The search is over as Iowa introduced veteran Fran McCaffery from Siena as the Hawkeyes’ new coach, the 22nd in school history. McCaffery went 112-51 in five seasons at Siena, leading the Saints to three consecutive NCAA tournament appearances. In the last three NCAA Tournament first rounds, Siena upset Vanderbilt in 2008 and Ohio State in 2009 before losing to Purdue this year, finishing with a 27-7 record. Iowa hasn’t been to the tournament since 2006. Its last NCAA win was in 2001. The 50-year-old McCaffery replaces Todd Lickliter, who was fired after Iowa went 10-22 this year, establishing a school record for losses. Attendance at Carver-Hawkeye Arena was also at an all-time low, averaging less than 10,000 fans per game. When asked what type of style he’ll play, McCaffery will incorporate an uptempo game which he incorporated with the Saints. Siena led the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in scoring at 76 points a game while Iowa was last in the Big Ten putting in 58 per contest and fans have been hoping for a coach who’ll play a more uptempo game. McCafferey, before his stint at Siena, had also served as head coach at Lehigh and UNC Greensboro as well as an holding an assistant position for 11 seasons at Notre Dame.
