Tag: Fran McCaffrey

Josh Ogundele returning to Iowa Hawkeyes men’s basketball team after portal flirtation

The Iowa Hawkeyes men’s basketball team will have big man Josh Ogundele returning to Iowa City after exploring the transfer portal.

The Iowa Hawkeyes men’s basketball team received news today that center and forward [autotag]Josh Ogundele[/autotag] is returning to Iowa City after previously exploring the transfer portal. Per his own Twitter feed, Ogundele announced the return to Iowa.

With two other former Iowa players having also entered the portal, Ogundele’s return gives the Hawkeyes a presence in the paint that they could continue to develop with time.

Iowa head men’s basketball coach [autotag]Fran McCaffrey[/autotag] recruited Ogundele after he moved from London, England, to the United States at the age of 16.

Ogundele, who appeared in 19 games during the 2021-22 campaign, averaged just over five minutes off the bench in spot minutes for the Hawkeyes. Ogundele finished last season averaging 1.5 points and 1.3 rebounds per game. His best minutes came for Iowa on their run to the Big Ten Tournament title.

During the conference tournament, Ogundele provided much-needed minutes against Purdue’s duo of Zach Edey and Trevion Williams. He plugged in and was able to thwart the Boilermakers’ big men in the paint.

Hawkeye fans may also recall Ogundele filling in nicely for [autotag]Keegan Murray[/autotag] on the road against Purdue where he posted career highs in minutes, points, blocks and rebounds.

Iowa lost point guard Joe Toussaint earlier this offseason when he entered the transfer portal. Toussaint announced his decision to join the West Virginia Mountaineers a few weeks ago. Guard Austin Ash also entered the transfer portal.

Ogundele joins sixth-year senior Connor McCaffery as individuals who were unsure to return after the unfortunate first round NCAA Tournament exit to the Richmond Spiders. These two returning puts the Hawkeyes at a 12-man roster per their official team website.

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WATCH: What Iowa head coach Fran McCaffrey said about Ohio State postgame

Watch what Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery said about Ohio State following his team’s victory in Columbus. #GoBucks

The Iowa Hawkeyes came into the Schott and outhustled and outexecuted Ohio State in a game that was big for both teams. The win elevates the postseason fate of Iowa, while the flip side for the Buckeyes means their Big Ten regular-season conference championship hopes are close to sliding off a cliff.

Hawkeyes head coach Fran McCaffrey was obviously delighted by his team’s performance and showed it during his postgame press conference. We always like to bring the opposing coach’s point of view to what they see from Ohio State, and McCaffrey was complimentary of both the Buckeyes and his own ball club.

If you missed any of his comments, we have them here thanks to Adam Jardy of the Columbus Dispatch. Watch the below and listen to McCaffery discuss the talent of the bigs for Ohio State, how important the battle on the glass was, how OSU likes to get downhill, and more.

Ohio State will next be in action on Monday when it hosts the Indiana Hoosiers. Getting back in the win column is almost a must to turn things around towards the postseason.

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