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Assistant Coach Kirk Speraw announces retirement

Female assistant. Won’t happen but would be an interesting development.

Will assume it’s Gatens until told otherwise. Liked him a lot as a player, leader and competitor.....no idea how he’d do recruiting or coaching.
 
Keep in mind that Speraw's primary recruiting "territory" was Iowa and Illinois. Not that coaches don't overlap and all do a little bit everywhere, but Gatens will do just fine selling Iowa City to Iowa kids. Eldridge seems to really be a great recruiter and hopefully his years of traveling the world professionally and his east coast roots let's us continue to have a wider reach like it seems to have helped with Dasonte Bowen.
 
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Keep in mind that Speraw's primary recruiting "territory" was Iowa and Illinois. Not that coaches don't overlap and all do a little bit everywhere, but Gatens will do just fine selling Iowa City to Iowa kids. Eldridge seems to really be a great recruiter and hopefully his years of traveling the world professionally and his east coast roots let's us continue to have a wider reach like it seems to have helped with Dasonte Bowen.
I don’t think recruiting territory matters that much in basketball. You see all players at AAU events across the country plus Fran sees plenty of instate talent because of his son. It’s not like football where you are constantly visiting and talking to HS coaches across the state.
 
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Assistant Coach Kirk Speraw Announces Retirement

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- University of Iowa men’s basketball assistant coach Kirk Speraw announced his retirement, effective June 30, after 43 years of coaching college basketball. The announcement was made Wednesday by head coach Fran McCaffery.

Speraw began his coaching career as a graduate assistant under Hall of Fame head coach Lute Olson on Iowa’s 1980 Final Four team and concludes as a 12-year assistant coach on McCaffery’s staff that won the 2022 Big Ten Tournament championship.

“Kirk has been the ultimate professional and an important part of our basketball program since I arrived in Iowa City,” said McCaffery. “Kirk was well-respected by the players and was one of the key components of rebuilding the program. His knowledge of the game and relationships that he developed with the players, families and fans will be greatly missed. It has been an honor to work alongside Kirk all these years.”

“I was fortunate that Coach Olson gave me my start in coaching here at the University of Iowa and I am grateful that Coach McCaffery and Gary Barta brought me back to my alma mater to finish my coaching career with a Big Ten championship,” Speraw said. “I want to thank my wife, Tracy, and our four kids (Drew, Brooke, Dustin, Bailey) for their support and patience throughout my coaching career. And I want to thank all the student-athletes that I have had the honor to coach throughout my career. Go Hawks!”

The Sioux City, Iowa, native helped guide the Hawkeyes to 20 or more wins eight of the last 10 years. Speraw and the Hawkeyes placed fifth or better in the Big Ten standings six of the last eight seasons, including a third-place finish in 2021.

In 2022, the Hawkeyes won four games in four days to capture the Big Ten Tournament title, their third in program history. Iowa finished fourth in the conference standings and won 26 games; the second highest single season win total in program history.

Speraw and the coaching staff recruited and coached a first-team All-Big Ten honoree seven of the last nine years, including two of the most dominating players in college basketball each of the last three years. Luka Garza was twice named national player of the year and a consensus first-team All-America selection in 2020 and 2021, while Keegan Murray was a finalist for the Wooden Award and Naismith Trophy, earned consensus first-team All-America laurels and was named the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year in 2022.

Over the last three seasons, Iowa combined to win 68 games -- fourth most over a three-year stretch in program history and most since 1987-89 -- finished each season ranked in the AP Poll -- something that has not been accomplished in more than three decades -- and won 17 contests over AP Top 25 opponents. Additionally, Iowa has had the Big Ten scoring champion each of the past three seasons, which is something that has not been accomplished by any team in the league in more than 50 years.

In 2021, Iowa won 14 Big Ten regular season games, its highest total since 1987. The Hawkeyes earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, tying its highest ever seed in the tournament.

