“I’m thrilled for him”: Iowa coach Fran McCaffrey lauds Drew Thelwell’s “incredible accomplishment” of reaching 1,000 points

Iowa coach Fran McCaffrey has praised star player Drew Thelwell after reaching a huge feat in his basketball career.

The Hawkeyes' guard reached a major milestone in the game by scoring his 1,000th career point against the Penn State Nittany Lions.

After the game, his coach took a moment to praise his outstanding achievements, not just at Iowa, but throughout his entire career.

“Well, I’m thrilled for him. It’s an incredible accomplishment. It’s really hard to do. What do we have, like 53 players in history? Something like that."

"It says a lot about who he is. The thing about him, though, I was probably more impressed when he got his 100th win. That shows exactly what his character is," McCaffery said via ON3.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL: DEC 03 Iowa at Syracuse - Source: Getty

Drew made 16 points, five rebounds, and dished out four assists to help the Iowa Hawkeyes edge out the Nittany Lions, 76-75.

They returned to winning ways with the result after three straight losses, but are still in 11th place in the Big Ten Conference standings, with 15 wins and 11 losses in 26 games this season.

Drew shared some thoughts on his achievement

Following his coach's praise, Drew Thelwell reflected on his journey to reaching his 1000th career point.

“I’ve got to give glory to God," Drew said. "It’s been a long journey. I’ve got to thank my dad — he woke me up so many times in high school, middle school and sacrificed his time. He and my mom. To end it on a win is even better.”

COLLEGE BASKETBALL: MAR 09 OVC Championship - Little Rock vs Morehead State - Source: Getty

Thelwell is one of the key players driving Iowa's powerful offense and making significant contributions to the team's success.

His impressive stats include 10.2 points, 2.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and a 53.5% field goal percentage per game. He is one of four players on the team averaging double-digit points this season.

The guard will be looking to help his team build their winning streak and make it two wins in a row when they face Ohio State Buckeyes on Tuesday.