Uncertainty Surrounds '24-25 Iowa Hoops Season

Looking Ahead to Next Hawkeye Campaign

Iowa's Payton Sandfort (20) and Owen Freeman. (Rob Howe/HN) /

IOWA CITY, Iowa - It's customary in the newspaper business to write an obituary for a team when its season ends. The task becomes more and more complicated with NLI and the transfer portal. 

That's not a criticism of the system. Student-athlete movement should be just as easy (or hard) as it is for coaches and administrators. And the payment for services rendered is long overdue. 

Again, it just makes constructing a look-ahead to next season subject to change, perhaps, a lot. That could be quickly.

Let's do it anyway. Maybe we'll just keep editing this piece after each change. Maybe we won't have to. 

At present, we'll say that 10 of the 13 scholarships allowed by the NCAA are claimed. That group includes Payton Sandfort, Josh Dix, Owen Freeman, Brock Harding, Ladji Dembele, Pryce Sandfort, Even Brauns (COVID year), Riley Mulvey, and incoming recruits, Cooper Koch and Chris Tadjo. 

Those guys haven't indicated publicly that they are deciding on what to do in 2024-25. Tony Perkins entered the portal on Tuesday. Patrick McCaffery did the same on Wednesday. 

The Indianapolis native ranked second on this year's team in scoring at 14.0 points per game. His 158 assists (4.6 APG) were 67 more than anybody else on the squad. He also collected 4.4 boards and locked down defensively. 

Perkins could find a new school, return to Iowa or turn pro. NIL will factor into his decision, and it could be hard for the Hawkeyes to compete in that arena. 

Patrick McCaffery has a COVID season to use next winter. He will be using it elsewhere next winter. Like Perkins, he will make more money somewhere else. 

With Perkins and Patrick exiting, Iowa has Brauns and Payton Sandfort as the only upperclassmen on the current roster. The Hawkeyes could use a few experienced student-athletes from other schools. What they can afford will make it challenging. 

Payton Sandfort is the team's unquestioned leader at this point. He appears ready for that challenge after leading the team in scoring (16.0 PPG) and rebounding (6.6 RPG) this season, while ranking second in assists. 

Dix improved immensely between his freshman and sophomore seasons. The two-way guard averaged 8.9 points and was a dogged defender, looking quite capable of taking on a larger assignment in '24-25. 

Freeman shined in his first college season, being named the Big Ten's Freshman of the Year. He averaged 10.6 points and 6.6 rebounds, and ranked sixth among Big Ten players with 1.8 blocks a contest. 

His classmate at Moline (IL) High, Harding, showed us periods of potential. He had a better than 3-to-1 assist to turnover ratio and shot 37.5 percent from behind the three-point arc. Added strength will help him be a more physical defender. 

Dembele and Pryce Sandfort received rotation minutes for much of the campaign. Those guys flashed upside when they were on the floor, and could take on bigger roles next season. 

Brauns played just under 64 minutes in 18 games after transferring in from Belmont. He brought a physical presence that could earn him more minutes in the rugged Big Ten if he can add to his offensive game. 

Mulvey red shirted this winter following two seasons of limited minutes. He graduated a year early from high school to begin his college career. 

Koch, a wing player, is the son of former Hawkeye, J.R. Koch, a member of the last Iowa team ('99) to reach the Sweet 16. On3 ranks Cooper as the No. 76 overall recruit nationally in the '24 Class. He can push for minutes right away. 

Tadjo, listed as a power forward, checks in at 152 in On3's class rankings. The 6-8, 230-pounder from Montreal attended the NBA Academy Latin America. Opportunity for early playing time is there. 

It's a close call between point guard and post as priority No. 1 for the program in the portal. Another outside shooter also would be nice. 

We'll see where this operation goes from here. Buckle up.