Fran’s replacement
- Thread starter nosok23
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Hell what about Hawkeye Elvis? Can't be worse
Didn’t Ohio State’s current coach John Dibler take over as head coach part way through their season a few years ago? Did he have prior head coaching experience?
I think MN will stick with Ben Johnson.
You are correct! The jury is still out on how he’ll do but OSU took a risk. The players seem to want to play for him and he got the job. I’m still a believer that you need someone with a head coaching resume and a great recruiter. Unsure if Gatens fits this bill.
However, Gaten’s (or other coaches) could emphasize defense, have better substitution patterns, call smarter time outs, etc.
I think being a former Iowa player gives Matt more pride in the Iowa program. Fran has apparently lost his age.
Would love to see them pull the plug on Fran and let him go to Indy. Let Spurlock coach out the season, he seems to be responsible for the recruiting,
I see about 8 guys in "management" on the Iowa bench. We need a trainer and Head coach and assistant. Cut some fat. Keep Gatens and Spurlock.
I see about 8 guys in "management" on the Iowa bench. We need a trainer and Head coach and assistant. Cut some fat. Keep Gatens and Spurlock.
Gatens seem to be very reserved and not very vocal during a game
That may be true, but not a reason to make him head coach.
Get everyone on this staff as far away from Iowa City as possible.
Devries or McCullom.
That is the list.
Devries or McCullom.
That is the list.
I don't care if they go four corners and we win 10-6. The teams that win in March aren't winning with offense.
Or depressed facing million dollar starters on the big spending teams.
Zero chance you promote Gatens … no- you need to get this hire right.
You need a coach with experience and a coach who can rally the Iowa fans …. You need a coach who can “coach” and you need a coach who can connect with the fans (something Fran has never really done.)
I don’t give a shit if the next coach is from Ireland… And surely don’t give a shit if the coach has any Iowa ties. Some fans need to move past this narrow-minded opinion the next coach has to have Iowa ties. No - he doesn’t ….
At this point, I think I'm going to support Ben McCollum as Iowa's next head coach. He's been successful at every stop and he has strong Iowa ties.
Guys, I'm 61 years old. I remember following Iowa Men's Basketball since I was 10 years old. I would like to see Iowa return to it's roots but maybe not in the traditional way. There are coaches out there who aren't in a school that can get four and five star guys and yet they find a way to find "the other guys" who are willing to play within a team concept. I admit, I enjoy watching Iowa bring in splashy recruits as much as the next guy. The problem is, whether it's coaching, problems with inter-personal relationships or some other reason, Iowa struggles to find players that mesh together effectively. I'm not saying they don't get along or like each other. But, whatever the reason, they look out of sync with each other.
Big "if" here: If Fran does decide to leave, Iowa needs to put together a group of people together who are invested in Iowa Basketball and have every desire to see them succeed at the highest level. Iowa doesn't need some out of this world hire to bring success, and maybe more important, bring the fans back to Carver. They need a guy who can come in and recruit the players that fit into a system. I believe that Ben McCollum is capable of being that guy.
Guys, I'm 61 years old. I remember following Iowa Men's Basketball since I was 10 years old. I would like to see Iowa return to it's roots but maybe not in the traditional way. There are coaches out there who aren't in a school that can get four and five star guys and yet they find a way to find "the other guys" who are willing to play within a team concept. I admit, I enjoy watching Iowa bring in splashy recruits as much as the next guy. The problem is, whether it's coaching, problems with inter-personal relationships or some other reason, Iowa struggles to find players that mesh together effectively. I'm not saying they don't get along or like each other. But, whatever the reason, they look out of sync with each other.
Big "if" here: If Fran does decide to leave, Iowa needs to put together a group of people together who are invested in Iowa Basketball and have every desire to see them succeed at the highest level. Iowa doesn't need some out of this world hire to bring success, and maybe more important, bring the fans back to Carver. They need a guy who can come in and recruit the players that fit into a system. I believe that Ben McCollum is capable of being that guy.
I know the George talking is joking but the reality is Raveling won 2 NCAA tournament games in 22 years as a head coach at major conferences. He did bring in some nice players to Iowa.
Jackson is 6-16 this year. Blakeney is 8-14. They may very well be good coaches, but the optics would be terrible based on those records.
Poor Gatens has been put in impossible situations twice by this program.
The guy can flat out coach and wins at a high level everywhere he goes. It'll be tough if Iowa sticks with Fran and we watch another program hire him away from Drake
I am starting to lean into a decision to retain Fran, at least one more season.. hear me out:
Darian DeVries and Ben McCollum are both in year 1 at their respective programs. WVU has lost 4 of their last 5 and have nearly the same record as Iowa currently. Mac is 21-2 at Drake in his first year. Fran does have a solid recruiting class coming in.
If I am Beth, right now, maybe I give Fran one more year to see if he can turn it around and this would also give an opportunity to see how both Darian and Mac to see how their second year goes. I don’t think Mac would leave to another program after this season, other than Iowa.
I hear what you're saying.. But I would not be upset if Beth just went out and got McCollum. I'd hate to miss out if someone else snaps him up after this season (hopefully you're right that he won't leave after 1 year at Drake, unless Iowa offers).
WVU's recent slide makes me wonder on Devries, but maybe I'm making too much of it, because then again, most of us seemed envious about TJO at ISU, and they've looked like dogmeat recently, also. Doesn't mean they won't get it straightened out. He's been killing it there outside of these past few games.
