REPORT: Cal MBB hiring former Iowa Assistant Andrew Francis

Mark Fox has secured his second assistant in former Iowa Assistant Coach Andrew Francis. Francis was a mainstay on the Hawkeyes’ basketball team for 10 years. He spent 13 years with HC Fran McCaffery, 3 at Siena before the last 10 years at Iowa. Francis first started his coaching career as a video assistant under Jay Wright at Villanova before joining McCaffery at Siena. Known to be a “tireless recruiter,” Francis will form a great recruiting tandem, with reported hire Chris Harriman. He was well liked by the fan base and media members alike. The Bears look to have gotten a great underrated hire.

Chad Leistikow of Hawkcentral.com, first reported the departure and confirmed the move to Berkeley.

Hawkcentral.com also had a mailbag question about Francis’ departure, here’s what they said:

Francis will be missed. He was a tireless recruiter who was well-liked in the state and region. The East Coast and Minnesota were a couple of his fertile recruiting grounds, and he also did excellent work in Indiana.

I’ll personally miss him. Francis was a great guy to talk to. He knows basketball like a first language, and he’ll be a strong addition to any university.

Bottom line: This is definitely a bump in the road, but coaching changes happen all the time. Iowa will hire another assistant and work to move forward, full-steam ahead with its recruiting. Let’s see who McCaffery picks.

Welcome to Berkeley, Coach Francis