Why I'm Worried. Convince me I'm wrong.

1977Hawkeye

1977Hawkeye

Well-Known Member
I am getting the distinct feeling that the rest of the Big Ten has just heaved a huge sigh of relief in regards to our latest hire. Obviously, that means I am extremely unimpressed and VERY concerned about this hire, but let me tell you WHY.

McCaffery landed his first coaching job at Lehigh in 1985. After three years, he took would some could argue was a step DOWN to be an assistant coach at another school. Red flag #1. At least it was at Notre Dame, though.

After spending 11 years at Notre Dame, McCaffery went back to the mid-majors, where he spent 6 years at UNC Greensboro, before moving on to Siena (another mid-major). Lateral move? Why move on to another job that isn't really a step up? Red flag #2.

Red flag #3, for those who keep saying that McCaffery has proven he has built multiple programs:
At Lehigh: 49-40 overall in 3 years
At UNCG: 90-87 overall in 6 years

Barely over .500 at the mid-major level doesn't really qualify as building programs, IMO. What he's done at Siena, yes. But not the Lehigh and UNCG jobs, at least judging by the record.

I will recognize that Siena has had success under McCaffery the past 3 years (five years at Siena all total). He's done a good job there.

Red flag #4: In 25 years in the coaching business (11 as an assistant, 14 more between Lehigh, UNCG and Siena), nobody (until now) from a high-major conference has seen fit to come along and hire away McCaffery, even if it was just a bottom feeding program. WHY?

What I need convincing of is this: Despite the past 3 years at Siena, how do I ignore the previous 11 years as a head coach, where he was only a little over .500 at the mid-major level?

Did we just hire Dana Altman lite? McCaffery looks like a lifetime mid-major guy who has just landed a Big Ten job.

Ok, maybe McCaffery will give me a big plate of crow in the next couple of years, and I really hope he does, because I don't want to see Iowa Hoops continue to struggle. But looking at McCaffery's complete resume makes me think that we will be looking for a new coach AND a new AD in 4-5 year's time.

I'll be back in November to cheer on McCaffery and the Hawks, but my stomach is churning right now.

Convince me I am wrong. I beg of you.
 
1977Hawkeye said:
I am getting the distinct feeling that the rest of the Big Ten has just heaved a huge sigh of relief in regards to our latest hire. Obviously, that means I am extremely unimpressed and VERY concerned about this hire, but let me tell you WHY.

McCaffery landed his first coaching job at Lehigh in 1985. After three years, he took would some could argue was a step DOWN to be an assistant coach at another school. Red flag #1. At least it was at Notre Dame, though.

After spending 11 years at Notre Dame, McCaffery went back to the mid-majors, where he spent 6 years at UNC Greensboro, before moving on to Siena (another mid-major). Lateral move? Why move on to another job that isn't really a step up? Red flag #2.

Red flag #3, for those who keep saying that McCaffery has proven he has built multiple programs:
At Lehigh: 49-40 overall in 3 years
At UNCG: 90-87 overall in 6 years

Barely over .500 at the mid-major level doesn't really qualify as building programs, IMO. What he's done at Siena, yes. But not the Lehigh and UNCG jobs, at least judging by the record.

I will recognize that Siena has had success under McCaffery the past 3 years (five years at Siena all total). He's done a good job there.

Red flag #4: In 25 years in the coaching business (11 as an assistant, 14 more between Lehigh, UNCG and Siena), nobody (until now) from a high-major conference has seen fit to come along and hire away McCaffery, even if it was just a bottom feeding program. WHY?

What I need convincing of is this: Despite the past 3 years at Siena, how do I ignore the previous 11 years as a head coach, where he was only a little over .500 at the mid-major level?

Did we just hire Dana Altman lite? McCaffery looks like a lifetime mid-major guy who has just landed a Big Ten job.

Ok, maybe McCaffery will give me a big plate of crow in the next couple of years, and I really hope he does, because I don't want to see Iowa Hoops continue to struggle. But looking at McCaffery's complete resume makes me think that we will be looking for a new coach AND a new AD in 4-5 year's time.

