Iowa Commit Reveals Unsung Recruitment Hero

With less than 50 days remaining before the 2025-26 college basketball season, the Iowa Hawkeyes was able to secure a Top 100 recruit for their 2026 class. Four-star forward, Ethan Harris officially committed to the Hawkeyes.

Harris committed to Iowa despite having offers from Boise State, Gonzaga, Washington, among others. 247Sports lists him as the No. 19 power forward in the class of 2026. Washington's top player is opting to leave his home state in order to pursue a career with the Hawkeyes.

The four-star player opened up on his decision, one that wouldn't have been made possible without the efforts of assistant coach Bryston Williams, "Oh yeah, he put a lot of time into me," Harris said.

He continued, "He flew out to a lot of our games, flew out to Seattle for one of our tournaments. He only left his hotel room to either eat, or go watch me play, is what he said. I really respect that. Not only is he willing ot put a ton of hours and a ton of work into it, he's also a really funny guy. We had a great bond over the phone, talking in-person, and on the official visit, it only amplified. I'm really excited about it."

Iowa HC Ben McCollum — Iowa men’s basketball coach Luke Barnwell, Ben McCollum, Josh Sash and Connor Wheeler talk after practice June 19, 2025 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Williams has bounced around quite a bit during his coaching career. After starting as a graduate assistant at Northwest Missouri State, the St. Joseph, MO native had gigs with the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies and Detroit Pistons before coming back to college basketball.

Since 2021, Williams has coached for four teams. He was an assistant coach at Indiana State from 2021-23. Since then, Iowa will mark his third team in three seasons. Williams was an assistant coach at Wyoming for the 2023-24 season before going to Drake for 2024-25. Now, the 10-year coach continues his journey in the Big 10. It's safe to say things are off to a great start as HC Ben McCollum's right-hand man was able to recruit Harris.

While Hawkeyes fans eagerly anticipate the upcoming season, they now know of a huge name joining the team next year. Harris's commitment was the first of McCollum and Williams' 2026 class.

Iowa's first five games of the 2025-26 season will be played at home. The team recently set their non-conference schedule, one that begins on November 4 against Robert Morris. From there, Iowa will host Western Illinois, Xavier, Southeast Missouri State and Chicago State. On November 25, they head to Palm Springs, CA to take on Ole Miss in the Acrisure Classic.

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