After two Hawkeye assistants departed earlier this season, Fran McCaffery was faced with a task of backfilling two longtime assistants. He tapped someone else who was on the bench - well floor - during those first seasons to replace the retired Kirk Speraw: Matt Gatens.
Gatens’ loyalty to Iowa is arguably unrivaled: he committed to one coach, played two seasons for another, and then closed out his career with two under Fran. If there’s a player who’s been to hell and back without facing a career ending injury, it probably looks a lot like what Gatens went through at Iowa.