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Patrick McCaffery takes mental pause from basketball

On3 imageby: Tom Kakert01/03/23HawkeyeReport
On3 image
Photo: Getty Images

Patrick McCaffery has had his share of public battle with health issues in his young life. Now the junior forward has gone public with another battle, this one dealing with mental health issues.

On Tuesday afternoon, Iowa basketball announced that the 6-foot-8 forward and son of head coach Fran McCaffery, would be taking an indefinite leave of absence to deal with issues relating to anxiety.

“I have been battling anxiety for a while, and recently it has peaked, which has inhibited my preparation and performance on the court. It’s not fair to myself or teammates to be on the court when I am not myself. The anxiety has affected my sleep, appetite, and stamina, which has resulted in not having the energy level necessary to compete at my full capabilities. My struggle with anxiety affects every aspect of my well-being and makes it incredibly difficult to function normally. This is what I am battling right now. For this reason, I am taking an indefinite leave to address my situation. It might be two games, it may be four games, it may be more, but I will return when I feel like myself. My leave of absence is not related to my past battle with cancer”

This season, McCaffery is averaging 12.8 points and 4.8 rebounds for the Hawkeyes. When McCaffery was in his teens he battled and successfully defeated thyroid cancer. His father is fully supporting Patrick’s decision to step away from the court at this time.

“Patrick is one of the millions of people who battle through anxiety on a daily basis. It has become more noticeable on and off the court over the past couple weeks. Patrick has the full support of his family, coaches, teammates, and administration as he fights through this. All of us admire his courage and willingness to be open about this struggle and we hope others know that they are not alone. We will be with him every step of the way.”

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