IOWA CITY, Iowa – The Fran McCaffery coaching era at Iowa came to an unceremonious end on Friday. The school parted ways with its all-time winningest coach after 15 seasons.

Following the money will explain why UI fired the Philadelphia native. Home attendance had sunk to historically low levels. Fans spoke with their wallets.

Whenever the Iowa Football faithful has called for Kirk Ferentz’s firing, it still filled Kinnick Stadium. The Hawkeyes were supported when an investigation revealed racial bias in the program. Fans continued contributing to the cause through multiple years of excruciatingly bad offense.

They cite a lack of NCAA Tournament success, defensive deficiencies and sideline demeanor as reasons for lost interest in men’s basketball. The last point would be overlooked with success suiting their desires, however.

Iowa just didn’t win enough for McCaffery’s program to fight off apathy. It was the same story for the three guys filling the role before him.

History tells us that pursuing hoops nirvana here will require much more than changing the coaches. Odds are good that the ceiling reached during the last 30 years will remain until there’s a commitment to winning.

This defining moment for second-year athletic director Beth Goetz is more challenging than her firing Brian Ferentz or replacing the retiring Lisa Bluder. Fan support creates a sound foundation for those programs. The same can be said of Iowa wrestling. It’s fair wondering how much is left for men’s basketball.

Goetz has prepared herself for this moment while working her way up the ladder. She’d already formulated a plan well before Friday.

She needs help, though. That’s where you, the fans, come in. Anyone at the top of Iowa’s wish list will require some guarantee of better support. The school’s NIL collective CEO Brad Heinrichs told ourquadcities.com on Friday that the competition has five to six times more for player payroll.

The Hawkeyes also need funds to compete against other schools looking for new coaches. Good candidates aren’t going to line up now if they didn’t 15 years ago because support has waned and more resources are required.

If you followed along up to this point, you see the irony here. Iowa fans whose apathy led to McCaffery’s removal now must increase their support or history will repeat itself. That extends beyond getting the desired coach.

It stinks for fans that they must foot the bill for roster acquisitions. Send complaints to the NCAA and its member institutions, including Iowa, for being too greedy to share money with student-athletes and passing the bill on to you.

UI and others continue to kick the can down the road as you pay more for your teams to compete as they rake in money from TV. They point to the House v NCAA settlement going through to provide fans relief. You don’t have to search hard to find roadblocks to that reaching the finish line or facing more litigation even if it does.

If it goes through, collectives still will remain. A socialist system isn’t coming to compensating student-athletes. Programs still need to buy players.

Darian DeVries is the McCaffery replacement Hawkeye Nation most wants. The current West Virginia coach and former Drake bench boss will not come cheap. It could be a worthwhile investment, however.

DeVries in an Iowan. The Hawkeyes need a unifier, someone who fits the current fabric of the state. A grassroots approach building the base back through connection is required.

How much are you willing to help get him players to make it worth his while?