Fran McCaffery Reaches Major Milestone

Iowa Coach Becomes 4th in Program History with 500 Career Victories

IOWA CITY, Iowa - Milestones often lead to reflection. You think about the journey, and everyone who had a helping hand in what you’ve accomplished.

“When you hit a milestone, you think about the players and coaches you’ve worked with,” said Iowa men’s basketball coach Fran McCaffery, fresh off his 500th career victory. “I’ve been lucky there. And I’ve had great athletic directors everywhere I’ve been. So it’s really a reflection of all of them. Any time there’s a coaching award or a coaching accomplishment, it’s the ultimate team award in my opinion.”

McCaffery became the fourth coach in Iowa basketball history to reach the 500 career-win milestone with Thursday’s victory against Iowa State. He joins Lute Olson (781), Ralph Miller (657) and Tom Davis (598).

McCaffery’s 400th victory came in a 94-80 victory over Minnesota on Jan. 30, 2018. Iowa lost its next six games and finished the season 14-19. But four 20-win seasons have followed.

The Hawkeyes have gone 98-44 since the start of the 2018-19 season. Fifty-three of those victories have come against Big Ten opponents. Twenty-one have come against teams ranked in the Top 25.

“The only way to have quality wins is if you have quality players,” said McCaffery, who had previous head coaching stops at Lehigh, North Carolina-Greensboro and Siena. “I don’t look at myself as being that much smarter than anybody else. I recruit really good kids that have high character, and they’re good players. They play together and they play the right way. If you do that you’re going to win your share. And that’s what we’ve done.”

McCaffery's career record includes a 249-164 record in his 12-plus seasons at Iowa. He needs 23 more victories to pass Davis (271-138 in 13 seasons) as Iowa’s winningest coach.

Like he did when he reached 400 victories in 2018, McCaffery didn’t stand on a soapbox and pound his own chest after reaching 500.

“I didn’t play in any of those games,” he said. “My guys performed really well and it’s been a great ride.”

McCaffery will tell you his job is to try and put in a game plan that will help his players play winning basketball. That was clearly evident in Thursday’s Cy-Hawk game.

With leading scorer Kris Murray injured and not able to play, the coach inserted Connor McCaffery into the starting lineup. Connor responded with 14 points, four assists, no turnovers and two steals in 36 minutes. Filip Rebraca dominated the paint to the tune of 22 points and 11 rebounds. Patrick McCaffery added 13 points and Tony Perkins 10. And Iowa was more Iowa-like from three-point range, making 12 of 23 attempts after going a combined six for 33 in losses to TCU and Duke.

This game reminded me of one against Ohio State in 2017. Back and shoulder injuries put leading scorer Peter Jok on the sidelines against the Buckeyes. McCaffery used a 10-man rotation, got 17 points from Brady Ellingson and 14 from Ryan Kriener and Iowa won, 85-72.

In both those Iowa State and Ohio State games, McCaffery put his team in a position to win.

McCaffery’s eye for talent has led to many of those 500 victories. He has offered scholarships to young players sooner than most, and then watched them develop. Luka Garza was a prime example. He was an overweight high school sophomore when McCaffery offered a scholarship.

Dozens more followed as Garza slimmed down and played well on the summer circuit. He signed with Iowa and left as a consensus all-American, a two-time Big Ten player of the year and the Hawkeyes’ career scoring leader.

Keegan Murray wasn’t highly recruited and left as a consensus all-American and the fourth player selected in the 2022 NBA Draft. Guys like Aaron White, Devyn Marble, Anthony Clemmons, Gabe Olaseni, Jok, Nicholas Baer and Jordan Bohannon are just a few examples of guys who came to Iowa and exceeded their recruiting profiles.

That’s one reason why a list of the nation’s Top 10 developmental coaches at the start of the season included McCaffery.

“That development is a function of a lot of things,” McCaffery said. “Most important is the player’s desire to get better. No matter what we tell them, it’s got to be within their ability. But it’s also got to be inside their character. And character is work ethic and determination, the ability to overcome adversity and all that.”

That might explain why McCaffery’s recruiting approach aims for good character and work ethic as much as athletic ability.

“When you think about Garza, that guy was in the gym all the time,” McCaffery said. “Kris and Keegan Murray grew up in the gym. I’m not the only guy who’s coached them. But it’s about the ability to build confidence and put them in positions where they can be successful.”

Preparation is part of the process. McCaffery sets up plays to fit a player’s strengths. He hammers home playing transition basketball and changing defenses, two major parts of his coaching blueprint.

“You explain it all to them, and make sure they understand,” McCaffery said. “But at the end of the day, they’ve got to think and react for themselves. And you build that into them, which is way more important than any skill we might do. It’s how you develop a confidence level that makes them the best versions of themselves. That’s really what it comes down to.”