I do think the jury is still very much out as to how well Devries will do outside of the MVC.
I don't know, I'm a little torn on it.
I definitely don't want first to 50 slow down ball to be the style of the next coach.
Thing is, there's no need to be such a whipsaw from where they are now to that. Scoring 80 and losing by 15 certainly isn't working.
If I could get my wish, we'd see games with pace of play and scoring in the 70s. That would allow for a nice balance of O and desperately needed improvement on D.
Thing is, there's no need to be such a whipsaw from where they are now to that. Scoring 80 and losing by 15 certainly isn't working.
If I could get my wish, we'd see games with pace of play and scoring in the 70s. That would allow for a nice balance of O and desperately needed improvement on D.
Do you really think Fran will “turn it around” next year?
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I appreciate hearing someone take up the case against quick termination. It's good for the overall discussion.
But here's the thing: Fran's contract runs through the 2027-28 season. There would have to be an astronomical change in results to warrant an extension beyond that. Plus, he would be nearly 70 by then. There is virtually no way Fran McCaffery is coaching at Iowa beyond 2028.
So, in other words, McCaffety is basically a lame duck right now, and will get lamer with each successive year. More and more, this will work against us in recruiting. And none of these facts will change a year from now, other than the cost of the buyout getting smaller. (You also can't count on the talent pool of replacements being any better ... even if there are more attractive candidates, the competition for their services could make them more difficult to hire.)
The one thing we know is that Fran will not be coaching at Iowa beyond 2028. Knowing that, it makes sense to me the pull the trigger now and start breathing new life into the program immediately. Why wait? It might save money, but you run the risk of having an even deeper hole to dig out of. And, you are bleeding revenue every year as ticket sales remain stagnant. Besides that, with the way this season has gone, you have the political capital right now to make the change. I think it would be very popular.
I think there is far more to be gained by making the move now than by waiting.
I could get behind McCollum if that's the way it goes.
But I have two lingering concerns:
- Can he recruit at the top level? Developing lower-rated talent is great, but to compete at the highest level, you've got to have a few top-notch guys coming in.
- Style of play. I caught one of Drake's recent games on the TV, and it was kind of jarring to see players slowly walking the ball up the court after a made basket on the other end. That said, at the end of the day, I'm more worried about being successful than any particular style of play. But fans would need to prepare themselves for something significantly different than what we are accustomed to.
Agreed. If Fran stays, I bet we lose both Dix and Freeman----those guys can make more in NIL elsewhere and they probably want to go somewhere that they can make an NCAA run. They have experienced first hand the road beatdowns and are smart enought to figure out that Fran-ball doesn't work----need a lot better defense/rebounding. With those two guys gone and all we have is Fran's recruiting class, so we are a bottom feeder again next year and then you have an even bigger mess.
HIre a good coach this spring and there is small possibility you can retain Dix and Freeman and maybe some of the recruiting class, if the new coach wants the Fran guys. New coach might bring in some decent talent from his current team. Fran is definitely a Lame Duck right now and only direction with him in charge is for Iowa to be a multi-year bottom feeder.
My guess is Fran's personality doesn't allow him to take the high road and accept a buyout and move on. He's is going to have to be fired.
Good points. Let's say this year ends poorly, as it appears it likely will, and Beth brings back Fran next year. Let's say Fran then gets Iowa back to the NCAA tournament next year, but loses early again. What do you do then? Firing him at that point would seem weird given the rebound. As you said, the "political capital" for doing it this year might be as good as it's going to get.
Or, things could continue to spiral next year as well, but as you pointed out, the hole to dig out of will only get deeper.
All things considered, I'm in favor of a change this year.
Those are my questions with McCollum as well, and I agree totally on the end result being what matters most, not as much the style of play. That said, I did watch the Drake game the other night, and it brought back memories of watching Pete Carril's Princeton teams... I have no doubt that McCollum is a terrific coach.. But will it translate to success in the Big Ten? DII and the MVC are one thing, but you've got to be able to recruit to a certain level to compete in the Big Ten.
I think family matters to Fran and he'll have a hard time not being able to be around the boys at Butler. I think he will resign at years end.
Listen to him talk about why he is playing the style he is right now… he says he doesn’t the amount of shooters he has had in the past, so they do want to jack up quick shots right now with his personnel. If he has the right personnel, they will play faster and with more fluidity as his teams at northwest did.
He really leans into the strategy he thinks will win games based on his personnel, their opponents and the scouting report.
He is all about winning.
Well, we won't have to worry about it for at least one more season.
McCollum isn't a 1 and done at Drake.
It is a tough situation, for reasons you and HawkLogic have outlined.
I don’t like to see anyone fired. Fran is a lame duck as he won’t be around much longer. The program is heading downwards (right now). It may continue or could rebound a bit…but will never be any threat to win the conference or make a serious run in the ncaa tournament. Fan apathy is reaching Lickliter-era level. Many people just don’t care anymore and that is bad for the program.
As mentioned……do you pull the trigger now? Or risk having to dig out of a bigger hole? Beth has a big decision to make. Obviously it would be easier if Fran left on his own, but I don’t see him doing that.
That was definitely worth the watch, and that eases my concerns about pace of play and whatnot - I love that BM believes in adjusting based on opponent and what he has to work with personnel wise, to give his team the best chance to win, rather than square peg round hole approach.
I feel more fully on board with hiring this guy now.
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