Surprising Theory Swirling Around Iowa Hawkeyes Basketball

Could the Iowa Hawkeyes actually move on from head basketball coach Fran McCaffery?

Evan Massey | Feb 2, 2025

Jan 24, 2025; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Fran McCaffery watches his team play the Penn State Nittany Lions during the second half at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. / Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

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Iowa Hawkeyes

Fran McCaffery and the Iowa Hawkeyes' basketball program have struggled this season. It has been a rough year that has started bringing around quite a bit of frustration.

At this point in the season, Iowa holds a 13-8 record. Their hopes of making it to March Madness are all but gone. Right now, there are not a lot of positives to look at from the 2024-25 season.

With that in mind, a surprising theory has been brought up.

Riley Donald of Hawkeyes Wire has suggested that the Hawkeyes could consider parting ways with McCaffery in the near future.

"All good things eventually must come to an end," Donald wrote.

"In the case of the Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball team and coach Fran McCaffery, that time may be approaching. An era that has produced wins, NBA talent and success could be reaching its end, as the atmosphere has begun to feel as though it may be souring."

He continued to go into three coaches who could replace McCaffery as Iowa's head basketball coach. Could this actually end up being something that becomes a reality?

McCaffery has been the Hawkeyes' head coach since the 2010-11 season. He has led Iowa to an impressive 293-199 record, which is good enough for a .596 winning percentage.

Not only has he had success with the Hawkeyes, he has a career record of 544-376.

Thinking about moving on from McCaffery is thinking about the end of an era. He has become the face of the program and one of the most respected head coaches in college basketball. It would be a big move, but one that could make sense as the program struggles to remain a contender.

Is it likely that McCaffery is coaching his last season at Iowa? Probably not, but nothing can be counted out. There is a chance that the university decides to go in a different direction and start fresh.

More than likely, McCaffery will be back next season, but this is a storyline to keep a close eye on.

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Published Feb 2, 2025

EVAN MASSEY

Evan Massey is a sports reporter and analyst who covers college football, the NFL and NBA. He has contributed to the On SI network since July 2021. He has also written for ESPN, Yahoo! Sports, Forbes, Bleacher Report, NFLAnalysis.net, NBAAnalysis.net and many other publications. In his free time, Evan enjoys spending time with his wife and son.