Fran McCaffery discusses leadership role of Payton Sandfort

Payton Sandfort has stepped up in a big way for Iowa this year, ranking fifth on the Hawkeyes in scoring. But he’s also emerging as a key leader on the team, according to head coach Fran McCaffery.

Sandfort is averaging a career-high 10.1 points per game this season and has hit some big-time shots throughout the year. McCaffery said that leadership quality isn’t anything new.

It goes back to Sandfort’s days at Waukee Senior (Iowa) High School.

“I think he always had it,” McCaffery said. “I mean, he obviously had it in high school. They had a state championship team. He’s been a leader on that team. He’s kind of done it before.

“But last year, it was Connor [McCaffery], J-Bo [Jordan Bohannon], Keegan [Murray], so he knew this year, OK, with those guys [gone], it’s still Connor, Kris [Murray] and him. Nobody’s ego’s that out of joint. Everybody can step up and say what they need to say.”

Fran McCaffery shares how he has tried to avoid transfer problems at Iowa

As the transfer portal continues to emerge as a key piece of the college sports landscape, McCaffery talked about how he keeps players in Iowa City instead of losing them to the portal.

“To be honest with you, all I’ve done is try to take care of my guys and provide what they need academically, provide what they need medically, give them opportunities to play, coach them up, watch film with them, have discussions with them, build their confidence, make this the best experience of their lives,” McCaffery said.

“I want this to be the best four years of their lives, surround them with character teammates that will become friends for the rest of their life. My feeling is if you do that, kids will want to stay and compete, and because they love their teammates and they love the locker room, there’s a mutual respect between the players and coaches. We provide an unbelievable opportunity on a big stage to potentially take your game to the next level.”