Projecting Iowa's 2026-27 Starting Lineup After Andrew McKeever Commitment

The Hawkeyes starting lineup appears to have taken shape after their two recent portal commits.

Mar 28, 2026; Houston, TX, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Ben McCollum looks on in the first half against the Illinois Fighting Illini during an Elite Eight game of the South Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Iowa’s 2026-27 roster appears to be mostly set after the Hawkeyes’ transfer addition of guard Ty’Reek Coleman (Illinois State) and big man Andrew McKeever (Saint Mary’s) – although the status of Tavion Banks does remain up in the air. Under the assumption that Banks doesn’t return, here is our projected starting lineup for Iowa in the 2026-27 season: 

Point Guard: Ty’Reek Coleman

Nov 14, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Illinois State Redbirds guard Ty'Reek Coleman (10) drives to the basket against Southern California Trojans guard Rodney Rice (1) during the second half of the Hall of Fame Series game at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Suiting up for Illinois State in the Missouri Valley Conference last year – a league head coach Ben McCollum and a handful of current Hawkeyes are quite familiar with – Coleman started in 19 of 35 games for the Redbirds. 

He averaged 10.0 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists. A trusty ballhandler and efficient scorer (50.4 percent from the field and 41.6 percent from deep), Coleman should be able to take over the reins of the Iowa offense immediately. 

Shooting Guard: Kael Combs

Mar 28, 2026; Houston, TX, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes guard Kael Combs (11) controls the ball against Illinois Fighting Illini forward David Mirkovic (0) in the second half during an Elite Eight game of the South Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

An experienced veteran who followed McCollum from Drake, Kael Combs is comfortable with the system on both ends and he’ll be a steadying presence for the Hawkeyes.

Offensively, Combs can be another facilitator and a downhill threat while his long-distance shooting ideally takes another step forward (hit 0.5 per game last year). On defense, he’ll continue to be a high-impact player capable of guarding a variety of perimeter players.  

Small Forward: Cooper Koch

Mar 26, 2026; Houston, TX, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes forward Cooper Koch (8) reacts after beating the Nebraska Cornhuskers during a Sweet Sixteen game of the South Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Cooper Koch gives Iowa exactly what it needs to balance out this lineup: elite shooting. He connected on 1.8 per triples per game at a remarkable rate of 40.2 percent last year. 

Heading into next season, Koch will be the Hawkeyes’ premier long-distance weapon while he should also make strides as a rebounder and defender. 

Power Forward: Cam Manyawu

Mar 28, 2026; Houston, TX, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes forward Cam Manyawu (3) controls the ball against Illinois Fighting Illini forward David Mirkovic (0) in the second half during an Elite Eight game of the South Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Another player with two years of experience alongside McCollum, Cam Manyawu should be poised for a senior leap. He averaged just 6.6 points and 4.6 rebounds a year ago in only 19.2 minutes per game despite starting all 37 contests. 

With another big in the mix (Saint Mary’s transfer Andrew McKeever), some of the glass-cleaning pressure should be taken off Manyawu and he should be able to flourish as a versatile defender and supplemental scorer while remaining a high-level rebounder. 

Center: Andrew McKeever

March 9, 2026; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Saint Mary's Gaels center Andrew McKeever (45) passes the basketball against Santa Clara Broncos center Bukky Oboye (12) during the first half at Orleans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Iowa impressively disguised its lack of size in the 2025-26 season, but it still was a difference-maker on the boards and defensively. Fortunately, with the arrival of McKeever, it shouldn’t be a problem this year. 

The 7-foot-3 center led the West Coast Conference in rebounds per game at 9.2 (including 3.8 offensive boards), and he only played 23.2 minutes per outing. He’s also a back-to-the-basket threat who can create instant offense for the Hawkeyes on the low block or orchestrate action out of the high-post.