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Iowa AD Gary Barta, head coach Fran McCaffery address comments made by former Hawkeye Devyn Marble
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Iowa athletic director Gary Barta and head basketball coach Fran McCaffery met with the media on Tuesday, but before talking about the Hawkeyes’ upcoming B1G Tournament appearance, the two addressed recent comments made by former star Devyn Marble.
Monday, Marble sent out a tweet saying he doesn’t watch college basketball but that he was thoroughly impressed with the job Juwan Howard did at Michigan in only two years. The Wolverines won the B1G this year with a 14-3 record.
When asked by a fan why didn’t watch Iowa, Marble fired off an interesting response.
“I’ll never watch another Iowa game in my life with the amount of disrespect that school has shown me and my family,” Marble wrote. “Love the fans but I’m in no way affiliated or connected to the university.”
Marble, who is also the son of former Hawkeye great Roy Marble, did not elaborate on the comment.
A day after the tweet was sent out, both Barta and McCaffery addressed Marble’s recent comments. Here is what the two had to say about the situation:
Barta apologizes to Marble family for feelings of disrespect engendered by announcement that Luka Garza will have his jersey retired. Says he and Fran McCaffery have reached out privately as well
— MarkEmmert (@MarkEmmert) March 9, 2021
Barta repeats his 2015 plan to create a display in Carver-Hawkeye Arena to honor all former great players, including Roy Marble. Concourse renovation has not yet occurred
— MarkEmmert (@MarkEmmert) March 9, 2021
"It is a high bar, for sure," Barta says of getting a jersey retired. Says he plans to set up a meeting after the season to discuss ways Iowa can honor past great players
— MarkEmmert (@MarkEmmert) March 9, 2021
"I know that Dev knows I love him and I loved his dad," Fran McCaffery says. He has not yet heard back from the Marble family, but reiterates that he would never do anything to disrespect their contributions to Hawkeye basketball
— MarkEmmert (@MarkEmmert) March 9, 2021
Marble played at Iowa from 2010-14 and appeared in 134 career games. He averaged 12.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists in his four seasons with the Hawkeyes.
Roy Marble, Devyn’s father, set Iowa’s all-time leading scorer record at 2,116 career points as a player from 1985-89. That mark was broken this season by Luka Garza.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB