The Iowa basketball program will forever be remembered for producing one of the greatest collegiate athletes in history. The kind of impression that the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer Caitlin Clark left will always be everlasting. However, it must be noted that the men’s division of the Hawkeyes has also produced some great talent. One of them is Clark’s boyfriend Connor McCaffery. However, the men’s head coach and Connor’s father, Fran McCaffery, has another reason to be proud of. And that is the 6 ft 9 in power forward and Connor’s younger brother Patrick McCaffery.

Born in Greensboro, North Carolina, Patrick developed an aptitude for the game while examining his father’s coaching lessons for UNC Greensboro. Unfortunately, thyroid cancer at the age of 13 halted his progress for 3 months. Soon after recovering from it, he decided to represent the varsity basketball team of the Iowa City West High School.

As a junior, he produced an enticing exhibition of his skills, which included an average of 19.9 points and 6 rebounds per contest. As a result, the Iowa City West clinched the 2017 4A State Championship. In addition to this, McCaffery made it to the first-team All-State.

A similar recognition awaited him in his senior campaign when he pulled off an average of 25.1 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. In the process, he was also able to put his name next to the Iowa City West’s scoring record. This became instrumental in Patrick McCaffery getting rated as a consensus top-100 recruit. Further, this paved the way for him to pursue college basketball under the guidance of his father at Iowa.

Patrick McCaffery as a Hawkeye

His inaugural season at Iowa was very uneventful as health and wellness issues limited him to just 2 games. Following this, he appeared in 31 games in the subsequent season. A total of 162 points and 83 rebounds were the highlights of that. On top of that, he scored in double figures on 6 occasions and led the team five times in steals and four times in blocks. Consequently, Patrick McCaffery was adjudged the Most Improved Player Award. The 2021-22 campaign turned out to be the best for him.

His average of 10.5 points and 3.6 rebounds ranked 3rd and 4th respectively within the team. These numbers were enough to make him a Co-winner of the program’s Kenny Arnold Hawkeye Spirit Award.

Patrick McCaffery started only 14 out of the 27 games as a junior. Still, he managed 9.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 0.8 steals along with a double-digit contribution in 11 games. He then capped off his time at Iowa by becoming their 54th athlete to cross the 1000 points mark, finishing with a total of 1,045 points. He is now ranked 51st in terms of scoring in Iowa history. Accordingly, McCaffery was a team recipient of the Chris Street Award for the 2023-24 season.

Anyhow, the Hawkeyes will not be the option for the 24-year-old to utilize his extra year of eligibility. Earlier this year, he entered the NCAA transfer portal and was scouted by the 2x NCAA tournament runners-up, the Butler Bulldogs.

After Iowa, Patrick now has a chance to cement his name somewhere else. Many would believe that his specific skill set might prove essential to the plans of the Bulldogs in the upcoming season. It will be interesting to see what he brings to the table for them that can be vital for his chances as a pro.

Stay tuned for more such updates. And to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video.