Ben Krikke Felt Good About Hawkeyes Early On

Transfer Big Man from Valpo Should Provide Inside Presence This Coming Winter

Valparaiso's Ben Krikke (23) drives to the basket as Mississippi's Jayveous McKinnis (0) defends on Dec 10, 2022 in Oxford, Miss. (Petre Thomas/USA TODAY Sports)

IOWA CITY, Iowa - The fit between Iowa and forward Ben Krikke seemed perfect from the beginning.

The Hawkeyes needed a big inside presence with Filip Rebraca’s college career over. Krikke, a 6-foot-9, 220-pound power forward, was available as a graduate transfer after he left Valparaiso.

And when Iowa was one of the first teams to call after Krikke entered the NCAA’s transfer portal, the match began to take shape.

“When I first entered the portal, that first day was a Sunday, six or seven schools reached out right away,” Krikke said on Thursday. “It was a hectic first couple of days, taking phone calls, texts, all that stuff.

“And Iowa reached out first. They were in the top three, for sure, in the first 20 minutes. So, that intrigued me right away — a super successful program and a great conference.”

Krikke had options with one season of eligibility left. Once Valpo coach Matt Lottich was let go at the end of the season, Krikke began looking for somewhere to land.

Krikke said he was “sort of” expecting to hear from Iowa.

“I guess it was just coincidence,” he said. “I just threw my name in (the portal) once the Valpo coaches were let go, and just opened everything up.

Once Krikke visited Iowa and met with coaches and players, he knew where he was going next.

“Seemed like a great fit,” Krikke said.

Krikke’s numbers show he was a perfect choice for Iowa. He is coming off a season in which he led the Missouri Valley Conference in scoring, averaging 19.4 points overall and 21 points in conference play, and averaged 5.9 rebounds. Krikke was a first-team all-conference choice.

The visit to Iowa City, Krikke said, made a big difference in his decision.

“I think it was just coming here and seeing things with my eyes,” Krikke said. “Obviously, over the phone and texting, you don't actually see it. So to come in person and meet everybody and just get to see the gym … yeah.”

In a time when some players choose their next destination based on the potential of name-image-likeness cash, it wasn’t a big factor in Krikke’s decision.

“NIL, it was a piece of what I was looking for, but it wasn't the main thing,” Krikke said. “I mean, I came to affect winning and hopefully have a big role in that. And you know, set me up on a pro trajectory. NIL was a factor, but I wasn't out chasing money or anything like that.”

Krikke can play either the ‘4’ or ‘5’, versatility needed with not only the loss of Rebraca, but also the loss of Kris Murray, a first-round NBA draft pick.

Krikke was a 55.2 percent shooter last season. He did make 17 3-pointers, but was just a 27.9 percent 3-point shooter.

“I like to think of myself as a versatile player, who can do some damage on the blocks but also have a mid-range game and can expand it even more, become more of a perimeter threat,” Krikke said.