Dr. Tom coached thirteen seasons at Iowa

[BlackNGoldBleeder]

It was in year twelve that he was told his contract would not be renewed.

Next season will be year twelve for Fran. If Iowa makes a run in the tourney (e.g. Sweet 16/Elite 8) this year, talk of his future at Iowa becomes moot. Suppose, though, Iowa doesn't make it past the first weekend. Should there be serious talk of parting ways with Fran in the next 1-2 years?

I'll end by posting Dr. Tom's last five seasons at Iowa and Fran's previous five (including this year).

Dr. Tom:

94-95: 21-12
95-96: 23-9
96-97: 22-10
97-98: 20-11
98-99: 20-10

Fran:

16-17: 19-15
17-18: 14-19
18-19: 23-12
19-20: 20-11
20-21: 16-6 (as of 2/27)

 

[perryhawk]

No....first, Dr Tom shouldn’t have been fired (in my opinion) and second the current state of the Iowa program is good... the future looks bright if Fran can keep improving the talent.

 

[Aleksei]

No....first, Dr Tom shouldn’t have been fired (in my opinion) and second the current state of the Iowa program is good... the future looks bright if Fran can keep improving the talent.

This! I agree 100%.

 

[Hawk_4shur]

Well, it could happen, but I would be shocked.

Iowa had pretty much topped out under Davis. The alumni and fans were pissed that Davis didn't work very hard at recruiting and some top Iowa kids got away. The Hawks were a couple of decades into being "good" and the fans desperately wanted the next level. The arena was full for every game and things were going very well for the program, but not at the top.

I think Bowlsby had Alford in his pocket from the time he told Davis he was not going to renew his contract. Alford looked like the total package and Bowlsby was ready to take the chance.

Barta is not a risk-taker. I don't think there is any way he would take the risk to get to the next level, now that Fran has finally (maybe) gotten it back to the Davis level.

 

[SDHawkDoc]

Not at this time.
I would reconsider, though, if Barta is shown the door.

 

[BlackNGoldBleeder]

No....first, Dr Tom shouldn’t have been fired (in my opinion) and second the current state of the Iowa program is good... the future looks bright if Fran can keep improving the talent.

And what talent do you see coming up and/or in that would be upgrades over what's on the floor today?

 

[BlackNGoldBleeder]

Well, it could happen, but I would be shocked.

Iowa had pretty much topped out under Davis. The alumni and fans were pissed that Davis didn't work very hard at recruiting and some top Iowa kids got away. The Hawks were a couple of decades into being "good" and the fans desperately wanted the next level. The arena was full for every game and things were going very well for the program, but not at the top.

I think Bowlsby had Alford in his pocket from the time he told Davis he was not going to renew his contract. Alford looked like the total package and Bowlsby was ready to take the chance.

Barta is not a risk-taker. I don't think there is any way he would take the risk to get to the next level, now that Fran has finally (maybe) gotten it back to the Davis level.

Other than LaFrentz, whom did Davis miss out on in the state? It's been said Nick Collison probably would have gone to Iowa had Davis not been let go. I mean, Davis landed Dean Oliver and Ricky Davis his last real recruiting class. Before that, Settles. So, other than LaFrentz, whom did he miss out on?

By comparison, Fran has whiffed on Paige, Carton, and Foster.

 

[iahawks10]

Isn’t Iowa 17-7 this year?

Iowa followed up Dr Tom’s career with going to the NCAAs 3 times in the next 13 years. Only once past the first round. I doubt Iowa makes that mistake again.

 

[kceasthawk]

Other than LaFrentz, whom did Davis miss out on in the state? It's been said Nick Collison probably would have gone to Iowa had Davis not been let go. I mean, Davis landed Dean Oliver and Ricky Davis his last real recruiting class. Before that, Settles. So, other than LaFrentz, whom did he miss out on?

By comparison, Fran has whiffed on Paige, Carton, and Foster.