I'll be back in November to cheer on McCaffery and the Hawks, but my stomach is churning right now.

Convince me I am wrong. I beg of you.
Click to expand...


Ask Matt Painter and Thad Matta for their opinion on this. Siena played Purdue and Ohio State in the first round of the last two NCAA tournaments.

My guess is they won't look forward to playing us, given the distinct possibility that McCafferey will eventually have better talent at his disposal at Iowa than he did at Siena.
 
JDeMoney said:
Ask Matt Painter and Thad Matta for their opinion on this. Siena played Purdue and Ohio State in the first round of the last two NCAA tournaments.

My guess is they won't look forward to playing us, given the distinct possibility that McCafferey will eventually have better talent at his disposal at Iowa than he did at Siena.
Click to expand...

Just like Florida would tell you about Todd Lickliter's Butler team? I need more than this.
 
Fran & Sienna beat Thad Matta and Ohio State last year in the First Round of the NCAA tourney. The year before that, they beat Vanderbilt in the First round. He should be able to get better players than he had at Sienna to Iowa... so why not be optimistic!? I doubt Thad Matta or any other Big Ten coach is glad about this hire. They all had fun beating up on Lick and would have loved to see him stay.
 
JDeMoney said:
Ask Matt Painter and Thad Matta for their opinion on this. Siena played Purdue and Ohio State in the first round of the last two NCAA tournaments.

My guess is they won't look forward to playing us, given the distinct possibility that McCafferey will eventually have better talent at his disposal at Iowa than he did at Siena.
Click to expand...

Siena a 9 seed beat OSU in a down year for them as 8 seed. Is that really an upset?

Painter/Purdue beat Siena this year in the first round. Your point?

"McCafferey will eventually have better talent at his disposal at Iowa than he did at Siena." - Also said this about Lickliter (who at least had back to back Sweet 16 appearances and NCOY) and this turned out to be false.

I can see 1977Hawkeye's skepticism. I'm on board with this guy because he is a Hawkeye now but he is going to have to earn a lot of people's respect before praising him the savior of Iowa basketball.
 
JDeMoney said:
This just in ... There are no sure things in life.

Butler never beat Florida.
Click to expand...

Ok - let me spell it for you.

When Lickliter was our coach: "Just ask the rest of the Big Ten how they feel about playing a Lickliter coached team. They beat Indiana, Purdue, etc. etc."

Substitute McCaffery's name for Lickliter's name in the sentence above, and that is what you guys are telling me now.

There's a big difference between winning a tournament game or a non-conference game against a Big Ten team, and competing against those teams for 18-19+ games per year, and doing it from season to season.
 
HawkeyeRyno said:
Siena a 9 seed beat OSU in a down year for them as 8 seed. Is that really an upset?

Painter/Purdue beat Siena this year in the first round. Your point?

"McCafferey will eventually have better talent at his disposal at Iowa than he did at Siena." - Also said this about Lickliter (who at least had back to back Sweet 16 appearances and NCOY) and this turned out to be false.

I can see 1977Hawkeye's skepticism. I'm on board with this guy because he is a Hawkeye now but he is going to have to earn a lot of people's respect before praising him the savior of Iowa basketball.
Click to expand...

I've yet to read one post declaring McCafferey is a savior on this or any of the other boards. Mostly, what I am reading is equally divided between the cautiously optimistic and the "this hiring sucks" crowd.

I suspect if he wins, he'll have your respect. In the meantime, I doubt he really cares.
 
1977Hawkeye said:
Ok - let me spell it for you.

When Lickliter was our coach: "Just ask the rest of the Big Ten how they feel about playing a Lickliter coached team. They beat Indiana, Purdue, etc. etc."

Substitute McCaffery's name for Lickliter's name in the sentence above, and that is what you guys are telling me now.

There's a big difference between winning a tournament game or a non-conference game against a Big Ten team, and competing against those teams for 18-19+ games per year, and doing it from season to season.
Click to expand...

