Sources: Iowa set to dismiss coach McCaffery

Iowa is set to dismiss head coach Fran McCaffery after 15 seasons, sources told ESPN on Friday.

An official announcement could come as early as this afternoon. He’s the school’s all-time wins leader with 297.

Iowa’s season ended on Thursday with a 106-94 loss to Illinois in the second round of the Big Ten tournament, with McCaffery getting ejected in the second half after being assessed two technical fouls for arguing with the officials.

The Hawkeyes finished the campaign 17-16 overall and 7-13 in the Big Ten. There was some optimism following a 12-4 start that included a 25-point win over Indiana on Jan. 11, but they lost 11 of their next 14 games as the season quickly unraveled.

During McCaffery’s 15 seasons at the helm, he led Iowa to seven NCAA tournament appearances, advancing to the second round four times but never reaching the Sweet 16. He consistently produced some of the nation’s best offenses, ranking in the top 20 in adjusted offensive efficiency in each of the past eight seasons.

Iowa has seen four players selected in the NBA draft since 2021, including first-rounders Keegan Murray and Kris Murray in back-to-back years in 2022 and 2023. In that group is also Luka Garza, the two-time first-team All-American and 2021 Wooden Award winner.

Since going to four straight NCAA tournaments from 2019-23, however, Iowa has struggled the past two seasons. The Hawkeyes missed the NCAA tournament last season, finishing 19-15 overall and 10-10 in league play.

In 15 seasons, McCaffery had a record of 297-207.

Prior to taking over in Iowa City in 2010, McCaffery was the head coach at Siena for five seasons, going to three straight NCAA tournaments to finish his tenure. He also went to one NCAA tournament apiece as the head coach at UNC Greensboro and Lehigh, and spent time as an assistant coach at Notre Dame, Lehigh and Penn.

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