The Iowa Men's Basketball program has been scrambling to recover after the 2025 season ended. The Hawkeyes' season ended at the hands of Illinois in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament.
Iowa finished the season with a 17-16 (7-13) record and failed to make the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season. A day after failing to advance in the Big Ten Tournament, Iowa fired 15-year head coach Fran McCaffery.
After Fran was fired, nine players entered the transfer portal, and three prospects decommitted from the program. One player has decided to withdraw from the portal and return to Iowa City.
— Cooper Koch (@CooperKoch_8) March 30, 2025
Iowa freshman forward Cooper Koch has withdrawn from the transfer portal after entering on March 19. Koch originally entered the portal due to the head coaching change, but stated he would keep communication open with the program.
Koch withdrew from the portal after speaking with new Head Coach Ben McCollum. After speaking with McCollum, Koch decided their interests aligned and he wanted to return to the program.
Before committing to the Hawkeyes, Koch was a highly-coveted prospect from Peoria, Illinois. He averaged 17.6 points and 6.4 rebounds per game during his senior season. Koch was ranked as the number two prospect from Illinois in the 2024 recruiting class.
Koch was limited to 10 games in his freshman season due to an undisclosed illness. He averaged 4.6 points and 2.1 rebounds per game in limited minutes. Koch is a sharpshooter who can stretch the floor with his ability to make three-point baskets at a high rate.
He knocked down 42.9 percent from three-point range as a freshman.
Koch will rejoin a depleted Iowa roster, and aims to bolster the program in Ben McCollum's first season as head coach.