Iowa forward Pryce Sandfort enters NCAA Transfer Portal

Iowa forward Pryce Sandfort has entered the NCAA Transfer Portal. He spent two seasons with the Hawkeyes.

Sandfort played in all 33 of Iowa’s games this season and made two starts. He averaged 8.8 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game this season while shooting 48.8% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc.

Sandfort finished the season strong, recording double-digit point totals in the Hawkeyes’ final four games. Alas, his stellar showings weren’t enough to boost Iowa forward in the Big Ten Tournament and the Hawkeyes ultimately suffered a season-ending loss to Illinois.

Sandfort served in a limited role for the Hawkeyes during his freshman season, recording just 8.6 minutes per game. Now, Sandfort will look to take another leap forward next season in a new environment.

Pryce Sandfort played high school basketball at Waukee Northwest (IA), where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 91 overall player and No. 19 small forward in the 2023 recruiting cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Sandfort is only the latest Hawkeye to announce his intentions to enter the transfer portal. Since Iowa fired longtime head coach Fran McCaffery on Friday, Owen Freeman and Brock Harding also declared they were entering the transfer portal.

McCaffery spent 15 seasons as Iowa’s head coach, amassing a 297-207 record and a 143-141 mark in conference play. The Hawkeyes made it to the NCAA Tournament seven times during his tenure but failed to ever make it past the Round of 32.

McCaffery’s contract lasted through June 30, 2028. With this, Iowa will now owe him a roughly $4.2 million buyout for its decision to move on early. On Friday, Iowa athletic director Beth Goetz released a statement regarding the school’s decision to part ways with McCaffery.

“Fran McCaffery has been an integral part of our Hawkeye family for the past 15 years. He is a tremendous coach and teacher, and we are grateful for the positive impact he has made on the institution and the community,” Goetz said. “We have a deep appreciation for his dedication to our student-athletes and his passion for the game that will have a lasting impact on our program.”

Iowa hasn’t named a new head coach yet. The school intends to do a national search for the next leader of its men’s basketball program.