Big Ten coaches' take on Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery

While in Indianapolis last weekend, I caught up with a pair of Big Ten coaches who have competed directly against new Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery.

Purdue beat Siena 72-64 in the first round of this year's NCAA Tournament. Purdue Coach Matt Painter said recruiting will be crucial for McCaffery at Iowa.

"First of all, the most important thing is recruiting," Painter said. "That's the most important thing in anybody's program, and at Siena they had great players. They had a great point guard. The guy has consistently won, and that's a tough thing to do at a mid-major. They showed some consistency in getting to the NCAA Tournament but also being competitive and winning games."

Painter also gave a scouting report on Siena under McCaffery.

"They're going to press and throw some different looks at you," Painter said. "They're going to push the basketball. But after watching tape, they probably had the best talent in their league. And anytime you have the better players, you want more possessions. I think it's very, very important to understand that. As your recruiting grows and the more players you get, the faster you can play. But there has to be a balance there, especially coming to the Big Ten."

Illinois Coach Bruce Weber recruited against McCaffery during the 1990s. Weber coached under Gene Keady at Purdue, while McCaffery served as an assistant at Notre Dame.

"At Iowa he'll bring some national recruiting because he's been all over the place at different parts of the country," Weber said. "Obviously he's done great things at Siena and brings a winning style, a winning system to Iowa there's no doubt. And he's a great, quality person."