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Why is now not the right time to part ways with Fran?

I know the University can't directly fund NIL, but......could all concessions be turned over to the Swarm to run, with the University having no part in them?

Not that they would anyway, since they can't see the forest for the trees.
 
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I know the University can't directly fund NIL, but......could all concessions be turned over to the Swarm to run, with the University having no part in them?

Not that they would anyway, since they can't see the forest for the trtrees.
There's infinite ways to get around that. The ncaa can't make the swarm or any other private entity disclose anything and I don't think they have any interest in trying to figure it out.

It's a matter of motivation.
 
This might be a dumb question, but given the NIL landscape and us not having the money to pay both a coach and elite players, would it be a viable strategy to just hire a no name coach on the cheap for 300k and use the 3 million saved from coach salary to buy players instead? I feel like the talent on the court is responsible for 80% of the outcome and that a cheap coach won't necessarily be any worse than Fran. This would have to be done after Fran's contract expiration of course.
Because as of right now, University's can't "legally" use any of their athletic budgets towards NIL. I believe this will change when athletes become employees like a coach is now currently but that's in the future. That's why it doesn't matter how wealthy a school is, and Iowa is one of the wealthiest in the country athletically (top 20), NIL is an outside entity with various aspects that can donate. Schools like Oregon won't have a problem because of Phil Knight but schools without devoted collectives, rich involved alumni bases, or large marketability in their locale or cities, will. Iowa is unfortunately not a school with a massive donor that I'm aware of or a large market for their collective incentives. Sure, we make a lot of money in football but we can't use any of that on players in any sport.
 
Let’s call it like it is. Fans donating money isn’t the answer for NIL problems. It’s big time donors that are willing to pony up 7 figures or more annually for NIL that give these other schools a huge leg up.
Thank you! Absolutely correct. WTF is a 1k donation from me going to do when a player like Perkins is going for 500k???? No way are there 50,000 Iowa fans who will pony up 1k annually if all it does is get us a player of his capability. We need a steady collective of millions per transfer cycle to keep up. You're absolutely right.
 
Because as of right now, University's can't "legally" use any of their athletic budgets towards NIL. I believe this will change when athletes become employees like a coach is now currently but that's in the future. That's why it doesn't matter how wealthy a school is, and Iowa is one of the wealthiest in the country athletically (top 20), NIL is an outside entity with various aspects that can donate. Schools like Oregon won't have a problem because of Phil Knight but schools without devoted collectives, rich involved alumni bases, or large marketability in their locale or cities, will. Iowa is unfortunately not a school with a massive donor that I'm aware of or a large market for their collective incentives. Sure, we make a lot of money in football but we can't use any of that on players in any sport.
The ncaa doesn't determine what's legal as we've learned.

They have simply put some rules out there with no ability to really enforce it.

The ncaa isn't going to exist much longer in its current form.
 
The ncaa doesn't determine what's legal as we've learned.

They have simply put some rules out there with no ability to really enforce it.
You're correct, but Iowa is one of the very, very, very few schools left that I would find it hard to believe would skirt around the edges. Certainly not with the coaches we have right now. Bring in a Calipari, Dantonio, or a Pitino, and I'd agree with your statement in that it's a possibility.
 
Thank you! Absolutely correct. WTF is a 1k donation from me going to do when a player like Perkins is going for 500k???? No way are there 50,000 Iowa fans who will pony up 1k annually if all it does is get us a player of his capability. We need a steady collective of millions per transfer cycle to keep up. You're absolutely right.
Wow, 50 million for one year for Perkins?!?
 
You're correct, but Iowa is one of the very, very, very few schools left that I would find it hard to believe would skirt around the edges. Certainly not with the coaches we have right now. Bring in a Calipari, Dantonio, or a Pitino, and I'd agree with your statement in that it's a possibility.
Yeah I agree with you here.

It's just silly though because there's no way the ncaa is going to bother trying to police where the money is coming from to these collectives. They weren't really trying before.

