Reuniting with an old friend could be just the answer Iowa needs to fix its size issue

Ben McCollum did more in a year than some coaches do in their entire careers.

Iowa had a tremendous year in McCollum's first season, advancing all the way to the Elite 8 for the first time since 1987, setting the bar very high in Iowa City.

Before McCollum took over the program, Iowa experienced multiple down seasons before Beth Goetz ultimately decided to fire veteran head coach Fran McCaffery. After McCaffery was fired, all but two players left the program, paving the way for McCollum to rebuild the roster as he saw fit.

One of those former players has re-entered the transfer portal after one season, and a reunion could be a great option.

A reunion with former Hawkeye Owen Freeman makes too much sense

Even though Iowa had one of its best seasons in recent history, it struggled to rebound from the basketball and defend the paint.

Cam Manyawu was Iowa's starting center, averaging 6.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game last season, and what he lacked in size, he made up for it with effort and hustle.

For Iowa to take another step next season, they need more size and rim protection, which is why McCollum should bring back old friend Owen Freeman.

Freeman was the Freshman of the Year in his first season with the Hawkeyes before missing most of his sophomore season with a broken wrist.

After McCaffery was fired, Freeman entered the transfer portal, and ultimately signed with Creighton.

His time at Creighton was short-lived, and he did not experience anything close to the success he had in Iowa City.

To say Freeman struggled last season with the Blue Jays would be an understatement. He began the season as the starter for Greg McDermott, but was quickly moved to the bench and racked up multiple DNPs.

Something was clearly off with Freeman, and the Hawkeyes have a chance to buy low and add a prolific interior scorer and rebounder when things are going well. Before transferring to Creighton, Freeman averaged 16.7 points and 6.7 rebounds with Iowa.

Iowa can use Freeman's interior scoring and rebounding, and it makes a lot of sense to at least attempt a reunion with the former Hawkeye.