Well to be fair he did sweet talk Margaret into inking the two Mac boys..........

 

[Hawk_4shur]

Other than LaFrentz, whom did Davis miss out on in the state? It's been said Nick Collison probably would have gone to Iowa had Davis not been let go. I mean, Davis landed Dean Oliver and Ricky Davis his last real recruiting class. Before that, Settles. So, other than LaFrentz, whom did he miss out on?

By comparison, Fran has whiffed on Paige, Carton, and Foster.

Whoa - I'm recalling history, not judging. And, I'm certainly not saying Fran is better.

LeFrentz, Collison and Henrich were big potentials that he didn't get and the concern was he didn't even try hard.

Letting Tom Davis get away, especially the way it was done, was a mistake.

 

[K OKeefe]

Not at this time.
I would reconsider, though, if Barta is shown the door.

Totally agree, I do not want Barta selecting another coach.

 

[BlackNGoldBleeder]

Whoa - I'm recalling history, not judging. And, I'm certainly not saying Fran is better.

LeFrentz, Collison and Henrich were big potentials that he didn't get and the concern was he didn't even try hard.

Letting Tom Davis get away, especially the way it was done, was a mistake.

He didn't get Collison because Davis was leaving Iowa. Nick was a senior in high school Dr. Tom's lame duck year.

I've never heard anyone say Davis "didn't even try hard" to get LaFrentz. Do you have inside information on that? From what I've always heard, rumor back then was Dr. Tom offered Kent McCausland a scholly to try to get Raef to commit. No idea how true that is. Regardless, it seems from what anyone who claims to have inside information on the Raef situation has ever said is that LaFrentz was never interested in Iowa and wanted to go out of state no matter what. I don't know that you can put that on Dr. Tom.

 

[kceasthawk]

Whoa - I'm recalling history, not judging. And, I'm certainly not saying Fran is better.

LeFrentz, Collison and Henrich were big potentials that he didn't get and the concern was he didn't even try hard.

Letting Tom Davis get away, especially the way it was done, was a mistake.

LeFrentz got away from Dr. Tom partly because of KU obviously, but he was facing enormous pressure in becoming the savior of Iowa basketball. My sister in law worked with his dad at his high school and we had many discussions back in 85 about his recruitment. Even Hayden Fry publicily tried to push Raef into choosing the Hawks. After he made his decision he was vilified by Hawk fans for leaving the state, (I know hard to believe right). All this left him and his family with a very bitter taste when it came to Iowa. One which Raef has never gotten over, even though it's way past time to forget all that. He's made public statements that he would do whatever he could to steer any recruit, (especially Iowa kids) from ever choosing Iowa. Pretty sure he was hard after Collison and Heinrich to choose KU over Iowa, although as has been mentioned I think they may have ended up at Iowa had Davis not been told he wasn't being retained.

 

[Hawk_4shur]

He didn't get Collison because Davis was leaving Iowa. Nick was a senior in high school Dr. Tom's lame duck year.

I've never heard anyone say Davis "didn't even try hard" to get LaFrentz. Do you have inside information on that? From what I've always heard, rumor back then was Dr. Tom offered Kent McCausland a scholly to try to get Raef to commit. No idea how true that is. Regardless, it seems from what anyone who claims to have inside information on the Raef situation has ever said is that LaFrentz was never interested in Iowa and wanted to go out of state no matter what. I don't know that you can put that on Dr. Tom.

I am not putting anything on him! I heard many stories that Davis never visited this recruit or that recruit - I am not saying they are true! Probably just second hand stories made up by frustrated fans.

But I will say that the majority of Iowa fans were ready to move on from Davis at the time. Iowa fans felt entitled and bored with being a "good" program and wanted to move up.

As I have said, it was a mistake. And it's taken 20 years to recover.

