Before the 2025-2026 NCAA Basketball season begins this fall, Iowa Basketball Head Coach Ben McCollum and his staff have diligently added talent to the roster and coaching staff to make the Hawkeyes competitive next season.
Over the past few weeks, McCollum has added two new staff members: Jaran Richman (Director of Scouting) and Logan Ogden (Director of Athletic Performance).
McCollum and his staff also bolstered the roster by flipping in-state prospect Trevin Jirak from Northern Iowa and Oklahoma prospect Tate Sage from Drake.
The Hawkeyes have also added seven transfers from the transfer portal this offseason, including five former Drake players, Brendan Hausen (Kansas State), and Alvaro Folgueiras (Robert Morris)
On Wednesday, McCollum added backcourt depth with a Florida International University transfer.
Former Florida International (FIU) guard Ashton Williamson transferred to Iowa following his freshman season with the Panthers.
Before committing to FIU, Williamson, a native of Gary, Indiana, was an unranked recruit from Calumet High School. During his freshman season with FIU, he averaged 7.3 points, 2.7 assists, and 2.5 rebounds in 24 minutes per game.
He struggled shooting during his freshman season, shooting 39.4 percent from the field, 32.9 percent from the three-point line, and 67.6 percent from the free-throw line.
Williamson must also improve his assist-to-turnover ratio to earn minutes as a ball handler. He averaged 1.9 turnovers per game, far too many for a Power Four program.
Williamson appeared in 33 games for the Panthers and made 16 starts.
Williamson oozes raw talent at the guard position, but the Hawkeyes must harness that talent for him to be successful at a higher level of competition. He is best suited to a backup role this season and can expand his role for his final two seasons.