Video & Transcript: Fran McCaffery 1-21-22

Iowa Basketball Coach Meets with Media Friday

Q. Feel a little strange to be preparing for a Saturday home game?

FRAN McCAFFERY: Yeah, it would be nice if we had a few more. I'm excited to have a great crowd.

Q. With Micah (Schrewsberry) going to Penn State, do you look back at Purdue stuff or anything? Are there similarities there between what he was involved with at Purdue?

FRAN McCAFFERY: No, we have enough stuff on this year. He's running his own stuff. I'm sure he took some stuff, but he also worked for Brad Stevens in the NBA. He's his own guy.

Q. They seem to have a propensity for holding teams under their scoring average.

FRAN McCAFFERY: Yeah, they play really good defense and they have long possessions on offense.

Q. Do you see how they're different than the Penn State teams we're used to seeing the last decade? Is there anything that stands out?

FRAN McCAFFERY: Not really other than they really compete.

This team is deep, and they're veterans. Micah has done a really good job, kind of like Ben Johnson. He has a bunch of transfers that are really good. They're veteran guys. They're fulfilling roles. They've got some good players from last year. You've got obviously Seth Lundy coming back, Harrar coming back. You have Myles Dread, Sessoms. Those are four really good players. Then you add the best player from Siena, the best player from Gardner-Webb and the best player from Western Michigan. They're all 22 years old, and Micah is a really good coach, so they're buying into what he wants to do, the system that he's put in place.

But some of them are still the same guys. They always fought hard. You guys saw that.

Q. How is Rebraca doing? Is he going to be able to go?

FRAN McCAFFERY: Yeah, he's good.

Q. You've had some tough losses this year; how have you seen the guys respond?

FRAN McCAFFERY: It's been good. You go on the road in this league, it's difficult. You try to learn from it and be better in the next game.

Q. When you looked at the film, were there things that stood out offensively for you? Was it one of those games where both teams were just really good defensively?

FRAN McCAFFERY: I think there were more missed shots by both teams than normal, but it was sort of a slugfest. Sometimes you wear down, and it was I think uncharacteristic of certain guys like Jordan and Joe. Those guys are usually making shots, and neither of them really did.

But they weren't the only two, but they're two veteran guys that typically play well every night out.

Q. Throwing a fashion question, you guys have gone away from the jacket and ties and everything last year. Some coaches have gone back. I saw some guys wearing jackets last night. Was it like a discussion point for you guys?

FRAN McCAFFERY: It kind of was but it kind of wasn't. We have enough important things to talk about. That's not one of them. So do what you want kind of.

Is the league going to have a policy? Is your school going to have a policy? Nobody cares. Nobody cares.

Q. Are you much more comfortable, though --

FRAN McCAFFERY: It just makes so much more sense. It's kind of like how we dress for practice. You're comfortable -- it was hot in there the other night. It would not have been a great time to have a suit on.

You just throw your coat on and jump on a plane and head home. You don't have to pack as much. Yeah, I don't think we're ever going back. If somebody chooses to do it, good for them.

Q. (On Sherm being happy about the wardrobe change.)

FRAN McCAFFERY: Yeah, Sherm came home and emptied that closet out. (Laughter.)

Q. You're at about the one-third mark of the conference season; are you where you want to be in terms of how this team is coming along?

FRAN McCAFFERY: I don't think you ever look at it that way. You just keep trying to get better. Some days you play better than others. You're trying to bring individuals along. You're trying to tweak what you're running, what you're doing defensively, preparing your scouting report for the next team who's different than the team you just played.

It's a grind. The critical thing is the guys know and understand that, to take care of their bodies and stay rested and just get ready to compete.