By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Some Hawkeye fans seem convinced that Fran McCaffery is close to retiring.

They wonder if maybe next season will be his last as the Iowa men’s basketball coach.

To suggest it hardly seems far-fetched, considering Fran McCaffery is 65 years old and has been coaching at the Division I level for four decades.

He is also Iowa’s all-time winningest head coach and the longest tenured men’s basketball coach in program history with this coming season being his 15^th as the head Hawk.

So, yes, Fran McCaffery is in the latter stages of his coaching career.

But what seems to be driving the retirement talk more than anything is the fact that his middle son, Patrick McCaffery, has transferred from Iowa to Butler where he will play his sixth and final season under Thad Matta, and that his youngest son, Jack McCaffery, has verbally committed to Butler.

Jack McCaffery, a 6-foot-9 forward, is entering his senior year at Iowa City West High School.

It once was assumed that Jack would follow his two older brothers to Iowa, but instead, Jack plans to follow them to Indianapolis where the oldest of the three McCaffery brothers, former Iowa guard Connor McCaffery, works for the Indiana Pacers.

Connor McCaffery is also in a relationship with Caitlin Clark, so there is another connection to Indianapolis.

Jack McCaffery made it clear a while ago that he didn’t want to stay home to play for Iowa.

Jack wants to carve his own path, and he has his father’s blessing and support.

Jack McCaffery’s decision shouldn’t reflect poorly on Fran McCaffery because it seems more a case of  Jack just wanting to do something different than not wanting to play for his father for personal reasons, or because his father is close to retiring.

Patrick McCaffery also had his father’s support when Patrick, a 6-9 forward and a 1,000-point scorer for Iowa, decided to transfer to Butler for his final season.

Patrick McCaffery told the media heading into Senior Day that he would likely move on to another school for his last season.

Patrick McCaffery spent five seasons playing for his father, and the McCaffery family has lived in Iowa City since 2010, or in other words, for a big chunk of Patrick’s life and for most of Jack’s life.

Patrick McCaffery just wants something different for his final season, while Jack McCaffery just wants to carve his own path.

Neither decision is proof that Fran McCaffery is close to retiring.

It seems more likely that if Fran McCaffery were planning to retire after next season that Patrick would have stuck around to be a part of his last season.

Would it be a shock if Fran McCaffery retired after next season?

Not really under the circumstances.

But it also wouldn’t be surprising if Fran McCaffery were to stick around for two or three more seasons, or maybe even four depending on factors such as health.

His 2024-25 team probably won’t be picked to contend for a Big Ten title, and some might even doubt whether it’ll make the the NCAA Tournament.

But there is something about Fran McCaffery’s current team that is intriguing, and that makes you wonder if it might be better than expected.

Iowa will feature one of the top scorers and shooters in the Big Ten in 6-7 senior forward Payton Sandfort, who tested the NBA draft process this spring before deciding to return for his final season.

Iowa also has a rising star in 6-10 forward Owen Freeman, who was named the Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Year last season.

Combine them with an athletic frontline that will include sophomore forwards Ladji Dembele and Seydou Traore, and freshman forwards Chris Tadjo and Cooper Koch, and a backcourt led by the vastly improved Josh Dix, point guard Brock Harding and graduate transfer Drew Thelwell, and it adds up to a nice mix of athleticism, size and experience for Fran McCaffery to build around.

The Big Ten also seems pretty average on paper, though, Fran McCaffery would probably disagree strongly with that assessment.

There just doesn’t seem to be any elite teams in the Big Ten, at least on paper.

Indiana fans would like to believe that the Hoosiers are elite, and maybe they will finally live up to that title for a change.

But until it happens under current head coach Mike Woodson, there is reason to be skeptical.

The transfer portal has made it hard with so many players coming and going to evaluate rosters because the circumstance are so fluid.

But in Iowa’s case, there is a lot to like, at least on paper.

As for Fran McCaffery, only those close to him probably know for sure what he is thinking about his future.

He has given no hint to the media, publicly or in private, that he is thinking of retiring.

Just because two of his sons have moved on, or in Jack McCaffery’s case, will move on, that doesn’t necessarily mean that Fran McCaffery is ready to move on.

Fran McCaffery is probably taking it one season at a time.

Maybe he will decide that he would prefer to watch Jack play in college than be the Iowa coach.

It could depend on how next season plays out.

Whatever the case, Fran McCaffery is focused on preparing for next season.

And for the first time in nearly a decade, he won’t have one of his sons on the roster.

But that’s okay if you just don’t read too much into it.