The Iowa Hawkeyes Men's Basketball program continues to dip into the transfer portal to rebuild its roster. After firing long-time head coach Fran McCaffery, the Hawkeyes had 10 players enter the transfer portal (Cooper Koch withdrew) and lost three committed recruits.
New Iowa Head Coach Ben McCollum is known for his ability to build a program from scratch, and must continue using the transfer portal to his advantage.
On Thursday, McCollum picked up another transfer from the transfer portal.
— Isaia Howard (@Isaiahoward1) April 3, 2025
Former Drake Men's Basketball guard Isaia Howard announced on X that he is committing to Ben McCollum and the Iowa Hawkeyes. Howard becomes the fourth player from Drake to transfer to Iowa after McCollum was named the head coach.
The six-foot-five guard from Plattsburg, Missouri, was ranked the No. 82 overall prospect (No. 10 in Missouri) in the 2024 recruiting class by 247 Sports. He was given a three-star rating coming out of high school.
Howard originally committed to North Dakota State, but re-opened his recruitment. He committed to Drake in May 2024.
In 30 appearances during his freshman season at Drake, Howard averaged 4.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in 15 minutes per game. Howard came off the bench in all 30 appearances.
Howard struggled with offensive efficiency during his freshman year. Howard shot 43.5 percent from the field, 31.1 percent from three-point range, and an awful 44.8 percent from the free-throw line.
Howard is young, but will need to improve on the offensive end to make an impact for the Hawkeyes.
Howard joins three former Drake players (Bennett Stirtz, Kael Combs, Cam Manyawu) in Iowa City after following head coach Ben McCollum. Howard gives the Hawkeyes another piece for their roster rebuild.