2024 Cooper Koch: “I think Fran McCaffery is one of the Most Underrated Coaches in the Country in terms of Developing Players."

[Franisdaman]

Nice FREE story from Tom Kakert.

As you will read, Cooper could be making his college choice as soon as this fall.

Link: https://iowa.rivals.com/news/koch-eyes-fall-decision

 

[trippnschmidt]

shhhhh. that doesn't fit the personal agenda of a lot of our vocal fanbase.

 

[Hawktheworld]

Lol we don't hate Fran, just aware of his terrible game plans and lack of in game coaching. Naturally, I hope Koch comes to Iowa and Fran wins some tournament games.

 

[unoHawkeye]

Lol we don't hate Fran, just aware of his terrible game plans and lack of in game coaching. Naturally, I hope Koch comes to Iowa and Fran wins some tournament games.

Fran is a fantastic game planner but struggles to adjust in game when needed. Sounds like you hate him

 

[BBHawk]

Fran is a fantastic game planner but struggles to adjust in game when needed. Sounds like you hate him

In which games this year did the Iowa coaching staff struggle with in-game changes?

 

[LarryMullenJr.]

So being ready for a change or wanting to see improvements in a number of areas means a person hates Fran?

In other words EVERYTHING has to be polar and no middle ground.

 

[unoHawkeye]

In which games this year did the Iowa coaching staff struggle with in-game changes?

Off the top of my head, Richmond. We got a ton of open looks early but with threes not falling, we didn’t start attacking the paint until later in the second half. Posting Keegan up and feeding him down low was there all game long and we didn’t start going to it until it was too late

 

[littlez]

Lol we don't hate Fran, just aware of his terrible game plans and lack of in game coaching. Naturally, I hope Koch comes to Iowa and Fran wins some tournament games.

Lack of in game coaching. Honestly that’s just ridiculous. You’ve got a scout for a team, you have your style of play and you go play. Once the ball is tipped there’s just not that much in game coaching going on. There’s just not. You can tweak a few things on offense or go from man to zone or whatever but the players play. The coach prepares them. Watch Duke. How much in game coaching does coach K do? Not much.

 

[unoHawkeye]

So being ready for a change or wanting to see improvements in a number of areas means a person hates Fran?

In other words EVERYTHING has to be polar and no middle ground.

Actually, no. When you talk about Fran being a “terrible” game planner, and also unable to coach in game (so basically just a shitty coach in general) despite Iowa winning 20+ games the last four seasons and a tournament appearance in the last four seasons (would have been in in the COVID season), it’s clear that you lack objectivity and have a personal vendetta against him

If you’re ready to move on, that’s your prerogative. But let’s not create false narratives

 

[Jizzer]

Off the top of my head, Richmond. We got a ton of open looks early but with threes not falling, we didn’t start attacking the paint until later in the second half. Posting Keegan up and feeding him down low was there all game long and we didn’t start going to it until it was too late

[lays draw four card]

 

[perryhawk]

Lol we don't hate Fran, just aware of his terrible game plans and lack of in game coaching. Naturally, I hope Koch comes to Iowa and Fran wins some tournament games.

That says a mouthful right there.....a guy who's team won the B10 Tournament and 26 games (2nd most in school history) and using the terms "terrible game plans" and "lack of in game coaching"........just defies logic and leaves people wondering how someone could reach those conclusions.

I think I can state as a fact.....any coach who achieves what Fran has, not just this last year but through his career at the levels he has coached at, that uses the terms "terrible" and others like it to describe his abilities as a coach just doesn't get it.......there is just no credibility to that type of statement. Jebus

 

[DodgerHawki]

That says a mouthful right there.....a guy who's team won the B10 Tournament and 26 games (2nd most in school history) and using the terms "terrible game plans" and "lack of in game coaching"........just defies logic and leaves people wondering how someone could reach those conclusions.

I think I can state as a fact.....any coach who achieves what Fran has, not just this last year but through his career at the levels he has coached at, that uses the terms "terrible" and others like it to describe his abilities as a coach just doesn't get it.......there is just no credibility to that type of statement. Jebus

I've been critical of Fran in his tenure but this past season was a great job of coaching by him. Period. Yes, the loss to Richmond was excruciating but that doesn't mean he did a bad job as a coach this year.

He got the team to improve a lot as the season went on, made a huge change to the starting lineup and who was playing a lot (Bohannon to point, Perkins starting 2 guard), and it worked. There are individual decisions in games that can always be second-guessed, but pretty much everything that Fran did during games an honest person could say "I understand why he is doing that," even if you don't agree with it. Putting Perkins in a more prominent role and putting Bohannon back at PG improved Iowa drastically at 2 spots. That is hard to do mid-season.

