Penn coach Fran McCaffery can rely on his team’s ‘unbelievable leadership’ on and off the court
Monday's game — a 78-65 win over Howard — gave the Quakers a chance to rally around their coach and his family following Fran's son, Jack, being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
When Penn men’s basketball took to the Palestra for the first time this season, some fans weren’t just there for a basketball game.
They were there for the McCaffery family.
Jack McCaffery, the youngest son of Quakers coach Fran McCaffery, recently was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma and will have his first chemotherapy treatment Saturday. He will be treated at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
“I think we’re doing about as well as we could be,” Fran McCaffery said after Penn’s comeback 78-65 win over Howard on Monday. “Feel very good about where he is right now. One of the best hospitals in the world, his care team is fantastic. … But it’ll be a long journey.”
Jack McCaffery, a 6-foot-9 sophomore forward, transferred from Butler to Richmond this season, and Spiders coach Chris Mooney said the sophomore guard FaceTimed the team ahead of its matchup against Temple.
“We’re just trying to be support [to] them in any way we can, and the players have been really good. Just reminding the players, he’s very social, fun kid to be around. I don’t want him to lose that,” Mooney said.
Temple men’s basketball coach Adam Fisher also offered his support.
“Obviously Philly people, hugely involved in Coaches vs. Cancer, just an amazing family,” he said. “So our thoughts and prayers are with them and with the Richmond family.”
On Monday, McCaffery was greeted by friends and family, including his brother, who’s also named Jack, and his daughter, Marit.
“Coach has been really strong,” said Penn senior TJ Power. “It’s been amazing to see honestly how Coach can still be who he is [on] the basketball court but also put his family first.”
» READ MORE: Penn brought Fran McCaffery home, where he can be near his brother, a longtime sportswriter recovering from a stroke
Howard jumped out to a 15-1 lead, and Penn continued its shooting woes from its Thursday matchup against Illinois, shooting 34.5% overall, including 16.7% from deep, in the first half. The second half, however, was a different story.
The Quakers stayed in the game with their defense, which translated to ball movement and a 53-point second half compared to 25 in the first.
Transfer guard Sir Mohammed (17 points, five rebounds) led Penn’s physical defense with three steals.
“When Sir’s playing like that, everything else is easier for people,” McCaffery said.
Power made crucial threes to slow Howard’s momentum in the second half — “TJ was cooking,” McCaffery said — but the senior forward believes the Quakers’ surge “started with getting stops and rebounds.”
“The night games in the Palestra are always some of my favorites,” Power said, “When we started making shots, the crowd gave us a lot of life.”
Power finished with a game-high 23 points on 8-for-19 shooting, including 6 of 12 from deep. Penn outscored Howard by nearly 20 points in the second half and shot 45.6% overall.
“We’ve got unbelievable leadership on this team, which makes it easier for me,” McCaffery said. “We really grinded just to get back into the game.”
That grind, according to Mohammed, is how the team shows their support to McCaffery.
“Coach shows up for us every day, so it’s our job to go hard every single day,” he said.
Added Power: “Basketball for [the McCaffery] family is their happy place and their release.
“Obviously, it’ll never make up for everything that’s going on, but it’s just a place where Coach can be himself to the fullest. … He was still as sharp and himself as he ever would [be]. And that really helps us stay focused on the task.”
» READ MORE: Penn beats Drexel on last-second thriller: ‘That’s what Big 5 basketball is all about’
Some Quakers have visited Jack McCaffery at the hospital, and Power, who hopes to visit soon, said, “we just have to get our vaccines updated to be able to see him.”
“A lot of times, Coach is there for his players and now it’s a situation where we really just got to rally around Coach and his family,” Power said, “It’s just been like a blanket of love.”
Inquirer staff writers Conor Smith and Mike Livingston contributed to this article.
