Busting Brackets
Fansided

Big Ten Basketball: Ranking the head coaches for 2018-19

By Bryan Mauro

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 12: A general interior view of the empty court during the semifinals of the 2011 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament at Conseco Fieldhouse on March 12, 2011 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 12: A general interior view of the empty court during the semifinals of the 2011 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament at Conseco Fieldhouse on March 12, 2011 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 15
Next
NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 20: Head coach Fran McCaffery of the Iowa Hawkeyes reacts in the first half against the Villanova Wildcats during the second round of the 2016 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Barclays Center on March 20, 2016 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 20: Head coach Fran McCaffery of the Iowa Hawkeyes reacts in the first half against the Villanova Wildcats during the second round of the 2016 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Barclays Center on March 20, 2016 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

11. Fran McCaffery

Two seasons ago the Iowa Hawkeyes had one of the best teams in the country for most of the season. Only to be eliminated early in the NCAA tournament. Since then it has been tough sledding for the Hawkeyes. Last season it culminated in a forgettable year for players, fans and most importantly their head coach Fran McCaffery.

Under McCaffery, Iowa has always been able to light up scoreboards. Most of their scoring comes from being a deadly three-point shooting team, and usually having a dominant big man to clean up the misses and protect the rim.  Those pieces are still there, the problem with Iowa lies on the defensive side of the ball. The Hawkeyes have had a problem stopping virtually anyone in the recent years. This is unchartered territory for McCaffery as most of his teams have been decent on defense.

For the fans not familiar with coach McCaffery, he has a fiery personality and a competitive fire that at times can get the best of him. The Hawkeye coach has been known to blow up at players and referees during a game many times. During the last few seasons, which have been tough on everyone. The players have looked lackadaisical and lost and sometimes this happens at crucial points in the games.

The coach’s job is to motivate their players and place them in the right positions to win. If the players are not showing an effort and looking lost, the fingers are eventually going to start being pointed at the head coach. Are McCaffery’s antics and hot temper starting to wear off on his players?  Is it being used against and working as anti-motivation?  Truthfully, Iowa has just been stricken with youth and lack of depth in the recent seasons. McCaffery is going to have to prove that his style of coaching can still be successful in this league.

The Hawkeyes have a great core nucleus returning from their team last year. Future NBA forward Tyler Cook and sharpshooter Jordan Bohannon are ready for their junior seasons in Iowa City. A better recruiting class and more experience should help Iowa this coming season. If McCaffery can figure out how to fix the porous defense, it may be another great year in Iowa City. If not the Hawkeye head man, will be on the hot seat.

Home/Big Ten