Iowa’s third-leading scorer walks away for mental health

Patrick McCaffery, the Hawkeyes’ third leading scorer this season, is expected to take indefinite leave to deal with his anxiety, according to a statement from Iowa Athletics.

He shared the following statement via Iowa Men’s Basketball social media:

I struggled with anxiety for a while, and recently it peaked, which inhibited my preparation and performance on the court. It’s not fair for me or my teammates to be on the pitch when I’m not myself. The anxiety affected my sleep, appetite, and stamina, which kept me from having the energy level to compete at full capacity. My struggle with anxiety affects all aspects of my well-being and makes it incredibly difficult to function normally. That’s what I’m fighting right now. For this reason, I am taking an indefinite leave to resolve my situation. It might be two games, it might be four games, it might be more, but I’ll be back when I feel like myself. My leave of absence is not related to my past battle with cancer.

Patrick, the younger brother of wing Hawkeye Connor and son of head coach Fran, has played in all 14 games for Iowa so far this season and has seen the field ranked second on the team, with 365 minutes played. He only trails striker Filip Rebraca in minutes played.

During that span, he averaged 12.8 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.

Coach Fran McCaffery also addressed his son’s anxiety, according to 247Sports:

Patrick is one of millions of people who struggle with anxiety daily. This has become more visible on and off the pitch over the past two weeks. Patrick has the full support of his family, coaches, teammates and administration as he fights through this. We all admire his courage and willingness to be open about this struggle and hope others know they are not alone. We will be with him every step of the way.

Patrick will not be available for the game between Iowa (8-6, 0-3) and No. 15 Indiana (10-3, 2-0) on Thursday, Jan. 5, at 8 p.m. at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. .