Coaching Change Leads to Iowa Star Entering The Transfer Portal

Iowa fans were expecting head coach Fran McCaffery to be let go last week, and it happened. Hawkeye fans shouldn't be surprised by what will happen next. A player exodus.

That exodus began with perhaps Iowa's best player. Hawk Central reports that Iowa big man Owen Freeman has entered the transfer portal. Freeman appeared in 19 games during this, his sophomore season. He averaged nearly 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game before having season-ending finger surgery in early February. His final game was against Ohio State on January 27th.

Owen thanked coach McCaffery and Iowa fans on a social media post on Saturday.

Freeman won a Class 4A state basketball title at Moline High School alongside fellow Hawkeye Brock Harding. Hawk Central reports that Freeman would go on to have a great freshman season and was named the Big Ten co-freshman of the Year. Top college programs will no doubt line up for Freeman's services next season and you better believe his bank account will go up too.

Freeman's departure is likely to just be the first after the dismissal of McCaffery. Will his former high school teammate Harding follow? Josh Dix has one season left of eligibility and plenty of schools could use his shooting skills. Will Pryce Sandfort feel the need to stay now that his big brother has played his final game? And this doesn't even speak to the recruits that Fran McCaffery had lined up for next season.

The rebuild at Iowa has begun. It is going to be a long road for whoever comes next.

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