Eric Mulder ‘a guy that will do the dirty work’ for Iowa State basketball

Eric Mulder officially commits to Iowa State, TJ Otzelberger through transfer portal

Eric Mulder officially signed with Iowa State's men's basketball team. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Iowa State basketball has officially signed Eric Mulder through the transfer portal. The former Purdue Fort Wayne standout returns to Iowa after a stellar career with Pella Christian.

A native of Oskaloosa, Mulder will have one season remaining to play for the Cyclones.

Officially a Cyclone!

Welcome to the Fam, @eric_mulder16!

📰: https://t.co/aEOjqL0uUt#Cyclones | #C5C pic.twitter.com/38N6RvxbgL

— Iowa State Men’s Basketball (@CycloneMBB) April 28, 2025

The 6-foot-8 forward started 23 of 24 games for Purdue Fort Wayne last season, averaging a career-high 8.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. He suffered an injury in the middle of the year that caused him to miss a handful of games.

“A guy that will do the dirty work, Eric is a hard-working traditional big man,” Iowa State head coach TJ Otzelberger said. “He has shown the capability to make multiple efforts on both ends of the floor. Offensively, he is efficient and always makes the simple plays. On the defensive end, he is someone who can finish possessions of the glass and protects the rim.”

Of those 24 games this past year, Mulder scored in double figures 12 times. He also had three double-doubles, including a 12-point, 11-rebound performance vs. Penn State of the Big Ten.

Mulder averaged 5.7 points and 5.4 rebounds while shooting 71 percent from the field over his 91-game career. He had a career-high 15 rebounds in the 2024 CIT Tournament vs. Tarleton State, and his 78.4 percent shooting on two-point shots last year was the highest percentage in the country.