Iowa guard Brock Harding plans to enter NCAA Transfer Portal

Iowa guard Brock Harding plans to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal, per On3’s Joe Tipton. Harding has spent two seasons with the Hawkeyes.

Harding appeared in all 33 of Iowa’s games this season and made 24 starts. The 6-foot sophomore averaged 8.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game while shooting 45.4% from the field and 39.8% from beyond the arc.

It was a significant step up for Harding, who served in a limited role last season, only averaging 10.7 minutes and 3.4 points per game. Harding was a standout in Iowa’s 77-70 win over Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament.

He tallied 15 points and three assists in the win while shooting 3-3 from downtown. One of those 3-pointers was a dagger to push Iowa’s lead to five points and ultimately ice the game. After the win, head coach Fran McCaffery praised Harding’s clutch shot.

“A lot of times he finds himself on the floor at the end of the game,” McCaffery said. “He’s tough. He’s smart. He has that ability to come back after a turnover — because he had a couple before that. When that shot left his hands, I think we all knew it was good.”

Brock Harding played high school basketball at Moline (IL), where he was a three-star prospect. He was the No. 162 overall player and No. 29 point guard in the 2023 recruiting cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Harding won’t be the only one who won’t be around at Iowa next season. After the Hawkeyes suffered a season-ending loss against Illinois, the program announced it was firing head coach Fran McCaffery.

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.

Harding is the second Iowa player to announce his plans to enter the transfer portal since the program fired McCaffery. Hawkeyes forward Owen Freeman also entered the portal on March 15, with a “do not contact” tag.

Freeman’s season was cut short after he was forced to undergo finger surgery in February. However, before the surgery, Freeman was the team’s leading scorer and rebounder, averaging 16.7 points and 6.7 boards per game while shooting an efficient 63.8% from the field.