Lots of 6’8” type forwards. Wish some 6’10” guys would show up. This list might not be all that different than what Fran looked for. We will see what happens in the next week or two. Cautiously optimistic Ben will find the guys he wants.
*****Official 2025 Transfer portal thread*****
- Thread starter BrunoMars420
- Start date
Another Drake transfer in the portal on Fri 3/28...
- 6'-8" PF, FR redshirt
- Kansas first-team all-state
- 2023 Kansas Class 6A state champions
- 19.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.6 steals average as a HS senior
https://godrakebulldogs.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/joey-matteoni/10130
https://247sports.com/player/joey-matteoni-46149769/college-318253/
I haven't seen his name connected as a transfer candidate to IA though.
- 6'-8" PF, FR redshirt
- Kansas first-team all-state
- 2023 Kansas Class 6A state champions
- 19.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.6 steals average as a HS senior
https://godrakebulldogs.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/joey-matteoni/10130
https://247sports.com/player/joey-matteoni-46149769/college-318253/
I haven't seen his name connected as a transfer candidate to IA though.
Looks like he was redshirted last year, so no college stats. Originally committed to NW Mo St. Also had offers from Army, Navy, and Washburn.
I saw a rumor elsewhere that Traore and Johnson-Arigu were still looking to transfer despite not being in the portal yet. At first that didn’t make any sense, but I wonder if their NIL deals with Iowa are structured such that they have to remain on the roster until the college basketball season is over to get their full compensation.
That would suck, but McCollums demand for defense, rebounding and structured offense is a stark difference to Fran's free flowing offense.
I find it so funny that even a guy who was just a solid player at Bowling Green says he’s hearing from 25 schools. I mean how in the world do you actually narrow it down or get a kid to really look at you? Good luck to any and all coaches participating in this process!
We need 2 guys 6’10” or more. Going to battle in the Big Ten with big men who are only 6’8” or 6’7” is a recipe for getting killed on the glass. Has anyone heard who is looking at JT Rock, the Iowa State transfer listed at 7’1” ?
Plus I think that Cam kid from Drake plays a lot taller than 6 8
Boxing out only gets you so far. If you’re going to play against the big boys you better have some big boys, otherwise you are going to get pounded on the boards, no question.
Boxing out is only a part of the equation. Players that get off the floor quickly and have the desire to want to rebound.
I question your no question if you watched Drake against Misery I think they won the rebound margin
Reggie Evans was 6'8 and couldn't really jump.
Street and Brunner were 6'8 too.
Theres multiple ways to rebound.
Moving your opponent horizontally so that they can't jump is just as effective.
Street was 6’9”. We don’t have anyone and likely won’t than can rebound like Reggie Evens and Bruner. Come on man, we need a few 6’10” or taller guys. Otherwise we will all be here bitching about getting crushed on the glass again next season.
This would not be good.
So roster could be:
Koch
Kingsbury
Stirtz
Howard
Enright
?
?
?
?
Can we win the BIG with drake guys plus Koch?
It could test the theory that Ben could have won div 1 title with his NW Mo. St teams?
Hope he is Gene Hackman in Hoosiers.
Ok ok we need 6 10 guys i agree but we had a 6 11 guy who only rebounded when the ball dropped in his lap
I’m sure they’ll have a bunch of non-Drake transfers visiting in the next few weeks.
Also, you left Manyawu and Combs from Drake out of likely transfers you listed above. And Trevin Jirak. When everything shakes out, I’m sure they’ll have 11-13 really solid players.
Last edited:
I agree they still need some beef but in addition to Mizzou, they out rebounded FAU, Miami, and Vanderbilt in their Thanksgiving tournament by almost 40 total rebounds. So they clearly know how to rebound. But yes they will need some size for defense purposes. The Texas Tech game bore that out.
Drake was short but was an excellent defensive rebounding team for two basic reasons: (1) they boxed out and (2) their guards got in on the action and gang rebounded. Their guards didn't just stand there at three point line watching - they got in there and helped.