They've already been neutered by the courts and they would never have the capability to do it even if they wanted to.

They have no means of compelling people to cooperate.
 
Well, everyone couldn't wait to pay the players! It's like raising the minimum wage to $20 for someone to flip burgers and the whole salary scale of the economy falls apart. For every action, there's a reaction and it's not necessarily positive.
 
It seems like everyone, the McCaffreys included, needs a fresh start.

Why prolong the inevitable?

I don’t get it.
Amen. The inevitable is Fran will be fired… probably not this off season and that is disappointing. He’s had 14 years … the program is tired and needs a reboot. We think fan apathy is bad now - wait until next season. It’s time… it’s been time.
 
All the coaches at mid majors making $250K/yr with no NIL would jump for chance to make $3.2 million/yr at Iowa.

Maybe some of them would also do better job raising NIL.


At the juncture we are 1-2-3 years away from replacing Fran. Maybe he'll suddenly do something great.
...and we'll give him 5 more years!
!
No Way GIF by Late Night with Seth Meyers
 
Amen. The inevitable is Fran will be fired… probably not this off season and that is disappointing. He’s had 14 years … the program is tired and needs a reboot. We think fan apathy is bad now - wait until next season. It’s time… it’s been time.
He won't be fired. He'll be nudged out the door in some fashion. Maybe he officially retires or maybe he moves to Indiana as has long been speculated. With his sons not here anymore I'm not sure what would motivate him to keep coaching here.
 
Damn, lol, yeah. Still, even 500 people donating 1k seems high for a player of his capabilities.
He fell off towards the end of the season, but he was a 2nd team all-Big Ten guard on a (wrong side) bubble team. The 500K is also largely driven by A) teams likely know exactly the type of player they are getting since he's a proven inconsistent but good commodity. B) He's a 1 year rental which for coaches who are on the hot seat or are feeling a need to get back to the tournament is important. C) As far as I know, comes with no character concerns or off the court baggage.

He's not a super star by any means, but we don't need to act like he's some bum either. He was a 2.5 year starter here on 2 NCAA teams, a Big Ten tournament title team and was a 1000 point scorer. In the Big Ten. There are probably mid major players in the portal that are better, but those always do come with a bit of risk given that you don't know how they will do with the competition jump. Coaches don't have to worry about that with TP.
 
He won't be fired. He'll be nudged out the door in some fashion. Maybe he officially retires or maybe he moves to Indiana as has long been speculated. With his sons not here anymore I'm not sure what would motivate him to keep coaching here.
I agree that it's not likely he'll be fired.
I'd like to see an amicable parting. Fran has been an OK, not great, coach. It's time for a change. Doesn't have to be ugly.
 
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He fell off towards the end of the season, but he was a 2nd team all-Big Ten guard on a (wrong side) bubble team. The 500K is also largely driven by A) teams likely know exactly the type of player they are getting since he's a proven inconsistent but good commodity. B) He's a 1 year rental which for coaches who are on the hot seat or are feeling a need to get back to the tournament is important. C) As far as I know, comes with no character concerns or off the court baggage.

He's not a super star by any means, but we don't need to act like he's some bum either. He was a 2.5 year starter here on 2 NCAA teams, a Big Ten tournament title team and was a 1000 point scorer. In the Big Ten. There are probably mid major players in the portal that are better, but those always do come with a bit of risk given that you don't know how they will do with the competition jump. Coaches don't have to worry about that with TP.
With our lack of NIL, the guys we are looking at in the portal aren’t anywhere near how good Tony is. Next year is shaping up to be about the same as this last year, if that, because we cannot compete in the portal.
 
With our lack of NIL, the guys we are looking at in the portal aren’t anywhere near how good Tony is. Next year is shaping up to be about the same as this last year, if that, because we cannot compete in the portal.
To paraphrase a quote from Band of Brothers.

The only hope you have is to accept the fact that you've already lost. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you'll be able to function as an Iowa basketball fan is supposed to function.
 
