Trevin Jirak’s sophomore season could look a lot different than his first one at Iowa.
The West Des Moines Valley product arrived with plenty of buzz - a three-time state champion, Iowa Mr. Basketball in 2025, and a big man whose game already looked a little out of the ordinary. As a true freshman, though, he was used in brief stretches, appearing in six conference games before getting into Iowa’s NCAA Tournament Round of 32 win over Florida.
Now, with four years of eligibility remaining under the new five-for-five ruling, Jirak is in position to become a much bigger piece of what Ben McCollum is building.
What makes him interesting is the mix. Jirak has size, but he also has skill.
Iowa has seen enough of him to believe he can be a playmaking hub at the five, a 6-foot-11 big who can bring the ball up, work in ball screens, handle dribble handoffs and make passes at a high level. That kind of profile gives the Hawkeyes a different look, and it also opens the door for bigger lineups with Jirak alongside Andrew McKeever or Cam Manyawu.
The biggest question last season was whether his body could keep up with the rest of the package. Jirak didn’t have the lateral quickness or twitch to fully show off what he could do, but he says that has changed this offseason.
"My body and the way I'm moving," Jirak said of the big differences this offseason from last. "I've lost some weight.
I've been able to move quicker, my shot feels a lot more comfortable, so everything feels so much more confident than it was last year. Those are the big things for me compared to last year."
He said he has dropped eight pounds since the season ended, adding muscle while trimming body fat from his high school frame. That work showed up in Iowa’s open practice last week, where Jirak was one of the most impressive players on the floor alongside Cooper Koch.
He was doing more than just standing around as a big. Jirak initiated offense, handled ball screens, operated in dribble handoffs, hit perimeter and mid-range shots, and finished through contact. For a team that wants more balance offensively, that kind of versatility matters.
Jirak also believes he can slide to the four and help Iowa stretch the floor.
"I think I could play the four to help space the floor and shoot, and then guard the four as well," Jirak said. "I'm trying to get better at that every single day. I think at 6-foot-11 and 7-foot-3, it makes the space on the floor tighter, and it'll be good when we get to play with each other."
"I love Drew. It's fun playing alongside him.
He's 7-foot-3, so it's easy to find him, mismatches things like that on his dives and looking high, low. It's fun being alongside of him and on the defensive side of the ball as a true rim protector as well."
One of the clearest areas of emphasis this offseason has been his movement laterally.
"Being able to move laterally [has been a big focus of mine this offseason]. Coach Ogden and I have worked a bit when the season ended; we worked on sprint stuff and change of direction.
Now we do it all together as a team, working on different footwork and ways to change body and change direction. A lot of it has been with Coach O."
The shot is coming along, too. Jirak was 3-of-18 from three-point range last season, including one make against Purdue in Iowa City when he gave the Hawkeyes a lift off the bench. He also went 2-of-9 on pick-and-pop threes, and while the numbers were modest, the looks were there.
That’s the next step: turning decent attempts into a real weapon.
"I'm feeling confident with it," Jirak said. "The hours that I've spent with the coaches have helped me with that, working on the small things with balance, following through, and it allows me to get confident with it. It's probably the best it has been in my life."
"Small things that I needed to work on that I didn't do right every time. I'm trying to keep it consistent."
"They want me to shoot the right ones, not the dumb ones. Find the right shots, not rushing into it, and what makes the offense work."
McCollum has already seen enough to believe a jump is coming. Back in May, he said, "Trevin has been great," McCollum said back in May.
"He's been different in pick up. He's been really good.
He's shooting it at a high level, passing it at a high level, triggering the offense. He probably could've played throughout the season a little bit more than he did and it probably would've helped him.
He got caught behind a couple of people, and hopefully next year he takes a big jump."
That’s the path here: more confidence, better conditioning, a cleaner body, and a game that already has the kind of passing and perimeter touch Iowa wants from its five. Jirak still has work to do defensively, especially guarding the four and the five, defending ball screens and making plays around the rim, but the foundation is there.
McCollum has said from the start that Jirak is the kind of player Iowa wants at center. The skill has always been obvious. Now the movement is catching up, and if that keeps going, Jirak could become a much more important part of Iowa’s rotation in 2026-27.
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