It will always be gut-wrenching that this team lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament. It was the team most-equipped to make it to the Sweet 16 and beyond in Fran's tenure. Moreso than the Garza/Wieskamp team the prior year due mostly to Perkins' improvement. But it didn't happen. It doesn't mean Fran sucks or that he is absolved of blame for the first-round loss. Sometimes teams just play bad.

 

[IllQChawk]

Obviously Fran's had some good players along the way with White, Marble, Uthoff, Jok, Garza, and Keegan, all of them got better while at Iowa, but Fran has failed to completely fill the cupboard during any year that he's been at Iowa. When you can't even compete for a Big Ten Championship within a 14 team conference in a 12 year window, that there points to the reason Iowa has failed to advance past the 1 week of the NCAA Tournament.
Just think what Iowa could have been if Keegan had decided to return for his Junior year. Oh well, that's water of the dam now, but I'm excited to see Ahron, Tony, and Desonte operate in the back court.
We'll see, Fran has 5 1/2 months to work his magic on Mulvey to shore up the middle of Iowa's defense. Iowa can't go another year allowing other teams to have unimpeded lanes to the basket for easy layups and dunks. That killed Iowa last year. Rebraca, Kris, Connor or anyone else that is not Mulvey won't cut it playing positionless basketball against other teams that have legitimate centers.

 

[hooper56]

Fran is a fantastic game planner but struggles to adjust in game when needed. Sounds like you hate him

and yet we have heard several basketball analysts laud Fran for his changing defenses that serve to confuse the other team. They often will even change in the middle of the possession.

 

[Kurt Warner]

In which games this year did the Iowa coaching staff struggle with in-game changes?

Did you watch the last game

 

[hooper56]

Lack of in game coaching. Honestly that’s just ridiculous. You’ve got a scout for a team, you have your style of play and you go play. Once the ball is tipped there’s just not that much in game coaching going on. There’s just not. You can tweak a few things on offense or go from man to zone or whatever but the players play. The coach prepares them. Watch Duke. How much in game coaching does coach K do? Not much.

This is absolutely true.

 

[unoHawkeye]

and yet we have heard several basketball analysts laud Fran for his changing defenses that serve to confuse the other team. They often will even change in the middle of the possession.

Fran does a lot of things really well in game. His mixing defenses, press, and out of bounds plays all stand out. However his substitution patterns (which this season improved as the year went on) and late game sets sometimes don’t make a ton of sense

 

[littlez]

Did you watch the last game

And what should Fran have done in your opinion besides win the game?

 

[BBHawk]

Off the top of my head, Richmond. We got a ton of open looks early but with threes not falling, we didn’t start attacking the paint until later in the second half. Posting Keegan up and feeding him down low was there all game long and we didn’t start going to it until it was too late

Iowa attacked all game long. They just weren't successful, mostly because Richmond packed the paint and Iowa couldn't throw it in the ocean.

What other games? There must be at least a few for you and others to bring it up specifically. I just don't recall Iowa having that issue this year. They actually seemed to have better 2nd halves in most games where they were challenged and didn't take their foot off the gas on purpose.

 

[Kurt Warner]

And what should Fran have done in your opinion besides win the game?

Uh, how about pounding the ball inside because they couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. Tell Keegan to get down low and stay there and tell everyone else to get him the damn ball down low!! That was easy, any other questions?

 

[1inamillion]

Lack of in game coaching. Honestly that’s just ridiculous. You’ve got a scout for a team, you have your style of play and you go play. Once the ball is tipped there’s just not that much in game coaching going on. There’s just not. You can tweak a few things on offense or go from man to zone or whatever but the players play. The coach prepares them. Watch Duke. How much in game coaching does coach K do? Not much.

Baloney

 

[LarryMullenJr.]

Lack of in game coaching. Honestly that’s just ridiculous. You’ve got a scout for a team, you have your style of play and you go play. Once the ball is tipped there’s just not that much in game coaching going on. There’s just not. You can tweak a few things on offense or go from man to zone or whatever but the players play. The coach prepares them. Watch Duke. How much in game coaching does coach K do? Not much.

Coach K didn't do much in-game coaching.

I'll give you credit for not editing that to remove that comment.

 

[littlez]

Uh, how about pounding the ball inside because they couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. Tell Keegan to get down low and stay there and tell everyone else to get him the damn ball down low!! That was easy, any other questions?

