Video: Highlights from Iowa men’s basketball open summer workout #2
Video: Highlights from Iowa men’s basketball open summer workout on July 15, 2024.
IOWA CITY — Former Hawkeye Connor McCaffery has been hired as an assistant coach for Butler men’s basketball, the program announced Monday.
A position on head coach Thad Matta’s staff became open following the departure of Greg Oden. McCaffery now makes the move from the Indiana Pacers organization to the college ranks. His father, Fran, is the University of Iowa’s head men’s basketball coach.
“Following a high-level playing career, Connor has had the opportunity to both contribute and learn alongside one of the best staffs in the NBA,” Matta said in a statement. “Those experiences will be very valuable to our staff. He obviously comes from a basketball family that I know very well and I’m excited for the impact he is going to have on our program both quickly and in the long run.”
McCaffery has multiple ties to the Butler program. His brother Patrick transferred from Iowa to Butler this offseason. Their younger brother, Jack, is committed to the Bulldogs in the 2025 recruiting class. Jack is currently heading into his senior season at Iowa City West High School.
Connor McCaffery played both baseball and basketball at Iowa. In a Hawkeye basketball career that spanned six seasons, Connor scored more than 700 points, dished out more than 500 assists and grabbed nearly 500 rebounds. Playing for his father Fran and with brother Patrick, Connor was part of an Iowa team that won a Big Ten Tournament championship in 2022.
After his playing career concluded in 2023, Connor McCaffery joined the Indiana Pacers staff as a basketball development coordinator. In his lone season with the organization, the Pacers reached the Eastern Conference Finals, where they lost to the eventual 2024 NBA champion Boston Celtics.
Connor McCaffery now takes the next step in his coaching career as a member of the Butler staff. Matta, a former Ohio State head coach, is entering his third season at the helm of the Bulldogs’ program. Butler improved from 14-18 in year one to 18-15 in year two under Matta. But the Bulldogs are searching for their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2018.
Connor McCaffery will have a hand in trying to do so this season while coaching his brother Patrick.
Follow Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15, contact via email at ttachman@gannett.com
