McCaffery: ‘I was a transfer’
Fran McCaffery can empathize with the parade of college basketball players who transfer at the end of each season.
“There are always going to be transfers,” McCaffery said. “You know it, and I know it. Sometimes it’s nobody’s fault. Not the kid, not the school. It just didn’t work out. I was a transfer.”
Fran McCaffery, who played one season at Wake Forest, returns Tuesday as Iowa's coach.
McCaffery, Iowa’s first-year coach, returns to the start of his college basketball career Tuesday when the Hawkeyes meet Wake Forest in a 6 p.m. ACC/Big Ten Challenge game at Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem, N.C.
McCaffery was a highly recruited point guard out of LaSalle High School in Philadelphia, Pa., with deft ballhandling skills that earned him the nickname “White Magic.” McCaffery signed with Wake Forest and lettered in 1977-78, averaging 4.5 points and playing in 28 games. Then he transferred to Pennsylvania after the season.
“Was it a God-awful choice?” McCaffery said of Wake Forest. “No. I mean, I went through a lot of agony over where I was going to go to school. It just wasn’t a good fit for them, and it wasn’t a good fit for me. It wasn’t their fault, it wasn’t my fault.”
McCaffery said he was bitter when he left after a 19-10 season and returned to his Pennsylvania roots. Bitterness was soon replaced by reality.
“I needed to go to another place, and they needed to get another player,” McCaffery said. “It worked out for them, and it worked out for me. Fortunately, I recognized it at the appropriate time.”
McCaffery thinks the experience has made him become a better coach, because it’s helped him relate to his players.
“When I went through that, it was like nobody talked to me,” McCaffery said. “Actually, one assistant coach talked to me. The lowest guy on the totem pole. And he really helped me. So I make sure I’m constantly communicating with our players.”
McCaffery said when he played, coaches were most focused on what happened during practice. Those borders have expanded.
“There’s more emphasis today on what happens off the court,” McCaffery said. “What decisions are you making? What are you doing academically? I think we need to stay on top of it. Because so many careers are derailed by poor decision making off the court, or lack of attention in the classroom. Ultimately they’re here to get an education. And we’re part of the process.”
McCaffery, who wore No. 22 at Wake Forest, played his home games at Memorial Coliseum. That building was razed and replaced by Joel Coliseum, which opened for the 1989-90 season.
McCaffery has been back to the Wake Forest campus since he left, and coached nearby at North Carolina-Greensboro for six seasons (1999-2005). He’ll have a lot of friends in the stands for tonight’s game.
“I really enjoyed my one year at Wake Forest,” McCaffery said. “I have great respect for the ACC, having played in it. And living and coaching in Greensboro, I followed the conference closely. What we try to do is separate all that stuff. I’m just trying to get my team ready to play a very good Wake Forest team on the road, put together a game plan that’s sound and continue to try to get our young players to improve and get better.”
TUESDAY’S GAME
WHO: Iowa (3-3) at Wake Forest (3-3)
WHERE: Joel Coliseum, Winston-Salem, N.C.
TIPOFF: 6 p.m.
TV/RADIO: ESPNU/Hawkeye Radio Network including WHO-AM (1040), Des Moines and WMT-AM (600), Cedar Rapids.
STATISTICAL LEADERS: For Iowa — Eric May 13.3 ppg, Melsahn Basabe 5.8 rpg, Bryce Cartwright 3.0 apg ; For Wake Forest — Travis McKie 14.8 ppg, Ari Stewart 8.0 rpg, C.J. Harris 5.2 apg.
ABOUT THE HAWKEYES: May leads Iowa in scoring and steals (2.33) and is fourth in rebounding (4.2).
ABOUT THE DEMON DEACONS: Junior Ty Walker blocked 11 shots in Wake Forest’s last game, against Marist.
WHAT TO WATCH: Wake Forest is 2-3 at home this season. This is Iowa’s first true road game.
Category: Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball
