Lute had battled for two studs out of Chicago and come up 2nd or 3rd...Isaiah Thomas and Cumming, both
ended up being NBA players. So I think Lute realized that recruiting to Iowa was tough but AZ being close to CA was a place he could recruit more easily.
Then there was the weather in Iowa ....Lute and his wife and his kids had come out of Long Beach in CA. My take is the Fishbowl aspect of Iowa City was the least influential.
Looking back, Lute had recruited guys lke Todd Berkenpass, Snedeker, and Anderson...no very good B-ball players. It was good time for Lute to leave someone else with that mess.
Raveling really did a great job restocking the talent level and looking back was underrated. Davis gets a lot of credit, but given the talent on that 87 squad, really he coulda/shoulda won it all. I don't think we'll ever see a Final Four or Elite 8 again. Collge B-ball landscape has changed a lot. Fran did a good job collecting Garza, Weezy, and two Murrays on one team and he blew it.
I doubt Fran makes a run in NCAA before he leaves. He's got a system that wins 51% of his B1G games, good enough to satisfy Fran Fans. Not playing defense means early exit in NCAA.
If Jack is really responsible for that accident he needs to leave town and get a fresh start. That is going to follow him around wherever he ends up