Patrick Mc

[Hawkfnntn]

Fran is a good but not great basketball coach. We hoped he would be great, but it wasn't meant to be. If we'd been going to Sweet 16s, Elite Eights, etc., we'd be overlooking his personality traits that don't give us the warm, fuzzies we'd like. Still, he's a good person, of that I have no doubt.

Both his sons that played at Iowa were good but not great basketball players. We hoped they might be better than they were. I always felt like Fran showed them favoritism as a dad coaching his sons. Not in overt terrible ways but in small, subtle ways; starting, minutes, playing at the end of a game when there might have been better options. But I don't blame him, I might have done the same thing. By all accounts they are both great people.

I do find it interesting that the McCaffrey family is circling the family wagons around Butler and Indy. Does anyone else sense that Fran and Margaret will end up there, it's just a matter of when?

Bottom line for me is, we should shed no tears for Fran and family. The University of Iowa has put them on very solid financial footing which should hold them in good stead for years to come. Fran has been a good representative of the Black and Gold and I will always respect him for that.

Couldn't agree more with all of this. Well said. I feel like we are just at the end of the line. There's nothing more Fran can do for the program and Iowa's fan base is done putting any expectations on him. Ideally Fran resigns at the end of the yr. But if he doesn't I hope Beth sits him down and they still make that happen. Cause otherwise what are we doing? This yr feels like he's just going through the motions. He's not happy being here his family is all but in Indiana anyway.

This isn't an ideal way to break up. It's really not. But how many are? One problem is his contract goes through 28. So there's some $ there on the table for him yet and Fran isn't gonna just forfeit that. Is 14-15 milly too much to buy him out? I wouldn't think so but it's not my $.

I hope guys like Matt Gatens on the staff has their resumes up to date and don't have their heads in the sand. I can't see Fran coming back next yr I just don't.

 

[BigD]

I think a clearly stated but not official “rule” was broken by some on HN. The position has long been that individual players are not to be targets of personal attacks. It is fine to comment that a player needs to improve, play better D, etc. But personal attacks? No. A warning or two, then no more HN membership. Just MHO.

Totally agree and have said it many times. Now with the NIL in place that will likely only get worse as with the big bucks comes bigger expectations. With bigger expectations comes bigger disappointments and with those disappointments comes bigger criticisms.

As college sports continues to go down this semi-pro philosophy these types of behaviors are going to snow ball.

 

[Fryowa]

Fran is a good but not great basketball coach. We hoped he would be great, but it wasn't meant to be. If we'd been going to Sweet 16s, Elite Eights, etc., we'd be overlooking his personality traits that don't give us the warm, fuzzies we'd like. Still, he's a good person, of that I have no doubt.

Both his sons that played at Iowa were good but not great basketball players. We hoped they might be better than they were. I always felt like Fran showed them favoritism as a dad coaching his sons. Not in overt terrible ways but in small, subtle ways; starting, minutes, playing at the end of a game when there might have been better options. But I don't blame him, I might have done the same thing. By all accounts they are both great people.

I do find it interesting that the McCaffrey family is circling the family wagons around Butler and Indy. Does anyone else sense that Fran and Margaret will end up there, it's just a matter of when?

Bottom line for me is, we should shed no tears for Fran and family. The University of Iowa has put them on very solid financial footing which should hold them in good stead for years to come. Fran has been a good representative of the Black and Gold and I will always respect him for that.

You can watch Fran courtside the past few years and you can tell he's checked out. He looks like an old man sitting on the porch waiting for his ride to the grocery store to get there. When the time comes, that dude will have 2 semi's in his driveway before the sun sets loading up and crossing the Mississippi never to return.

That said, he's been a great guy, really good coach, and run a clean program. His players for the most part would all take bullets for him. He did the most difficult thing on earth a coach can do...coach your sons in the most public way in the age of social media.

I love Fran, love the fire he used to have, and will miss the guy when he's gone. But he ain't a guy who's going to associate as being a Hawkeye after he's gone like Fry did, etc. He's gonna move on and his heart isn't in Iowa, it's in the state of Indiana. And I don't blame him. Having that guy here has been very much a net positive for the U.

 

[Fryowa]

Butler is a way better place to play college basketball. It's not even close, Iowa sucks. Who could blame anyone for going anywhere that isn't Iowa basketball? Who wants to play to no one, where even if you are good no one cares. Where even if you have all conference players and All Americans, no one really cares. It's sad and I hate it.

Iowa fans should all take in a Creighton game if they want to see how you don't have to be a blue blood to have a fantastic experience.

Better arena, better location, crowd is wild, public address is fun, student section has more than 19 people in it, concessions are great, easy in and easy out, nightlife and affordable hotels in every direction 60 feet out the door...

I love Iowa basketball like the rest of us and CHA is nostalgic for me, but it's time to give it to the wrestling program permanently since it's the Mecca of that sport anyway, and spend some money on resetting the basketball program before it's way too late.

 

[Grady]

Watched the Butler/N.DakotaState game a few nights ago. Butler was down by 23 in the 2nd half, and when PMac hit a 3 pter to aid in the Bulldog comeback, he reacted like he'd won the $100 million lottery! Unfortunately, with the game on the line, down by 2 pts, Butler got an offensive rebound, they threw it to a wide-open PMac for a trey to win the game with 2 seconds remaining....and his shot barely touched the front of the rim. Bulldogs lose by 2.

 

[Zstatman]

Don't forget that Fran has already lived in Indiana for 10 years when he was an assistant at Notre Dame. It's where he met his wife. He has history.

 

[Hawkfnntn]

Iowa fans should all take in a Creighton game if they want to see how you don't have to be a blue blood to have a fantastic experience.

Better arena, better location, crowd is wild, public address is fun, student section has more than 19 people in it, concessions are great, easy in and easy out, nightlife and affordable hotels in every direction 60 feet out the door...

I love Iowa basketball like the rest of us and CHA is nostalgic for me, but it's time to give it to the wrestling program permanently since it's the Mecca of that sport anyway, and spend some money on resetting the basketball program before it's way too late.

Love the idea... But where/how they gonna make that sort of thing happen? A new arena would be bonkers awesome but where's the $ gonna come from? Barta was the ultimate fund raiser I don't think Beth has shown she has the prowess for that just yet has she?