(Storm Lake, IA) — On Thursday evening, Iowa Men’s Basketball Head Coach Ben McCollum learned that Mr. Basketball will be a Hawkeye. Storm Lake’s Jaidyn Coon has announced via X that he will be attending the University of Iowa to play basketball. Coon is a four star prospect that is ranked 116th nationally according to 247Sports and is the third ranked recruit in the state of Iowa.
The 6’7″ wing averaged 22 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists during his senior season with the Tornadoes. He had originally committed to Creighton but when Greg McDermott announced his retirement as head coach, Coon changed his mind, visited Iowa and committed quickly.
On X Coon said, “Thank you Lord for blessing me with an opportunity of a lifetime. I dreamed as a kid playing at the collegiate level. Lastly, I want to thank everyone who has supported me throughout this process, GO HAWKS!”
Coon becomes the 2nd incoming freshman recruit for McCollum thus far — Ethan Harris is a 6’9″ forward from Camas, Washington who is also a 4 star prospect who signed a letter of intent in November 2025. The Hawkeyes also have young players from the 2025 class in Trevon Jirak and Trevor Thompson who played limited minutes this past season plus Cooper Koch who had a huge impact for Iowa.
The Hawkeyes lose Seniors Bennett Stirtz, Brendan Hausen and Tavion Banks although Banks is seeking a waiver for his JUCO year so he can return next season.
The men’s basketball transfer portal starts on Tuesday, April 7 and lasts through Tuesday, April 21.
