Thanks to roster turnover, Iowa is busy this offseason working to reshape its complexion.
Both Filip Rebraca and Connor McCaffery exhausted their collegiate eligibility. Then, Kris Murray’s decision to declare for the 2023 NBA draft along with the transfer portal moves of guard Ahron Ulis and center Josh Ogundele means there’s suddenly room on the roster for transfer portal additions.
Iowa finished 19-14 (11-9 Big Ten), which was good for a fifth-place Big Ten finish and earned the Hawkeyes an appearance in their fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament. Still, given that the Hawkeyes are set to replace their two best statistical performers in Murray and Rebraca, there’s some serious retooling to be done.
Murray averaged 20.2 points and 7.9 rebounds to collect consensus All-American honors, while Rebraca just continued to improve and finished with season averages of 14.1 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
As is the case every offseason these days, there’s plenty of movement to and plenty of talent within the NCAA transfer portal.
Hawkeye Insider‘s Sean Bock has one name pinpointed that Iowa fans might need to quickly familiarize themselves with: former Valparaiso forward Ben Krikke.
The 6-foot-9, 220 pound forward entered the transfer portal on March 24. Bock issued a 247Sports crystal ball prediction on Easter Sunday for the Hawkeyes to land the former Valpo big.
Krikke was terrific on a Valparaiso team that finished the 2022-23 men’s college basketball season 11-21 (5-15 MVC). The Edmonton, Alta., native averaged a career best 19.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.
For his efforts, he was a first-team All-MVC selection. His 19.4 points per game average led the MVC and he actually averaged 21.0 points per game in conference play.
Krikke finished with double-figure scoring in 30 of Val’s 32 games, including 15 contests where he eclipsed 20 points and three where he topped 30 points. He also had a pair of double-doubles against Toledo on Nov. 7 and against UIC on Feb. 19.
If this 247Sports crystal ball prediction comes to fruition, Krikke adds automatic plug-and-play ability in the post for the Hawkeyes.
Here’s a look at some of Krikke’s 2022-23 highlights courtesy of College Basketball Scouting on YouTube. Plus, a detailed look at Krikke’s recruiting bio below.