So, exactly who should Iowa have hired? Let's bottom line this thing.
 
JDeMoney said:
Ask Matt Painter and Thad Matta for their opinion on this. Siena played Purdue and Ohio State in the first round of the last two NCAA tournaments.

My guess is they won't look forward to playing us, given the distinct possibility that McCafferey will eventually have better talent at his disposal at Iowa than he did at Siena.
Click to expand...

Matt Painter coached at Southern Illinois for one year and then left to be assistant coach at Purdue.
 
1977Hawkeye said:
I am getting the distinct feeling that the rest of the Big Ten has just heaved a huge sigh of relief in regards to our latest hire. Obviously, that means I am extremely unimpressed and VERY concerned about this hire, but let me tell you WHY.

McCaffery landed his first coaching job at Lehigh in 1985. After three years, he took would some could argue was a step DOWN to be an assistant coach at another school. Red flag #1. At least it was at Notre Dame, though.

After spending 11 years at Notre Dame, McCaffery went back to the mid-majors, where he spent 6 years at UNC Greensboro, before moving on to Siena (another mid-major). Lateral move? Why move on to another job that isn't really a step up? Red flag #2.

Red flag #3, for those who keep saying that McCaffery has proven he has built multiple programs:
At Lehigh: 49-40 overall in 3 years
At UNCG: 90-87 overall in 6 years

Barely over .500 at the mid-major level doesn't really qualify as building programs, IMO. What he's done at Siena, yes. But not the Lehigh and UNCG jobs, at least judging by the record.

I will recognize that Siena has had success under McCaffery the past 3 years (five years at Siena all total). He's done a good job there.

Red flag #4: In 25 years in the coaching business (11 as an assistant, 14 more between Lehigh, UNCG and Siena), nobody (until now) from a high-major conference has seen fit to come along and hire away McCaffery, even if it was just a bottom feeding program. WHY?

What I need convincing of is this: Despite the past 3 years at Siena, how do I ignore the previous 11 years as a head coach, where he was only a little over .500 at the mid-major level?

Did we just hire Dana Altman lite? McCaffery looks like a lifetime mid-major guy who has just landed a Big Ten job.

Ok, maybe McCaffery will give me a big plate of crow in the next couple of years, and I really hope he does, because I don't want to see Iowa Hoops continue to struggle. But looking at McCaffery's complete resume makes me think that we will be looking for a new coach AND a new AD in 4-5 year's time.

I'll be back in November to cheer on McCaffery and the Hawks, but my stomach is churning right now.

Convince me I am wrong. I beg of you.
Click to expand...

+1,000

I don't think I could've said this any better myself. The minute I heard about this, I went and checked out his background myself and came to the exact same conclusions. Sure seems funny no other BCS level programs were interested in this guy until us. I hope I'm horribly wrong, but I think Barta whiffed big time on this hire.
 
1977, you are right about being worried.

I am terrified that this hire will set us back even farther.

What in the last 2 mid-major hires has Barta thinking that was the direction we should go?
 
JDeMoney said:
So, exactly who should Iowa have hired? Let's bottom line this thing.
Click to expand...

I get the feeling that unless I tell you Kirk Speraw or Dana Altman, that you will just say "Why would that coach come to Iowa?", so I won't even bother giving you names.

Let's just say that I think it shouldn't have been a lifetime mid-major guy. McCaffery was given his first head coaching job in 1985, and is just now getting a BCS level job.
 
What was Ferentz's record at Maine? Many successful people failed early on (if you define his earlier stints as failure) before being wildly successful. Sometimes people actually learn from their mistakes and improve from them.

Just look at Steve Alford.
 
masoncityhawkeye said:
1977, you are right about being worried.

I am terrified that this hire will set us back even farther.

What in the last 2 mid-major hires has Barta thinking that was the direction we should go?
Click to expand...


Set us back further than what? The worst record in the history of Iowa basketball?
 
1977, please look at the records of the teams he inherited prior to him taking over.

Also, Seton Hall and St. John's were apparently very interested in hiring him this year.
 
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