Speraw and the Hawkeyes led the Big Ten in scoring each of the past three seasons, including ranking fifth nationally in 2021 (83.7) and 2022 (83.2). Iowa averaged more than 83 points in consecutive seasons for the first time in 27 years. Iowa was also tops in Division I in assist-to-turnover ratio in 2021 (2.0) and 2022 (1.74).

Speraw was the primary assistant who worked with Iowa’s perimeter players. In 2017, shooting guard Peter Jok became Iowa’s fifth Big Ten scoring champion in school history, averaging 19.9 points per game. Two years ago, Joe Wieskamp earned second-team all-conference laurels and was the only Division I player in the country with 400+ points, 200+ rebounds, 70+ 3-pointers and 25+ steals.

Speraw also helped mentor guard Jordan Bohannon to historic heights. Bohannon is Iowa’s career leader in assists (704), 3-pointers (455), free throw percentage (.887), double-doubles in points and assists (8) and games played (179). Jok and Bohannon combined for 174 triples in 2017, the most by a duo in a single season at Iowa. Bohannon is the only player in program history to total more than 2,000 points and 700 assists. Lastly, his 10 3-pointers at Maryland in 2022 established a new benchmark for 3-point field goals made in a game by a Hawkeye and broke the Xfinity Arena record.

As both an assistant and head coach, Speraw mentored dozens of players who played professionally, including Iowa’s Ronnie Lester, Steve Krafcisin, Vince Brookins, Steve Waite, Kenny Arnold, Kevin Boyle, Mark Gannon, Bobby Hansen, Devyn Marble, Aaron White, Jarrod Uthoff, Anthony Clemmons, Adam Woodbury, Jok, Garza and Wieskamp.

Prior to his successful coaching career, Speraw was on Olson’s Hawkeye roster for four seasons (1976-79), including lettering on the 1979 Big Ten regular season championship team.

After advancing to the 1980 Final Four as a graduate assistant, Speraw moved to Denver University, where he was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for former Iowa assistant coach Floyd Theard for two years (1981-82).

Speraw rejoined the Hawkeyes after serving 17 years as head coach at the University of Central Florida (1994-2010). During his tenure, 18 players received all-league honors, including four first-team honorees and 54 student-athletes earned academic all-conference recognition. His tenure included four NCAA Tournament berths (1994, ’96, ’04 and ‘05). In 2007, he was recognized as Conference USA Coach of the Year after guiding the Knights to 22 victories and a second-place league finish. His most successful season at UCF was in 2004, when the Knights won 25 games, received votes in the Top 25 and won the Atlantic Sun Championship, earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Prior to his head coaching job at UCF, Speraw served as an assistant coach at the University of Florida for three seasons (1991-93) under head coach Lon Kruger. While on the Florida staff, the Gators participated in two NIT’s, including advancing to the semifinals in 1992.

Prior to his three years in Gainesville, Speraw was the head coach at Pensacola Junior College (PJC) from 1988-90. At PJC, he led the Pirates to an 82-21 record and three consecutive Panhandle Conference titles. Speraw was tabbed the NABC/Kodak National Junior College Coach of the Year, as well as the state’s Coach of the Year after his 1990 team won 31 games and finished fifth nationally.

Speraw also had a coaching stop at Florida Southern, serving as an assistant from 1983-87. The Moccasins made four appearances in the Division II NCAA Tournament, including a third-place finish in 1986.
Congrats on a great career. That Speraw is retirement age and played on the last Iowa team to win/tie for a regular season championship says a lot about Iowa basketball. I was a 17 year old junior in high school. I turn 60 this year. Kinda sad
 
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Just speaking truth and presenting facts. Definitely not a Clowns fan. Sorry you and others do not like it- I guess that is on you.
No, you are speaking your negative opinion which no one cares about, Give it a rest. We get it. You don't like winning with coach McCaffery.
 
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McCaffery needs to find a current asst. coach who is known to be a guy that can lure AND land big time recruits. In this age of NIL, the rest will take care of itself. I love our players, but constantly going to war against 4 and 5* athletes with guys that are 3 and low 4*s is a losing proposition. Just occasionally I would like it to be the fans of other teams who are pissed because the recruit they really wanted decided to pick Iowa instead.
 
