What Payton Sandfort Return Means for Iowa Hoops

Payton Sandfort’s decision to exit from the NBA Draft process and return to Iowa for his senior season came just a couple of hours before the withdrawal deadline.

Now the clock can start ticking toward next season for the Hawkeyes.

Sandfort’s uncertainty about whether to stay with the Hawkeyes or pursue a professional path led to plenty of uncertainty for Iowa’s roster, which had a good foundation for next season but also a lot of questions.

The return of Sandfort, a 6-foot-6 forward who was the team’s leading scorer at 16.6 points per game, means plenty by the standard of statistics. Had he gone, the Hawkeyes would have lost their three top scorers from last season — Tony Perkins (14 ppg) transferred to Missouri to use his season of eligibility granted by the NCAA during the COVID-19 pandemic and Ben Krikke (13.8 ppg) had exhausted his eligibility. Throw in the departure of forward Patrick McCaffery (8.9 ppg), off to Butler for his additional eligibility year, and Iowa coach Fran McCaffery was looking at a lot of production to replace.

Sandfort’s return, though, solidifies a lineup bolstered by the transfers of former Morehead State guard Drew Thelwell and former Manhattan forward Seydou Traore. Thelwell, the winningest player in Morehead State history, will run the offense with returning point guard Brock Harding. Traore adds some frontcourt depth to go with Owen Freeman, the reigning Big Ten freshman of the year.

Sandfort will also add experience to a roster that was going to have plenty of youth regardless of whether he came back. Freeman, who already took a big first step last season, is only going to get better, as is Harding, who was playing his best basketball at the end of the season.

Guard Josh Dix, heading into his junior season, also took a big step last season simply by being healthy after his freshman struggles coming off a serious leg injury that ended his final season of high school basketball. Dix averaged 8.9 points per game, and those numbers should reach double digits this season.

Forward Ladji Dembele and guard Pryce Sandfort each played in 32 of Iowa’s 34 games last season, combining to average almost 20 minutes. Both had their moments, both had their struggles, but learned plenty.

Incoming freshman forwards Cooper Koch and Chris Tadjo will figure into Fran McCaffery’s rotation, but Sandfort’s return will ease some of the pressure on them.

The Big Ten will grow in the upcoming season with the additions of PAC-12 schools USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington. And every team in the conference featured plenty of roster changes through the transfer portal, so it’s hard to see how this will all fit together in the coming months.

The Hawkeyes, though, can’t afford the December struggles that have plagued them the last two seasons. The last thing McCaffery wants is another January and February of digging out of a deep hole during the crucible of conference play. The return of Sandfort, though, gives the Hawkeyes a better chance of avoiding all of that.

The NBA draft process has been good for plenty of McCaffery’s players who have tested it in the past, and Sandfort will no doubt benefit from the analysis he has received from new voices. That experience, and Sandfort’s ability to score from anywhere, changes the outlook for the Hawkeyes.

There are still questions, but the biggest one has been answered. And it will make for an easier summer for the Hawkeyes.