Ready To Play: Patrick McCaffery Moves On From Last Season
All Patrick McCaffery could do for almost all of the 2019-20 basketball season was sit and watch.
That, the Iowa redshirt freshman forward said, was educational, but frustrating.
While his brother was having a season in which he led the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio, and his father was the head coach of a team that won 20 games and would have gone to the NCAA tournament, McCaffery had to watch from the bench as he dealt with health issues related to thyroid cancer treatment he received back in 2014.
"For me, there were times when (the season) was really fun," McCaffery said. "But there were also times that were challenging, where it was frustrating watching from the sidelines, not being able to be out there. I'm somebody who likes to compete. Not being able to do that was hard."
McCaffery played in Iowa's exhibition game and the first two games of the season, then sat out the remaining 29 games.
He's heavier now — the 6-foot-9 McCaffery weighs 200 pounds, up more than 10 pounds from last season. The health issues that resulted from the removal of his thyroid six years ago are under better control.
Now he wants to contribute to a team that is expected to be one of the best in the nation this season.
McCaffery and many of the rest of the Hawkeyes are at Carver-Hawkeye Arena going through voluntary workouts after being at home for the past 2 1/2 months because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It was cool," McCaffery said, "to get out there and play again."
He is having to learn to play with the weight he's gained in the offseason.
"The more I'll play, the more I'll get used to it," McCaffery said. "It's definitely a transition, playing heavier. I think it will be good in the long run, for sure. I think I'll notice a difference."
He is also learning to better handle the various issues that kept him out last season.
"I don't think it will be ‘all figured out,'" McCaffery said. "I think this is something I'll have to deal with the rest of my life. But definitely I've got a better grip with it. Kind of figuring out how to cope with it was probably more important. My thyroid's not there. It's not going to grow back, it's not going to come back. It's just something I'll have to deal with, work through, work with our doctors, and try to be able to cope with it as best as I can."
"Patrick is coming along really well," coach Fran McCaffery said in early May. "He's up over 200 pounds, which is the first time he's been over 200 pounds, so that's a good sign."
Instead of working out at the team's practice facility and weight rooms during the past few months, Patrick and his brother, Connor, had to improvise at their family’s home, which includes an indoor half-court to get up shots.
"Running hills, running back and forth down the street, using the weights our strength coach brought over for us to use," Patrick said. "You kind of had to reinvent how you got better."
"Working out over quarantine, (Patrick) was shooting all of the time," Connor said. "His body's looking different, he's putting on weight. He looks good. I'm excited to see him play this year, for sure."
Patrick McCaffery played a combined 44 minutes in Iowa's exhibition game against Lindsey Wilson College and regular-season games against SIU-Edwardsville and DePaul.
"The game's really fast, obviously," he said. "And I liked playing in Carver. But to be honest, I wasn't out there that much, so I wasn't really able to get my feet wet and be comfortable. I felt like I was on edge, a little nervous. And then I stopped playing, so I never really got comfortable. Obviously, the game is faster, the people are a lot more athletic, and you have to be more efficient with what you do offensively and defensively."
Watching his father's team is something Patrick has done a lot over the years. But he said last season gave him a different perspective.
"It's different being in every meeting, being around practice, being around the guys, being in the huddle, being on the bench," he said. "You see more stuff than what you would see if you're an average fan. You just look at the game deeper than I would have beforehand.
"Now I just want to be playing again."
