Fran McCaffery Discusses Iowa Tenure and Coaching Future

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00:00Live right here on the early line rounding out our three hours to get together today on

00:05Sports grip a very interesting time in college basketball, of course with the start of the NCAA tournament tonight

00:12but over the weekend on Friday afternoon after the Iowa Hawkeyes were ousted from the Big Ten tournament a

00:18Change in the coaching position in Iowa City after nearly a decade and a half

00:24Leading the Hawkeyes Fran McCaffrey was

00:28Dismissed his first public comments since being fired as Iowa's head coach with our coach James young

00:34Jy on the betting above the rim podcast

00:37Here's what McCaffrey had to tell Jy about his thoughts on the situation in his future in college hoops

00:43Personally, how are you feeling right now as a coach that's done this for a long time

00:48Do you still feel like you have a lot left in the tank?

00:52No question, I'd love coaching I love interaction with young people

01:01You think about it James and we met many years ago

01:06Being able to go to work on a college campus

01:11Mentor and work with young people. I

01:15Feel like my life hasn't changed in 40 years

01:19Whether it was at Lehigh

01:22UNCG Siena or Iowa

01:25We're doing the same things. We're building relationships with families

01:29recruiting student-athletes to our school and

01:32Helping them reach their potential but on the talent side

01:35You haven't had the four-star the five-star recruit

01:39You took Luca Garza you took the Murray Twins and let's be honest

01:43Recruiting in Iowa is not like recruiting in New York City. Talk to me about

01:49Developing talent, which I think is still so important in today's game

01:56You know James you said it earlier

01:58What's the key to it all the key is culture?

02:01How do you build culture and that's what we've done everywhere. I've been

02:06You know, it's easy to talk about

02:09okay, I

02:12Coached three teams that went to the NCAA tournament from one big leagues

02:16No one else has ever done that

02:18One of the few coaches that have coached four teams that have gone to the NCAA tournament. Each one was a different challenge

02:24All right. So, how do you convince young people to come play for you?

02:28And how do you continue to help them develop?

02:33It starts with character, you know, I'm often asked James. Okay. What do you look for in recruiting?

02:39Well, you know you and I can walk into any gym in America and say okay that kid can play

02:45You know, he can run and jump he's got a great handle he can shoot the ball he's big and strong

02:51All right, that's easy. All right

02:55is he

02:57Unselfish does he prioritize winning? Is he a great teammate? How will he respond?

03:04When things aren't going so well

03:07How does he respond in today's climate?

03:10Where I'm talking to him one minute and his agents talking to him the next

03:15These are different times

03:17you stay true to who you are and

03:20You prioritize character to me when I when I see you on a solid people see a guy that's intense

03:27That is no nonsense

03:28That's stared to still I still think about the stare down at the ref on the baseline at one game

03:33Where I thought it was the entire time that I was above an assistant

03:38So I want to try to grab you and pulled you away anything else

03:43But you want to let people know that maybe don't know about coach Fran McCaffrey

03:50Yeah, I think that's a great point James. I don't want people to think of me that way

03:56During the heat of battle. There's only one person that can advocate for the players and that's the head coach and that's what I do

04:02Beyond that. I love my guys. I

04:06I'm as friendly as they come when it comes to interacting with fans with people

04:11I

04:13Don't talk much louder than this that I'm talking with you

04:16Throughout the course of the day. I've got a great sense of humor

04:20I like to have fun not only with my job with the guys but in life

04:25My assistants love working for me and there's an incredible amount of respect

04:30That has to be across the board and that's how I live my life and that and that's that's what

04:37Creates the passion that I have for this profession

04:4115 seasons in Iowa City for Fran McCaffrey

04:45297 wins the most ever in Iowa men's basketball history for a head coach

04:51It did not work out at the end

04:52And it did seem that the momentum was starting to shift that a change had to be made

04:56For the Hawks

04:57But Fran McCaffrey did a lot of good

04:59During his time at Iowa and for all of that interview

05:02You can check out the betting above the rim podcast with our coach James Young chopping it up with Fran McCaffrey

05:09We will continue to get you ready for all that. You are going to see around the big dance

05:14Tomorrow when the early line returns at 8 a.m. Eastern here on sports

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