If their full complement of players returns, the Iowa Hawkeyes are expected to be one of the best teams in the country next year.
“They all recognize what’s at stake. They all recognize the opportunity before us. And I think that’s the most important thing and I’ve been really proud of that,” said head coach Fran McCaffery.
COVID-19 has forced players to train on their own this offseason. Fran McCaffery says his team is positioned to lower the impact of being apart because of their maturity.
“When you have a veteran group, it’s important,” he said. “But it’s not as important because they know our offense. They know our terminology. They know our defensive schemes. They know how we train.”
McCaffery doesn’t sense any sort of hesitation or drop-off from his veteran group.
“This is a self-motivated group. They put the time in,” he said. “They take care of their bodies, they live their life the right way. But I think most importantly, they’re connected as friends, as teammates, as competitors.”
The team’s four captains are trying to maintain those close bonds during the pandemic.
“Luka, Connor, Jordan and Joe Wieskamp. They all talked about what they’re doing to motivate themselves, what they’ve been doing to motivate each other,” McCaffery said “Each one of those guys takes three of his teammates, and talks to that person during the course of the week, and then they rotate it so that they’re all talking to everybody. So that there’s never anybody losing any focus on what we’re trying to accomplish.”