 

[mooresville hawk]

I think most would agree at this time that letting Davis go was the wrong move. Part of Davis’ issue is that a lot of people only gave him credit for having success with Raveling’s recruits, which I do not agree. The bar was set pretty high with BJ, Roy, Ed and the rest of the team though.

Also, Iowa was able to bring in the hot young coach at the time, which created a lot of initial excitement, but did not work out. We all now what happened next. I will continue to support Fran as long as he is the coach at Iowa and hope that he and the team have a lot of success. If Iowa decides to go a different way, I will support the new coach as well.

 

[BBHawk]

And what talent do you see coming up and/or in that would be upgrades over what's on the floor today?

Did you see Keegan being the talented freshman forward that he is this year?

 

[Lumas Etima]

Davis did not get pushed out because of his record alone.

As others have mentioned, I think there was a sense that he got outhustled in the recruitment of Raef LaFrentz. The way I heard it, while Roy Williams frequently traveled to watch Raef play in person, Davis had the habit of dispatching his assistants.

But more than that, I believe it was the recruitment of Joey Range that did in Dr Tom. Range had some serious citizenship issues, and It is my understanding that Bowlsby directed Davis not to recruit him, but Davis did anyway.

There’s also the time Davis was asked when Iowa fans could expect the Hawkeyes to compete for a Big Ten title. Davis’s response was basically “no time soon.” Even if true, it’s the wrong thing to say. You always should talk about striving to win championships. Davis’s answer contributed to the sense that he had grown complacent in regard to the team’s growth.

 

[BlackNGoldBleeder]

Davis did not get pushed out because of his record alone.

As others have mentioned, I think there was a sense that he got outhustled in the recruitment of Raef LaFrentz. The way I heard it, while Roy Williams frequently traveled to watch Raef play in person, Davis had the habit of dispatching his assistants.

But more than that, I believe it was the recruitment of Joey Range that did in Dr Tom. Range had some serious citizenship issues, and It is my understanding that Bowlsby directed Davis not to recruit him, but Davis did anyway.

There’s also the time Davis was asked when Iowa fans could expect the Hawkeyes to compete for a Big Ten title. Davis’s response was basically “no time soon.” Even if true, it’s the wrong thing to say. You always should talk about striving to win championships. Davis’s answer contributed to the sense that he had grown complacent in regard to the team’s growth.

I don't disagree with any of that. To be honest, it was the right move at the time. Iowa had reached their ceiling with Dr. Tom. It was time to move on. Yes, hindsight is always 20/20, as Steve Alford proved to be a bad hire (as UCLA later found out), but I don't think you can make a convincing argument that at the time Iowa didn't need to go a different direction.

My point? I think we're getting close to that point with Fran. If Iowa doesn't make a deep run in March and pick up some recruiting momentum, I think the program has officially plateaued. I think reasonable expectations for the Iowa program to be considered in good shape is: NCAA tournament qualifier at least 3/5 years; Top 25 at least 2-3/5 years; serious conference contender at least 2/5 years; Sweet 16 or better at least 1-2/5 years.

To me, those are reasonable expectations (if you take the basketball program seriously). The question becomes, will those expectations ever be met under Fran? The answer is very unlikely. I think most telling is the comment that Fran made two years ago after ending the season with a disappointing loss at Nebraska that put Iowa at 10-10 in the conference for the year. "In our league, that's tremendous."

With all due respect, .500 is not "tremendous." And if the head coach thinks it is, then the head coach shouldn't be coaching at the P5 level.

 

[BlackNGoldBleeder]

Did you see Keegan being the talented freshman forward that he is this year?

No.

 

[BBHawk]

No.

I didn't think so. Same with White, etc. I think Iowa has a lot of talent that we'll see more of next year.

