Caitlin Clark roots on Butler and boyfriend Connor McCaffery vs. St. John's
WNBA Indiana Fever player Caitlin Clark attends a Big East Men’s Basketball Tournament Quarterfinal game between St. John's and Butler at Madison Square Garden on Thursday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Caitlin Clark watches Butler vs. St. John's in the Big East Tournament at MSG. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark made the scene at the Garden for the Big East Tournament.
There to support her boyfriend, Butler assistant coach Connor McCaffery, Clark was seated behind the Bulldogs' bench on both Wednesday and Thursday. The Indiana Fever phenom watched Butler’s first-round win over Providence and was there again for the ninth-seeded Bulldogs’ 78-57 loss to sixth-ranked and top-seeded St. John’s in Thursday afternoon’s quarterfinal-round game.
Both days she donned a baseball cap with the Butler logo on it.
Clark and McCaffery met while attending Iowa and playing for the women’s and men’s basketball teams.
Out of Iowa, Clark was the No. 1 pick in the WNBA Draft. She was named Rookie of the Year after averaging 19.2 points, 8.4 assists and 5.7 rebounds.
Clark also attended Butler’s game against the Red Storm at Carnesecca Arena on Jan. 4.
When Clark and the Fever are in town to play the Liberty, the games are at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. They are scheduled to meet there on June 14.
The Fever open their season on May 10 but play three preseason games, including one on the court where she played in college. The game against the Brazilian National Team at Carver-Hawkeye Arena is May 4.
McCaffery’s younger brother, Patrick McCaffery, is a senior forward for the Bulldogs and had 16 points in the loss before coming out of the game. He shared a teary-eyed embrace with his brother before taking a seat on the bench. His last basket was a dunk. The 6-9 forward had thyroid cancer when he was 13 and, after having two surgeries, was declared cancer-free.
“When I took him out today, I said, ‘I wanted you to end your career on a slam dunk,’ ” Butler coach Thad Matta said. “I said, ‘You can tell your kids someday your last shot in college basketball was a slam dunk.’ ”
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.