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You’re telling me Iowa couldn’t afford the buyout? I don’t buy it.

So, the plan is to continue to see fan apathy and low attendance numbers increase because it’s too expensive to get rid of Fran? When is the buyout number suitable? After one more year? Two or three more years? When?

If that really is the answer, then it seems clear Iowa is throwing in the towel on the men’s basketball program. Maybe that is what’s happening.
ISU has no problems firing coaches that don't meet expectations. How do they afford paying millions for no one working?
 
The ncaa doesn't determine what's legal as we've learned.

They have simply put some rules out there with no ability to really enforce it.

The ncaa isn't going to exist much longer in its current form.
What the NCAA needs to do is set a salary cap . If you exceed it,you lose scholarships. The players still get paid,but its up to the schools to manage how much they will pay. Its insanity how things are ran right now. Also players don't even have to disclose how much NIL they are earning. The transfer rules are crazy.
 
If you want Fran gone you should support the sh*t out of the program so it’s an attractive destination for the next coach.

Giving zero support = having to hire a middling candidate = more middling success = worse fan support. Painful, vicious cycle

Fan support is the only thing we can control. And when we don’t support a program, we really don’t have a lot of room to bellyache when the program doesn’t reach great success.
 
With our lack of NIL, the guys we are looking at in the portal aren’t anywhere near how good Tony is. Next year is shaping up to be about the same as this last year, if that, because we cannot compete in the portal.
I don't know. I think the biggest jumps guys typically make is from year 1 to year 2--getting all 4 freshmen consistent minutes last year I think will help a ton this year to be honest. I also think Dix is poised for a huge jump in production. I'm not worried at all about replacing Krikke or Pat as I think a lot of what those guys brought were empty calories. So it just comes down to replacing Tony. Thelwell seems like a solid true PG who can defend. Not really worried if he can score the ball at all as long as he can facilitate the offense.
I really think the panic here is way overblown. Feel confident that if they land a starting PG that Iowa will be back as a tournament team next year tbh. Owen, Payton and Dix will be one of the better returning trios in the Big Ten--though I'm sure other teams will have flashier transfers and incoming recruits.
 
This might be a dumb question, but given the NIL landscape and us not having the money to pay both a coach and elite players, would it be a viable strategy to just hire a no name coach on the cheap for 300k and use the 3 million saved from coach salary to buy players instead? I feel like the talent on the court is responsible for 80% of the outcome and that a cheap coach won't necessarily be any worse than Fran. This would have to be done after Fran's contract expiration of course.
Was kinda thinking the same thing. The coach just needs to be a “game manager”, a la an efficient QB.
 
I don't see any panic. More so resignation to a continuance of what we've been seeing for several years.

Iowa will probably not be the worst team in the league. It is highly, HIGHLY, unlikely they will be the best team in the league. Making it to .500 in the league looks unlikely. Being a couple of games under .500 would be about right.

Assumed progression of current players having a major impact on team results such that they outpace the improvements made by other teams through their own current players or roster upgrades seems unlikely.

Iowa team performance under Fran next year will likely be within the range of Iowa team performance of Fran's entire stint at Iowa to date. I'm seeing lower end of that range. That translates to another poor year when it comes to the NCAA tourney; most likely not making the field.
 
I don't see any panic. More so resignation to a continuance of what we've been seeing for several years.

Iowa will probably not be the worst team in the league. It is highly, HIGHLY, unlikely they will be the best team in the league. Making it to .500 in the league looks unlikely. Being a couple of games under .500 would be about right.

Assumed progression of current players having a major impact on team results such that they outpace the improvements made by other teams through their own current players or roster upgrades seems unlikely.

