Sunday Search: Fran McCaffery?
- Thread starter JonDMiller
- Start date
+1
Lavin's name is up every year for a open coaching job. Seven years later he still does not have one.
Gillispie, you boot a player from the team but want a coach with the same problem. Let somebody else pay him to see if he has recovered.
Knight?! He's 70. Today's kids don't like to be bullied. How'd he do at that Texas school? Nothing to special.
Turgeon, not interested.
I wonder where he will recruit from. On-line story said it was all from the tri-state area in New York. It would be nice if he still had that connection.
tiggerhawk
Well-Known Member
Problem with this view is that it is unlikely that the media are wrong in reporting that the guy already met with his team to tell them he is leaving. Not the kind of thing that is common among the many failings of the media: too easy to confirm from players, families, etc.
That tends to give authenticity to the story. Not much else confirmation.
HeneryHawk
Well-Known Member
Iowa has hired from Wichita State, promoted a Asst Coach, got one from Long Beach St(with ONE year's hc exp), Washington St, Stanford(after having a sparkling resume with BC and Lafayette), Sw Mo St, and Butler....how is it that the next coach HAS to be from the big leagues in order to be THE GUY? Part of hiring a guy is that the people/person doing the search click with the prospects, seeing a guy with a plan/vision, and has the fire and energy to do it(and Fran appears to have built programs, unlike Lickliter). I think a guy coming up through the ranks can be a very good thing, he may have the fire and chip on his shoulder to succeed, to go beyond(sometimes the guys who are big time simply take it all for granted and wont get their hands dirty and grind it out to build it up).
If it is McCaffery, then lets give him the chance to do it, give him the support he needs, and I certainly hope he comes out with fire and sells to the players and recruits, and then to the fans, and then endlessly promotes IOWA to get recruiting fired up, and assembles a top flight set of assistants that can also recruit and assess talent and can coach. It also is paramount to see a coach and his assistants build relationships with the players, where they feel an integral part of it all and want to play for the coach. We didnt see the fire, the salesmanship, the relationships, any of it from Lickliter, and its needed to succeed. He is a Philly guy, so is Bo Ryan, and the Philly guys are very passionate about hoops, I would think that is good.
I think its interesting to read about the wife and the fact that her fire may have effected his movement up the ladder, would it be incorrect that she is involved at is very supportive of her husband and his program? Are they the live it breathe it types?
Gregory seems a good choice to me, Drew too, but if McCaffery is it(as wikipedia confidently states), then lets wish him the best.
If it is McCaffery, then lets give him the chance to do it, give him the support he needs, and I certainly hope he comes out with fire and sells to the players and recruits, and then to the fans, and then endlessly promotes IOWA to get recruiting fired up, and assembles a top flight set of assistants that can also recruit and assess talent and can coach. It also is paramount to see a coach and his assistants build relationships with the players, where they feel an integral part of it all and want to play for the coach. We didnt see the fire, the salesmanship, the relationships, any of it from Lickliter, and its needed to succeed. He is a Philly guy, so is Bo Ryan, and the Philly guys are very passionate about hoops, I would think that is good.
I think its interesting to read about the wife and the fact that her fire may have effected his movement up the ladder, would it be incorrect that she is involved at is very supportive of her husband and his program? Are they the live it breathe it types?
Gregory seems a good choice to me, Drew too, but if McCaffery is it(as wikipedia confidently states), then lets wish him the best.
HeneryHawk
Well-Known Member
McCaffery's first recruit of note at Siena was a PG, and he was a PG as a player, so if he sees the need as being a PG or has one in mind that is his type of player, he will go after that first. Guys with PG mentality know its the key to the whole team and focus on that.
InNormwetrust
Well-Known Member
Has anyone else heard a rumor that BJ was in Carver all day yesterday finalizing plans, which was backed by the Carver family and almost every booster to have Rodell Davis and bring in a assistant from the Chicago Bulls organization... and then at the last second Barta goes and makes his own hire? Just wondering if anyone's heard this.
tiggerhawk
Well-Known Member
Whether it is a positive or a negative Ive no strong opinion about: IMO the first requisite of success as a Hawkeye coach is to be able to connect to Iowans, both players & coaches but also fans. Obviously it is not a mandatory requisite: no Iowa HS has a field hockey program, but the Hawkeyes are a national power because of strong recruiting on both coasts.
But you are pretty much wrong in your classification of which Iowa coaches have had strong Midwest roots. Truth is, that McCaffrey would come to Iowa with the least time as a Midwest resident in the history of the Hawkeye program (whether that matters, who knows?)
Davis was born, grew up, played HS & college basketball about 60 miles from Dubuque, then got his MA in Madison. Went to U of MD for his PHD in American History, where he was an assistant to Lefty Drissell. He took a job as a college history teacher in Pennsylvania, doubled as basketball coach, then went into full time coaching at Boston College, then to Stanford--all in a time span of about ten years. He then returned to the Midwest, to Iowa, where he has lived the 25 years.