Sure thing. How often did we just sit Murray in the post all season long? The answer was zero. He’s an all court player. He shoots the 3, he was a mismatch on the perimeter as he could go by you. Or pull up and shoot it. And according to his dad he also hurt his ankle. We lost. You want to blame Fran that’s fine. The players played poorly. We got dominated in the guard court. JBO was embarrassed on both ends. Their pt guard was the best player on the floor that day.

 

[HawkOn15]

Uh, how about pounding the ball inside because they couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. Tell Keegan to get down low and stay there and tell everyone else to get him the damn ball down low!! That was easy, any other questions?

What’s the plan when they go to double Keegan? They were already packing the paint which made post feeds nearly impossible.

 

[littlez]

Coach K didn't do much in-game coaching.

I'll give you credit for not editing that to remove that comment.

No desire. And especially the last 15 years when he was loaded with McDonalds All Americans. And that’s a compliment. His offensive system is not complicated, at all. He lets his players play, and he has better players in almost every game. He doesn’t make the game complicated. Lots of NBA stuff, lots of high ball screens and pick and rolls. It’s not football. You’re not sending in a play every time down the court. At least Duke isn’t.

 

[Kurt Warner]

Sure thing. How often did we just sit Murray in the post all season long? The answer was zero. He’s an all court player. He shoots the 3, he was a mismatch on the perimeter as he could go by you. Or pull up and shoot it. And according to his dad he also hurt his ankle. We lost. You want to blame Fran that’s fine. The players played poorly. We got dominated in the guard court. JBO was embarrassed on both ends. Their pt guard was the best player on the floor that day.

I never blamed Fran all that much. They just had a terrible game all around but I never really

saw them trying anything different when things weren't working (outside shooting). They seemed out of sorts the entire game.

I honestly think the different ball used made a difference and for the life of me don't understand why they don't use the same one ALL year. I never watched a whole lot of the tournament after the hawks lost but there seemed to bad a lot of bad shooting and low scores

 

[Franisdaman]

Fran struggles to adjust in game when needed.

In which games this year did the Iowa coaching staff struggle with in-game changes?

Off the top of my head, Richmond. We got a ton of open looks early but with threes not falling, we didn’t start attacking the paint until later in the second half. Posting Keegan up and feeding him down low was there all game long and we didn’t start going to it until it was too late

So, UNOHawkeye can only come up with one example (Richmond) yet has concluded that overall Fran struggles to adjust in game. Incredible.

And in UNO's one example, Richmond, Keegan was injured, which threw everything off. And shots that normally drop were simply not dropping in that game, but according to UNO, it was Fran who struggled during the game.

 

[TheTruthTheWholeTruth]

Sure thing. How often did we just sit Murray in the post all season long? The answer was zero. He’s an all court player. He shoots the 3, he was a mismatch on the perimeter as he could go by you. Or pull up and shoot it. And according to his dad he also hurt his ankle. We lost. You want to blame Fran that’s fine. The players played poorly. We got dominated in the guard court. JBO was embarrassed on both ends. Their pt guard was the best player on the floor that day.

Plus, and Kenyon confirmed this, Ke Murray wasn’t 100% against Richmond. I’m sure he wanted to do more but there were some physical limitations.

 

[Franisdaman]

Lack of in game coaching. Honestly that’s just ridiculous. You’ve got a scout for a team, you have your style of play and you go play. Once the ball is tipped there’s just not that much in game coaching going on. There’s just not. You can tweak a few things on offense or go from man to zone or whatever but the players play. The coach prepares them. Watch Duke. How much in game coaching does coach K do? Not much.

Agreed.

That's why @unoHawkeye 's comment where he said that Fran struggles to adjust in game was also ridiculous.

 

[Franisdaman]

So being ready for a change or wanting to see improvements in a number of areas means a person hates Fran?

In other words EVERYTHING has to be polar and no middle ground.

Actually, no. When you talk about Fran being a “terrible” game planner, and also unable to coach in game (so basically just a shitty coach in general) despite Iowa winning 20+ games the last four seasons and a tournament appearance in the last four seasons (would have been in in the COVID season), it’s clear that you lack objectivity and have a personal vendetta against him

If you’re ready to move on, that’s your prerogative. But let’s not create false narratives

Interesting that you are calling @LarryMullenJr. out. Larry never mentioned Fran's ability or inability to coach in game; that was another poster. And then you hypocritically state that Larry was the one creating false narratives when you are doing the same damn thing.

And speaking of being a hypocrite and just simply wrong, did you forget that it was you who commented that Fran struggled in game?

After all, this is what you wrote:

Fran is a fantastic game planner but struggles to adjust in game when needed. Sounds like you hate him

 

[HawkLogic]

So if Koch really believes what he said and wasn't just spouting niceties like polite people do + he is Iowa Legacy, we should be seeing him sign with Iowa.

