Grading Iowa Basketball's Transfer Additions This Offseason

Ty’Reek Coleman

An Illinois State transfer with three years of eligibility remaining, Ty’Reek Coleman is a superb find for McCollum. The 6-foot-2 guard should be an instant-impact player but it’s his upside that is even more intriguing. 

From Day 1, Coleman very well may be in control of the Hawkeyes offense. There isn’t another player on the roster who has the creation tools he does. Coleman, with his ball-on-a-string handle, change of pace and twitchiness, can get past the first line of defense at will. He consistently plays off two feet inside the paint and can score or facilitate. 

From deep, he is extremely efficient (shot 41.6 percent from long range as a freshman) and Coleman is also a sound defender. 

But all of that is what he is now. In the future, the sky is the limit. If McCollum, a proven guard whisperer, gets three full years with Coleman, the Hawkeyes will likely have a fully-polished lead guard who can control the game as a playmaker and three-level scorer.

Grade: A

Andrew McKeever

A towering 7-foot-3 transfer from Saint Mary’s, Andrew McKeever provides immediate rebounding relief. McKeever was the leading glass-cleaner in the West Coast Conference despite coming off the bench for the majority of the season – and he was especially dominant on the offensive boards (3.8 per game). 

An action guy, McKeever can make plays in the high- or mid-post and the low block, both as a scorer and facilitator. He gives the Hawkeyes a new look offensively – one that should pay dividends in the physical, interior-oriented Big Ten – but he also shrinks the floor as a non-shooter. 

His pairing with Manyawu will boost the rim-protection and rebounding, but hamper spacing (the two have made a total of zero career triples).

Then again, McCollum has rolled out less-than ideal shooting lineups the past two seasons and earned an NCAA Tournament berth at Drake before following that up with an Elite Eight run this past season. Presumably, the McKeever-Manyawu pairing will work out just fine.

Grade: B+