Patrick McCaffery on transferring from Iowa to Butler: 'I'm ready for something else.'

INDIANAPOLIS — Incoming Butler transfer Patrick McCaffery is ready for a fresh start, away from the place he's called home for the past 15 years and outside of the program his father, Fran built into a perennial Big Ten contender.

On Saturday, McCaffery announced his decision to transfer to Butler for his final college basketball season. McCaffery became familiar with the Butler staff, specifically assistant coach Maurice Joseph, during Butler's recruitment of his younger brother Jack, a four-star recruit and top-ranked prospect in Iowa for the 2025 class.

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Once McCaffery entered the transfer portal, he said Butler fulfilled everything he was looking for in a program. On the court, the 6-9 forward will fit well in coach Thad Matta's scheme. Off the court, coming to the city where his brother Connor works as an assistant for the Indiana Pacers helped seal the deal. Having a sibling (Connor) who's dating the biggest star in town, Caitlin Clark, has its perks too.

"Obviously, the basketball situation has to be right," Patrick said. "There's a lot of boxes that needed to be checked there. That's why my visit last week went really well. ... Having my brother there plays a big factor. He was friendly with a bunch of the guys on the staff there. He'd been to several practices and stuff. It definitely played a factor as well."

McCaffery said he's a hybrid forward, capable of passing, shooting, being an active defender and contributing to winning. He's the perfect point-forward to take over for Jahmyl Telfort if he remains in the NBA draft. McCaffery is versatile enough to play alongside Telfort and Pierre Brooks II as well.

McCaffery added he feels good after battling an ankle injury that caused his role to decrease last season. He's also a cancer survivor, diagnosed with thyroid cancer at age 13. He had two surgeries during his bout with cancer, one to remove half of his thyroid, the other to remove the other half of his thyroid and nearby tissue. He medically redshirted his freshman year at Iowa while trying to find the right mix of medications to treat the cancer.

McCaffery's also been open about his battles with anxiety. He took a leave of absence during his junior year, saying “I have been battling anxiety for a while, and recently it has peaked, which has inhibited my preparation and performance on the court.” McCaffery's decision to go public with his mental health struggles speaks to his maturity said his high school coach at Iowa City West, Steve Bergman.

"When I had him, he was 6-9, about 160 pounds. So, he's kind of grown into his body," Bergman said. "He's obviously had a lot of challenges in his life with the thyroid cancer. That's always kind of affected him but he's worked past that and really filled out. He has a much better basketball body.

"He's one of the best kids I've ever dealt with and I'm really proud of what he's done. ... He's just progressed to become a really good person."

McCaffery, 24, ends his Iowa career amassing over 1,000 career points over five seasons. Leaving Iowa City will be a bittersweet experience for the coach's son. Jack already announced his intentions not to play for his father at Iowa. Butler, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest are currently in the running for Jack's services.

"I think it's going to be weird and refreshing," Patrick said of his decision to leave Iowa. "That's why I made the decision to transfer. I've been here for 15 years, and I'm ready for something else. It was time for me to move on.

"I'm excited. It's definitely gonna be refreshing to play for another coach, play in a new system, play in a new arena and a new conference, to experience another side of college basketball. I'm really looking forward to it, and I'm excited to get out to Indy."

Follow IndyStar Butler Insider Akeem Glaspie on X at @THEAkeemGlaspie.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Patrick McCaffery talks transfer from Iowa, dad to Butler basketball