With Bennett Stirtz gone, Iowa has a real opening at the top of the scoring chart.
Stirtz finished last season as the Hawkeyes’ clear No. 1 option, averaging 19.8 points per game on the way to All-Big Ten and Honorable Mention All-American honors. Now he’s off to the NBA as a First Round Draft pick, and Iowa also has to replace Alvaro Folgueiras, who went to Louisville, and Tavion Banks, who graduated. A strong core from the Hawkeyes’ 2025-26 Elite 8 team is back, but the question hanging over this winter is simple: who takes over as the team’s leading scorer?
There are plenty of candidates, but four stand out.
Kael Combs is the most obvious guard to watch. He averaged 6.1 points, 2.4 assists and 2.4 rebounds last season, and his role is set to grow with the ball in his hands more often.
Ben McCollum has a track record of turning guards into the guy, and Combs fits that mold after starting at the two and working as Iowa’s secondary ball-handler. He wasn’t a volume scorer, but he did take a clear step forward from his Drake days, and he became one of the better on-ball defenders on the roster.
When Combs gets downhill, he can use his athleticism and length to finish at the rim. He also showed enough from outside to hint at more, shooting 33.3% from three and 83.7% at the line.
If the shot comes along, the rest of the scoring could follow.
Cooper Koch is another name that belongs in the conversation, and maybe the most proven returning scorer in the group. He put up 7.8 points and 3.1 rebounds per game last season while shooting 40.2% from three and 83.3% from the free throw line.
Koch made a huge jump in McCollum’s first year, especially late in the season and during the NCAA Tournament, and Iowa’s Elite 8 run doesn’t happen without him. Stirtz even pointed to Koch’s growth this summer, saying on SwarmCast in mid-June, "[Cooper has] been hooping," Stirtz said on SwarmCast in mid-June.
"Being more of a leader, being more vocal -- he's getting into it in practice. He's knocking down shots.
He's just got the mindset, the mentality of 'I'm that dude.'" Koch’s value comes from his versatility: he can defend multiple spots, put the ball on the floor, shoot and create.
If he becomes more of a consistent three-level scorer, he could take another big step.
Then there’s Andrew McKeever, which would be the most interesting outcome of all. The 7-foot-3 center from St.
Mary’s arrives with a very different job description. Iowa didn’t bring him in to be a featured scorer; his value is supposed to come from protecting the rim, rebounding, finishing put-backs, setting screens and passing out of the short roll.
Still, in a season where several players could land in that 8-to-12-point range, McKeever could end up leading the team simply by cleaning up around the basket and becoming a lob threat for Iowa’s guards. He averaged 8.2 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists and shot 50% from the field last season, and he doubled his scoring output from year one to year two at St.
Mary’s.
Tate Sage is the breakout candidate who feels impossible to ignore. He averaged 6.1 points, 2.1 rebounds and shot 38.9% from deep last season, but his impact went well beyond the box score.
Sage was one of the biggest surprises of Iowa’s 2025-26 season and became a key piece in the NCAA Tournament run after arriving as a mid-major prospect many expected to redshirt. At 6-foot-7, he brings guard skills, fearlessness, touch around the rim and real shooting ability.
He may even be in line to start this season, and if that happens, the ball could be in his hands more often as a creator. Brendan Hausen, now with the Memphis Grizzlies Summer League squad, was sold on Sage after his 19-point game against Nebraska in the Sweet 16.
"I don't know how so many college coaches missed out on him," Hausen said after Sage's 19-point performance against Nebraska in the Sweet 16." He's going to be a pro.
Every single day he just brings it. When he got his moment, I knew he was going to be ready.
It doesn't surprise me at all."
That kind of confidence from teammates matters, and Sage already has the tools to make a major jump. If he does, he could be the one leading Iowa in scoring when the season ends.
In Other News...
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The Savannah Bananas brought their brand of Banana Ball to Kinnick Stadium over the weekend, but the most memorable part of the event had nothing to do with hits, outs or the usual circus around the game. Before the action settled in, children connected to Iowa Health Stead Family Children's Hospital were honored in a tribute centered on the Hawkeye Wave, the stadium tradition that has become one of college sports most moving scenes.
For players and fans alike, the moment carried a weight that went well beyond the novelty of the matchup with the Firefighters. Bananas pitcher Trystan Levesque was among those visibly affected, and team founder Jesse Cole said the crowd and players felt the emotion in the building. It was the kind of scene that reminded everyone why the Wave resonates so deeply, even in a weekend built around entertainment. [Read more 🡒]
Former Hawkeyes Just Delivered A Summer League Reality Check
The Salt Lake City NBA Summer League wrapped with a mixed showing for a handful of former Iowa basketball standouts, and the final numbers offered a little of everything for Hawkeye fans tracking their pro progress. Brendan Hausen gave Memphis a scoring lift with 21 points in a loss, while Josh Dix added 16 for Oklahoma City in a defeat, giving both guards something to build on as the summer schedule rolls on.
Payton Sandfort, meanwhile, had a far rougher night and Bennett Stirtz did not get on the floor, a reminder that Summer League can change quickly from one game to the next. All four former Hawkeyes are expected to be back in action in Las Vegas, where the next chance to make an impression will come fast and the competition for minutes figures to be even tighter. [Read more 🡒]