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• Fran the Builder – Coach McCaffery took a dismal Sienna program and turned it to the preeminent power in the Metro Atlantic conference. Licklighter on the other hand ascended from a successful program that he inherited from Barry Collier.
• Going Coastal – I’m not old enough to remember the hiring of Lute Olsen but I suspect that many questioned his ability to recruit the Midwest much like folks today are questioning McCaffery’s ability to do the same. Keep in mind McCaffery was an assistant at Notre Dame, located in the Chicago suburb of South Bend Ind. Having someone from out of the time zone may prove to be an advantage. Think of the Texas/ New Jersey studs recruited to Iowa City by Hayden Fry.
• Iowa Connections – If the coach is to be taken at his word at least one of the new assistants will have played at the Hawkeye U. This won’t necessarily mean more “W”s but will likely bring back some of the fans turned off by having Hoosiers coach our teams.
• Coaching Style – McCaffery is likely to bring an up tempo east coast style of basketball to the Big Ten. This could be an advantage in that Iowa will not be after the cookie cutter half court players that dominate conference play.
Surprise surprise... not! The University of Iowa, the Avenger's alma matter, fired its basketball coach. As I write this Iowa City is all a buzz with rumor and innuendo as to whom the next coach might be. Here is my take on some of the candidates...
Bruce Pearl - I had the honor of meeting coach Pearl on a couple of occasions while he worked as an assistant on Dr. Tom's staff. I like Bruce Pearl but he seems to be happy at Rocky Top U.
Rick Majerus - I love this guy. While health concerns were cited for his short lived retirement from basketball I suspect his outspoken comments about Utah's predominant religion and culture may have have contributed to his departure. How neat would it be to have a coach who looks like the average pork chomping beer swilling Iowan? Not since John Kruk or Refrigerator Perry have those of us who are gravitationally challenged, have had one of our own to cheer for. My concern is that Majerus might lack the stamina to rebuild the program.
Keno Davis - I'm not a believer. Getting to the NCAA with dad's players only to drop a deuce in the first round does not inspire a lot of confidence.
Ben Jacobson - Jacobson is the coach at nearby Northern Iowa, has a couple of wins against the Hawkeyes under his belt and is getting ready for his second NCAA appearance with the Panthers. Some say insanity is doing the same thing over again and again and expecting different results. I'm not so sure if going to the ranks of a mid major school as was the case with Alford and Lickliter is the way to go.
Steve Lavin - This guy brings name recognition and will immediately put butts back into the seats of Carver Hawkeye Arena. In my mind Lavin is a bit unproven having ascended from the assistant's chair to head coach of a winning UCLA program. On top of everything else Lavin is a west coast guy so who knows if he would even stick around.
C. Vivian Stringer - Now that you have stopped laughing hear me out. First, coach Stringer has Iowa ties having taken the Lady Hawkeyes to final four. Second she is the third winningest coach in Women's basketball so she knows her Xs and Os. Third, she has coached men having scoured the intramural courts for guys to practice against her players. Fourth, think of the recruiting possibilities. In most urban environments it is mom and/or grandma who rules the roost. Having a strong women to connect with mom and grandma might offer that inside advantage needed to land the next Ronny Lester or B.J. Armstrong.
Here's my take...
- ZZZZZZZZZZZZ.
- Did anyone under the age of 60 notice or care that Barbra Wa Wa is giving up her Pre-Oscar interview show?
- What was up with all of those one strap dresses from the Vera Wang's Andre the Giant collection?
- Mrs. Avenger had to remind me that we were watching the Oscars and not a live action remake of the Flintstone's.
- Monique is the new Oprah.
- Avatar almost became the first remake of an Oscar winning film (Dances with Wolves) to win its own Oscar.
- Found it odd that three suicides (Michael Jackson, Brittany Murphy, David Carradine) made it into the "In Memoriam" section of the show but two actresses who died of natural causes Bea Arthur (Mame) and Farrah Fawcett (Dr. T and the Women and The Apostole) did not.
- Why not combine the Oscars and Tony's and limit our national nightmares to one night?
- With Meryl Streep and Helen Mirren canceling each other out Sandra Bullock waltzed her way to a best actress win.
- Kudos to Sandra Bullock for winning both the Best Actress (Oscar) and Worst Actress (Razzie) in the same weekend. Maybe now Jessie James can stop moonlighting as reality T.V. bitch.
- Three things were missing from Jeff Bridges acceptance speech; shorts, flip flops and a white russian.
- Look for my movie "Bear Based on the novel Nerd by Blurb" to become an early favorite for the 2012 Oscars.
- Surprised to learn that the Hurt Locker was about the Iraq War and not a posthumous John Hughes Film set in a suburban Chicago high.
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