Fran's uptempo system should also make Iowa a more attractive destinatione then say a Wisconsin and lead to Iowa surpassing Wisconsin as a program. With Fran's superior coaching/development, this should mean after 12 years, Fran is on cusp of some Sweet16 NCAA or better runs and competing for a B1G regular season title through the last weekend of season.

I am definitely rooting for Fran's success in accomplishing metrics that would set him apart from just littlw bit above average. I know 12-8 in B1G is beyond Elite for some, but it really is just 2 games beyond 10-10, which is average.

 

[unoHawkeye]

Gotta love this board. On one hand, you have folks like @BBHawk and @Franisdaman who seemingly believe that Fran, Kirk, *insert Iowa coach or player here* is going to ascend straight to heaven upon his passing and has never erred in his entire life. On the other hand, you have folks like (too many to count) who are insistent that Fran has done nothing for this program, is a terrible coach, and every success is because of the players basically overcoming his shittiness…

Then there are those who are Fran fans (I’m a big one) who want to have honest conversations about Iowa basketball, what we do well, and where we come up short, that constantly get shut down from both sides. Fuggin laughable

Franisdaman and BBHawk, I know that one of you is retired and the other is incapable of finding more than a minimum wage job posting tweets on an Iowa website, but I actually work and don’t have time to post every single game that I have disagreed with a Fran in-game substitution or playcall. However, I have vocalized, on this site, my disagreement in several games with 1) Fran forgetting about players on the bench (which he himself has admitted to) 2) letting his point guards like Mike Gesell or Jordan Bohannon milk the clock in late game situations and then take bad shots with rarely positive results, and 3) Fran’s tendency to start milking the clock with <10 point leads with more than a few minutes to go. Fran makes mistakes. Bye.

 

[BBHawk]

Gotta love this board. On one hand, you have folks like @BBHawk and @Franisdaman who seemingly believe that Fran, Kirk, *insert Iowa coach or player here* is going to ascend straight to heaven upon his passing and has never erred in his entire life. On the other hand, you have folks like (too many to count) who are insistent that Fran has done nothing for this program, is a terrible coach, and every success is because of the players basically overcoming his shittiness…

Then there are those who are Fran fans (I’m a big one) who want to have honest conversations about Iowa basketball, what we do well, and where we come up short, that constantly get shut down from both sides. Fuggin laughable

Franisdaman and BBHawk, I know that one of you is retired and the other is incapable of finding more than a minimum wage job posting tweets on an Iowa website, but I actually work and don’t have time to post every single game that I have disagreed with a Fran in-game substitution or playcall. However, I have vocalized, on this site, my disagreement in several games with 1) Fran forgetting about players on the bench (which he himself has admitted to) 2) letting his point guards like Mike Gesell or Jordan Bohannon milk the clock in late game situations and then take bad shots with rarely positive results, and 3) Fran’s tendency to start milking the clock with <10 point leads with more than a few minutes to go. Fran makes mistakes. Bye.

You're young. I HATED Alford. I was sick of TD - I was aware of him looking away from what the players did off the court/in classrooms. I don't see everything as black and white, but I don’t see the benefit of whining.

I have no problems with the current coaches as long as they keep a clean program, have kids who graduate, and win more than they lose. I would like to see them win more games, have post season success, etc., I don't have all day like you experts do to break down every play, looking for flaws so that you can offer your $0.02 here hoping beyond hope that someone on the team will see it and make those changes. Good luck with that! In the meantime, I'll focus on the positive.

Good luck, and no fries, please!

😉

 

[BlackNGoldBleeder]

Uh, how about pounding the ball inside because they couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. Tell Keegan to get down low and stay there and tell everyone else to get him the damn ball down low!! That was easy, any other questions?

Well, other than the fact Keegan was playing hurt, that would have been a great plan. I’m not sure why Fran didn’t think of it? 🤔

 

[Hawktheworld]

Fish in a barrel

 

[BlackNGoldBleeder]

Back to Cooper. There’s no question front court players have developed nicely under Fran, dating back to Aaron White, so Cooper should definitely verbal to Iowa. 😛

Maybe Bowen will be the guard that changes everything and becomes the second coming of Lester, or BJ, or Woolridge. I don’t care, but for the love of God, Fran is due to have a star develop at point.

