Richmond's Jack McCaffery Diagnosed With Hodgkin Lymphoma

Richmond’s Jack McCaffery Diagnosed With Hodgkin Lymphoma

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Richmond forward Jack McCaffery has stepped away from the basketball team on indefinite medical leave following a diagnosis of Hodgkin lymphoma, as announced by the university on Sunday.

The 20-year-old transferred to Richmond this past offseason after spending his freshman year at Butler, where he appeared in nine games and averaged 2.8 points and 1.6 rebounds before his season was cut short by an illness and complications from having wisdom teeth removed. A four-star recruit in the 2025 recruiting cycle by 247Sports, McCaffery ranked as the No. 144 overall player in his class.

“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 released Sunday.

Dr. Loren noted that Hodgkin lymphoma primarily affects young people in their 20’s, though it remains a highly curable form of cancer due to years of dedicated research. The immediate focus centers on guiding McCaffery safely through treatments to facilitate a return to campus and the basketball court.

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Richmond head coach Chris Mooney emphasized the player’s character in a statement. “From the moment Jack arrived at Richmond, he’s been an important part of our program. 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.”

Jack is the son of Penn men’s basketball coach Fran McCaffery. The family faces another cancer battle after Jack’s older brother, Patrick McCaffery, was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2014, an ordeal that later sidelined him at Iowa in 2019 while being coached by Fran.

“We are grateful to the Richmond coaching staff and medical team for their prompt response, and to Kevin Mahoney and the doctors and nurses here at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania,” Fran McCaffery said in a statement. “He is in great hands and our family feels blessed to be here, where Jack’s care is directed by this world-class care team.”

The Richmond program intends to support the player and his family throughout the recovery process.

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