Who is the best men’s basketball player from Iowa?
As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, USA TODAY Sports will celebrate the 250 greatest American sports figures of all time. Alongside that national recognition, the USA TODAY Network will spotlight the roots of the country’s sports culture: the high school athletes and sports figures who shaped communities and defined their states.
During this process, we will examine athletes in their respective sports. We started with football, wrestling, track and field, volleyball, softball and baseball, now we’re finishing up with basketball. These are our selections for the boys and men’s basketball stars who defined Iowa. Many of the 10 athletes were standouts in their youth before reaching even greater heights at the collegiate and international levels.
Vote below on the best of these 10, or even write in a candidate that we overlooked or you feel strongly about.
Players listed in alphabetical order by last name.
Harrison Barnes, Ames
In four seasons with the Little Cyclones, Barnes lost just three games – posting back-to-back undefeated seasons in his junior (26-0) and senior (27-0) years. He was Ames’ leading scorer in both the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons, when the Little Cyclones captured back-to-back Class 4A state titles. He scored 705 points and pulled down 270 rebounds in his senior season, and Barnes finished his career with 1,787 points (7th most in 4A history) and 768 rebounds (9th most in 4A history).
He continued his career at North Carolina, where he scored 84 points in the NCAA Tournament in his first year of college basketball, the most by any freshman in Tar Heels history. After two seasons with North Carolina, he was picked seventh overall in the 2012 NBA Draft.
Barnes won an NBA championship with the Golden State Warriors in 2015, and he helped Team USA win a gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics. He just wrapped up his 15th season in the league, helping the San Antonio Spurs to a runner-up finish in the NBA Finals.
Nick Collison, Iowa Falls
The 6-foot-10 forward/center kicked off his basketball career as a standout at Iowa Falls. He led his high school program to consecutive undefeated seasons and Class 2A state titles in 1998 and 1999 – the school’s only two boys basketball championships. He was named the Iowa Gatorade Player of the Year and Co-Iowa Mr. Basketball – shared with Kirk Hinrich – as a senior.
He played college basketball at Kansas, and Collison helped the Jayhawks reach consecutive Final Fours in 2002 and 2003. With 2,097 total points, Collison graduated as the leading scorer in Big 12 history. He earned consensus first-team All-American honors and was named the NABC Player of the Year in 2003.
He was drafted in the first round of the 2003 NBA Draft by the Seattle SuperSonics. Collison spent his entire career – 14 seasons – with the organization, even after its move and rebrand to the Oklahoma City Thunder. He finished his professional career with 5,359 points, 4,701 rebounds and 939 assists.
Despite never winning it as a player, Collison won an NBA Championship in 2025 as an executive with the Thunder.
Bob Hansen, Dowling
A four-year starter for the Maroons, Hansen averaged 26 points and 11 rebounds per game in his senior season – helping Dowling to the Class 4A state title in 1979. He stayed in-state to play college basketball for Iowa, helping the Hawkeyes to the Final Four in 1980 – the last time that Iowa advanced that far in the NCAA tournament.
Hansen was drafted in the third round of the 1983 NBA Draft and spent 10 years in the league. He finished his professional career with 3,952 points, 1,282 rebounds, and 947 assists. He won a championship with the Chicago Bulls in 1992, his final season of professional basketball.
Kirk Hinrich, Sioux City West
The 6-foot-4 guard grew up in Sioux City, and he worked his way to the title of Iowa Mr. Basketball – shared with Collison – in 1999. He led Sioux City West to the Class 4A state championship in 1999 and posted an 82-9 overall record across four years.
He went on to play college basketball for Kansas, where he helped the Jayhawks to back-to-back Final Four appearances and Big 12 titles in 2002 and 2003 – and he earned third-team All-American honors during his time in college.
Hinrich was selected seventh overall by the Chicago Bulls in the 2003 NBA Draft. Over 13 seasons – with the Bulls, Washington Wizards and Atlanta Hawks – he collected 9.594 points, 2,576 rebounds and 4,245 assists.
