Nice story from Sports Illustrated on Josh's journey from London to Worcester, Massachusetts (moved there when he was 16 years old), to Iowa City, and on how Gabe helped out in the recruiting process.
The story:
The story:
Josh Ogundele had one question for fellow Londoner Gabe Olaseni: "Is Coach McCaffery really crazy?”
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There are posters here who will tear others apart when others point out the obvious, that Frans freakouts have hurt his and Iowas public perception. I'm proud of Fran reeling it in quite a bit. Hes a better man for it, and hopefully future recruits wont have to ask such unflattering questions regarding his mental-emotional state.
LOL. People will not stop throwing crap out to see what sticks to negate Frans efforts.
People will always see what they want to see thats why its always best to put in the effort to get to know people and make your own decisions.
McCaffery is a pussycat compared to several coaches in the same league.
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Have you ever heard of a fella by the name of Tom Izzo? He coaches at Michigan State. Been there awhile. Wins a lot of games, Big Ten titles, makes NCAA runs. Anyway, if college basketball returns some day and he's not in jail, watch him. It's easy. TV shows him almost as much as it does the kids playing the game. Anyone who watches him would immediately think he's crazy. He's on the floor at midcourt. He's a man of a million exasperated expressions. He grabs players by the arm or the jersey and gets in their faces--at least as best he can since he's not a tall fella. His team may be up by 20 and he's still running around like a maniac begging and pleading and screaming for every single call.
Fran's rep doesn't match reality. And neither does Izzo's. Izzo is the crazy man, but he's a media darling, so he gets a pass. Fran, OTH, gets 100 times more grief for doing one hundredth the stuff Izzo does.
Once again we see the tendency for people to be disconnected from facts and from reality and to embrace a false narrative. Again, Izzo is the crazy man, and it's not even close. Fran has his moments, but so does every other decent college basketball coach.
Hog wash. Do these same fans watch other college sports? In the BIG alone, do they watch Izzo, Underwood, Miller or pretty much any successful coach? How about football? Take away the black and gold lenses. Fran is no more radical then most, and less off the deep end then probably 100 coaches in NCAA basketball and football. This is simply another one of those unfounded myths that grows its own legs over time. Seriously watch other games in both sports with an open mind, and tell me that Fran is any different or nearly as bad as some of the other action you see from the sideline. Just isn't any basis for this narrative. When is the last time you saw Fran blow up over something that wasn't warrented, vs the non stop insane bitching that someone like Izzo does? Literally no comparison at all.
Problem I think most Hawk fans see is a comparison between Fran and Kirk. It's totally apples and oranges. All we heard when Lick was here is that we needed more fire, more passion and more wins. Fran delivers on all of those plus he has toned it down a bit from where he was.
Fran goes off when he feels his team is getting hosed. I can’t think of too many times I would have disagreed. There are a number of coaches who are on the officials from the opening tap and Fran is not one of them.
Kirk will “Air it Out” but will not act like the crazy men at Minnesota or Indiana. Big difference on how much focus can be put on a coach when you compare a BB arena with a FB stadium.
Fran seems to have toned it down quite a bit and I’m glad he has. He still gets T’d up now and then but so does every basketball coach. Personally I’m never a fan of coaches that take it too far. As others have pointed out, it’s more common from basketball coaches but some football as well. Bo Pelini immediately comes to mind, as well as the Gophers coach running all the way on to the field after his QB got sacked.
Anecdotal evidence is evidence from anecdotes: evidence collected in a casual or informal manner and relying heavily or entirely on personal testimony. ... Accurate determination of whether an anecdote is typical requires statistical evidence.
Not sure that is the most applicable term here but I think most can get the drift.
I look at Brad Underwood from Illinois.....that guy goes ballistic and looks movie character angry/wacked.....but he seems to be able to recruit okay. Fran does have a certain vein popping look to his anger, but repeatedly and consistently we've heard guys that play for him say that he is a players coach and I've not seen or read one comment from a former player trashing him...there's more anecdotal evidence for you!
Let's try that again...
You were inaccurate when you extrapolated that this one situation is a sign of a greater problem that isn't true of most college basketball coaches.
Perhaps the OSU incident did not help Fran's relationship with Refs and went beyond acceptable social behavior.
" Iowa coach Fran McCaffrey was just screaming at an official walking down a hallway of Value City Arena. "You cheating motherfu**er! You're a fu**ing disgrace!"
Honestly, I don't care about his rants. He's had modest success at Iowa--under .500 in B1G play in 10 years doesn't put him in the upper echelons of coaching success.
Next year could be the year he actually does something, assuming there is basketball season. It is mostly based on one player---Garza being a super star.
" Iowa coach Fran McCaffrey was just screaming at an official walking down a hallway of Value City Arena. "You cheating motherfu**er! You're a fu**ing disgrace!"
Honestly, I don't care about his rants. He's had modest success at Iowa--under .500 in B1G play in 10 years doesn't put him in the upper echelons of coaching success.
Next year could be the year he actually does something, assuming there is basketball season. It is mostly based on one player---Garza being a super star.
Slimy Izzo is just like all the ‘privileged’ blue blood coaches. They get ALL the breaks in close calls. They are given more freedom that other coaches.
Love Fran's fire. Much rather have a coach like him than than the opposite. That's probably why his players love him.
agreed, but i wouldn't say apples and oranges. we've all seen captain kirk inflame some blood vessels. the tighter quarters in BB prolly lends itself to more tantrums week in and week out. i agree w/ tex.
That he did, good call. And he was so concerned about it that he signed anyway. Do you have some other evidence that 'crazy' is an issue on the recruiting trail? Please don't follow up with 'then why didn't player A go to Iowa'. Something a little more concrete like a quote from a pursued recruit mentioning it. I will wait patiently for your response.
