earlier in the season he said he didn't care how much he played as long as they won
We currently have 1 Open Roster Spot if Tavion Banks returns in 2026-27
- Thread starter Franisdaman
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earlier in the season he said he didn't care how much he played as long as they won
I stand corrected. I do remember seeing a photo of Cooper and Jacob with their respective parents all together and assumed that's the case.
That's good. Even though Jacob isn't costing us anything, he is taking up a valuable spot w/ only 2 open spots potentially at this point. We might need that extra spot.
it will be interesting to see if anyone leaves.
and you'd think a lot more money would flow in after this elite 8 run (so Ben can get that big and point guard that he needs)
Tavion could be back if the NCAA approves his waiver.
Iowa can't run it back with no legit big man. They got absolutely abused in the paint tonight, and as great of a run as it was, it's not being repeated without legit big men that are a lot better than what we have. It's not sustainable.
That would be so huge. The kid has his limitations but he's a good player. Get him some help inside and he could be a force.
As I’ve been saying, in this era, it’s far from a forgone conclusion that everyone stays.
This quote seems to confirm … “Some of them” … “retain as much as we can” … feels good about “quite a few of them” (not all)
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So you have no idea how good a player he was in high school, but your saying he's not worthy of a scholarship?
When will Banks learn if he's granted another year or not? Sorry if I missed this somewhere.
Transfer portal opens on April 7th, I think -need to know by then.
Transfer portal opens on April 7th, I think -need to know by then.
After an Elite 8 run and all the pub Ben got He will have zero problem getting a couple ballers to come to Iowa City thru the portal , Zero problem especially if NIL funds increase which they will from People getting back on board with the Program ,
I do wonder if there are any that the staff may “Creen”. I can’t really think of any off hand, but who knows.
I am hoping Joey M sees the writing on the wall and takes his talent to a lower division and excels. I am really hoping all of the press and interviews have sold those that will be going into the portal that Ben is a coach you want to play for. Give credit to Fran with putting players over the last 5-6 years into the NBA, and Ben taking it up a notch. Bennet will be a first rounder and Ben can keep it going with some home runs in the portal.
I am certainly not positive, but I thought Jesse Shaw put out on X that he was coming to Iowa as an Assistant and I feel like I remember the rumblings were that he might have gotten out ahead of his skis and he ended up getting brought in but not in the assistant role. I wonder if Ben keeps everyone or looks to possibly upgrade at Jesse's position. Although I am not sure what the Chief of Staff position actually entails and how much he is able to coach vs manage NIL etc.
Excellent point.
In the Florida postgame, Bennett, Alvaro and Ben were at the press conference table. They were asked about Alvaro's game winning shot. Ben called it "irrational confidence," which I thought was an interesting choice of words by Ben.
And then there was this, from last night; the last part that is cut off is Alvaro saying " It just wasn’t there (today) … as a team and as a player. I feel bad.”
Hard to question Ben but it was curious to say the least. You have to trust his instincts but I’d have a hard time with it if I were a player.
Yeah, after hitting the game winner vs Florida, not sure you should be calling your player "irrational." But I have a feeling Ben is tired of not know what version of Alvaro he will get on a daily basis.
Illinois is a bad match up for Iowa. But since Alvaro was not on the court, he can't be blamed for IOWA being abused 40-12 in points in the paint.
IOWA got abused on second chance points, too (13-7).
Ben ended up only playing 7 guys in the 2nd half; I think their tired legs affected their shots.
In the 2nd half we only shot 23% (6-26) from the field.
The details:
1st Half Scoring:
........6-12 (50%) from three
.............6-9 (67%) from inside the arc
....................................................................
12-21 (57%) Overall Shooting
..........2-2 (100%) FTs
....................................................................
32 Points Scored
=====================
2nd Half Scoring:
........5-18 (28%) from three
.............1-8 (12%) from inside the arc
....................................................................
....6-26 (23%) Overall Shooting
..10-12 (83%) FTs
....................................................................
27 Points Scored
=====================
Isn't Jacob Koch a walk-on? Does that count against the 15?Ben said this on Hawk Talk last night.
They have filed the paperwork; now it's a waiting game.
Assuming Tavion is back & no one else departs, we would have 13 of the 15 roster spots filled for 2026-2027 (12 on scholarship, 1 walk on).
6'7 G/F Tavion Banks (SR)
6'9 F Alvaro Folgueiras (SR)
6'4 G Kael Combs (SR)
6'8 F Cam Manyawu (SR)
6'5 G Isaia Howard (JR)
6'2 G Jacob Koch (JR)
6'7 G Tate Sage (SO)
6'8 F Cooper Koch (RS SO)
6'9 F Joey Matteoni (RS SO)
6'11 C Trevin Jirak (SO)
6'8 F Trey Thompson (RS FR)
6'8" PF Ethan Harris (FR)
6'2 G Peyton McCollum (RS FR)
Yes.
Walk-on vs. scholarship doesn't really matter anymore. It's all about the roster spots. Limit is 15.
I know guys like Pavia got an extra year of eligibility for this season, but are there any other guys like Banks who have been granted an extra year for next season? It seems like a long shot that he’ll get another year unless there are other examples.
Guessing there's gonna be a lot of moving pieces coming up
I would think that Joey M has to be told that the league is a bit much for his game and that Jacob Koch would be dropped if needed. That would give them 3 spots to fill even with Banks back. We need a C and a PG….. simple as that. There are many in the portal already. I want Coons, C and PG. Then Coach can worry about playing time. The bench will be deep and competitive.
Ben isn't going to play more than 10 different players and regularly only about 8. We're going to need Joey and Jacob just to fill the roster.
Hate to think that we are now going to be Creaning guys. It's probably the right answer but it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
Al F will always be remembered for his major contributions - especially the big shot to beat FL - in the magical run in the Big Dance.
However, I agree with those who think that we can better spend his $1M towards a high quality PG and C.
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I don’t care whether he stays or goes but your statement is ridiculous. We haven't even seen him play and he’s young. Give him a chance.
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Agreed on all of that. As big as Al was for us in those couple games in the tournament, there were too many other games where he was a non-factor. I don't necessarily WANT to see him walk out the door, but in this climate, Ben needs to spend wisely.
Yeah I agree... With NIL and players being paid, it's the unfortunate reality that college sports have basically turned into a business, and our coaches also need to think like GMs. I don't like it, either.
It sucks but everyone has a one year contract.