Ad Disclosure
Iowa’s financial situation, pursuit of new head basketball coach receives conflicting reports
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Iowa is searching for a new head men’s basketball coach after the firing of Fran McCaffery, the program’s winningest head coach, after 15 seasons.
And there seems to be a couple of reports at odds with each other when it comes to the finances the university has available for hiring a replacement for McCaffery. According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Iowa is “not in great financial shape” and is hesitant “to pay a big buyout” to hire someone away from a major program.
That’s different from what Des Moines Register beat columnist Chad Leistikow has heard, though:
Can report with great confidence that this quote from @PeteThamel on ESPN is inaccurate: “Iowa’s not in great financial shape and they do not have a strong appetite to pay a big buyout” to acquire a coach.
Iowa is prepared to do what's necessary to make the right hire, I'm told.
— Chad Leistikow🆑 (@ChadLeistikow) March 15, 2025
Whoever is hired to replace McCaffery will take over a program that hasn’t made the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons. The Hawkeyes appeared in the tournament 7 times under McCaffery but never got further than the second round. Their best season during his tenure was in 2021-22, when they went 26-10 and won a Big Ten title.
From a wider-lens standpoint, Iowa’s last Sweet 16 was in 1999 under Tom Davis. Their last Elite 8 was in 1987 — Davis’s first season — and their last Final Four was in 1980 under Lute Olson, just their third appearance in program history.
It’s a pivotal hire for the Hawkeyes as they look to position themselves among the best teams in not only the B1G, but nationally.