Lute Olsen was born, grew up in North Dakota, played college ball there, then coached HS in ND before taking a HS job in California--which led to coaching juco & a one-year stint at Long Beach State. He came to Iowa, then left 8 years to take on the daunting challenge of winning in a long-time losing program in Tucson (the Olsons had never spent time in Arizona previously)--and if it had been up to his wife they would stayed in Iowa City.
Raveling is the ONE Hawkeye coach in the past 75 years who was not a native of Iowa or another Midwest state. But he came to Detroit, spent more than a decade as a highly successful HS coach before he was lured to Pullman, WA & then to Iowa. Basically, the guy's life has been a third on the East coast, fifteen years in the Midwest, about 15 years on the West Coast, the rest as a peripatetic shoe salesman taking up temporary residence from LA to NYC.
As a native Hoosier myself, who has lived long periods in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Chicago, Ohio, Nevada, Washington suburbs as well as Indiana, my take on this is that Indiana is a very, very different milieu than other Midwest states (like downstate Illinois, much of the state still reflects its settlement by southerners) while Iowans are very much like Minnesota, Wisconsin, the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas in lifestyles and attitudes.
Neither Hoosiers Alford nor Lickliter were "at home" in Iowa, and Iowans did not warm to either of them. My guess is that McCaffrey's time in South Bend is no more preparation for Iowa than their time in Indiana was for Lickliter & Alford.
Which will mean nothing if the guy has the personal qualities and outlook to quickly demonstrate empathy with the Iowans who he needs to win over.
Initial reports suggest that he is someone who can fit into the Iowa community and is a good match for what the U of Iowa wants in its coaches. I'm eager & curious to know how he makes out.
HeneryHawk
Well-Known Member
Thad Matta from Xavier and Butler (one year each)
Bo Ryan from UW-Milwaukee (for a couple of years, after a long time at UW-Platteville ...Div III)
Webber from S Ill
Painter from S Ill
Tubby from UK and Georgia(and where else earlier?)
Izzo was an asst at MSU for a long time, groomed to be the replacement for Jud
Crean an asst at MSU, then HC at Marquette
Chehalis...IDK?
Beilien...WV and where else?
Carmody...Princeton..and where else?
You know, this hardly looks like a conference that pulls in the big names to fill their HC positions.
Bo Ryan from UW-Milwaukee (for a couple of years, after a long time at UW-Platteville ...Div III)
Webber from S Ill
Painter from S Ill
Tubby from UK and Georgia(and where else earlier?)
Izzo was an asst at MSU for a long time, groomed to be the replacement for Jud
Crean an asst at MSU, then HC at Marquette
Chehalis...IDK?
Beilien...WV and where else?
Carmody...Princeton..and where else?
You know, this hardly looks like a conference that pulls in the big names to fill their HC positions.
parquet
Well-Known Member
His wife is from Minnesota and, just going on the NY Times story about her, if he gets along with her fine, he'll do ok with us Iowans.
hawks263344
Well-Known Member
You are certainly not alone. I realized this a long time ago. He was the first person I put on the ignore list back on the old site. Just don't even read his posts. One only grows more stupid reading his garbage.
HeneryHawk
Well-Known Member
There's an ignore list?
oifdeserthawk
Well-Known Member
Re: Actually, oifdeserthawk, you are whining.
I'm not whining. I am attempting to discuss my opinion with other open-minded individuals. Because I don't have a raging hard-on about this hire doesn't mean I am whining. Some of you Iowa fans need to stop patronizing anyone who doesn't share the same opinion as you.
I'm not whining. I am attempting to discuss my opinion with other open-minded individuals. Because I don't have a raging hard-on about this hire doesn't mean I am whining. Some of you Iowa fans need to stop patronizing anyone who doesn't share the same opinion as you.
Section136
Well-Known Member
Bump.
More evidence not to take this board's opinion on coaching hires.
More evidence not to take this board's opinion on coaching hires.
1977Hawkeye
Well-Known Member
Things are looking good so far, but Fran is still yet to officially get us to the promised land. We're 13-11 and tied for 8th place in the Big Ten as of today. There has been good progress, but there is still a lot of work to do.
Do you remember the "Give Lickliter A Blank Check" thread that was started in year 2 of Lick's tenure? A year later, fans were screaming for his head, and Lick was fired after setting a school record for losses.
That's not intended as a Fran-Lick comparison. All I'm saying is that it's a little bit too early to start rubbing people's noses in $h!t.
OUTofTOWNHAWK
Well-Known Member
I didnt know Fran was on Licks staff. Hmmm I geuss things do work out sometimes.
Section136
Well-Known Member
Also way too early to give up on Parker's chances of being successful as a DC, which a good number of people on here seem to be doing.
