Connor McCaffery is using the critics and doubters as motivation and it’s working
By Pat Harty
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Connor McCaffery has extra motivation every time he steps on a basketball court, and it comes from the name on the back of his uniform.
Connor knows, as the son of Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery, that he always has to prove himself, and that he will always have critics and doubters because it goes with the territory.
“One-hundred percent,” Connor McCaffery said Thursday when asked if he is motivated by the critics and doubters. “I know there’s a lot of hate that comes. I don’t really pay attention to it. I just try to come out and just play how I’ve been playing.
“I think I’ve done well so far this year with trying to just adjust and play different positions and just try to be like the glue guy that plugs in and does whatever the team needs him to do. And I’m going to continue to do that.”
Connor McCaffery’s next chance to prove his critics wrong will be on Friday when Iowa faces fourth-ranked Michigan in the Big Ten opener at Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Fran McCaffery’s oldest of five children has played whatever role his father has asked of him, from point guard to power forward.
Connor McCaffery’s combination of size – he is listed at 6-foot-5 and 205 pounds – intelligence and versatility makes him a valuable piece to the rotation.
It also helps to explain why he is a starter.
It has nothing to do with being a daddy’s boy or anything like that, but everything to do with being a stabilizer and a facilitator on the court.
Connor McCaffery has 38 assists and only seven turnovers, and that leads the Big Ten and is fourth nationally in assist-to-turnover (5.4). Over the last six games, Connor McCaffery has 32 assists and only four turnovers.
Fran McCaffery used Connor a lot at the high post on offense during Tuesday’s 68-54 victory at Syracuse, and it paid dividends.
“We brought him into this league and he was, obviously, a lot thinner and really wasn't planning on that,” Fran McCaffery said. “But as he got stronger, and as the need presented itself, I knew I could move him there because he literally knows every position on the floor. Not only kind of where you're supposed to line up, but the nuances of what we're trying to accomplish, which is the key if you're running sets or out-of-bounds plays.
“It's one thing if I line up here and I go there. What if the guy is over here? What if they play it this way? What do you do? Where do you go? If that do that, how can we get the ball to this guy or that guy? He's got that all figured out. Clearly makes an impact in the game when you have people out there that really understand it that way.”
As the son of a head coach, Connor McCaffery is a student of the game and has been almost since the day he could dribble. He loves playing basketball, but he also enjoys learning about the game and understanding how to respond to different things that occur on the court.
Connor, as a third-year sophomore, is sort of like an extension of his father on the court.
“I think because I’ve been a student of the game it maybe comes easier to me,” Connor McCaffery said. “I don’t know if I just catch on quicker. I can think about a play and say, okay, this guy needs to line up here and he needs to lineup here and just know what they have to do because I’ve seen it so much.”
Connor McCaffery also plays unselfishly and is always looking to get his teammates involved.
He struggled as a 3-point shooter last season, and the jury still it out on that part of his game. But so far this season, the good has far outweighed the bad with regard to Connor McCaffery’s performance.
But just to be safe, and to avoid distractions, Connor McCaffery has taken steps to help ignore the critics.
“I know it’s out there,” Connor said of doubters. “I deleted Twitter and I got off social media. I’m just focused on this team and on what we’re doing. But I’ve heard. People tell me.”
Connor McCaffery knew what he was getting into when he decided to play for his father at Iowa.
Connor also plays for the Iowa baseball team, so there is little time for him to worry about the critics and naysayers.
But just knowing they’re out there is incentive to keep working and doing whatever he can to help the team win.
Connor McCaffery doesn’t have to look far for perspective, with his younger brother and Iowa teammate, Patrick McCaffery, struggling with some health issues that are a residual effect from when Patrick had a malignant tumor removed from his thyroid in 2014.
Patrick McCaffery is currently being withheld from the competition and there is a chance that he could redshirt this season.
“He's hanging in there,” Fran McCaffery said. “He's a little frustrated. Would like to be playing and trying to figure this thing out, but it's going to be a slow process and a long journey. We'll get it figured out.”
Iowa has a 6-2 record heading into Friday’s game, which is probably better than some had expected because it includes a victory over then 12th-ranked Texas Tech in the Las Vega Invitational.
Junior center Luka Garza has been on a torrid pace on offense where he leads the Big Ten in scoring, while senior point guard Jordan Bohannon has been a force from 3-point range while playing in all but one of the eight games.
But you could argue that Connor McCaffery has been the most pleasant surprise on the team, and without a doubt the most versatile player on the team.
What Connor lacks in speed and quickness, he makes up for with size, vision, anticipation and hustle. He often does the little things that are easy to overlook, but essential to winning.
Connor McCaffery has spoken with other college players, both past and present, about their experience with playing for their father in college, including former Creighton star Doug McDermott.
Connor also has spoken with some college head coaches whose sons have played for them.
But it's been hard for Connor to find a situation like his own.
“Doug McDermott’s different because he was the guy, he was one of the best division one players of all time,” Connor McCaffery said. “But then I’ve talked to some people who were walk-ons for their dad. But it’s also different. So I haven’t gotten the exact thing.
“I’ve talked to other coaches who have coached their sons and gotten a perspective from them, and that’s been helpful. But I think every situation is different and I keep trying to adjust.”
Iowa could receive a boost with the return of freshman guard C.J. Fredrick to the lineup on Friday. Fredrick missed the Syracuse game because of a quad injury, but he told reporters on Thursday that he plans to give it a shot against Michigan, which is led by first-year head coach Juwan Howard.
The status of junior forward Cordell Pemsl is more uncertain for Friday’s game, according to Fran McCaffery. Pemsl also missed the Syracuse game because of issues with his knee.
Connor McCaffery, on the other hand, is healthy, inspired by his critics and playing with confidence.
He knows that he will always be judged differently as the head coach’s son. But Connor McCaffery has figured out a way to turn that into a positive.