Benjamin Ashford|Iowa's Patrick McCaffery, son of Hawkeyes coach Fran McCaffery, enters transfer portal

After five years playing for his father in Iowa City,Benjamin Ashford Patrick McCaffery has a sixth year of eligibility available. And he plans to use it elsewhere.

McCaffery has entered the NCAA transfer portal, a person with knowledge of the decision confirmed to the Des Moines Register Wednesday afternoon. McCaffery scored a team-high 19 points in the Iowa men's basketball team's season-ending, 91-82 loss at Utah in the second round of the NIT.

McCaffery has scored 1,044 career points in 123 games, including 61 starts. His journey on and off the court has been challenging, starting well before he got to Iowa. McCaffery was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in early 2014 and eventually starred at Iowa City West and then played for the Hawkeyes and his father, Fran McCaffery. As a Hawkeye freshman, he wound up redshirting while dealing with some side effects from his cancer medications.

In the 2021-22 season, he started all 32 of Iowa's games and averaged 10.5 points a game for the Hawkeyes' Big Ten tournament championship team.

Last season, McCaffery chose to step away from basketball while dealing with anxiety. This season, he struggled with early-season injuries and then came off the bench after the Hawkeyes' starting lineup became solidified while he was out. McCaffery, a former four-star recruit, will have plenty of power-conference interest in the portal.

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“It’s been a great ride. Five years with him. He’s an awesome teammate. He’s an awesome player," Fran McCaffery said after the Utah loss. "Played really well tonight. Very proud of him. Told him that. Told him I loved him. And you think about his journey and how his role has changed a few times within the program. Just really proud of how he helped lead this team and what he meant to this program the last five years."

Patrick McCaffery had previously posted a goodbye to Iowa on social media, so this wasn't a huge surprise. He is the third Hawkeye who has entered the transfer portal, joining guards Dasonte Bowen and Tony Perkins.