By Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

The career basketball resume for Connor McCaffery measures up with any other in the state.

McCaffery is already a 1,000-point scorer and needs five assists to become the fifth Class 4A player with 400 in a career.

West High’s senior point guard has led the Trojans to three state tournaments berths, is a multi-year all-stater and McDonalds All-American nominee.

The best news for West High is even with everything McCaffery has already done in his career, he has never played better basketball than he is right now.

McCaffery is averaging a career-best 19.1 points per game this season and is coming off the one of the most impressive weeks of his distinguished career.

The 6-foot-5 senior averaged 21 points on 58 percent shooting last week to help top-ranked West High (12-1) to wins over cross-town rival City High and fifth-ranked Cedar Falls.

“This is probably as good as he has been,” Connor’s younger brother Patrick McCaffery said. “He’s scoring like 20 a game and making every shot so I don’t know anyone in the state that can guard him right now the way that he is playing.”

The older McCaffery is making his final prep season his best.

He is shooting career-best percentages from the floor (51.7), 3-point range (40.3) and the free throw line (88.4) and is averaging 4.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.2 steals per game.

All while playing defensively and providing leadership at the highest level of his four-year career.

“He is really taking the leadership role to heart,” West High coach Steve Bergman said. “I said, ‘if you are great on defense other guys will buy in’ and he is doing that. He is playing better man-to-man defense than he ever has in his career.”

McCaffery has been as consistent as he has been productive this season.

He has scored at least 11 points in every game this season and has scored 19 or more points seven times.

“I can feel it, I know I only have a couple of home games left,” McCaffery said. “I want to make the most of those and I just want to make this last season special.”

Following back-to-back sub-par shooting performances in wins over Linn-Mar and Bettendorf, McCaffery has taken his game to another level.

McCaffery was a combined 8-of-21 from the field, including 3-of-13 from 3-point range while posting his two lowest scoring outputs of the season with 11 and 14 points against Linn-Mar and Bettendorf.

What has followed has been perhaps the best basketball the Iowa recruit has played  

McCaffery is averaging 22 points and shooting 65 percent from the floor over the last three games and is 9-of-16 from beyond the 3-point arc during that stretch.

“Against Bettendorf I didn’t have a good shooting night but I felt like I was close, I felt like I was right there but a couple rolled out on me and I can’t let that bother me,” McCaffery said. “I got a roll on one that kind of gave me some confidence going into the next game and I got some extra shots up before the next few games and I shot well both games so I was really happy with that.”

McCaffery had 24 points as West High avenged its only loss of the season with a 74-50 win over Cedar Rapids.

He followed with a season-high 25 points in an 82-38 win at City High and had 17 in a 12-point win over Cedar Falls.

McCaffery has made all 13 of his free throws during the three-game stretch and is averaging five rebounds and three steals per game.

“He is a guard but he is really big and strong so he can beat you down low but he is quick enough to go by you and he also makes a ton of 3s,” Patrick McCaffery said. “So, pick your poison.”