Good things keep coming Caitlin Clark’s way, both on and off the court. While the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year is making waves with the Indiana Fever, her boyfriend, Connor McCaffery, is carving out his own success in basketball. As a new assistant coach for the Butler Bulldogs, McCaffery’s career is off to a promising start, with his family’s influence continuing to shine through his work on the sidelines.

According to a recent post on X by Butler Basketball Guru, Butler’s NET ranking went up from 42 to 38 overnight without playing a game. This post comes on the heels of Butler’s impressive win over Illinois, which secured them a 7-1 season and placed them at the top of the Big East standings, extending their winning streak to six games.

When it comes to coaching, it is Connor’s second job after the end of her playing career. In September Connor joined Thad Matta’s squad as an assistant in place of Greg Oden. Being only one year removed from playing college basketball himself, McCaffery immediately became the youngest member of Butler’s staff. But wasn’t it too early for him? Connor did not think that.

“I knew I wanted to get into coaching. My thought always was that the faster I could get into coaching, the better for me. It did sacrifice a couple of years of me playing, and I miss it a little bit, but that’s okay,” Connor had said in an interview in September. But before taking up this position he primed himself with another stint with the Indiana Pacers that he started in September, last year.

“It’s a way in. It’s an entry-level job. You’ve got to work hard and work your way up. That’s obviously what I want to do,” Connor had said back then. He played from 2018-2023 under his father Fran McCaffery at Iowa where he was also a baseball standout. McCaffery played in 166 games, which ranks second in Iowa history. He averaged 4.5 points and 3.0 rebounds, and played in 111 wins, tying Jordan Bohannon for most in program history. His career assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.59 (527 assists to 147 turnovers) is second-best in NCAA history.

But since he always had his eyes on coaching he was excited about the Pacers opportunity. “I’m really excited. I want to get away and try to learn from someone else, somewhere else. I’ve always been under my dad’s shadow and tutelage. Now, learning from someone like coach [Rick] Carlisle … and the assistants they have there, they’re all good basketball minds … I’m just going to try to take everything in,” McCaffery had said. Indeed, he did that well which led to an unexpected development as this season began.

“It happened so fast and very unexpectedly. This was not something that was in the works for a long time. It all kind of happened randomly. I was going into this year fully expecting to be back with the Pacers. Coach [Matta] called me, and one thing led to another,” Connor had recalled. And according to him, the Pacers could not have been more supportive in the shift.

“Really, it comes down to how amazing the Pacers were. Coach Carlisle, Chad Buchanan and those guys were so understanding. They were like, ‘[The job at Butler] sounds great. We love you, but this is a big step, and it would be amazing for you.” Their understanding was really what gave me the full go to be able to do this,” Connor had noted. But according to him, he picked up valuable lessons from his Indiana stints.

“I feel like I learned how professionals conduct their everyday business. I saw how a different coach [Rick Carlisle] approached practice every day and how he handled adversity and success. I’ve always been around my dad, and I knew how he did it, but I wanted to see how different coaches do it. Coach Carlisle and the rest of his assistants were amazing with that. I think that taking as much as I could from that year has been really beneficial to me,” Connor had said. Interestingly, almost the entire McCaffery family is under Matta’s folds.

Before Connor, Matta had already added Patrick McCaffery to his 2024-25 roster and Jack McCaffery to its 2025 recruiting class. And Patrick McCaffery was behind Butler’s impressive run while playing a crucial role in the team’s 73-58 victory over Eastern Illinois on December 3. Patrick put up 20 points and grabbed 7 rebounds, while Jahmyl Telfort contributed another 20 points, maintaining an impressive 10-10 record at the free-throw line. This performance has been part of a larger trend that has seen Butler rise to the top of their conference early in the season. Indeed, things are really looking up for the couple.

Basketball joins the roads of Connor McCaffery and Caitlin Clark

Connor’s journey is not just about him; it’s about the entire McCaffery family’s basketball legacy. While Connor is now helping guide the Bulldogs as an assistant coach, his brothers are continuing their careers in college basketball. Patrick, who transferred to Butler earlier this year, is showing his leadership on the court, and Jack, the youngest brother, has committed to the program for 2025.

Jack, a top 100 recruit, is expected to make waves in his senior year of high school before joining his brothers at Butler. The family’s influence, with Fran McCaffery still leading Iowa, has shaped the brothers’ paths, and now Connor is playing an instrumental role as a mentor, shaping the next generation of players.

Of course, no mention of the McCaffery family would be complete without highlighting Caitlin Clark’s incredible success. McCaffery and Clark started dating in April 2023 and made their relationship Instagram official in August that same year. As one of the top basketball players in the world, Clark’s journey is equally inspiring. From her rise to prominence at Iowa to becoming the WNBA Rookie of the Year, the No. 22 has proven herself as a force on the court.

With Connor McCaffery now entrenched in his role at Butler, the McCaffery family’s basketball legacy is only expanding. From coaching to playing, the McCafferys continue to shine in the basketball world, while Caitlin Clark’s achievements make her a household name. Together, they’re proving that good things are indeed raining down on their lives, both personally and professionally.