Caitlin Clark’s boyfriend has made a significant move in his career within the basketball world.
Connor McCaffery, a former Iowa basketball and baseball player and the son of the Hawkeyes’ head basketball coach, has secured a professional opportunity with the NBA’s Indiana Pacers. This opportunity arose from a chance encounter at a name, image, and likeness (NIL) event in Des Moines, where McCaffery connected with an individual who had ties to Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan.
After a conversation with Buchanan about coaching opportunities, McCaffery was offered a position as a team assistant with the Pacers.
In this role, McCaffery’s responsibilities will include various tasks such as playing dummy defense, running the scout team, assisting with film analysis, video projects, and scouting reports. Despite being an entry-level position, McCaffery sees it as a valuable opportunity to gain experience and work his way up in the coaching ranks.
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“I’ll play dummy defense, run the scout team, help coaches on film stuff, help on video projects if they need, scouting reports if they need,” McCaffery said. “It’s kind of all-hands on deck, whatever you’re asked to do, be ready to do it.
“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,” Via Hawk Central.
McCaffery’s journey to this point has been notable. As a two-sport athlete at Iowa City West, he initially pursued both basketball and baseball, with aspirations of entering the MLB draft. However, circumstances, including injuries and the COVID-19 pandemic, led him to focus on basketball. Throughout his collegiate basketball career, McCaffery showcased his skills on the court and in the classroom, culminating in becoming Iowa’s all-time leader in assist-to-turnover ratio.
Now, with the Pacers, McCaffery looks forward to learning from seasoned professionals like head coach Rick Carlisle and his assistants. McCaffery was recently spotted at Caitlin’s tournament game, spending time with NFL star and fellow Iowa alumni George Kittle.
As Caitlin Clark continues to shine in the NCAA tournament spotlight, it’s clear that she would be thrilled to be drafted by the WNBA’s Indiana Fever, who currently hold the first pick in the WNBA draft. If she joins the Fever, Indiana will undoubtedly boast a formidable basketball power couple once she turns professional.
