Long before stepping onto the court as a professional, Connor McCaffery studied the game from inside film rooms. Since his father, Fran McCaffery, has been a tenured NCAA coach, Connor learned valuable lessons from each of his stints. They even shared a locker room as coach and player. He then developed a reputation as a player who thought like a coach, ultimately finishing his Iowa career with a 3.59-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, the second-best in NCAA history.

And now, McCaffery is back where he belongs. The Noblesville Boom, the Indiana Pacers’ NBA G League affiliate, has hired the 27-year-old as a Player Development Assistant. He is returning to the Pacers’ basketball ecosystem after two seasons on Thad Matta’s staff at Butler.

McCaffery, who is widely recognized as Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark’s boyfriend in recent times, began his coaching journey earlier than most in 2023. He worked as a team assistant with the Pacers immediately after finishing college basketball. He never played in the NBA due to a labrum tear and other injuries.

So, in simple terms, Indiana is trusting one of its own to develop young players, potentially future NBA stars, at Boom. Meanwhile, Boom general manager Chris Taylor also shared his thoughts on why they hired McCaffery.

“You can’t overlook the impressive basketball bloodline he comes from,” Taylor said. “I think from getting to know him, I’ve been so impressed with his legitimate commitment to being a coach and a high-level coach. He has lofty aspirations, and he’s still young.”

“A lot of times, coaches his age, you’re like, ‘Hey, what’s your goal here?’ They might be just like, ‘I just want to coach,'” Taylor continued. “But he has very strict and kind of guided goals, which is great. His willingness to do anything. He had the player development role, the opportunity over at Butler, now coming back in a G League role, he’s just open to any way he can learn and grow.”

This hire also aligns with the vision of new head coach Bryce Taylor, who has emphasized player development as a core part of the Boom’s culture.

“I’m excited to build on the strong foundation already in place with the Boom, develop our players and staff, and create an environment centered on professionalism, accountability, and growth,” Taylor said earlier this month. “Our focus will be on competing at a high level every day while helping our players reach the next step in their careers.”

With McCaffery now returning to Indiana, fans can expect more social media activity between his Fever partner, who is also in the same state, and him. As recently as April 24, the two officially reached the three-year mark in their relationship and shared it on Instagram.

“three years with my fav 🤍🤍 you’re the bestttt :),” Clark captioned a picture of the two of them.

The former Butler assistant coach dropped a string of red heart emojis in the comments, “❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️” and reshared the post on his Stories.

Pivoting back to his new job at Boom, McCaffery’s responsibilities are expected to include player development, scouting preparation, video work, and scout-team implementation. Those duties closely mirror the developmental work he handled during his first stint with the Pacers in 2023-24.

Before returning to Indiana’s professional ranks, though, McCaffery spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Butler under veteran head coach Thad Matta. The role expanded his experience beyond player development and into recruiting, scouting, and day-to-day program operations.

What Connor McCaffery learned during two seasons at Butler

Connor McCaffery’s two seasons at Butler coincided with a period of transition for the program. The Bulldogs finished 15-20 in 2024-25 and improved to 16-16 the following season, but the greater value for McCaffery came behind the scenes. Working under Matta exposed him to many facets of running a major college program. While the Bulldogs posted only modest improvement in the standings, his time under Matta was viewed as a key developmental step.

“Following a high-level playing career, Connor has had the opportunity to both contribute and learn alongside one of the best staffs in the NBA,” Matta said when Butler hired him in 2024. “Those experiences will be very valuable to our staff.”

When McCaffrey’s journey came to an end, there were no hard feelings.

“End of an era! Forever grateful to Coach Matta for the opportunity that he gave me,” McCaffrey wrote on Instagram. “Learned a lot and worked with great people 🙏🏼 excited for what’s next!”

“Fun times 💙,” Clark wrote in the comments section to reflect on a phase that clearly meant something to both of them.

Coaching has long been part of McCaffery’s life. His father, Fran, built a decades-long coaching career at Lehigh, UNC Greensboro, Siena, and Iowa before taking over at Penn in 2025. And Fran started the newest gig on a good note, earning an Ivy League title and an NCAA Tournament berth last season.

Rather than joining his father’s staff, Connor chose to learn under Rick Carlisle with the Pacers and Matta at Butler, building an independent coaching path.

McCaffery joins the Boom at a time when the Pacers continue to use their G League affiliate as a development pool for both players and coaches. For a former Iowa guard long viewed as a coach on the floor, the move represents another step in a career path that has increasingly pointed toward courtside greatness.