Izzo is “passionate”. Yes the double standard is ridiculous but If you had to bet on a coach that could “snap” during a game, Fran is in the top contender list.
What a great story. A few things that I really liked:
1. He played RUGBY. Wow, doesn't seem like there will be a toughness issue there. Maybe Josh can be the bruiser that we are looking for in the land...kind of a physical cross between Garza and Pemsl.
2. He made 5 NBA-3's as a youngster? I've only seen video of him dunking. If he is really a stretch guy, then that is fabulous.
3. He will get 1 year with Garza. That should be instrumental in his development. I don't think we've seen many in IC with the kind of work ethic that Luka has shown. I hope the 2 of them do all their workouts together for the next year.
Go Hawks!
1. He played RUGBY. Wow, doesn't seem like there will be a toughness issue there. Maybe Josh can be the bruiser that we are looking for in the land...kind of a physical cross between Garza and Pemsl.
2. He made 5 NBA-3's as a youngster? I've only seen video of him dunking. If he is really a stretch guy, then that is fabulous.
3. He will get 1 year with Garza. That should be instrumental in his development. I don't think we've seen many in IC with the kind of work ethic that Luka has shown. I hope the 2 of them do all their workouts together for the next year.
Go Hawks!
I can’t believe the lengths that some fans will go to to defend a coach who’s under .500 in the league after a decade. Izzo might be crazier but at least he wins league titles and goes to Final Fours.
Our three NCAA wins in ten seasons guy gets suspended for calling an official a “cheating mother f*cker” (pure class there) and people are falling all over themselves to defend him. It’s nuts.
What in the holy sh*t has this guy ever accomplished at Iowa that makes some fans so willing to embarrass themselves defending his antics? Did that 7 seed four years ago really make that much of an impression on you guys or was it the back to back five way ties for third place?
Seriously. What is it?
Our three NCAA wins in ten seasons guy gets suspended for calling an official a “cheating mother f*cker” (pure class there) and people are falling all over themselves to defend him. It’s nuts.
What in the holy sh*t has this guy ever accomplished at Iowa that makes some fans so willing to embarrass themselves defending his antics? Did that 7 seed four years ago really make that much of an impression on you guys or was it the back to back five way ties for third place?
Seriously. What is it?
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Can you share some of the lengths people have gone to? Have they taken out billboards in support? Donated millions to ensure he stays? Surely it has to be more than anonymously posting something.
Defending him on a message board ... comparing him to Izzo (lmfao) — those are great lengths in view of what (little) he has accomplished at Iowa.
Those who defended his “cheating mother f*cker” incident are the worst kind of fools. And there were A LOT of them here after it happened.
People even go so far as to praise his crude, loudmouth wife here frequently. It would make us look bad if Fran was winning titles and and making deep runs in the tourney. As it is? Just makes us look clueless.
I mean you can look at someone like Izzo or K and understand why fans give them a pass or defend them — they win.
Why do we do it though? Seriously. Why?
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Yep. Half the time you couldn’t tell if Lick even had a pulse. He was the proverbial “Empty Suit” on the sideline.
I think I may have used those exact words yelling at my TV....I think that my support is not just for what he has accomplished, but for what I see is still possible. What if next year he either wins or comes very close to winning the regular season B10 championship and gets a run to the elite 8. All possible, and a spring board to the future. If he got sent packing after the terrible season a few years ago none of that would be on the table.
Finding another coach that can come in here in push us to the top of the B10 is a long shot....not strong probabilities. Additionally, how long does it take that coach to "turn things around" and get "his" players for his system on board and get them experience?
Better question - why the eff do you care? Why slam Margaret? Let's dig around your history to see what you did in the past...
Did you watch that OSU game man? A coach needs to conduct himself with a certain level of conduct, but that game was bullshit. Fran got punished, as he should have, but he stood up for himself and his team, and I’ll respect that.
wut.
“I think that my support is not just for what he has accomplished..”.
What has he accomplished? What?!! Please be specific.
“Finding another coach that can come in here in push us to the top of the B10 is a long shot...”
lol
In what world is Iowa “at the top of the Big Ten”? Since when is a four way tie for fifth place “at the top of the Big Ten“? WTF is wrong with some of you?
Good lord!
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I appreciate your patience waiting for me. Let me help the discussion. I never stated “that ‘crazy’ is an issue on the recruiting trail”. What I stated was “hopefully future recruits won't have to ask such unflattering questions regarding his mental-emotional state.” CidHawkey, what you did (whether purposefully or ignorantly) is called a Straw Man Fallacy, which occurs when your opponent over-simplifies or misrepresents your argument (i.e., setting up a "straw man") to make it easier to attack or refute. Instead of fully addressing your actual argument, posters relying on this fallacy present a superficially similar -- but ultimately not equal -- version of your real stance, helping them create the illusion of easily defeating your position.
Perhaps something a little more concrete like a quote that I actually said. I will wait patiently for your response.
If Fran saw an old lady across the court, do you think he would have chucked it across? Bobby Knight did that service and got tossed. Fran likely did not spot an old lady looking for a seat.But Fran is the only current coach in the Big Ten that ever threw down a chair during a game
Lol. why do I care? Because it mystifies me and not one person here has been able to answer the question — what has he done?
His wife is an embarrassment.
When I’m making $2.5 M a year for not being Todd Likliter, you can feel free to poke around my accomplishments.
I'd never play for a coach that doesn't freak out on occassions. If the coach displays passion, that's the guy I wan to play for. I worry about players that wouldn't want to play for guys like that. What are those players afraid of?
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