The Iowa Men's Basketball roster has 10 players following the 2024-2025 season. New Iowa Head Coach Ben McCollum and his staff have been working diligently to rebuild the roster this offseason.
Thirteen players entered the transfer portal (Cooper Koch returned), all three 2025 recruits, and one 2026 recruit decommitted from the program.
McCollum and his staff have filled the roster with two holdovers from the Fran McCaffery era (Cooper and Jacob Koch), seven players from the transfer portal, and two additions to the 2025 recruiting class.
After the spring transfer portal window closed, On3 Sports ranked the Hawkeyes' class as the No. 6 class in the Big Ten and No. 15 overall.
With 10 players on the roster, here is who should assume starting roles for the Hawkeyes next season.
Point Guard - Bennett Stirtz
The first selection for the potential starting five is a no-brainer. Former Drake Bulldog and 2025 Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Player of the Year, Bennett Stirtz, is the obvious choice to start at one of the guard positions.
Stirtz was a force for the Bulldogs last season and was their best player by a wide margin. In his first and only season with Drake, he averaged 19.2 points, 5.7 assists, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.1 steals per game.
Stirtz was also named the MVC Tournament's Most Outstanding Player, averaging 21.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 2.6 steals per game.
His statistics last season at Drake prove he can be a high-volume scorer when called upon, but also likes to get his teammates involved. Another eye-popping stat was his steals per game. His 2.1 steals per game would have ranked near the top of the Big Ten.
Stirtz has been productive at both of his previous stops (Northwest Missouri State and Drake), and will be a leader for the Hawkeyes in his first season.
Shooting guard - Brendan Hausen
Kansas State transfer Brendan Hausen embodies the phrase "shooting" guard. Of his career 523 field goal attempts, 455 of them have come from beyond the three-point line. He not only takes a lot of three-point field goals, but he makes them.
In his career, Hausen has never shot below 38 percent from beyond the arc.
During his first two seasons with Villanova, Hausen was mainly a bench contributor. Last season with Kansas Dtate, he was inserted into the starting lineup, and was productive. He averaged 10.9 points and 2.5 rebounds per game in 27.6 minutes.
Hausen gives the Hawkeyes a deadly shooter who will benefit from Stirtz running the point with precision.
Small forward - Tavion Banks
After he committed to the Hawkeyes, Tavion Banks stated that you cannot win games without defense, and he loves playing defense. He was the MVC Sixth-Man of the Year last season for Drake, but he should be inserted into the starting lineup for the Hawkeyes.
Banks has the versatility to guard all positions, and the Hawkeyes can use that versatility on the defensive end of the floor.
Under former Head Coach Fran McCaffery, Iowa was never known for its defensive prowess, and Banks gives them a defensive stopper.
Banks is more known for his defense, but he was also solid on the offensive end. Last season for the Bulldogs, he averaged 10.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. He increased those averages to 11.6 points and 7.0 rebounds per game during the MVC Tournament.
Power forward - Alvaro Folgueiras
Standing at six-foot-nine, sharpshooting Spanish big man Alvaro Folgueiras gives the Hawkeyes a floor spacer and a lethal pick-and-pop option. Folgueiras turned himself into an offensive weapon for the Colonials last season, averaging 14.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game.
After the 2024-2025 season, Folgueiras was named the Horizon League Player of the Year.
Folgueiras' biggest asset is his shooting ability at his size. Last season, he shot 54.8 percent from the field and 41.3 percent from beyond the three-point line.
Alvaro is more suited to play the stretch-four position at a power-four school, but he has shown the ability to bang down low and grab rebounds at a high rate.
Center- Cam Manyawu
Drake transfer Cam Manyawu moves to the center position, with Folgueiras slotting in at the power forward. Manyawu is a little undersized for the center position (six-foot-eight), but his length and athleticism makes up for that.
Manyawu is not a three-point shooter (has only attempted four three-pointers), but will make his money in the paint. Last season, he averaged 7.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game and shot 59.1 percent from the floor.
Manyawu will not be called upon to score, but with his athleticism, he can make an immediate impact for the Hawkeyes on the defensive end.
Sixth Man - Cooper Koch
Cooper Koch returns for his sophomore season after initially entering the transfer portal. After former Head Coach Fran McCaffery was fired, Koch entered his name into the transfer portal and remained in contact with the program.
He spoke with new Head Coach Ben McCollum and decided their interests were aligned.
During his freshman season, Koch was limited to 10 games, averaging 4.6 points and 2.1 rebounds per game. In limited minutes, Koch shot 42.9 percent from behind the three-point line.
The Hawkeye have a lot of work to do ahead of their first game in November, but they have the personnel to make noise next season.