Iowa Men's Basketball practiced as a team for the first time this week. After a head coaching change during the offseason, the Hawkeyes squad will look drastically different this season.
Two players, Cooper Koch and Jacob Koch, return from the 2024-2025 season, and the Hawkeyes added eight transfers from the transfer portal and three players from the 2025 recruiting class to fill the roster.
Earlier this week, the new-look Hawkeyes worked out as a team and released a video to showcase their progress.
The squad was pictured in on-court drills, scrimmages, and the weight room as they continue preparations for next season.
On Friday morning, the Hawkeyes were pictured doing a a different workout: building team chemistry.
The squad was attempting to build more team chemistry by having fun at PinSeekers in Tiffin, Iowa, and working on their golf swings as well.
Multiple Hawkeyes and Head Coach Ben McCollum were videoed taking swings at PinSeekers and you could tell they were letting loose and having some fun.
McCollum, Bennett Stirtz, Tavion Banks, and Brendan Hausen showed tremendous golf swings. Alavaro Folgeuiras: not so much.
It is key that the new squad gels quickly before next season tips off, and it is encouraging to see the players and coaches striving to build chemistry on and off the court.
The program has a long way to go before they are ready to mesh on the court ahead of the 2025-2026 college basketball season, but Coach McCollum and the team are taking steps in the right direction.
The positive aura surrounding the new squad is visible, and fans hope that it can translate to on-court success this upcoming season.