Report: Fran McCaffery accepting Penn head coaching job
Former Iowa basketball head coach Fran McCaffery will become the new coach of Penn, according to CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander. McCaffery is a alum of the Ivy League institution.
As it stands right now, McCaffery is in the final stages of negotiations with Penn. The Palestra in Philadelphia is about to receive a lot of buzz.
In his 15 seasons as their head coach, Iowa posted a 297-207 record and a 143-141 mark in conference play. The Hawkeyes made it to the NCAA Tournament seven times during that tenure but failed to ever make it past the Round of 32. They also would’ve likely earned another in 2019-20 but that postseason was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
McCaffery’s best season at the helm of the program was the 2021-22 campaign when the Hawkeyes posted a 26-10 overall record, a 12-8 conference mark and won the Big Ten Tournament for the first time since 2006. The team was led by Keegan Murray, a Consensus All-American and All-Big Ten selection who went on to be the No. 4 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
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Unfortunately for McCaffery, he was unable to capture similar success this past season. Iowa finished the regular season 16-15 and 7-13 in conference play before ultimately suffering a season-ending loss in the Big Ten Tournament. The Hawkeyes won their opening matchup against Ohio State but fell to Illinois in the second round. During that game, which now end up being his final one, McCaffery was ejected after receiving two technical fouls.
McCaffery has also had head coaching stints at Lehigh (1995-98), UNC Greensboro (1999-2005) and Siena (2005-10). He not only contributed to the community on the court but off it as well. McCaffery was an outspoken cancer fundraiser and advocate during his time at the helm of the program.
McCaffery and his wife also host a cancer fundraiser at their home every year to raise money for the University of Iowa’s Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Cancer Program. The pair have raised over a million dollars for the cause since coming to Iowa in 2010.
Grant Grubbs contributed to this report