Portal 2026 is Now Open
- Thread starter Hawkangler
- Start date
Agreed 100%, let’s face it - Iowa just doesn’t have the deep pockets that Michigan/Illinois/Indiana has, so he has to adapt to the hand he was dealt….
One thing for sure if that happens we are going to be nasty on the defensive end especially if we get the rim protector.
Stirtz was unreal and an all timer at PG but the collective coming in and returning is immensely more talented then our ELITE 8 TEAM. Yes, we made the Elite 8....Still can't believe it.
We have a senior guard, his name is kael combs.
I remember one analyst said after our win vs Nebraska. He said something about the other coaches in the conference better take notice of McCollum because this years team that he’s taking to the elite 8 is probably going to be his least talented among Iowa squads in the seasons to come.
With the loss of Stirtz I am not sure I agree. Unless he lands a similar PG OR one of the other guards steps up in a big way. Where do we get the scoring from Banks and Folgy? We lose three top scorers…
Our regular season record next season > this season. Obviously can’t say we’ll improve on an elite 8 run, but our seed will be better
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Agree. Stirtz is a big loss no question but I think next year's roster will be easily better top to bottom than it was this year.
Ace Glass was a big loss for Ben. Dude went to Vanderbilt (weird)…It would have be great…all the puns we could have used (bummer).
Signs suggest Iowa walked away from (or “deprioritized”) Glass.
Thinkiing about the portal this morning. Did the coaches toss out Isaih Johnson's name? NO, he never really considered Iowa. There were other point guard names mentioned also but no legs.
Ace Glass? After zoom call a visit was mentioned, not by the coaches but prognosticators. That didn't happen.
Yes, Kyan Evans visited and the jury's still out. Hope he joins the team.
Coleman committed on his visit, somebody the coaches wanted at Drake and have known about. His videos look good.
I guess what I'm saying, until a player visits, most portal talk is pure speculation. It is fun to dream, but maybe the staff doesn't have as much in the bank as thought. Culture fit is big for Ben also. McKeever has visited so I am hopeful he'll be next.
Ace Glass? After zoom call a visit was mentioned, not by the coaches but prognosticators. That didn't happen.
Yes, Kyan Evans visited and the jury's still out. Hope he joins the team.
Coleman committed on his visit, somebody the coaches wanted at Drake and have known about. His videos look good.
I guess what I'm saying, until a player visits, most portal talk is pure speculation. It is fun to dream, but maybe the staff doesn't have as much in the bank as thought. Culture fit is big for Ben also. McKeever has visited so I am hopeful he'll be next.
Interesting. I believe he struggled with more than injuries...just saying...
I’m going to agree. We lose a 1st team all conference guard who had his hands on the ball 95% of our possessions, our best and most versatile front court defender, and even though he was erratic, a 5 that could stretch the floor. We have replaced Sturtz with a guard from Illinois St, who I like his athleticism, but is still very raw, and a 7 footer from St Mary’s who will help defensively (I hope) and also on the pick and roll. This puts a ton of pressure on Combs who has never had to be the man and probably Thompson to replace Banks who is a redshirt Freshman. Again, I think Mac is a top 3 coach in this league but to think we’re going to be way better to me is crazy.
Think the money ball approach. No one was ever going to replace stirtz. Be collective effort in multiple facets. I think top to bottom we will be more talented next year. With McCollum he knows now we are more balanced and sure will adjust and we aren’t going to be as pg dominate on offense. We replaced big weakness at 5. Alvaro gone but at spot we got lot of depth and like our frosh plus transfers to go along with roster continuity with all the guys coming back with least 1 yr if not more under McCollum. I think our floor for expectations should be what we finished at 10-10 in conference 9 seed in tourney.
I mean I agree with that 100%. We have no choice but to be more balanced. But again, we are going to need scorers late in the shot clock and we certainly will not have a stretch 5 that can bring the other bigs out. While most people seem very high on Thompson he’s going to have to grow up very quickly on the defensive end and get used to the physical play of the B1G. And he’s just a Freshman.
Fair points. While I think next year's roster will overall be more talented top to bottom than it was this past year, it's also going to be pretty young. Outside of McKeever who will be a junior, a lot of the guys people are excited about will be freshmen and sophomores.
While I think the 2026-27 team will be pretty good, 2027-28 might be the year to keep an eye on, if everyone sticks around.
Not to take anything away from Stirtz, it seemed like he could drop 30+ whenever he wanted, like the West Coast trip.
As the season got shorter with more NBA scouts and eyes on him, it almost seemed like he was making an effort to show he could go left with his weaker hand. I’m not suggesting he wasn’t focused on winning. I can’t imagine the pressure from all directions.
I just think we’ll have a more balanced team sharing one goal next season. We’ll certainly miss Bennett and I wish him all the best.
As the season got shorter with more NBA scouts and eyes on him, it almost seemed like he was making an effort to show he could go left with his weaker hand. I’m not suggesting he wasn’t focused on winning. I can’t imagine the pressure from all directions.
I just think we’ll have a more balanced team sharing one goal next season. We’ll certainly miss Bennett and I wish him all the best.
Maybe teams were forcing him left too. We are going to miss his shooting for sure
Will miss Bennett for sure, but I agree that next year's team should be more balanced. More talent overall I think, but without that one obvious stand out star player. Stirtz was the guy last year.
Last year, a lot of times the ball was in Stirtz's hands, and we saw him creating a shot or driving with the shot clock running out. Now that he's gone, I suspect maybe that won't happen so often, and less ball watching.
It makes me wonder if the tempo will increase some next year. I don't think Ben's teams will ever play what we call up tempo, they'll still run the offense and look for a good shot, but maybe the tempo eventually will be more like 175-200 instead of 360. Ben himself said when he was hired that his preferred tempo was probably more mid.. They only played slow with that Drake roster more or less out of necessity. Not that tempo concerns me much. I care about the end result the most. Wouldn't mind seeing them run a little more, though, all else being equal.
He also played very very slow tempo at Drake the year before. I know he says more mid but in my mind I think he enjoys where he gets a stop defensively and then makes the other team play defense for the full shot clock. His game management against Missouri in the tournament while at Drake was masterful. Mizzou would chuck a shot up in the first 7-10 seconds and miss and then have to play defense for the whole shot clock. That gets extremely frustrating for teams that like to play fast.
He also had essentially the same roster at Drake two years ago.. Stirtz, Manyawu, Banks, etc. Think you're right, he doesn't mind what you just described though, lol.
There's something to be said for being able to frustrate teams that like to play fast and take them out of their element.
Kind of surprised he didn't end up at Penn.
Kudos to Jack for being the first member of his family to strike out on his own, without his father or brother as his coach.
Wisc guard John Blackwell is headed to Duke.
Rich get richer. They have #1 recruiting class coming in as well
Rich get richer. They have #1 recruiting class coming in as well
I thought he would end up in Champaign given his Dad played there….I wonder if Stoj staying changed the narrative. Surprised to read he really was not sought after in HS….
A lot of kids got overlooked due to COVIDI thought he would end up in Champaign given his Dad played there….I wonder if Stoj staying changed the narrative. Surprised to read he really was not sought after in HS….
Where will he go next year? I'm sure he'll wear out his welcome soon enough at Auburn. I'm surprised Gatens would "vouch" for him after quitting on the team.
Now he just needs to learn how to drive without a phone in his hand. Would be much safer for everybody…