ADVERTISEMENT

PMac takes a leave of absence

Mental health is so important & stigmatized. It's not easy being a D1 player let alone being son of the coach. Hopefully he takes all the time he needs & gets the appropriate treatment to come out of this better & stronger & with the tools needed to successfully go forward. Wishing him only the best b
Couldn’t have said it any better. Best wishes for a full and complete recovery
 
  • Like
Reactions: Chishawk1425
Glad for him to make this decision. But is no one going to discuss the elephant in the room? Sure it's speculation and not great to have about this topic - but with a father that has such a short temper infront of thousands of people, would anyone be surprised if this behavior comes up within personal relationships at times? I suppose its possible those antics only manifest them self in conditions on the court like some of us act like animals in traffic jams... and honestly his out burst have been less lately. Other players probably would have voiced there concerns if there was an hint of this anyhow. But its hard for this thought not to come up with what we have seen on the court though.
 
Glad for him to make this decision. But is no one going to discuss the elephant in the room? Sure it's speculation and not great to have about this topic - but with a father that has such a short temper infront of thousands of people, would anyone be surprised if this behavior comes up within personal relationships at times? I suppose its possible those antics only manifest them self in conditions on the court like some of us act like animals in traffic jams... and honestly his out burst have been less lately. Other players probably would have voiced there concerns if there was an hint of this anyhow. But its hard for this thought not to come up with what we have seen on the court though.
 
Glad for him to make this decision. But is no one going to discuss the elephant in the room? Sure it's speculation and not great to have about this topic - but with a father that has such a short temper infront of thousands of people, would anyone be surprised if this behavior comes up within personal relationships at times? I suppose its possible those antics only manifest them self in conditions on the court like some of us act like animals in traffic jams... and honestly his out burst have been less lately. Other players probably would have voiced there concerns if there was an hint of this anyhow. But its hard for this thought not to come up with what we have seen on the court though.
I don’t know, he has a good decade+ with a reputation as an in-game hothead, but also as very much a player’s coach. Anxiety hits a lot of people in a lot of ways for a lot of reasons, but I’m not sure I can put a lot of this on his dad yelling.
 
  • Like
Reactions: intrepodor
I hope it works out for him - I wonder how he can get the help he needs? Hawkeye basketball is so much part of his family - how does he "get away" from it?
 
I hope it works out for him - I wonder how he can get the help he needs? Hawkeye basketball is so much part of his family - how does he "get away" from it?
I assume stepping out of the daily grind of it while he gets help is what they’re talking about. It’s clearly a big part of who he is and where he comes from, but the focus would likely be on getting a deeper understanding of how the anxiety impacts him, what triggers it and how to start building more effective coping strategies - without having to worry about whether he’s going to shoot well in the next game.
 
Glad for him to make this decision. But is no one going to discuss the elephant in the room? Sure it's speculation and not great to have about this topic - but with a father that has such a short temper infront of thousands of people, would anyone be surprised if this behavior comes up within personal relationships at times? I suppose its possible those antics only manifest them self in conditions on the court like some of us act like animals in traffic jams... and honestly his out burst have been less lately. Other players probably would have voiced there concerns if there was an hint of this anyhow. But its hard for this thought not to come up with what we have seen on the court though.

There are many things that can contribute to someone's mental health and certainly family can be one of them. While he says the cancer isn't part of the issue, it's certainly wasn't a fun time in his life. Everything a person experiences can impact the persons mental health. Another example is playing on an AAU team where the coach is molesting players. I'm not implying anything happened specifically to Patrick, but it's something he had to deal with as it impacted his team. Hopefully Patrick is able to get this under control and move on with his life.
 
Forgetting for a moment about family, coaches, the game itself and cancer,... Playing basketball for your father, in this sport starved state, with this program's idiot fan base would probably gave any of us anxiety,.. Best wishes to Pat. Take care of yourself and come back when you're ready.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Hawkeyegrad2006
Yeah kind of puts things into perspective, I admittedly frequently swear at my TV during Cyclone basketball, but sometimes it is good to remember these are just young men, somebodies son, brother, friend etc. that are probably really trying hard to do their best at something more difficult than most of us can imagine. Mental health issues are real and difficult to deal with for the average person, then layer on top of that being the son of a coach, hearing all the negativity about him, your play etc. I don't pretend to know Patrick but seems like a decent kid, so sometimes we just need to sit back and realize the excitement of wins and angst at losses are all part of it, but there are more important things in life.. Good luck to him.
 
