Iowa lands transfer portal target
Fran McCaffery has been very open about the portal needs for the Iowa basketball program. He has said a number of times that he needed to land a big man. Mission accomplished for the Hawkeye head coach as he has landed a commitment from Ben Krikke, a 6-foot-9 and 225 pound big man who is transferring from Valparaiso.
This past season, Krikke averaged 19.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. He shot 80% from the foul line and 55% from the floor this past season. He only shot 28% from three (17-61). His 19.4 points per game led the Missouri Valley Conference and he was named first team all MVC. This season he scored a career best 34 points against Illinois-Chicago. He also pulled down 10 rebounds in the game. Krikke had a pair of double-doubles this season and he scored over 30 points three times and over 20 points fifteen times.
IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENT FOR IOWA
First, Krikke fills the need that Iowa had for an experienced big man. He played four years at Valpo, so he has one year of eligibility remaining, which is his Covid year. From Iowa’s perspective, it allows they to have another scholarship available for the Class of 2024 or they could potentially return to the portal next spring.
As far as a skill set, watching the film shows that Krikke is a natural lefty, but he can finish effectively in the paint with either hand. While he is from Canada, Krikke has a European big man feel to his game. Very good footwork in and around the basket and likes to use a jump hook in the lane.
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Krikke fits the Iowa style of play very well. Unselfish player who averaged 2.2 assists per game this past year. He’s not an above the rim player, but he runs the floor pretty well and is good in post up situations at finishing plays and drawing fouls.
It seems likely that Krikke will take over the starting spot of Filip Rebraca and he should be able to match his scoring output. The question will be can he elevate his rebound numbers in the Big Ten?
Iowa is set to host forward Jordan Minor from Merrimack this coming weekend and at 6-foot-8, he would fill a hole at the power forward position. Minor averaged 17.4 points and 9.4 rebounds this past season. He has visited Virginia and is spending this weekend at Florida Gulf Coast. Then he heads to Iowa before wrapping things up at Seton Hall.
