McCaffery to coach first round game following son’s surgery
Posted on 19. Mar, 2014 by admin in Iowa Basketball
By Brendan Stiles
HawkeyeDrive.com
DAYTON, Ohio — Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery will coach the Hawkeyes’ first round NCAA Tournament game against Tennessee Wednesday night after being back in Iowa City with his family for his 13-year-old son Patrick’s surgery to remove a tumor from his thyroid.
McCaffery originally traveled to Dayton with the team on Monday and flew on a private plane back to Iowa City late Tuesday night to be with his family. Patrick’s operation took place Wednesday morning at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and McCaffery said in a statement released by the UI that the surgery went as planned.
News of Patrick’s condition was revealed last week prior to the Hawkeyes departing to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Tournament. It is not known at this time whether the tumor removed Wednesday morning was cancerous.
Below is the statement released by McCaffery through the UI on Wednesday following Patrick’s surgery in its entirety:
“Today’s surgery for my son Patrick went as planned. Doctors will continue tests in the coming days to determine further treatment. Patrick was in good spirits after the operation.
“Our family would like to thank the surgeons who performed the operation and the doctors and nurses at University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics who have helped treat Patrick during this process.
“The outpouring of support and encouragement Patrick and our family have received this past week has been overwhelming; words cannot express how genuinely thankful we are to everyone who has offered their thoughts and prayers.”
Iowa’s game against Tennessee starts at 8:10 p.m. CT and is being televised nationally on TruTV. If the Hawkeyes win, they would play against Massachusetts on March 21 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C.
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