Richmond men's basketball forward Jack McCaffery, the son of Penn head coach Fran McCaffery, will be on indefinite medical leave after being diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, the university announced
on Sunday, Nov. 8.
According to the school, McCaffery was seen by medical staff at Richmond earlier this week and after his evaluation, he traveled home with his parents to Philadelphia, where he was admitted to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He has begun a course of treatment there under the care of the doctors and nurses at Penn Medicine.
"Any cancer diagnosis is distressing, especially at a young age, but we are confident in Jack's treatment plan and Penn Medicine's team of lymphoma experts," Dr. Alison Wakoff Loren of Penn Medicine said in a statement. "Hodgkin's lymphoma mainly affects young people in their 20's, but it is a highly curable form of cancer, thanks to years of dedicated research. Our goal is to get Jack through his treatments safely and to return him to school and to his teammates on the basketball court as soon as we can."
McCaffery is in his first season with the Spiders after transferring over from Butler, where he averaged 2.8 points and 1.6 rebounds per game as a freshman in 2025-26. His season was cut short after just nine games due to an illness and complications from having his wisdom teeth removed.
At Iowa City West High School in Iowa City, Iowa — where he grew up while his father was the Iowa head coach from 2010-25 — McCaffery was a first-team all-state selection and the Gatorade State Player of the Year after averaging 21.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.3 blocks per game as a senior. The 6-foot-9 McCaffery was rated by 247Sports as a four-star recruit who was ranked among the top 150 prospects nationally in the 2025 class.
"From the moment Jack arrived at Richmond, he's been an important part of our program," Richmond head coach Chris Mooney said in a statement. "He's a tremendous teammate who has earned the respect of everyone around him through his hard work, character and commitment to doing things the right way, both on the court and in the classroom. Our entire program will be there for him and his family every step of the way on his path to recovery."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Richmond's Jack McCaffery, son of Fran McCaffery, diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma