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McCaffery needs to find a current asst. coach who is known to be a guy that can lure AND land big time recruits. In this age of NIL, the rest will take care of itself. I love our players, but constantly going to war against 4 and 5* athletes with guys that are 3 and low 4*s is a losing proposition. Just occasionally I would like it to be the fans of other teams who are pissed because the recruit they really wanted decided to pick Iowa instead.
Iowa has been beating a lot of those teams with higher-ranked athletes lately. The spunky little underdogs have been as much of an Achilles heal for Iowa as any teams. Iowa gets good talent, sometimes higher-rated. They need a good coach as much as or moreso than a good recruiter.
 
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No, you are speaking your negative opinion which no one cares about, Give it a rest. We get it. You don't like winning with coach McCaffery.
So The Clowns did not pound Iowa and Wiscy this season, and the B1G did not do poorly in the NCAA Tournament? You may not like what I wrote and that is understandable, but it does not change the FACTS.
 
So The Clowns did not pound Iowa and Wiscy this season, and the B1G did not do poorly in the NCAA Tournament? You may not like what I wrote and that is understandable, but it does not change the FACTS.
Your clowns got Iowa early, snd they got WI with an injured star. They still suck.

Iowa ended up ranked higher for a reason. Suck on that fact.
 
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So The Clowns did not pound Iowa and Wiscy this season, and the B1G did not do poorly in the NCAA Tournament? You may not like what I wrote and that is understandable, but it does not change the FACTS.
The B1G really didn't do poorly this year. They were one game below expectations based on seedings. The SEC (-7) and PAC 12 (-3) did poorly in the tournament this year.
 
So The Clowns did not pound Iowa and Wiscy this season, and the B1G did not do poorly in the NCAA Tournament? You may not like what I wrote and that is understandable, but it does not change the FACTS.
Yes you’ve told us your opinion repeatedly and now I don’t care to hear it anymore. Negativity will get you no where.
 
Yeah, just like Nebraska football! Let’s fire the coach that just won the B10 tournament and the 2nd most wins in school history….brilliant
He just won the BTT. No doubt that was a great run. His only tourney run... outside of making the NIT Final in 2013.

The "most wins in history" is more a by product of how long he's had the job. He also has the most losses in school history.

Before you leap to false conclusions, I'm not agreeing with O'Keefe...just completing the picture.

That said, some youth would be a good move. Kirk Speraw was great and Billy Taylor was a tough loss too, need to replace them with somebody good and younger. There are some great young assistants that could position themselves to be the next HC when Fran retires.
 
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Iowa has been beating a lot of those teams with higher-ranked athletes lately. The spunky little underdogs have been as much of an Achilles heal for Iowa as any teams. Iowa gets good talent, sometimes higher-rated. They need a good coach as much as or moreso than a good recruiter.
You believe what you want. McCaffery has had some success with our 3 stars with an occasional 4 star mixed in, but I don't remember any conference championships or long runs in the NCAA Tournament. Those teams are usually loaded compared to us. Adding a recruiter who could draw that type of player that we are now not getting would be a nice step forward for a team that has a pretty mediocre past thirty years.
 
You believe what you want. McCaffery has had some success with our 3 stars with an occasional 4 star mixed in, but I don't remember any conference championships or long runs in the NCAA Tournament. Those teams are usually loaded compared to us. Adding a recruiter who could draw that type of player that we are now not getting would be a nice step forward for a team that has a pretty mediocre past thirty years.
Last year?

How old are you? Memory fading?

😂
 
Yeah, Iowa usually flames out in the B1G tournament (much like the NCAA tournament). What a great endorsement of Fran McCaffery there.
You missed an important FACT….Fran and his team won the whole thing this year….the last two games against teams with what was essentially a home court advantage. Diminishing that FACT says a lot about you but really is a great endorsement of Fran!
 
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