Four-Star PG Reveals Where Things Stand With Iowa

While first year head coach Ben McCollum hasn't put a ton of attention into his Class of 2027, that doesn't mean the Iowa Hawkeyes aren't in the running for a few top players.

One of those is point guard Antonio Pemberton. The 6'1'' PG currently plays for Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, NH.

247Sports lists him as a four-star player who is among the Top 10 point guards in the entire country. To no surprise, he's the No. 1 player in NH.

Recently, Pemberton had the chance to sit down with Rivals' Jamie Shaw to discuss where things stand with four different schools.

Antonio Pemberton Discusses Iowa

💥 4-star PG Antonio Pemberton breaks down his recruitment.

Where things stand with Iowa, Marquette, Utah, Seton Hall & Maryland + what’s driving his process right now. 👀

[READ] 👉 https://t.co/gGBSFGnTXu pic.twitter.com/OTLjwwuMFR
— Jamie Shaw (@JamieShaw5) February 9, 2026

While discussing where things stand overall, Pemberton told Shaw he's taken visits to Marquette and Utah but he's, "talking regularly" with Iowa.

Knowing he's already taken visits to a pair of schools, Iowa knows they must act quickly. He's also "talking regularly" with Maryland, a fellow B1G team. Most recently, Seton Hall threw an offer his way.

In terms of the Hawkeyes, "Jesse Shaw calls me like every day. Just calling me at six in the morning when I’m about to go work out. He knows I’m heading to the gym then, so he calls and talks about basketball and their team. They let their guards go. Their point guard now, Bennett Stirtz, is averaging like 20 a game, coming from Drake, so that’s good.”

Iowa Needs a New Point Guard

Iowa G — Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz (14) drives toward the basket as Northwestern forward Nick Martinelli (2) defends Feb. 8, 2026 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Knowing Stirtz is only around for this season, it's only a matter of time before McCollum brings in his next game-changing point guard. To no surprise, he has his eyes on Pemberton. All things considered, Iowa was a bit late to the party. By the time they offered on September 26, 2025, he had already gone on his official visit with the Utes. His visit with the Golden Eagles came two months later.

In the grand scheme of things, Iowa has a clear need for a point guard and can use that to their advantage. It's great that Pemberton has seen what they're able to do with Stirtz, a guy coming off back to back B1G Co-Player of the Week honors.

While their Class of 2026 needs to take center stage in the immediate future, a guy like Pemberton is only going to get more and more attention down the line. As long as Hawkeyes Chief of Staff Shaw keeps in touch and shows how interested Iowa truly is, they should be in good shape for when Pemberton begins to narrow things down.

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