Former Iowa forward Aaron White has found some stability at last.
The SeaHorses Mikawa of Japan’s B League announced on July 1, 2026, that they have re-signed White for the 2026-27 season. For a player whose pro career has taken him all over Europe, that kind of continuity has been hard to come by.
White spent last season with the SeaHorses after joining the club before the 2025-2026 campaign, and he delivered steady production in a supporting role. He averaged 6.5 points and 5.6 rebounds while shooting 51.4 percent from the field and 34.1 percent from 3-point range.
That return keeps White in Japan for what will be his 12th professional season. Since the Washington Wizards selected him with the No. 49 pick in the second round of the 2015 NBA Draft and then waived him, White has built a long career overseas. He has played professionally in Europe ever since and has collected five championships along the way: the Lithuania LKL in 2018 and 2019, the Greek League in 2021, the Serbian League in 2022 and the ABA League in 2022.
White’s path had recently looked uncertain enough that after he came back to the United States to visit the Iowa men’s basketball program, it seemed his playing days might be winding down. Instead, he is back with the SeaHorses and still going.
His latest contract also adds another chapter to the Fran McCaffery-era story at Iowa. McCaffery’s teams were built to score, and White was one of the program’s best offensive players during that stretch. While the final seasons of McCaffery’s run did not end the way Iowa wanted, former players like White have continued to find success after leaving the program.
McCaffery also helped turn Iowa around after the Todd Lickliter years, and his impact showed up in the careers that followed. He developed Luka Garza into the program’s best player of all time and coached Garza and Keegan Murray to the improbable Big Ten Championship title over Purdue in 2022.
White may not have stuck in the NBA, but his overseas resume keeps growing. And now, for the first time in a while, he has a home for more than one season.
In Other News...
Iowa Taking Extra Precautions For Bananas Crowd At Kinnick
With two sold-out Savannah Bananas games set for Kinnick Stadium on July 3 and 4, Iowa is treating the summer showcase like more than just a novelty act. The university is putting extra heat-relief measures in place for the late-night starts, including hydration stations, shaded areas, cooling stations and an air-conditioned first-aid tent, while also allowing fans to bring one sealed water bottle or one empty refillable bottle into the stadium.
The planning goes beyond convenience, with Johnson County Ambulance Services staging two UTVs and UI Health Care and Carver College of Medicine personnel on site, including physicians, nurses, athletic trainers and medical students. Iowa is also urging fans to pre-hydrate, dress for the weather, seek shade when they can and watch for signs of heat-related illness, a reminder that even a party atmosphere at Kinnick still comes with the realities of a Midwestern July. [Read more 🡒]
Ben McCollum Just Made An Aggressive Move For Elite Size
Ben McCollum is already putting a clear stamp on Iowas recruiting approach, and it starts with size. The Hawkeyes have extended a scholarship offer to Bentley Lusakueno, a 6-foot-10 center from Woodward Academy in College Park, Georgia, giving the program a foothold with one of the most intriguing young big men in the country. Lusakueno is still early in his high school career, but his profile has been building quickly, and his place among the top prospects in the 2028 class reflects how much attention he is already drawing.
The offer matters because Iowa is not entering a quiet race. Lusakueno already has multiple Division I suitors, and the list includes several programs with strong national recruiting reputations. He also has USA Basketball experience on his rsum, which only adds to the sense that this is the kind of prospect whose recruitment could keep expanding. For McCollum and the Hawkeyes, getting involved now is the aggressive part. The harder part is figuring out how much traction they can build from here. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa May Have Found Another Cooper DeJean In Zach Lutmer
Zach Lutmer has quietly become one of the more intriguing defenders on Iowas roster, and the reason is easy to understand. In 2025, the Hawkeyes found a defensive back whose size and production naturally invite the Cooper DeJean comparison, even if the path to getting there looks a little different. Lutmer has shown the kind of flexibility Iowa has long valued, handling multiple jobs in the secondary and giving the defense a piece it can move around rather than a player locked into one lane.
What makes Lutmer especially interesting is that his value may come from that versatility as much as from any one standout trait. He can line up at corner, safety, or in a hybrid role, and that gives Iowa a different kind of weapon than the pure lockdown corner DeJean was. If Lutmer keeps developing at this pace, the Hawkeyes may not just have found a familiar name to compare him to, but a player capable of building a legacy that belongs entirely to him. [Read more 🡒]