job for one press conference, saw the inbreds at the presser, and ran back to a Missouri Valley team with his tail between his legs.

Fran and Arkansas. Just cannot see it.
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I don’t know “Franarkansas” has a nice ring to it.
 
NorthKCHawk said:
Doubt candor to the media is in the bylaws.....
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I would agree.

I posted it because I found it interesting. I didn't submit as evidence that he's telling to truth.

Again, people will have their own takes. And I know there are plenty that think he's lying.

Here's what is says the Ethics Coalition is charged with :

  • Identifying ethical issues facing Division I men's basketball coaches and providing general guidance to coaches on possible ways to deal with those issues through educational and reference materials.
  • Providing leadership by “walking the walk and talking the talk” with regards to ethical conduct. The Coalition will be vocal in addressing ethical issues and affirmatively seeking to build a coalition of coaches committed to ethical behavior.
  • Acting as quasi-mentors and resources to other coaches on ethical issues and concerns. Coalition members are available to consult with other coaches on ways to resolve ethical problems.
 
If Fran stays and honestly I don’t see any reason for this story to have any merit to it, then Fran should considered either getting rid of one of his assistants or hiring another assstants to focus on nothing but Instilling defensive skills.

I can think of one coach who has the ability to teach defensive skills even to some of the most unathletic players. Plus he is familiar with the program and Iowa City area because he is a former Iowa coach. At least this would give him a chance to redeem himself for the undeserved millions he was paid as Iowa’s head coach. Did I mention he did instill strong defensive skills in our players. :rolleyes:
 
tweeterhawk said:
So you’re suggesting Fran hired a private plane out of Arkansas to spend several hours at the tiny Iowa City airport, go on to Minneapolis, then Reno, then Van Nuys?

I don’t recall Kurt ever going that far.
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I'm guessing that plane had nothing to do with Fran, as he was in Des Moines, apparently. Anything is possible, though.
 
JG10Hawk said:
Not saying he did but Fran could have met with Arkansas then headed to Des Moines.

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Is there a gas receit or gps spreadsheet that will document this?

If a guy is going to lie to Rob about it then it's no big deal to make up some fake trip to DM at COINCIDENTLY the VERY same EXACT time a private plane from Arkansas is in Iowa City!!!!!
 
JG10Hawk said:
Not saying he did but Fran could have met with Arkansas then headed to Des Moines.

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We have no details of where Fran was and when Monday, and Wetzel’s tweet is about as transparent as an Iowa country fog. It’s very possible he met with the Arkansas rep early afternoon, then drove to DM for an evening event.
 
If this is true, and only a few people likely really know one way or the other, but if it is, the reason for Fran considering options might be a simple one. (Occam's razor)
Often the easiest and quickest way to get a fat pay raise is to quit and take another job with somebody who really wants you. That's true in coaching just like it is for many other professions.
Good timing could be the icing on the cake with Patrick having not yet put down college roots and Ark being one of the top baseball schools for Connor.
 
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