Iowa team performance under Fran next year will likely be within the range of Iowa team performance of Fran's entire stint at Iowa to date. I'm seeing lower end of that range. That translates to another poor year when it comes to the NCAA tourney; most likely not making the field.
Fran has been .500 or better in the league in 11 of the last 12 years. Assuming Payton returns like is expected what exactly makes you think that Iowa will be under .500 in the league?
That's exactly my point. Hell, even this year when Iowa was in what most would classify as a down year for Fran's tenure of late Iowa finished .500 in the conference. It's just Iowa fans always thinking the rain cloud is directly over them is the only reason to think they will be worse next year than this past year.
 
Now? The time was last year. Should have parted ways and made a play on Devries. Fran did a serviceable job, but he should no longer be here yesterday.
 
Fran has been .500 or better in the league in 11 of the last 12 years. Assuming Payton returns like is expected what exactly makes you think that Iowa will be under .500 in the league?
That's exactly my point. Hell, even this year when Iowa was in what most would classify as a down year for Fran's tenure of late Iowa finished .500 in the conference. It's just Iowa fans always thinking the rain cloud is directly over them is the only reason to think they will be worse next year than this past year.
I don't see Iowa improving their roster.
Payton is fine as far as spot up shooters who are athletically limited go. I certainly don't think he's a major difference maker in the final standings.
Whether they are a few games under .500 or manage to surprise and finish a game or 2 over .500, that will again not matter when it comes to the lack of post season performance.
Is that a disaster, no. Is the sky falling on the Iowa men's b-ball program. No. That's not what I said, nor is it what many others have said. It's simply more of the same old, same old when it comes to Fran ball.
 
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I think Fran needs to make a couple or REAL solid contributors from the portal. Otherwise it could get real ugly for the next season and to me that would be his last.
 
I hear that argument a lot, but I have a hard time believing the financial support wouldn’t be there if fan interest was piqued. It seems to me after Fran’s failure to do anything of note with guys like Garza, the Murray twins, and Joe Weiskamp on the same roster, that fans recognize the program ceiling has been reached with Fran, which sadly is still a first-weekend ouster in the tournament. Who is going to want to invest money and time into a floundering product that has the same issues every year?

Last, there are plenty of mid-major coaches or current assistants who would welcome a large pay increase that Iowa can provide. The money and resources are there.
If the women's team couldn't get the nil going for women's basketball i can't see a sweet 16 changing Iowa's nil situation.
 
Amen. The inevitable is Fran will be fired… probably not this off season and that is disappointing. He’s had 14 years … the program is tired and needs a reboot. We think fan apathy is bad now - wait until next season. It’s time… it’s been time.
He's got at least 3 years i guarantee.
 
He fell off towards the end of the season, but he was a 2nd team all-Big Ten guard on a (wrong side) bubble team. The 500K is also largely driven by A) teams likely know exactly the type of player they are getting since he's a proven inconsistent but good commodity. B) He's a 1 year rental which for coaches who are on the hot seat or are feeling a need to get back to the tournament is important. C) As far as I know, comes with no character concerns or off the court baggage.

He's not a super star by any means, but we don't need to act like he's some bum either. He was a 2.5 year starter here on 2 NCAA teams, a Big Ten tournament title team and was a 1000 point scorer. In the Big Ten. There are probably mid major players in the portal that are better, but those always do come with a bit of risk given that you don't know how they will do with the competition jump. Coaches don't have to worry about that with TP.
Not a bum by any means. Worth 500k for one year to me, not even close. It's subjective and really boils down to what people view as a lot of money. To me, 500k is a lot of money. I would reluctantly pay a player like Anthony Davis that kind of money, not a Perkins. And yes, I know Davis would get for a hell of a lot more now in college but that's the problem.

Nobody cares about my opinion but these are the things that make any chance of a donation to Swarm impossible for me to justify. We had Perkins, did enough to get into the tourney, lose early, get into the NIT, lose etc etc. 500k is steep imo. If that's what 500k is worth in college basketball, I'd imagine I'll be more inclined to fight the status quo because something is very wrong in that scenario.

With him, we couldn't sell out our own arena, couldn't win massive amounts, do damage in the tourney etc. etc. but he's worth 500k? Don't buy it. In his defense, get what he can get but yeah, I wouldn't pay that.
 
