Iowa basketball: Hawks hot on recruiting trail for this 5-star recruit

The Iowa basketball team has never recruited a 5-star player before, but that could change with the class of 2020 and Oskaloosa’s Xavier Foster.

Every year there are a few D-1 players playing high school hoops in the state of Iowa, but it’s not often that there is a five-star recruit. In fact, it’s quite rare. There was Harrison Barnes nearly a decade ago and now there is Oskaloosa’s Xavier Foster. Unlike the Barnes situation where the Iowa basketball team was never even in the picture, the Hawks have a shot at the 7’0” Foster.

And they are hot on his trail.

With the college basketball season concluded, Iowa basketball head coach Fran McCaffery is focusing his efforts on recruiting the big man who is located just a short 1.5-hour drive away from Iowa City.

According to Matthew Bain, McCaffery has seen the Oskaloosa product twice in just the last week.

In addition to the Hawks, the junior forward holds offers from the likes of Iowa State, Wisconsin, Kansas, and UCLA.

Although a possible commitment is likely months away, all signs are pointing to a future commitment to the Iowa basketball team which would make it their first five-star signing in the history of the program.

A signing like this could be as instrumental or dare I say more, as the signing of star freshman Joe Wieskamp who had a fantastic freshman season with the Iowa basketball team this past season and currently has his name entered in the NBA Draft (although he is likely to return).

Foster wouldn’t arrive on campus for another year, but he would be coming at the perfect time. The Iowa basketball team is set to graduate two starters and a key reserve from next year’s team and there is a decent chance that underclassmen Luka Garza and Joe Wieskamp declare for the NBA Draft and don’t return leaving the Hawks in need of help in the paint.

If the signing of Xavier Foster ultimately falls through though, the Hawks are receiving solid interest from a top-100 forward from the Twin Cities in Ben Carlson.

If Fran is able to land one of these young forward (or both), the future could be bright in Iowa City. These are program-changing recruits.