Caitlin Clark has never been the kind of person who enjoys public attention. Despite single-handedly turning the tides of how America consumes women’s basketball, dominating TV screens thereafter, and an Instagram grid that looks like every marketing whiz’s dream, she’s not your typical superstar. Taking life as it comes, you’d never see her indulging in mud-slinging, or retorts—no matter how pointed Sheryl Swoopes’ critics become. But if there’s one thing she’s fiercely protective and dedicated about? It’s her loved ones…

…which also includes her boyfriend, Connor McCaffery—son of Fran McCaffery, head basketball coach at the University of Iowa since 2010. Currently, an assistant coach for the Butler Bulldogs’ men’s basketball team himself, the former college basketball player met Clark when they were both enrolled at Iowa. Interestingly, the WNBA star was first friends with Connor’s brother Patrick, before sparks flew. But, since then, the pair has been inseparable. Literally. But with both so busy, how do they even make time for each other? Well, it’s all in the magic of being present.

March 5 was a busy day for the Indiana Fever star. Ever since the 2024-25 college basketball season started, Caitlin Clark has had two hearts– Iowa Hawkeyes and Butler Bulldogs. But a problem arose. The Bulldogs’ game against Xavier Musketeers’ game and the Iowa vs Wisconsin clash was scheduled within an hour of each other. But Clark, being the overachiever she is, had a plan.

As the Jan Jensen-led squad went onto dominate their opponents 81-54, earning themselves a second-round game against No. 6 seed Michigan State, in the stands was a familiar face, in a familiar territory, where she once wrote history by becoming the all-time leading scorer in NCAA women’s basketball. “In the building…none other than…Caitlin Clark. Iowa fans know her well. She’s a big reason why they’ve had so much success over the last couple of years in this tournament…,” a broadcaster said. However, a little while later, cameras lost sight of her…

A couple of hours later, the mystery was solved—Clark had made her way to Hinkle Fieldhouse. Her sudden disappearance from the Iowa game had some people raising their eyebrows, but once they realized where she was, it all made sense. “It’ll be fun. Give us something to do all throughout the offseason. But it’s definitely still ‘go Hawks’ as well,” Clark had said after McCaffery had made it as the Bulldogs’ assistant coach. It tested her today.

Connor has always been on her corner– from her unforgettable March Madness run at Iowa to becoming the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA Draft. Even as Hall of Famer Sheryl Swoopes doubted Clark’s ability to break the NCAA women’s basketball scoring record, Connor didn’t hold back. “Just imagine doing an interview and being this misinformed,” he wrote on X. And when she did break the record, he was right there in the stands, later posting, “So proud” on his Instagram story. Unwavering support has always characterized their relationship, and it was evident yet again as she reciprocated.

Clark has been considered a good luck charm for the Bulldogs, but unfortunately, her presence wasn’t enough to turn things around for Butler. The Bulldogs had their moments—Jahmyl Telfort dropped 20 points, and Finley Bizjack added 19—but in the end, they couldn’t snap their losing streak. Xavier took the win, 91-78. Notably, this was Bulldogs’ fourth loss in five games. They are currently priced at +50100 to win the national championship for the very first time. And Teamrankings.com has placed the team’s chances of reaching the 2025 NCAA Tournament at 1.1% and championship win at 0.0%. Talk about a curveball for McCaffery!

But of course, she didn’t make it to Butler’s game as a lucky charm, this time as…

Caitlin Clark was racing between Butler and Iowa to support someone special; not Connor

She was there for Patrick McCaffery, Connor’s younger brother, who now wears #22 for Butler. It was his Senior night and 2024 Rookie of the Year couldn’t simply miss it.

The senior forward, who spent years as a Hawkeye alongside Connor and Caitlin, played his last college game today. He’d put up 11 points, but what made the night special was the journey he had endured to get there. He missed most of his freshman season due to complications from his cancer treatment. Back in 2014, at just 14 years old, Patrick had a malignant tumor removed from his thyroid—an incredibly tough moment for the McCaffery family.

“I don’t think it’s something to be looked poorly upon,” Connor once said. “I think it’s brave. I feel like people will understand, and I think he’s actually helping a lot of people by doing that.”

Days since then, it was Patrick’s transfer to Butler for his final year of eligibility that got the family back together. So, when he announced the move on Instagram, Caitlin jumped in with a comment: “Indy takeover.” Connor chimed in too: “I’ll let you in on my city.”

So when it was time for Patrick McCaffery to close this chapter of his career, was there ever a doubt that Caitlin would be there? Not a chance. But, even after watching Butler’s loss, Clark wasn’t done for the night. As soon as the Butler game wrapped up, she wasted no time rushing back to Gainbridge Fieldhouse—luckily, the two arenas were only 17 minutes apart. She made it back just in time to catch the final stretch of Iowa’s game against Wisconsin.

The moment cameras spotted her courtside, the crowd went wild. By then, Iowa had already sealed the deal, leading 65-3. No doubt about it—the WNBA’s 2024 All-Star knew exactly how to make the night count.