When Caitlin Clark decided to attend the Iowa Hawkeyes’ game against Drake on Sunday, fans speculated that her visits to Butler games might be on pause. Since the end of the WNBA season, Clark has been splitting her time between golfing—a childhood passion—and hanging out with her friends and boyfriend, Connor McCaffery. But when the Butler Bulldogs hit the court, the 22-year-old star couldn’t resist showing her support.
Sharing snapshots from the Bulldogs’ game against SMU, Iowa baseball player Izaya Ono-Fullard captioned the post with the iconic line, “Iguodala to Curry, back to Iguodala, up for the layup! Oh! Blocked by James! LeBron James with the rejection!” One photo featured McCaffery alongside his brothers and Fullard. Another showed Fullard sporting an Indiana Fever necklace, likely a nod to Clark. Naturally, Clark noticed, commenting, “Hard,” on the post, which also drew responses from McCaffery and his brother Patrick, who was spotted wearing a Bulldogs jersey. It was clear Connor was enjoying a mini Iowa reunion.
Connor McCaffery, who played for the Iowa Hawkeyes men’s basketball team from 2017 to 2023 under the coaching of his father, Fran McCaffery, has since transitioned to coaching. After a stint with the Indiana Pacers as an assistant, he is now an assistant coach with the Butler Bulldogs. Impressively, Clark has attended all three of his previous games.
Despite Clark not being in the arena, the Bulldogs secured an 81-70 victory, a testament to Connor’s growing coaching skills. Fans appreciated that Clark took a moment from her busy schedule to acknowledge her boyfriend’s success and reunion with old friends, while she had a reunion of her own with her Iowa teammates.
The familiar warmth of returning home was evident when Clark, wearing her iconic number 22 jersey, graced the Knapp Center on Sunday for the game between Drake and the Iowa Hawkeyes. Known for her reserved, introverted personality, Clark was seen sharing heartfelt hugs with her former head coach, Lisa Bluder, and chatting with the Hawkeyes staff.
This touching moment reminded fans of the special bond between Clark and Bluder. Bluder had once spoken of the joy in watching Clark excel on the big stage, saying, “When you see your athletes achieve their dreams, that’s what coaching is all about. I absolutely love it.” Clark had echoed those sentiments, saying, “Simply no one better at building a team.”
Adding to the nostalgia, new Hawkeyes head coaches Jan Jensen and Bluder—both of whom have strong connections to Drake as former students and coaches—were seen with current Drake head coach Jennie Baranczyk. In the end, the Hawkeyes triumphed in the game, further cementing the bond between past and present Iowa basketball legends.
