Fran McCaffery shares where son, Patrick, stands in conditioning

Patrick McCaffery, the son of Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery, stepped away from the program to take care of his mental health at the start of January. Now, he’s considered a game-time decision to play against Michigan State on Thursday.

In light of that news, Fran McCaffery was asked about Patrick’s conditioning.

“He’s doing everything that everybody else is doing, right now,” Fran McCaffery said. “So, he’s running. He’s lifting, shooting, practicing. I think his conditioning should be okay whenever he decides to play.”

Fran McCaffery does expect Patrick to come back and play at some point this season. However, he also made it clear that when he returns is up to Patrick and when he feels like he’ll be ready.

This season, Patrick McCaffery has averaged 12.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game.

Fran McCaffery on his son’s mental health

Fran McCaffery is a father first and a coach second. He, rightly, puts his son’s mental health first and did what he could to help his son.

“I think he said it pretty well, in terms of how he feels and how his body feels at any point in time in terms of his eating and sleeping and so forth. His energy level isn’t where it needs to be. He’s pretty transparent about how he feels, and so we’re just trying to help him feel better,” McCaffery said.

“I think father first. Just concerned about his well-being. But then, if he’s struggling in the game, coach him up, then assess where he is physically. Then that, of course, is going to affect his minutes if his stamina is an issue, which it has been recently. We keep an eye on it.”