Iowa
Sandfort Good to Go, Traore a “Game-Time Decision” for Northwestern
Just five weeks into the 2024-25 season, the Iowa men’s basketball team has faced its fair share of adversity in the injury department.
Josh Dix missed time with a wrist injury, Owen Freeman missed a game with an illness, Riley Mulvey and Even Brauns have had to sit out for a variety of health reasons, Chris Tadjo has missed games while in concussion protocol, Seydou Traore missed the first couple games of the season with a lower leg injury, sprained his ankle against USC-Upstate and is considered a “game-time decision” for Iowa’s matchup with Northwestern on Tuesday, and Cooper Koch is out indefinitely after an injury he sustained in practice.
Though Payton Sandfort hasn’t missed any time yet, he’s also been nursing a wrist injury that took place against Washington State. The senior forward hasn’t seen the injury bug bite this hard and this frequently in his four years with the program.
“It’s just super unlucky what’s going on with everybody,” Sandfort said. “We delt with it a little bit before Eastern Illinois when we got beat here [two years ago]. We had a lot of guys out. That would’ve been the last time we really delt with something like this.”
Sandfort recognizes the team-wide health issues have made it a little more difficult for him to bounce back, too.
“There have probably been times where I’ve been on the floor when I shouldn’t have been,” he said. “I was just trying to keep being the leader, even if I wasn’t 100%.”
Sandfort’s wrist injury reared its ugly head in Iowa’s 77-69 loss to Utah State just under a couple weeks ago. Regarded as one of the top shooters in the Big Ten — if not the country — Sandfort shot 4-of-18 from the field and 1-of-13 from three.
“I just wasn’t good enough,” Sandfort said following the loss. “If I’m myself tonight, we win. I take 100% responsibility for it. … I just can’t really do much, in life or in basketball right now. I’ve got to be able to make those shots anyway.”
In the meantime, players at the end of the bench have picked up some of the slack from regular rotation players — like him, Traore or Koch.
“I think a lot of guys on our team have done a really good job of stepping up,” Sandfort said. “Riley has played really good minutes. Carter (Kingsbury) is a really good player. He’s going to keep playing, he’s been playing well. A lot of guys have been waiting their turn for years. … I’m proud of the way the guys have stepped up.”
Going forward, Sandfort is framing the extra minutes at the end of the bench as a positive.
“It’s brought our team closer together,” he said. “A lot of other leaders have emerged from this. We’re more together because of it. Once everybody is back out there, we’ll have a lot of weapons that have had playing time this year and can contribute to winning games in the Big Ten.”
Now ten days removed from that woeful shooting performance against Utah State and currently at the tail end of a week off from playing, Sandfort said his wrist is “good” and that he’d “figured some things out” with the injury.
“I figured out how to get it better,” he said. “I feel comfortable, and I have my tools back. So I’m good to go.”
Fran McCaffery affirmed that the break over Thanksgiving was good for his team’s second-leading scorer.
“He’s had to deal with [the injury] for a while now,” McCaffery said. “I give him credit because he keeps grinding. A lot of guys would shut it down and make excuses. He just keeps plugging away.”
With Sandfort and potentially Traore in the lineup, Iowa will face off with the Northwestern (6-2) at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, December 3 in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The game will be broadcast on Peacock.
Former Iowa State center Audi Crooks has committed to Oklahoma State via the NCAA Transfer Portal. She has one season of eligibility remaining.
Crooks made 99 appearances and 95 starts during her three seasons at Iowa State. She averaged 25.8 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game this past season, while shooting 64.9% from the field. Additionally, the 6-foot-3 star shot 1-11 from 3-point range.
Crooks played a leading role for the Cyclones from the moment she stepped on campus. She is a three-time All-Big 12 First-Team selection and two-time All-American. On April 2, Crooks announced her intention to enter the transfer portal.
“Cyclone Nation, thank you all for embracing me and showing up to Hilton every single game day. I’ve met so many of you out in the community, and I will cherish all of the genuine connections that I’ve built during my time at Iowa State,” Crooks wrote. “Words cannot fully express how grateful I feel to have called this place home.
“I want to thank my teammates for their friendship and all the great memories. … I still believe the grass is greener where you water it, and I’ve done that here.”
Now, Audi Crooks will aim to thrive in her new environment. Oklahoma finished the 2025-26 season with a 24-10 overall record.
The NCAA Transfer Portal officially opened on April 6 and closes on April 20. The new 15-day window was enacted following a recommendation by the women’s basketball oversight committee. Athletes don’t have to commit to a new school by the April 21 deadline.
To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.
Five people were shot and injured at an Iowa City pedestrian mall near the University of Iowa campus overnight, police said Sunday. Students from the university were among the injured, according to school officials.
The Iowa City Police Department responded to a report of a large fight in the 100 Block of East College Street at 1:46 a.m. early Sunday, the department said in a news release. Arriving officers heard gunfire.
Multiple victims were hospitalized, police said. Police confirmed to CBS News that one person was in critical condition, while the other four victims are stable.
University of Iowa President Barb Wilson said in a statement that three students were among those shot. None of the victims has been publicly identified.
No arrests have been made, and the investigation is ongoing. Police said they are seeking information about five “persons of interest associated with this shooting.” The university also shared the request for information.
The pedestrian mall was closed for several hours and reopened Sunday afternoon.
Here are the candidates for High School on SI’s Iowa high school athlete of the week for April 13-18. Read through the nominees and cast your vote.
Voting closes at 11:59 p.m. PT on Sunday, April 26. The winner will be announced in the following week’s poll. Here are this week’s nominees:
Taylor Roose, Pella boys track and field
Roose competed in three events at the Norwalk Invitational, winning all three in the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash and long jump.
Daxon Kiesau, Urbandale boys track and field
Kiesau swept the throwing events at the Norwalk Invitational, taking first place in the shot put and the discus.
Alex Burger, Southeast Valley boys track and field
Competing at home, Burger dominated, earning four gold medals. He won the 400-meter hurdles and the long jump while running on the winning 4×200-meter relay and shuttle hurdle relay.
Kolby Hodnefield, Clear Lake boys track and field
Hodenfield, a defending state champion, broke the meet, venue and school record in the 200 and the 400 at the Clear Lake Invitational. He added victories as part of the 4×100 and 4×400 relays. Both relays also set meet records.
Easton Moon, North Polk boys tennis
Moon has started off his senior season on the courts unbeaten, winning all four matches while dropping just one game in 44 played.
Ava Lohrbach, Gilbert girls golf
One of the top golfers in the state, Lohrbach has had a hot start, firing a 35 in her nine-hole debut and a 72 for her 18-hole opener.
Nathan Manske, Algona boys golf
An elite quarterback and basketball player, Manske is showing his golfing skills this spring, coming out with a state-low 30 in a nine-hole event.
Ella Hein, Tipton girls track and field
Hein set school records in the 400-meter run and long jump at the Tiger/Tigerette Relays while also locking in the Blue Standard and qualifying for the Drake Relays. She won the long jump (18-6) and was second in the 400.
Maeve Bowen-Burt, Iowa City High girls track and field
The sophomore helped the Little Hawks land three Drake Relays events on the last night of qualifying, advancing in the 400 hurdles, along with the sprint medley and 4×400 relays.
About Our Athlete of the Week Voting
High School on SI voting polls are meant to be a fun, lighthearted way for fans to show support for their favorite athletes and teams. Our goal is to celebrate all of the players featured, regardless of the vote totals. Sometimes one athlete will receive a very large number of votes — even thousands — and that’s okay! The polls are open to everyone and are simply a way to build excitement and community around high school sports. Unless we specifically announce otherwise, there are no prizes or official awards for winning. The real purpose is to highlight the great performances of every athlete included in the poll.
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