Caitlin Clark’s boyfriend, Connor McCaffery, is mourning the death of his grandmother.
McCaffery posted a tribute to Marit Smaby-Nowlin on Saturday, sharing a photo of him with his grandmother when he was a young boy.
“I’ve been trying to think of what to say and I can’t,” McCaffery wrote in the caption. “It’s impossible to put into words how much you meant to our entire family. I refuse to say goodbye, so until we meet again.”
Clark responded in the comments with several hearts and prayer-hands emojis.
Smaby-Nowlin, 80, died after she was found unresponsive in Lake Vermilion in northeast Minnesota on Wednesday, according to the Star Tribune.
Family members were attempting to revive Smaby-Nowlin when first responders arrived, according to the report.
The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office told the Tribune that she died after being transported to Cook Hospital.
She was the mother to four daughters, including Margaret, McCaffery’s mom, who was a standout basketball player in St. Paul before playing at Notre Dame.
Margaret married McCaffery’s dad, Fran, the longtime Iowa head coach who’s now the head coach at the University of Pennsylvania.
Clark, the Indiana Fever star, and McCaffery celebrated their two-year anniversary in April.
“Another year with my favorite person 🙂 I’m so thankful for you 🖤🖤,” Clark wrote on Instagram at the time.
The couple met while they were basketball players at Iowa.
McCaffery is currently an assistant coach for the Butler men’s basketball program. He worked for the NBA’s Pacers as a basketball development coordinator during the 2023-24 season.