 

[BlackNGoldBleeder]

LeFrentz got away from Dr. Tom partly because of KU obviously, but he was facing enormous pressure in becoming the savior of Iowa basketball. My sister in law worked with his dad at his high school and we had many discussions back in 85 about his recruitment. Even Hayden Fry publicily tried to push Raef into choosing the Hawks. After he made his decision he was vilified by Hawk fans for leaving the state, (I know hard to believe right). All this left him and his family with a very bitter taste when it came to Iowa. One which Raef has never gotten over, even though it's way past time to forget all that. He's made public statements that he would do whatever he could to steer any recruit, (especially Iowa kids) from ever choosing Iowa. Pretty sure he was hard after Collison and Heinrich to choose KU over Iowa, although as has been mentioned I think they may have ended up at Iowa had Davis not been told he wasn't being retained.

Hinrich originally committed to Iowa State then backed out when Tim Floyd jumped to the NBA. Would he have considered Iowa had Dr. Tom's contract been renewed? No idea.

 

[BirdistheWord]

LeFrentz got away from Dr. Tom partly because of KU obviously, but he was facing enormous pressure in becoming the savior of Iowa basketball. My sister in law worked with his dad at his high school and we had many discussions back in 85 about his recruitment. Even Hayden Fry publicily tried to push Raef into choosing the Hawks. After he made his decision he was vilified by Hawk fans for leaving the state, (I know hard to believe right). All this left him and his family with a very bitter taste when it came to Iowa. One which Raef has never gotten over, even though it's way past time to forget all that. He's made public statements that he would do whatever he could to steer any recruit, (especially Iowa kids) from ever choosing Iowa. Pretty sure he was hard after Collison and Heinrich to choose KU over Iowa, although as has been mentioned I think they may have ended up at Iowa had Davis not been told he wasn't being retained.

Was there anything beyond the obvious (KU being a blue blood) as to why he chose them over Iowa? the post decision noise is irrelevant IMO.

 

[BlackNGoldBleeder]

I didn't think so. Same with White, etc. I think Iowa has a lot of talent that we'll see more of next year.

Keegan Murray will be a very good player at Iowa. I think you're missing the point, though. Whom do you see currently on the bench waiting in the wings or of current Iowa commits/leans that will help to continue elevating the program?

 

[TheTruthTheWholeTruth]

Tom Davis wanted to golf more than he wanted to recruit toward the end of his tenure. He was granted his wish.

 

[BlackNGoldBleeder]

Was there anything beyond the obvious (KU being a blue blood) as to why he chose them over Iowa? the post decision noise is irrelevant IMO.

Yeah, I don't think it was anything personal at the time against Iowa or Dr. Tom. Raef just wanted to go to a blue blood. I don't know, but I'm guessing it's as simple as that.

Without question, the Iowa fans are why Raef developed the deep animosity after he chose KU. Tbh, I don't blame him, but you're probably right it was after the fact and not relevant to his recruitment.

 

[mooresville hawk]

Keegan Murray will be a very good player at Iowa. I think you're missing the point, though. Whom do you see currently on the bench waiting in the wings or of current Iowa commits/leans that will help to continue elevating the program?

While this year is not over, I am looking forward to next year’s team. Next year’s team will have a lot more athleticism and should be able to play better defense. I will be interested to see how they evolve as a team though.

Also, will Fran be able to capitalize on having a National player of the year candidate on the team this year in recruiting? Iowa will have a few scholarships available in 2022 and it sounds like they are currently in on some highly ranked kids. Fran has not been able to close the deal on many of them previously, but he has been able to bring in some under the radar guys.

 

[Lumas Etima]

I think reasonable expectations for the Iowa program to be considered in good shape is: NCAA tournament qualifier at least 3/5 years; Top 25 at least 2-3/5 years; serious conference contender at least 2/5 years; Sweet 16 or better at least 1-2/5 years.

I personally have no specific problem with that criteria.

But I don’t think that’s the criteria McCaffrery’s bosses are using to evaluating him. I think the real criteria looks something like this:

• Are players graduating at a high rate?
• Are players/coaches representing the university in a positive manner?
• Is the team competing at a high level, consistently qualifying for post-season play?
• Is the program in compliance with NCAA and university guidelines?