 

[unoHawkeye]

Well, other than the fact Keegan was playing hurt, that would have been a great plan. I’m not sure why Fran didn’t think of it? 🤔

Mr. Miyagi must have shown up on Iowa’s bench before the three minute mark in the second half before Keegan scored 7 to finish out

 

[unoHawkeye]

You're young. I HATED Alford. I was sick of TD - I was aware of him looking away from what the players did off the court/in classrooms. I don't see everything as black and white, but I don’t see the benefit of whining.

I have no problems with the current coaches as long as they keep a clean program, have kids who graduate, and win more than they lose. I would like to see them win more games, have post season success, etc., I don't have all day like you experts do to break down every play, looking for flaws so that you can offer your $0.02 here hoping beyond hope that someone on the team will see it and make those changes. Good luck with that! In the meantime, I'll focus on the positive.

Good luck, and no fries, please!

😉

You’re grossly misrepresenting my POV, if you think I’m sick and tired of Fran or if you think I have any aspirations of influencing decisions made within the program

You’re going to be waiting a while for your burger if you’re expecting it to come from me

 

[Franisdaman]

Gotta love this board. On one hand, you have folks like @BBHawk and @Franisdaman who seemingly believe that Fran, Kirk, *insert Iowa coach or player here* is going to ascend straight to heaven upon his passing and has never erred in his entire life. On the other hand, you have folks like (too many to count) who are insistent that Fran has done nothing for this program, is a terrible coach, and every success is because of the players basically overcoming his shittiness…

Then there are those who are Fran fans (I’m a big one) who want to have honest conversations about Iowa basketball, what we do well, and where we come up short, that constantly get shut down from both sides. Fuggin laughable

Franisdaman and BBHawk, I know that one of you is retired and the other is incapable of finding more than a minimum wage job posting tweets on an Iowa website, but I actually work and don’t have time to post every single game that I have disagreed with a Fran in-game substitution or playcall. However, I have vocalized, on this site, my disagreement in several games with 1) Fran forgetting about players on the bench (which he himself has admitted to) 2) letting his point guards like Mike Gesell or Jordan Bohannon milk the clock in late game situations and then take bad shots with rarely positive results, and 3) Fran’s tendency to start milking the clock with <10 point leads with more than a few minutes to go. Fran makes mistakes. Bye.

Anyone who has read your takes in this thread can see that you are a moron. And neither @BBHawk nor I have ever said Fran was perfect; we just wanted you to back up your stupid, moronic comments. But you obviously cannot do that so this is what you are left with.

And you say you want to have honest conversations yet you wrongly accused LarryMullen of criticizing Fran's in game coaching ability; that was another poster who did that. And as everyone can see it was you who stated that Fran struggles to adjust in game. You can't make this stuff up.

And you are a hypocrite for stating that other posters are creating false narratives when you are doing the same damn thing in this thread.

You had time in the middle of the afternoon to get away from making McDonalds fries to type up all of your nonsense yet can only come up with one game as an example of your assertion that Fran struggles to adjust in game. And that one game (Richmond) was clearly a bad example. You rarely make much sense, are often wrong and often contradict yourself, and this is just another example.

And speaking of you not making any sense and being wrong, this reminds me of when you tried to analyze Garza's defense based on ONE NBA game. You didn't watch that ONE game; you simply looked at the box score and blamed the offensive rebounds from the opposing centers all on Garza. If you had actually watched the game, you would not have made such moronic comments.

Year in and year out Fran has one of the best, most efficient offenses in the nation yet you end your moronic post by talking out of your ass. I am sure you can give us examples of your claim that Fran has a tendency to start milking the clock with a less than 10 point lead with more than a few minutes to go where that ended up being the wrong decision.

 

[Franisdaman]

Back to Cooper. There’s no question front court players have developed nicely under Fran, dating back to Aaron White, so Cooper should definitely verbal to Iowa. 😛

Maybe Bowen will be the guard that changes everything and becomes the second coming of Lester, or BJ, or Woolridge. I don’t care, but for the love of God, Fran is due to have a star develop at point.

If Fran were so lousy, I am pretty sure (1) JR would help guide his son to a better program; and (2) Cooper would not be so complementary towards Fran.

Cooper has plenty of options and coaches from these schools are in hot pursuit: home state Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Purdue, Iowa and Wake Forest (coached by Lone Tree Iowa native Steve Forbes).

Fran stole Owen Freeman out of Illinois; can he do the same with Cooper?


Keep in mind the timeline:

* Iowa offered Cooper on May 11, 2021.

* On June 25, 2021, Tom Kakert forecasted Cooper to Iowa.

* Cooper visited Iowa on Oct 9, 2021 (Penn State game). That Penn State game has paid dividends.

* Based on the article in the orig post, Cooper made a recent visit to Iowa City.

* Cooper is looking to make a decision by this fall.