Style of play, demeanor among differences between Iowa's McCaffery and Lickliter

IOWA CITY - New Iowa men's basketball coach Fran McCaffery differs from his predecessor in personality, coaching style and pedigree.

Both McCaffery and former Iowa Coach Todd Lickliter, ran successful mid-major programs before taking the Big Ten plunge. But it's the level of success that fans hope distinguish the two eras.

McCaffery, 50, was named Iowa's new men's basketball coach on Sunday. He quietly led Siena to three straight NCAA Tournaments and three conference titles in five seasons. Siena, McCaffery's third head coaching job in 14 years, compiled a 112-51 record under his leadership.

His resume is comparable to Lickliter's previous accomplishments. Lickliter led Butler to a pair of Sweet 16 berths and was tabbed the 2007 NABC Coach of the Year a day before accepting the Iowa job. McCaffery finished the season 27-7 and is 251-178 all-time. But that's where the similarities end.

McCaffery, a Philadelphia native, has shown a fiery sideline demeanor during games, while Lickliter was calm and reserved. Lickliter coached mostly at mid-major universities and his only college head coaching experience was at Butler. McCaffery led three different schools - Siena, North Carolina-Greensboro, Lehigh - to the NCAA Tournament and spent 11 years as the primary recruiting assistant coach at Notre Dame.

Most observers will notice the biggest difference in style of play. Lickliter grinded down 35-second clock that was designed to work for the best shot. McCaffery likes to move the ball in transition and run an up-tempo style of attack.

“I think our style of play will appeal to our fans,” McCaffery told the Big Ten Network on Sunday night. “We're going to push the ball, we're going to change defenses, we're going to disrupt rhythm a little bit. I think when folks see us play, they'll see how unselfishly we play. They'll really appreciate our style.”

McCaffery, his wife, Margaret, and their four children flew from Albany to Cedar Rapids last night. Iowa officials met the family on the tarmac and whisked them to a meeting with the current Iowa players at the UI Athletics Hall of Fame in Iowa City. Neither McCaffery nor the players spoke to independent media sources last night. McCaffery appeared on the Big Ten Network and the players talked to the school's Web site.

“I like what he wants to do with our team and his philosophy of the game and how he wants to play,” Iowa freshman Eric May said on the school Web site. “I am excited to get going.”

Iowa has scheduled an 11 a.m. news conference today to introduce McCaffery. Contract terms have not been released.

Iowa Athletics Director Gary Barta fired Lickliter two weeks ago. The winding and secretive 14-day search for Lickliter's replacement led to several candidates, most notably Dayton's Brian Gregory. Negotiations stalled between Gregory and Iowa over the weekend, according to the Dayton Daily News. It's unclear what role those discussions played in Iowa's decision to hire McCaffery.

Associate athletics director Fred Mims, who served on the five-member search committee, flew to Albany and back with the McCaffery family. He declined to talk about aspects of the search but called it “a fruitful day.”

“I'm very appreciative of being able to get this on its way,” Mims said. “Iowa fans are very much looking forward to seeing what's going to happen. I think they'll be pleased.”

Iowa was 38-58 under Lickliter and finished 10-22 this year, the most single-season losses in school history. Iowa's average paid attendance dipped to an all-time low of 9,550.

Under Lickliter, nine scholarship players left the program, including seven since his first season. Iowa returns all but one scholarship player next year - including their top six active players - from a team built with Lickliter's offensive philosophy. The Hawkeyes also have four recruits with signed letters of intent, forming what many call the program's best recruiting class in years. There's one open scholarship remaining.

“The first thing I would do is talk to each and every one of them and their families and make sure they know who I am and what I intend to do,” McCaffery said on the Big Ten Network. “I'll tell them about my coaching style, my coaching philosophy and make them comfortable with me. I have to do that in a short period of time.

“Recruiting as you know, is something that usually happens over a longer period of time. I think when these young men understand how I coach, what it's like to play for me, my style, they're going to want to play for me. My style, they're going to have to want to play for me. They're going to want to come here and compete, and then they'll understand what we're building.”

McCaffery has a passionate supporter in his wife. As a women's basketball player, Margaret McCaffery ranks among Notre Dame's all-time scoring and rebounding leaders. The two met while they were assistant coaches at Notre Dame.