Fran McCaffery Provides Iowa Men’s Basketball Update

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Iowa Men’s Basketball coach Fran McCaffery met with the media through a virtual press conference Tuesday afternoon to provide updates on the Hawkeyes. National pundits have picked them as a Top 10 team to start the season.

Here are some highlights from McCaffery’s meeting with some accompanying video clips:

• Freshman center Josh Ogundele has experienced a rough stretch during the pandemic. The Londoner was held up at home waiting for his visa and then became sick once he arrived on campus. He’s been playing catchup compared to the other four newcomers who arrived at Iowa in June.
• McCaffery said Jack Nunge, who tore is ACL at the beginning of last season, is easing back into the routine and should be practicing fully when training camp starts on Oct. 14. C.J. Fredrick, who underwent offseason foot surgery, and Patrick McCaffery, Fran’s son who was dealing with effects from a previous cancer battle, also have progressed to being ready to go when workout times expand.
• Iowa is expecting a 27-game schedule and there’s a good chance that rival Iowa State will be on it, McCaffery said.

• The Hawkeyes have dealt with the coronavirus impacting multiple players on the team with a wide range of symptoms. Some guys couldn’t smell or taste.
• He’s been asked about high outside expectations for his team throughout the offseason. McCaffery has stayed on message that he has witnessed his team dealing with them well. He reiterated that on Tuesday.
• McCaffery sympathized with Ogundele and the other freshmen who are not experiencing a normal first-year on campus. They’ve missed out on in-person bonding time with teammates and coaches because of COVID-19 safety protocols. They didn’t enjoy a normal orientation to college, including having a class picture taken in Kinnick Stadium.
• McCaffery said there’s a chance he’ll play all five freshmen this season but firmly sees two or three logging significant minutes. He wants a much deeper rotation than he had last season.
• Big Ten Player of the Year Luka Garza’s game is evolving, McCaffery said. The coaches thinks his center can lead the league in rebounding and also is improving on setting up teammates out of double teams. He has not rested on his all-American accomplishments from a year ago and is showing a high level of hunger to win.

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