Iowa's realistic next coach

[socalhawk]

Part of me thinks it isn't going to matter who the coach is. Right now until athletes get under contract and there are caps (not going to happen anytime soon), you need to have big NIL money or you're screwed. Mike Krzewyrsizrewcszki couldn't do much with this team.

Until that happens, someone behind the scenes navigating the portal transfer market and making deals is more important than the coach all things equal. Recruiting and development take a back seat to that if you want to be in the top third of a P6 conference. Every team is going to be reshuffled each year and it's more about putting together a new squad as best you can every April.

You're going to have 2 kinds of coaches moving forward...the ones who are approaching medicare age, don't want to put up with the new bullshit and are either checked out or just retiring because of it (Fran likely fits both of these imo)...and the ones who know they have to hit free agency with a full head of steam every summer to put a new team together. Where before the best recruiting coaches who could spot high schoolers put the best teams together, now you have to be a businessman first. To do that they have to have a bunch of money and something to sell to those free agents such as facilities, perqs, and national exposure. Iowa doesn't really have any of that, so if there is a coaching change I don't think it's going to matter much who it is. I don't think all of a sudden Iowa is going to commit to a new or updated arena and allocate a bunch of money for players out of nowhere. We're just not a basketball school.

I do think that Fran has pretty much checked out. I know some people here have said it's not true, but let's be honest...there isn't much of the old Fran "fire" anymore. You can see it on the sideline and you can see it in the pressers. I don't blame him a bit; I mean, what is he supposed to do? Development or no development, every player has a talent ceiling and these guys Iowa has now are probably right at it. I'm confident enough in Fran's evaluation of talent to know that he can see the next iteration of Garza/Murray/Jok/Wieskamp/Marble/White/Uthoff but there's no way he's going to get them to come here, and even if he did they wouldn't stay. He knows that, and at that point where do you get your motivation from? If any of those guys were playing in 2025 they'd have fat bags of money from a blue blood waiting for them come summer. To be honest I'd be checked out too. It definitely takes a different breed of cat to coach in 2025

Spot on!

 

[InGoodCo]

There's a lot of talk on this thread about how Iowa isn't willing to put up $$ to keep bball players like they have done for football players. Does anybody have proof of that or is it just conjecture? I mean, it's logical to assume that both Freeman and Dix had some well-funded bluebloods come calling in the off-season, and there were rumors of Dix to Creighton. Do we know if Iowa paid them to stay on this year? If so, how much? Players he's recruited do seem to have a strong sense of loyalty to Fran, but maybe some players on Iowa's bball team are getting more NIL $$ than people think.
And other than Perkins, I can't think of another starting bball player who's left Iowa over the past two years for greener pastures -- and he was easily replaced.

The players love Fran, he runs and has run a great program. His retention even before NIL was pretty fricking good. I bet Isaiah Moss in hindsight got a bag, but yeah, most of them stayed loyal to Fran. That landscape is changing it’s time for a change regardless.

I think all of the guys are getting some NIL and if I had to guess, Payton, Dix and Freeman are getting the majority of Iowa’s. When you don’t have a large sum, hard to do much else but give you’re best payers the most $ and do what ever you can to supplement the others.

 

[InGoodCo]

And Fran’s going to tell them all to go get the best deal for you. That’s what he did, that’s what we all do

 

[Gibsonian]

Ding, ding, ding. It is really hard to come up with a list of viable candidates. People are suggesting guys like Porter Moser, and you shrug your shoulders, and realize that Goetz has to sell some shit, to get a potential rock star as the next head coach.

Fear shouldn’t drive decisions. Goals, long and short. Caution yes , fear no. Beth time

 

[trj]

Fear shouldn’t drive decisions. Goals, long and short. Caution yes , fear no. Beth time

I agree. But coming up with 5 viable names is really hard. Hence the point @InGoodCo was getting at. We are talking about Porter Moser having a landing spot before he gets run out of Oklahoma.

 

[1980HAWKFAN]

I just hope if Fran moves on Beth doesn't hire some douchey guy who wears a medium shirt when he should be in an extra large. Is that asking too much?

 

[BigD]

Well this has been a very interesting read.

One thing is for sure. If Fran is let go and the whole program crashes and burns then Fran will become talking points equal if not more than the Mr. Davis situation.

Last year was telling when I went to the Utah NIT playoff game. Something just didn’t feel right. Fran just seemed disengaged. There were some terrible officiating calls where I expected at least a mild Fran eruption. What did I see??? What appeared to Passiveness and indifference.

I was disappointed as I wanted to see a little of that competitive ere that we all know Fran to have. I thought to myself that it was just an NIT playoff game. Then I thought to myself again, no Fran is not a passive type of coach. Something’s up. Something seems wrong here.