Former Hawkeye and NBA Star Ryan Bowen Joins McCaffery's Staff at Iowa

Chalk another mark in the plus column for Iowa basketball head coach Fran McCaffery .

McCaffery has been on the job in Iowa City for less than two months, but he is quickly making a great impression among Hawkeye fans around the country.

It might be premature to say he has brought the excitement back to Iowa basketball , but he is definitely well on his way.

Not long ago, McCaffery hired Kirk Speraw ,  a two-time Hawkeye letterman who played for Head Coach Lute Olson in the late 1970s. 

Speraw has over three decades of basketball coaching experience, both as an assistant and as head coach, and has coached dozens of players like former Hawkeyes Ronnie Lester and Bobby Hansen. 

On Wednesday, McCaffery announced the hire of another former Hawkeye to his basketball staff. Former NBA star Ryan Bowen will serve as the team's video coordinator and administrative assistant.

"I couldn't be more excited to be joining the Iowa basketball staff," Bowen said after the announcement was made. "I'm extremely thankful to Coach McCaffery for giving me this opportunity, and I'm eager to get started."

McCaffery is no stranger to Bowen, and he knows that adding him to the staff brings back fond memories for Hawkeye fans.    

"I remember watching Ryan play in high school, and followed his career at Iowa and the NBA," said McCaffery of his newest staff member. "There isn't a harder working basketball player that understands the game than Ryan Bowen."

Bowen is Iowa's career field goal percentage leader and winner of the 1997 Chris Street Award. He also holds the school record for career steals and ranks fourth in career blocks. 

For Bowen, the Iowa job is the perfect opportunity to begin a new life after the NBA.

"I want to get into coaching, and I want to do it at a higher level," Bowen added . "There's no better place to start than at the University of Iowa."