As long as McCaffery (and Ferentz and other coaches) are performing favorably against that criteria, they are probably going to keep their jobs. Honestly, a player getting arrested on the ped mall or negative press after chasing down a referee is probably a bigger problem for Fran than losing twice to a mediocre Indiana team.

 

[fivecardstud14]

Other than LaFrentz, whom did Davis miss out on in the state? It's been said Nick Collison probably would have gone to Iowa had Davis not been let go. I mean, Davis landed Dean Oliver and Ricky Davis his last real recruiting class. Before that, Settles. So, other than LaFrentz, whom did he miss out on?

By comparison, Fran has whiffed on Paige, Carton, and Foster.

I have no proof to back this up...but I did ask Collison about this at a summer bball camp circa 2001. He, Egan Hill, and Nate Green were counselors for a day. He basically said he was never that close to going to Iowa. It was either Kansas or Duke.

 

[BBHawk]

Keegan Murray will be a very good player at Iowa. I think you're missing the point, though. Whom do you see currently on the bench waiting in the wings or of current Iowa commits/leans that will help to continue elevating the program?

Everyone from last year's class except Big O and Kris M has made some sort of meaningful contribution this year. I expect that both will in years to come. I still have hope for Joe T but I think he had a sophomore slump. He's not the first to have one and won't be the last. I think CJ will step up next year and have a fantastic year if he stays healthy. And I think that Sandfort will be ready day 1 to contribute. He is a very heady player who is a deadly shooter - sound familiar?

 

[BlackNGoldBleeder]

I have no proof to back this up...but I did ask Collison about this at a summer bball camp circa 2001. He, Egan Hill, and Nate Green were counselors for a day. He basically said he was never that close to going to Iowa. It was either Kansas or Duke.

Interesting. I'm guessing a lot of people were just assuming he might have gone to Iowa had Davis been retained. It would have been interesting, though, how his recruiting would have turned out had Davis aggressively pursued him. As another poster pointed out, apparently Dr. Tom wanted to golf more than recruit at the end of his tenure, so maybe none of it would have mattered.

 

[CJBauer]

Letting Tom Davis get away, especially the way it was done, was a mistake.

He should have been fired after the NIT loss to Georgia and never been given year 13...

 

[HawkeyeInCentralIowa]

Until Barta is gone, no I don’t want him to make another hire. The only hire by him that has been genuinely good is getting Heller for baseball.

 

[BlackNGoldBleeder]

Everyone from last year's class except Big O and Kris M has made some sort of meaningful contribution this year. I expect that both will in years to come. I still have hope for Joe T but I think he had a sophomore slump. He's not the first to have one and won't be the last. I think CJ will step up next year and have a fantastic year if he stays healthy. And I think that Sandfort will be ready day 1 to contribute. He is a very heady player who is a deadly shooter - sound familiar?

Yeah, I don't think Iowa will be bad next year. They could/should be very competitive. A lot depends on how well Jack Nunge recovers and if Weezy decides to stick around for one more year. We'll see.

Big picture, though, I don't see the guys coming up as being able to sustain the success Iowa has had the past two years. Fans love to point out (and rightfully so) how much of a loss CJ is when he's out with an injury; well, fans are also going to find out how big of a loss Garza is and just how much his post scoring allowed guys (like Weezy) to get a lot of open looks throughout their careers.

Tbh, especially if Weezy gets married soon (no idea of the date because I don't stalk players on social media), I wouldn't be surprised to see him bolt for Europe after this season. His draft stock really won't change with another year at Iowa.

 

[BlackNGoldBleeder]

He should have been fired after the NIT loss to Georgia and never been given year 13...

Yeah, I never understood the wisdom behind the lame duck year. It was a wasted year in terms of recruiting and getting the new coach established. Flip side, it was a year in which Iowa made a Sweet 16 run. Jeezus, it's been a long time.