Yeah kind of puts things into perspective, I admittedly frequently swear at my TV during Cyclone basketball, but sometimes it is good to remember these are just young men, somebodies son, brother, friend etc. that are probably really trying hard to do their best at something more difficult than most of us can imagine. Mental health issues are real and difficult to deal with for the average person, then layer on top of that being the son of a coach, hearing all the negativity about him, your play etc. I don't pretend to know Patrick but seems like a decent kid, so sometimes we just need to sit back and realize the excitement of wins and angst at losses are all part of it, but there are more important things in life.. Good luck to him.
Yeah sure negative feedback from fans isn't fun. But likely this issue is present everywhere in his life to impact him like this. Not easy to point to a singular cause else less people would battle this for as long as they do. Hopefully he finds something that works for him and he can lead the way as a role model for others needing to overcome anxiety. But it wont be easy and just because he returns doesn't mean he won't have lows ahead of him.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Chishawk1425
Yeah sure negative feedback from fans isn't fun. But likely this issue is present everywhere in his life to impact him like this. Not easy to point to a singular cause else less people would battle this for as long as they do. Hopefully he finds something that works for him and he can lead the way as a role model for others needing to overcome anxiety. But it wont be easy and just because he returns doesn't mean he won't have lows ahead of him.
I can’t speak to Patrick’s or anyone else’s specific anxiety, but my kid’s anxiety can be made slightly worse by comments from others, but it’s 95% derived completely from inside himself. My kid is as likely to struggle if a coach or teacher is being encouraging and supportive as he is if they’re being critical. Criticism might move it along faster, but he’s dealing with what he’s dealing with either way.

I would doubt that fan criticism is a major piece of what’s going on with Patrick, but would still encourage everyone to not be the a-hole.
 
  • Like
Reactions: intrepodor
Only 1 idiot comment (unless moderator deleted). I’m honestly impressed. Go PMAC
Yeah, I honestly wasn't sure what kinds of comments I expected to see when I first heard of this, but am pleased to see that everyone has been supportive, the one stupid comment aside.

I try to avoid blasting individual players or coaches in general, but this is just one more reason for that. You never know what people may be going through. We're all human.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Hawkeyegrad2006
Best wishes to PMac. Seems like a really great kid, and anxiety can be overwhelming to deal with. Maybe, with his history of thyroid ablation therapy for cancer, some of the docs on here can comment on the chances of some of this being due to side effects of removal/damage to the parathyroid glands. Among the symptoms of low-functioning/non-functioning parathyroid glands is anxiety, nerve and muscle symptoms, etc. Thyroid replacement therapy alone would not correct this. Surely this must have been checked. Get well soon, PMac!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Hawkeyegrad2006
I assume stepping out of the daily grind of it while he gets help is what they’re talking about. It’s clearly a big part of who he is and where he comes from, but the focus would likely be on getting a deeper understanding of how the anxiety impacts him, what triggers it and how to start building more effective coping strategies - without having to worry about whether he’s going to shoot well in the next game.
Exactly right. Step back from what you've been doing and just - rest. Trying to play ball at a high level feeling like this just has to suck. So quit. Rest.
 
  • Like
Reactions: hawkifann
I can’t speak to Patrick’s or anyone else’s specific anxiety, but my kid’s anxiety can be made slightly worse by comments from others, but it’s 95% derived completely from inside himself. My kid is as likely to struggle if a coach or teacher is being encouraging and supportive as he is if they’re being critical. Criticism might move it along faster, but he’s dealing with what he’s dealing with either way.

I would doubt that fan criticism is a major piece of what’s going on with Patrick, but would still encourage everyone to not be the a-hole.
Once again hawkifann, I say to you Exactly Right. It's almost entirely self inflicted. Outside criticism or comment might have some effect but it mostly comes from within. Inner demons, so to speak.
 
  • Like
Reactions: hawkifann
Once again hawkifann, I say to you Exactly Right. It's almost entirely self inflicted. Outside criticism or comment might have some effect but it mostly comes from within. Inner demons, so to speak.
The more I see, the more I don’t like “self-inflicted” or “inner demons”, but your point is correct. The more I’m around it, the more I think terms like that point to something about the person being broken or damaged vs. just having additional stuff to deal and cope with.
 
Yeah, I honestly wasn't sure what kinds of comments I expected to see when I first heard of this, but am pleased to see that everyone has been supportive, the one stupid comment aside.

I try to avoid blasting individual players or coaches in general, but this is just one more reason for that. You never know what people may be going through. We're all human.
I’m not always above criticizing a college athlete, but yes, for god’s sake, some humanity is warranted at times
 
The more I see, the more I don’t like “self-inflicted” or “inner demons”, but your point is correct. The more I’m around it, the more I think terms like that point to something about the person being broken or damaged vs. just having additional stuff to deal and cope with.
Yeah, I didn't really like those terms even as I was using them but couldn't seem to come up with anything better.
 
Hearing that Skyy Clark is stepping away for similar reason. Anxiety issues.

As I said earlier, anxiety is no joke.
 
  • Like
Reactions: HIWILLE
Anti-anxiety medication can be very effective, along with behavior modification. The only problem with the anti-anxiety drugs is that they can take several weeks to become effective, and for the right dosage to be established. Speaking from personal experience here.
 
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT