Iowa basketball forward planning to return if granted extra season

Iowa basketball just capped one of its most magical seasons in years with its first trip to the Elite Eight since 1987.

While the Hawkeyes’ Cinderella run through March Madness closed with a 71-59 loss against No. 3 seed Illinois, Iowa reached the doorstep of the Final Four and that should pay dividends for years to come. Head coach Ben McCollum and Iowa will work to retool for another NCAA Tournament run as soon as next season.

Cooper Koch and Tate Sage each authored enthusiasm for the future with their performance as underclassmen over the course of the season and during March Madness in particular. Iowa will return forwards Alvaro Folgueiras and Cam Manyawu and guard Kael Combs from the core that led the Hawkeyes to 24 wins and an Elite Eight berth.

Iowa head coach Ben McCollum had mentioned earlier in the year that it wasn’t ruling out the possibility of forward Tavion Banks returning for the 2026-27 season either. Banks would need a waiver for additional eligibility, stemming from his career beginning in the JUCO ranks at Northwest Florida State for two seasons.

“If I get another year, I will be here next year on their side to help them out,” Banks said.

The hope is that Banks could get a Diego Pavia ruling, which earned Pavia another season of football eligibility at Vanderbilt. Pavia sued the NCAA in November of 2024, arguing that his JUCO seasons shouldn’t count toward his overall years of NCAA eligibility. A federal judge in Tennessee granted Pavia an injunction in December of 2024, opening the door for other former JUCO athletes to potentially receive waivers for more NCAA eligibility.

But, Banks is aware of the uncertainty surrounding whether or not he will indeed receive another season of eligibility.

“I don’t know the future. God will plan it all out for me. I wish them the best of luck and I’ll be cheering for them and I’m sure I’ll be a part of Hawkeye nation,” Banks said.

It would be a major boon for McCollum and for the Hawkeyes if Banks is inded able to return for the 2026-27 men’s college basketball season. Banks has played with McCollum each of the past two seasons at Drake and at Iowa, and the 6-foot-7 forward was Iowa’s second-leading scorer this past season, averaging 10.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game on 52% field goal shooting.

Banks keyed Iowa’s second-round upset of top-seeded Florida, scoring a team-high 20 points in the win over the Gators.

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