Does Iowa Have a Plan to Move On From Fran McCaffery?

It has been a tough season for the Iowa men's basketball team. News this week that starting center Owen Freeman is done for the season has only added to the woes. Many Iowa fans are beginning to wonder if now is the time to make a move at head coach. Does Iowa have a plan of succession to move on from Fran McCaffery?

First of all, moving on from Fran won't be easy. He's been at Iowa since 2010 and won 293 games for the Hawkeyes. But Iowa hasn't turned those wins into postseason success. He hasn't reached the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament despite having NBA-level talent like Luka Garza, and Keegan and Kris Murray. And home attendance for the Iowa men this year has been spotty at best. While the women continue to sell out, the Iowa men are averaging around 9,500 tickets sold per game. According to the Cedar Rapids Gazette, that is 10th out of 14 teams in the Big Ten.

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Is there an obvious choice to replace Fran McCaffery at Iowa? Sports Illustrated reports that many believe that coach is Darian DeVries of West Virginia. DeVries grew up in Aplington, Iowa, and went to high school at Aplington-Parkersburg. He played basketball collegiately at UNI before joining the coaching staff at Creighton University. He became a head coach for the first time when he accepted the job at Drake University in Des Moines in 2018.

All DeVries did at Drake was go 150-55 and lead the Bulldogs to three NCAA Tournament appearances according to SI. This is his first season at West Virginia after signing a five-year deal that pays him an average of $3 million per year. The Mountaineers are 14-8 this season.

Is DeVries the answer for an Iowa program treading water? Will Fran McCaffery be back next season? Iowa fans would like some answers.