Hawks Land Another Major 2023 Recruit, Brother of Current Player
Payton Sandfort came into Iowa as a freshman and contributed right away for the Hawkeyes during the 2021-2022 season. The Waukee, Iowa native averaged five points and 1.9 rebounds over 10.8 minutes a game in his 34 games played this year.
He played a key role in the Big Ten Tournament Championship game when he went 4-4 from the field and scored ten of the Hawks' 75 points to win.
Payton's freshman year contribution is just one of many reasons Iowa fans everywhere are excited about Pryce Sandfort -- Payton's younger brother -- making his decision to commit to play for Fran McCaffrey and the Hawkeye basketball program on Saturday afternoon.
The 6'7, 190-pound forward was the third-leading scorer in the state of Iowa this year for Waukee Northwest, putting up 26.6 points and 10.3 rebounds per game while shooting 52.6% from the floor and 40.5% from three.
Along with those stats, Pryce was part of the loaded 2021 4A state champion squad from Waukee that included he and his brother, 5-star forward and Iowa State commit, Omaha Biliew, and Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year from Drake, Tucker DeVries.
All of the experience, skills, and scoring he brings to the table made the senior one of the more coveted recruits in the midwest, and earned him a three-star rating from Rivals and 247Sports.
The younger Sandfort chose the Hawkeyes over offers from Washington State, Seton Hall, Clemson, Nebraska, Drake, and Davidson. He received interest from Iowa State, Wake Forest, and Gonzaga.
After his official visit to campus, Pryce said this to David Eickholt of 247Sports:
They compared me to Joe Wieskamp a lot. They said how I could shoot it, drive it, and rebound well. They like how I’m smart with the ball, and they also compared me to Payton. They say one through three, mainly. They like how I can get it and go.
With the addition of Pryce, Iowa's 2023 recruiting class is ranked No. 14 in the country. Owen Freeman, a 3-star forward and Brock Harding, a six-foot point guard are the other commits.