(Iowa City, IA) — Even though he has been granted an extra season of eligibility, Tavion Banks has decided he will play basketball elsewhere in the 2026-27 season.
Banks made the announcement on social media on Sunday; from Instagram: “To Coach Ben, the entire coaching staff, and all of my teammates—thank you for believing in me, pushing me every day, and making these the best two years of my Division I basketball journey. The relationships, lessons, and memories we’ve built will stay with me forever. We made history everywhere we went, but what I’ll cherish most are the people who made it all possible. I always wanted to make history everywhere I go! Time to make history at the next!”
A recent court ruling gave Banks a fifth year of eligibility but there did not seem to be any room for him at Iowa — the Hawkeyes have a roster of 14 players for the upcoming season. Banks tarted 35 of the team’s 37 games last season and was second on the team, averaging 10.2 points while leading the team with 171 rebounds (4.6 per game). In addition, he was third with 36 steals, shot 52 percent (128-of-246) from the floor, 44.2 percent (19-of-43) from 3-point range and 79.2 percent (103-of-130) from the free throw line. Banks had three 20-point contests and was in double figures in 19 games plus finished with two double-digit rebounding games and had 11 games with 7+ rebounds.