 

[Ronman]

By comparison, Fran has whiffed on Paige, Carton, and Foster.

Paige had made up his mind before McCaffery even got here. UNC was the school he always wanted to play for and there was no changing his mind. Carton is a somewhat troubled young man who, as a PG at his second school, has just as many TO's as assists. Do we really want that? The jury is still out on Foster. Injured most of the year, he may turn out to live up to his prep rating or not. Certainly not guaranteed given his performance in limited duty this year. Personally, I think McCaffery has done a pretty decent job retaining the Iowa talent for the Hawks.

 

[General Tso]

While this year is not over, I am looking forward to next year’s team. Next year’s team will have a lot more athleticism and should be able to play better defense. I will be interested to see how they evolve as a team though.

Also, will Fran be able to capitalize on having a National player of the year candidate on the team this year in recruiting? Iowa will have a few scholarships available in 2022 and it sounds like they are currently in on some highly ranked kids. Fran has not been able to close the deal on many of them previously, but he has been able to bring in some under the radar guys.

The first paragraph has been said or typed for the last 25 years

 

[HawkLogic]

Other than LaFrentz, whom did Davis miss out on in the state? It's been said Nick Collison probably would have gone to Iowa had Davis not been let go. I mean, Davis landed Dean Oliver and Ricky Davis his last real recruiting class. Before that, Settles. So, other than LaFrentz, whom did he miss out on?

By comparison, Fran has whiffed on Paige, Carton, and Foster.

Fran also missed on Uthoff in 1st go around but he did lock down Ogelsby.

Fran is going no where and Iowa B-ball is back to 0.500 in B1G next year, or maybe worse. Hopefully no mass
transfers this spring.

I will hand it to Fran, he did score in Keegan and Kris, now he needs to play Kris.

 

[HawkeyeInCentralIowa]

Fran also missed on Uthoff in 1st go around but he did lock down Ogelsby.

Fran is going no where and Iowa B-ball is back to 0.500 in B1G next year, or maybe worse. Hopefully no mass
transfers this spring.

I will hand it to Fran, he did score in Keegan and Kris, now he needs to play Kris.

What has Kris shown that shows he should get PT? Not saying he doesn’t have potential, but at this point I don’t think he should be getting a large amount of minutes.

 

[Hawkamaniac14]

Paige had made up his mind before McCaffery even got here. UNC was the school he always wanted to play for and there was no changing his mind. Carton is a somewhat troubled young man who, as a PG at his second school, has just as many TO's as assists. Do we really want that? The jury is still out on Foster. Injured most of the year, he may turn out to live up to his prep rating or not. Certainly not guaranteed given his performance in limited duty this year. Personally, I think McCaffery has done a pretty decent job retaining the Iowa talent for the Hawks.

Carton I think would’ve been a bust anyways, athletically gifted and talented, but mental health issues would of likely just happened at Iowa like it did Ohio state and he would’ve transferred

 

[TRHawkeye145]

Yeah, I don't think Iowa will be bad next year. They could/should be very competitive. A lot depends on how well Jack Nunge recovers and if Weezy decides to stick around for one more year. We'll see.

Big picture, though, I don't see the guys coming up as being able to sustain the success Iowa has had the past two years. Fans love to point out (and rightfully so) how much of a loss CJ is when he's out with an injury; well, fans are also going to find out how big of a loss Garza is and just how much his post scoring allowed guys (like Weezy) to get a lot of open looks throughout their careers.

Tbh, especially if Weezy gets married soon (no idea of the date because I don't stalk players on social media), I wouldn't be surprised to see him bolt for Europe after this season. His draft stock really won't change with another year at Iowa.

I'm on your side here - while good players are sitting on the bench there is currently no one that I see that will elevate iowa to a higher ceiling than we have seen so far under fran

But hell maybe if some guys put in the work and turn into elite players. Idk