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"I don't know if the road (in the NCAA Tournament) is that much more difficult unless you run into a Louisville or somebody like that early," McCaffery said. One of the biggest trials that lay ahead for McCaffery next season is managing playing time for a deep roster that is becoming deeper. Senior captain Eric May graduates, and his loss will be felt in a lot of ways that didn't show up in the postgame statistics. Head men's basketball coaches at the Final Four of the National Invitation Tournament are, from left, Scott Drew, Baylor, Fran McCaffery, Iowa, Dave Rose, Brigham Young, Mark Turgeon, Maryland. "We have to figure out who the leaders are going to be," McCaffery said. "Our junior class is well-prepared to do that. It should essentially become Roy Devyn Marble's team with (Melsahn) Basabe and (Zach) McCabe as more than solid contributors. It's a tremendous challenge for all of us, and all we're going to do is keep grinding and working, staying positive, and teaching." Excluding May, nine other Hawkeyes played at least an average of 10.7 minutes in 37 games (freshman point guard Mike Gesell played 34 games, but averaged 25.1 minutes per game). "We played 10 (players) this year and everybody was comfortable with it, and that's not always the case," McCaffery said. "I can't be more effusive in my praise for the character of those guys. When you watch the guys on the bench cheer for the guys on the floor, and then when they come out, they cheer for the guys on the floor, and it's genuine. Now how can I manage the minutes where everybody is happy and everybody is comfortable and committed to the end result, which is winning a championship, getting into the NCAA Tournament, and making some noise when we get there?" That question begins to be answered in the offseason. For McCaffery, it is an offseason with a schedule full of engagements and obligations, not to mention many hours as a fan to three baseballplaying sons and a daughter in softball. "Hopefully at some point, my wife and I will be able to get a bit of time away," McCaffery said. "But that's probably not going to be for the next six or seven weeks." When the down time comes for McCaffery, it will be a deserved retreat. Well deserved. Chris White 37