Iowa’s Andrew Francis meets his former employer

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Andrew Francis has worked under Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery for the last 10 years, including four while the two coached at Siena in Albany, N.Y.

Before joining McCaffery's staff, Francis spent two seasons at Villanova serving multiple roles including administrative assistant and video coordinator. More than anything, it was Francis' tenacity in becoming a coach that impressed Villanova Coach Jay Wright during his time there. Francis initially quit a job to volunteer at Villanova.

'He started as a video intern making no money, and I was just so impressed how a grown man who had a good job really loved ball and had a great deal of humility and would take the lowest job on the staff and have great enthusiasm about it,' Wright said.

'The longer he worked for us, I saw his character. I saw his intelligence, his basketball IQ, his ability to relate to players, and I knew he'd be a superstar. No one else could know that when you're a video guy. You don't see him on the road. But when I told Fran that, I think he trusted me on that, and I think Fran's seen what a great coach Andrew has become. I think he'll be a great head coach one day.'

Francis, a Brooklyn, N.Y. native, still has fondness for Villanova but is more interested in beating the Wildcats. He previously lost a second-round match-up with Villanova while at Siena.

'There is a been there, done that type of feel to it,' Francis said. 'I want to get a win, that's it. That's all I'm focused on. Those guys are great, we say our hellos, we reminisce a little bit. When it's time to toss the ball up, we toss it up and we go out there and play. You save all the pleasantries for after and before the game. During the game, you're just trying to compete and win. I think they appreciate that.'

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