IOWA CITY — The transfer portal had been open for more than one week before Iowa men’s basketball landed its first commitment.
In the fast-moving landscape, that’s longer than it might seem. Big Ten counterpart Indiana landed six commitments before Iowa landed one. For in-state rival Iowa State, that number was five.
To be clear, it’s not apples-to-apples comparisons, because those programs had greater transfer-portal needs than Iowa, which wasn’t experiencing as much roster turnover. But seeing other teams rack up commitments could make it seem like Iowa was moving in slow motion.
To say there was panic among rational Hawkeye fans would be an exaggeration. But it did feel like there was some growing impatience.
And then, that dissipated rather quickly.
Within a 24-hour window, the Hawkeyes landed a pair of commitments, which addressed their most glaring transfer portal needs.
The first to announce his decision was former Illinois State guard Ty’Reek Coleman.
One of the biggest storylines heading into head coach Ben McCollum’s second season at the helm is the ability to fill the departure of star Bennett Stirtz, a projected first-round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Coleman will not come to Iowa with a resume close to Stirtz’s, but he does give the Hawkeyes a playmaking guard with value both in the short and long term.
Coleman averaged 10 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists while shooting 50.4% from the field and 41.6% from deep as a true freshman at Illinois State, which is a promising starting point to his college career. McCollum has a track record of producing great guards, so the fact that Coleman still has three seasons of eligibility remaining makes the addition even more alluring.
Iowa’s next commitment came less than 24 hours later.
The Hawkeyes deserve credit for making an undersized frontcourt work as well as it did last season. But there were times when Iowa’s lack of size was obviously holding the team back, including in its Elite Eight loss to Illinois.
It was clear that the Hawkeyes needed to make their roster better equipped for matchups like that.
“We need some size,” McCollum said after Iowa’s Elite Eight loss to Illinois.
Without question, Iowa found that in Saint Mary’s transfer Andrew McKeever.
McKeever, listed at 7-foot-3 and 285 pounds, averaged 8.2 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists in roughly 23 minutes per game as a redshirt sophomore last season. McKeever gives Iowa the type of mountainous interior presence that it didn’t have last season.
It’s best to wait until things play out before championing anyone as a home run transfer — but Iowa found exactly the types of pieces needed to fill its most pressing roster holes with the commitments of Coleman and McKeever.
It’s not just about who Iowa is bringing in from the transfer portal. It’s also about who isn’t leaving.
The Hawkeyes were not decimated by transfer portal departures, which is becoming more difficult to accomplish in this day and age.
In between Coleman and McKeever’s public commitments, Iowa announced the return of 10 players from its Elite Eight roster, including Cam Manyawu, Kael Combs, Cooper Koch, Tate Sage, Isaia Howard, Trevin Jirak and Trey Thompson. Transfer portal additions can seem fun and shiny, but retaining players is just as important, and the Hawkeyes were able to keep most of the players who had the option to return to the Hawkeyes.
Iowa also added to its high school recruiting class this month.
Storm Lake’s Jaidyn Coon — a “super athletic, explosive” wing in the words of his high school coach Evan Franzmeier — gives Iowa a second four-star signee in the 2026 high school class, to go along with Ethan Harris. It is now the second year in a row that Iowa has landed the Iowa Mr. Basketball winner after Jirak received the honor in 2025.
Between the group of returners and the recent additions, Iowa’s 2026-27 roster is taking shape.
The Hawkeyes still have room for one more player if they choose to fill that spot. That could come in the form of Tavion Banks, whose future is unclear as he waits to see if he has more college eligibility remaining. Or it could come from another transfer portal addition.
One way or another, Iowa’s roster is in a good spot right now. The Hawkeyes have addressed what was absolutely necessary. Anything else from here is a plus.
The program has built on the momentum from its first Elite Eight appearance since 1987. The floodgates didn’t open as soon as the transfer portal opened.
But good things come to those who wait.
Follow Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15, contact via email at ttachman@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa basketball addresses glaring transfer portal needs with Coleman, McKeever
Reporting by Tyler Tachman, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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