They were also good on the offensive glass. IMO, that is largely a function of how many guys that go to the glass. It looks like Drake regularly sent three to the offensive glass and it paid off. Both centers collected >10% of Drake's misses, Abreu was 6.1%, Jackson was 5.8%, Combs was 6.8% and Isaia Jackson was a stunning 10%. Freshman 6'5 guard and he grabbed 10% of Drake's misses when he was on the floor.
Where I am worried is rim protection. Drake was short last season and they gave up a very high shooting percentage on 2s (54.4% I think) - poor two point defense is a recipe for disaster in the Big Ten, IMO. Gonna need rim protection and we're probably gonna need it at both C and PF.
They were also good on the offensive glass. IMO, that is largely a function of how many guys that go to the glass. It looks like Drake regularly sent three to the offensive glass and it paid off. Both centers collected >10% of Drake's misses, Abreu was 6.1%, Jackson was 5.8%, Combs was 6.8% and Isaia Jackson was a stunning 10%. Freshman 6'5 guard and he grabbed 10% of Drake's misses when he was on the floor.
Where I am worried is rim protection. Drake was short last season and they gave up a very high shooting percentage on 2s (54.4% I think) - poor two point defense is a recipe for disaster in the Big Ten, IMO. Gonna need rim protection and we're probably gonna need it at both C and PF.
I know you understand bb talent and I respect your info.
I certainly want Ben to succeed and I do have faith in his coaching abilities
But if we do end up with 4 drake transfers, plus former bulldog enright, a uni commit jirak, plus Koch, then filling out roster with mid- major guys..,it could be a rough year.
Hope I am wrong but it would be the least talented roster ratings-wise in BIG.
Maybe Ben does not need really much NIL at all to win. That would be ideal.
I get what you’re saying but I think we’re just going to have to wait and see how this all plays out.
I wouldn’t be so down on mid-major transfers though. I just saw a list today from 247 of the top transfers available and 4 of the top 10 were from mid-majors. There’s a whole lot of really good transfers out there not coming from power conferences.
Johnson-Arigu posted a sad gif on Cooper Koch’s transfer post..
Then wrote “Hell Yuhhhh” to his returning post..
To leave after doing both those comments would be odd.
Definitely willing to keep an open mind on mid- major guys altho I do doubt we can even afford those top guys no matter where they come from.
I just want Ben to have enough early success at Iowa to capitalize on the momentum his hiring has created in fan base.
Traditionally at Iowa or most jobs the new coach is given 2-3 years to get their own guys and early struggles are expected.
Not anymore.
I hope Ben can repeat his miracle at drake but I am realistic enough to not expect it.
Hope the younger fans do not lose the buzz if we struggle.
Michigan State Gehrig Normand enter portal. Looks like guard size 6'5" BM likes. Did not play much but highly recruited.
Agree with everything. It would drive me nuts that Fran insisted on only having a couple players rebound, especially on defense. Crash the damn boards and box out! We gave up far far too many offensive rebounds. Drake was sending everyone to rebound and they still managed to get back on defense. It’s called hustle.
You're right, but only if those 6-10 or taller players are good enough to play and not just bench warmers like Ogundele or Mulvey, Iowa doesn't need to go through that again. Hope coach Ben can get a couple of serviceable centers to fell out the roster.
This is why I was sad to see Tadjo in the portal.
I know his defensive instincts in space were bad but the size and athleticism seemed like a great fit.
They were the only two players who had transferred into Iowa with eligibility to return in 2025-26. So maybe the Swarm structured contracts differently for transfers or maybe they changed the contract details after Traore and Johnson-Arigu transferred so that they - as the two most recent additions to the team - were the only ones impacted.
Seems like any of these do not contact guys from Drake are going to iowa
It could very well be that the “do not contact” tag guys from Drake are all going to Iowa. However, I think the DNC tag is more of a formality these days. Agents are handling the negotiations and the conversations are often happening between the coaching staffs and agents before the player is even in the portal.
The JT Rock kid is just a BIG project. 2 yrs at Iowa State and rarely saw the floor, even blow-outs.
I would pass.
I would offer him, a guy who was highly recruited with 3 years of eligibility left. Big guys usually do develop at a slower pace.
Similar threads
