Purdue Shows Respect for Patrick McCaffery's Decision to Address Mental Health
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Iowa basketball program received a much-needed boost to its rotation with the return of junior forward Patrick McCaffery, which has since sparked a three-game win streak heading into a road matchup against No. 1 Purdue on Thursday inside Mackey Arena.
McCaffery, the son of Hawkeyes coach Fran McCaffery, took an indefinite leave of absence from the program in early January to address his mental health. In an official statement, it was said that he had been battling anxiety that began to inhibit his preparation and performance on the court.
His decision to step away from the game of basketball garnered a lot of support, and the Boilermakers were among those that showed their admiration.
"Patrick's been through a lot," Purdue coach Matt Painter said. "It's actually a sign of strength to be able to do that. As a man, you look at all the braggadocious-type things where you want to be tough, you know, put some dirt on it and move on. And that's just not the way it is.
"Obviously, he needed to take some time away, and he did. And I applaud him for that because it was the right thing to do. His mental health is more important than anything."
At the start of the season, McCaffery was a regular starter in the Iowa lineup for its first 14 games. The team had an 8-6 overall record and fell to 0-3 in Big Ten play after a narrow 83-79 loss to Penn State on New Year's Day.
It was the third straight loss for the Hawkeyes, who also suffered defeat at the hands of Nebraska and Eastern Illinois. In that two-week span, McCaffery shot just 5-of-29 from the field.
The game against the Nittany Lions would be his last before announcing he would step away from the team. Whether it would be two games, four or more, McCaffery didn't know. But he vowed to come back when he felt like himself again.
— Iowa Men’s Basketball (@IowaHoops) January 3, 2023
"It shows character at the end of the day," Purdue senior guard David Jenkins Jr. said. "Because if you think about it with mental health, when people have problems they usually keep it within themselves, which turns into a bigger problem.
"For him to be able to do that, and for me to understand how important mental health is, I think it's everything."
McCaffery missed the next six games, and Iowa posted a 4-2 record during his absence. The Hawkeyes won four straight, including matchups against Indiana and Rutgers, before losing two in a row.
He made his return to the floor on Jan. 29 for Iowa's rematch against Rutgers, a White Out Game inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. In 13 minutes off the bench, he recorded nine points, two rebounds and two assists to help the team earn a 93-82 victory over the Scarlet Knights.
When McCaffery entered the game for the first time, he earned a standing ovation from the Hawkeye faithful that filled the crowd.
This win meant more.
— Iowa On BTN (@IowaOnBTN) January 29, 2023
Hawkeye nation is glad to have you back, @patrickmccaff22. 💛🤍 pic.twitter.com/nG7eeinT7k
"It means everything in this game," Jenkins said. "You can't go out there and perform physically if you don't have the mental right. So I think him doing that, taking a leave and then for him to even be able to express that shows a lot of confidence and braveness as well.
"I give a lot of credit to him. But being able to come back and play, to me that's crazy in a good way for him. I hope that all of his teammates and coaches were there for him, which I'm sure they were. He got the help he needed, so I'm happy for him."
Since McCaffrey's return to action, Iowa has won three games in a row. He's come off the bench in each matchup and is averaging 4.3 points in 12.0 minutes per contest.
McCaffery's openness about his struggles is another piece to the puzzle of eliminating the stigma surrounding athletes and their mental health.
"A lot of people, in a weird way, probably thought when they started playing better he would just come back automatically," Morton said. "But I think it was great that he took the time that he needed to prioritize that. I think everybody can speak to it, whether how much you deal with it varies.
"But there's a lot of struggle. At this level it's hard, so the mental piece is so, so important. Just being able to take care of that I think is huge for him, and kudos to him for laying the groundwork for other guys to be able to do the same if they need to in the future."
Iowa, now 15-8 and 7-5 in the Big Ten this season, will tip off against top-ranked Purdue at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday. The Boilermakers boast a 22-2 overall record and lead the conference with an 11-2 mark in league play.
VIDEO: Purdue coach Matt Painter on Patrick McCaffery
VIDEO: Purdue guard Ethan Morton on Patrick McCaffery
VIDEO: Purdue guard David Jenkins Jr. on Patrick McCaffery
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D.J. Fezler is a staff writer for BoilermakersCountry.com. Hailing from The Region, he is from Cedar Lake in Northwest Indiana and has spent the last two years covering Purdue football and basketball.