Things went almost as well as they possibly could for Ben McCollum and Iowa in his first season at the helm last season. The Hawkeyes had some great moments in the regular season and did well enough to reach the Big Dance despite a 9th place finish in the Big Ten. Once there, they dispatched of defending champion Florida and advanced all the way to the Elite Eight in a surprising run, setting up what McCollum hopes is a bright future for this program.
Star guard Bennett Stirtz saw his career come to an end and he’s off to the NBA, while Tavion Banks also graduated and Alvaro Folgueiras found a new landing spot. Aside from that, basically everyone else is back for a Hawkeyes team that was built on consistency in the rotation. You’ll see Kael Combs, Cooper Koch, Cam Manyawu, and Tate Sage, each of whom averaged at least 6 points a game last season, and they are far from alone.
With so many returning pieces, there isn’t exactly a plethora of new faces for the Hawkeyes this season. On the recruiting trail, Iowa added 4-star forward Ethan Harris from Washington and grabbed a talented local guard in Jaidyn Coon. A new toy for McCollum and company from the transfer portal comes by way of Ty’Reek Coleman, who showed great potential as a freshman at Illinois State last season.
Big guy from sunny California
The other transfer addition stands out just a little more in Andrew McKeever. A 7-1 center from Livermore, California, McKeever comes to the Hawkeyes by way of Saint Mary’s, having done solid work in his first few seasons out west with the Gaels. He redshirted and then played very sparingly, but last season as a junior he saw significantly more run. McKeever averaged 8.2 points and 9.2 rebounds and started a number of games for Saint Mary’s.
McKeever becomes a clear answer in the frontcourt, albeit for an Iowa team that didn’t exactly lose a ton of talent at that position. He was the WCC’s best rebounder last season and certainly can take up some of that defensive prowess that they lost with Folgueiras’ departure, but it’s more than that. In an offseason where teams were scrambling for size and strength, McKeever brings that potential and should instantly become Iowa’s best player on the boards.
With Stirtz gone, there’s clearly going to be a number of players playing bigger roles on offense this season for the Hawkeyes. We don’t exactly know how the minutes or production will play out but it’s hard to imagine McKeever won’t carve out a significant role in the frontcourt. He brings that size and playmaking ability and it all comes down to how he transitions from a mid-major conference into the Big Ten.
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