The University of Pennsylvania, which counts US President Donald Trump among its alumni, announced on Thursday that Fran McCaffery will take over as the next coach of their men’s basketball team, the Quakers.
McCaffery spent 15 long seasons as the coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes men’s basketball team.
He guided the Hawkeyes to the NCAA Tournament seven times and secured a Big Ten Tournament championship during his time at Iowa. Penn’s official Instagram account shared the news with the caption:
“The McCaffery era of Penn Men’s Basketball starts now 👊 Welcome home, Coach! #FightOnPenn”
Shortly after the announcement, Fran McCaffery’s son, Patrick, took to social media and reacted to Penn Basketball’s Instagram post with a three-word message in support of his father.
“Let’s get it,” Patrick wrote.
After graduating, McCaffery began his coaching career at Penn as an assistant varsity coach and head sub-varsity coach under Craig Littlepage.
McCaffery shared his reaction about taking over a program at Penn and mentioned that it is close to his heart.
“I am excited and honored to return to my alma mater and the city of Philadelphia to lead the Penn men’s basketball program … it is a program that I have fond memories of from my previous time there as a student-athlete and assistant coach.
“My vision is to return Penn to prominence in the Ivy League and beyond and bring an exciting style of play to The Palestra,” McCaffery said in an official statement.
Penn AD Alanna Wren welcomes McCaffery
Penn’s director of athletics and recreation, Alanna Wren, expressed excitement about bringing McCaffery back to his alma mater in a statement released by the university.
“I am thrilled to bring Fran back to Penn and Philadelphia as our next head men’s basketball coach … Fran has had success at every level of Division I and is passionate about restoring our program to glory.
“His energy and enthusiasm for leading young men was apparent throughout the process, and he has proven to be committed to player development and relationship-building with his student-athletes throughout his storied career,” Wren said in an official statement.
McCaffery had a strong and long tenure at Iowa, leading the Hawkeyes to four consecutive 20-win seasons twice, first from 2012-13 to 2015-16, and again from 2018-19 to 2021-22. However, the program missed the NCAA Tournament in both the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
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Edited by Akshay Saraswat
