Tavion Banks

Of course, a man with a lot of gravity for this team last season in Bennett Sturtz.

Tavion Banks is gone.

Alvaro Fulgaris is gone.

That's, you know... that's their top three leaders from a season ago who have you noticed who are some names that have kind of started to to fill that void i feel like starts from what i was reading you know both in what iowa has lost and kind of gained there's kind of a theme of of him that it's going to look very different you don't have this guy with with you know so much influence having the ball you know as much as as as he did and and you know having his hands on the offense as much as he did What have you noticed about this team and who have you noticed as they try to replace that? It's not a small thing as confident, I feel like, as people are in Ben McCollum doing it.

With a bigger role, I think he's going to be more of an impact player.

Yes, they lose Sturtz and Tavion Banks, but this frontcourt is better suited for the Big Ten, and I trust Ben McCollum and his system, especially in tournament play on short prep, to get them into another NCAA tournament.

I have them finishing ninth.

I think they're a second weekend team again.

So I really do like this team.

I think they've got a lot of weapons that they can go to, and it could be a team that has, you know, last year it was probably Bennett Sturtz being the leading scorer in about 80% of the games, and then you might have a random, you know, Cooper Koch or Cale Combs game or somebody, Tavion Banks maybe.

But this year I think you've got Five, six, seven guys that could end up being leading score in a game just because of the way that this team is built.

Tom Caker joining us, HawkeyeReport.com, our weekly look at the Hawkeyes here on a football Friday.

I think you're going to see a big-time growth out of him.

And you're going to be excited after the fifth-year eligibility rule went into place that I was still going to have an ability to have him.

for two seasons another thing Tyree Coleman he's going to be a problem he's going to be a problem for other teams and his ability to get downhill the speed and athleticism also had a chance to talk with him boy what a tremendous young man and you can see the kind of people that coach McCollum is definitely searching for Iowa shot the ball really well and that continues to be something that continues to pop up overall we know obviously a year ago Bennett Sturtz could shoot the ball You had Tavion Banks.

That was shooting the ball, though, normally for Banks, wide open.

I think Thompson might not get the amount of minutes that maybe some folks want just because of the depth of that hybrid spot.

It'd be worse if Tavion Banks came back.

Trey would be buried.

I

His defense is also showing some improvements, picking up a steal and a defensive rebound.

The Hawkeyes staff will make Thompson's role a bit of a wild card this season, especially while Iowa finds new players to replace production from Sturtz, Tavion Banks, and Alvaro Fulgueras.

Trey, his ball goes in, McCollum said.

That's what we keep saying.

... from a shooting perspective.

Kale Combs, Tavion Banks, although he shot really well, they weren't, defenses weren't really worried about that.

And then Kam Meneh.

So really your only shooting threats in the starting lineup were Cooper Koch and Bennett Sturtz.

But yeah, it's definitely a, uh, a crazy time, but a lot of excitement, too.

'Cause I mean, you consider what's still out there for Iowa bask- or what's still out there for Iowa football and, um, what the potential is for Iowa basketball this year, even with some of the, you know, losing Bennett Sturtz and losing Tavion Banks.

But having Ben McCollum, I think a lot of people saw what, you know, how dangerous this team could be, you know, no matter what in the NCAA tournament.

Like, you're gonna have a chance in every game with just how good this staff is at, you know, finding their match-ups and finding, you know, ways to exploit opponents.