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Not a bum by any means. Worth 500k for one year to me, not even close. It's subjective and really boils down to what people view as a lot of money. To me, 500k is a lot of money. I would reluctantly pay a player like Anthony Davis that kind of money, not a Perkins. And yes, I know Davis would get for a hell of a lot more now in college but that's the problem.

Nobody cares about my opinion but these are the things that make any chance of a donation to Swarm impossible for me to justify. We had Perkins, did enough to get into the tourney, lose early, get into the NIT, lose etc etc. 500k is steep imo. If that's what 500k is worth in college basketball, I'd imagine I'll be more inclined to fight the status quo because something is very wrong in that scenario.

With him, we couldn't sell out our own arena, couldn't win massive amounts, do damage in the tourney etc. etc. but he's worth 500k? Don't buy it. In his defense, get what he can get but yeah, I wouldn't pay that.
Don't expect Fran to go out and get a player that is better then Tony for less money, it's not going to happen. That's why Fran will continue to bring in high school players for as long as he stays at Iowa. Right or wrong that's just how it is. He has 9 players he brought in from the high school ranks. If he does get at least 2 players from the portal they will come here with the knowledge that they will have to prove to him that they are better then the players that is already on the roster, which means they will probably come from a mid major and not highly rated. I still suspect that he knows who his five starters will be for next season, whether you like it or not.
 
Don't expect Fran to go out and get a player that is better then Tony for less money, it's not going to happen. That's why Fran will continue to bring in high school players for as long as he stays at Iowa. Right or wrong that's just how it is. He has 9 players he brought in from the high school ranks. If he does get at least 2 players from the portal they will come here with the knowledge that they will have to prove to him that they are better then the players that is already on the roster, which means they will probably come from a mid major and not highly rated. I still suspect that he knows who his five starters will be for next season, whether you like it or not.
I don't expect that at all. Not sure why you're interpreting anything like this from what I wrote as it coincides with my stance. I don't expect anything from the portal at Iowa, especially if someone like TP is worth 500k. That's the point. It's also a reason why I don't really watch any longer.
 
I don't expect that at all. Not sure why you're interpreting anything like this from what I wrote as it coincides with my stance. I don't expect anything from the portal at Iowa, especially if someone like TP is worth 500k. That's the point. It's also a reason why I don't really watch any longer.
If you don't watch any longer, why the hell do follow this board and post as often as you do?
Seems like there's a disconnect with your statement and actions. If you are a fan or was a fan at one time, hope that next years team will bring you back, but if not, it seems that you have a dilemma on your hands....hope you can get help!
 
But how are the women getting such good recruits? Didn’t they just get a commitment from a 5 star in Cali?
But it took 15 years. Before we were similar to the men with a great player and some good ones. We need a Caitlin Clark on the boys team. Need a die hard haek fan that is a top 5 player. Dreams are good to have, lol.
 
But how are the women getting such good recruits? Didn’t they just get a commitment from a 5 star in Cali?
I mean it's an apple and oranges comparison. The general collective distributes money evenly to mens and women's basketball which is something I doubt many other collectives are doing in the country. I won't pretend like I fully understand the women's transfer market like I do the men's, but I'm going to guess that 100K to spend on a women's transfer target is a hell of a lot better of a player than 100K to spend on a men's target.
The fact that women are getting equal money from the collective for charity work to the men probably makes Iowa a very very attractive place for 5-star women's players. I doubt UConn, UCLA, or any other school other than maybe Stanford or LSU is doing it that way.
 
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What the NCAA needs to do is set a salary cap . If you exceed it,you lose scholarships. The players still get paid,but its up to the schools to manage how much they will pay. Its insanity how things are ran right now. Also players don't even have to disclose how much NIL they are earning. The transfer rules are crazy.
I have a question. Do scholarships matter? Can the NCAA enforce a limit on the number of players on a team?
 
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