Fred Hoiberg, Ames
The 6-foot-5 guard accomplished a lot during his time with the Little Cyclones, and he did so in only three seasons of varsity basketball. He scored 1,759 points over three years, and he led Ames to a state championship in 1991 – earning him the honor of Iowa Mr. Basketball. Hoiberg remained in Ames for college, joining the Iowa State men’s basketball team. He finished his college career with 1,993 points (4th most in program history), 748 rebounds (8th most in program history), and 207 steals (5th most in program history).
After a 10-year NBA playing career, Hoiberg returned to the sidelines as a coach in 2010. He took over at Iowa State – replacing Greg McDermott – and became the fastest coach in Cyclones history to reach 100 wins. He is the current head coach at Nebraska, and this past season, he was named the Associated Press Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year.
Kevin Kunnert, Wahlert Catholic
Standing 7-feet tall, Kunnert was born to play basketball. He played high school basketball at Wahlert Catholic and continued his career at Iowa in college. He averaged a double-double over his college career, averaging 15.9 points and 12.7 rebounds for the Hawkeyes.
After college, he was selected 12th overall in the first round of the 1973 NBA Draft. In 10 seasons in the NBA, he put up 4,602 points, 4,031 rebounds and 784 assists, before a knee injury ended his professional career.
Raef LaFrentz, MFL-MarMac
After a successful career at MFL-MarMac, LaFrentz was named to the USA Today All-USA first team, as well as the Iowa Gatorade Player of the Year and a McDonald’s All-American in 1994. He parlayed his success in high school into a spot on Kansas’ roster, and he continued to be a star in college.
He was a two-time, first-team All-American while with the Jayhawks, and he graduated as the program’s second-leading scorer (2,066 points) and rebounder (1,186 rebounds). The Denver Nuggets drafted LaFrentz third overall in the 1998 NBA Draft, and he spent 10 years in the league – recording 5,690 points, 3,423 rebounds and 919 blocks.
Doug McDermott, Ames
The 6-foot-7 forward played alongside Barnes at Ames, leading the Little Cyclones to 53 consecutive wins and back-to-back state titles during their junior and senior seasons. In his senior year, McDermott averaged 20.1 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.
He went on to play college basketball at Creighton, where he graduated as one of two men in NCAA history to score 3,000 points and play in three NCAA Tournaments – joining Lionel Simmons – and one of three men in NCAA history to record 3,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in a career. McDermott was a three-time consensus first-team All-American, and in his senior season, he led the nation in points and was named the national college player of the year.
Following a standout college career, he was selected with the 11th overall pick in the first round of the 2014 NBA Draft. Currently still in the league – now with the Sacramento Kings – McDermott has recorded 6,162 points, 1,492 rebounds and 686 assists.
Gary Thompson, Roland
The 5-foot-10 guard helped Roland to three-straight state tournament appearances in 1951, 1952 and 1953 – including a runner-up finish in 1951 – and finished his high school career with 2,043 points. He continued his basketball – and baseball – career at Iowa State.
He became the first multi-sport All-American in Iowa State history, earning honors for both basketball and baseball. Thompson was the Cyclones’ first 1,000-point scorer in basketball, earning consensus second-team All-American honors and first-team All-America status from the Associated Press as a senior. He also led Iowa State to the 1957 College World Series as an All-American shortstop.
Despite being drafted by the Minneapolis Lakers in the fifth round of the 1957 NBA Draft, he chose to play with the Bartlesville Phillips 66ers of the Amateur Athletic Union. He led that team to an AAU title in 1962, and Thompson was named an AAU All-American in 1958, 1959 and 1962.
Murray Wier, Muscatine
Born in Grandview, he played three seasons at Grandview before moving to Muscatine for his senior year. He led Muscatine to a district championship in 1944 and earned a first-team all-state selection by the Des Moines Register.
He continued his career at Iowa, where he was a four-year starter for the Hawkeyes. Wier was the NCAA scoring champion in 1948, and he earned consensus first-team All-American honors in that season, as well. After college, he spent three brief seasons with the Tri-Cities Blackhawks of the National Basketball League and the Waterloo Hawks of the National Professional Basketball League.
As a coach, he took Waterloo East to the state tournament eight times, including a runner-up finish in 1960 and a championship win in 1974.
Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Who’s the best all-time men’s basketball player from Iowa? VOTE
Reporting by Alyssa Hertel, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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By Alyssa Hertel, Des Moines Register | USA TODAY Network
