Iowa forward Patrick McCaffery enters transfer portal

IOWA CITY — Iowa forward Patrick McCaffery is entering the transfer portal, a team spokesman confirmed to The Gazette on Wednesday.

McCaffery, the son of head coach Fran McCaffery, started 61 games in his five-year career at Iowa. He averaged 8.9 points in 23 minutes per game this season while shooting 44.1 percent from the field and 31.2 percent from 3-point range.

The move is not a surprise for McCaffery, who has one year of eligibility remaining. He told reporters on March 6 that he would probably be moving on after this season.

"As of right now, the plan is I’m going to move on,“ McCaffery said at the time. ”But anything is possible in this day and age."

Fran McCaffery said after the Hawkeyes’ season-ending NIT loss to Utah that it has been a “great ride” with Patrick over the last five years.

“He’s an awesome teammate, he’s an awesome player,” the 14th-year Iowa coach said. “Played really well tonight. Very proud of him, told him that. Told him I loved him. You think about his journey and how his role has changed a few times within the program, and just really proud of how he helped lead this team and what he meant to this program for the last five years.”

Patrick McCaffery is the third Iowa player to enter the portal since it opened earlier this month, following guards Dasonte Bowen and Tony Perkins. The Hawkeyes are losing at least four of their seven leading scorers ahead of next season.

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com

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