6/7/10: One-on-One with Fran McCaffery

Thank you for visiting HawkeyeDrive.com. On Monday, I went to the Amana Colonies and attended the Iowa County I-Club spring banquet. At the conclusion of the evening program, I was fortunate enough to get a brief one-on-one interview with the new head coach of the Iowa men’s basketball team, Fran McCaffery.

HawkeyeDrive.com (HD): You said this was your seventh I-Club banquet since you became head coach. What has been like since you’ve gone through this transition and gotten to know all these people?

Fran McCaffery: Phenomenal. Everywhere I go, Hawkeye fans are passionate, loyal, and incredibly positive. I’m just very appreciative of the fact they’re so positive with us and so excited about next season.

HD: How much easier has it been for you these last few weeks since you were able to complete your coaching staff with the hire of Coach [Sherman] Dillard?

McCaffery: You know, I think it was important to get the staff right, to take my time to get the right picture, the right level of experience. That’s really going to impact our ability to move forward in a positive way. A lot of the recruiting that we’ve done has really focused on the sophomore and junior class, more so than this year’s seniors. I think eventually, we’re going to get the kind of talent that we need in here with the best staff. I don’t think there’s any staff in America that has as much experience as we do. I’m really excited about that.

HD: You talked about some of the strides your players have made since you’ve been hired. What are the things you’re hoping they’re able to accomplish this summer, since they’ll be away from you, before they get back for the fall?

McCaffery: Well, I just want them to be in great shape because we’re going to run up and down. It’s great to say you’re going to run, but if you’re going to run, you have to be in shape. So you have to be lean, fit, and then also the ability to be flexible so you can run up and down the floor, and sustain that, not only for 40 minutes, but through March.

HD: Next week, they start the Prime Time League. Is [what you just said] what you talked to Randy [Larson] about as far as the things you have in line and what you want them to be able to accomplish?

McCaffery: I just want them to be able to play. The Prime Time League is an opportunity to get back out on the floor, and play the game, and stay in shape, and work on some of the things that we’ve talked about.

HD: For you, what are some of the things you’re wanting to focus on these next couple of months from a coaching perspective, once you and your family are able to all move out here?

McCaffery: What I’m looking forward to is that we hit the road in July. We have camp in June, hit the road in July, spend time with our players for the remainder of this month, and then outline who we want to bring in for visits at the end of August, beginning of September, so we can fill out our roster as we graduate people and bring in quality so we can contend for a league championship.

— by Brendan Stiles