IOWA CITY — Iowa forward Payton Sandfort — and, by extension, the Hawkeye men's basketball program — stood at a crossroads in late May, as Sandfort weighed a tough decision to go pro or come back for his senior year.
Well — more accurately, the program stood at a crossroads. Sandfort laid in a boat.
"It was like two or three days before the decision day, and at this point, I was truly on the fence," said Sandfort at Iowa's Media Day at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Monday afternoon. "There were people telling me to stay in [the draft], and it would be a bad decision to go back. There were people saying it would be a bad decision to stay in. So it was tough."
"That was the first time I got to go home," continued the Waukee, Iowa native. "My dad rented a boat for Memorial Day. I was just laying in the sun, just stressed out, anxious, couldn't figure it out. I just prayed about it, and God wants me here, and I'm super excited for this team."
Call it divine guidance, call it whatever, but for the Hawkeyes coming off an NIT appearance and losing a bevy of veteran presence, Sandfort's return is, unquestionably, a blessing.
"I'm very impressed with what [Sandfort] learned going through the NBA Draft process, and his attitude upon return and how it relates to his teammates has been, quite frankly, what I would have expected from him," said head coach Fran McCaffery. "When he made the decision to come back, he made it for that reason, and I'm incredibly proud of him and very thankful, and so are his teammates."
In his first full season as a starter last season, Sandfort averaged 16.4 points per game, along with 6.6 rebounds per game and almost three assists a pop to boot. The points and rebounds led the team, while he finished second in assists to the departing guard Tony Perkins, who transferred to Missouri for his final year of eligibility.
Sandfort's ever-expanding skill set will be the linchpin of this season's Hawkeye squad, which will lean on shooting and versatility in Big Ten play.
"He's always been a guy that moves incredibly well without the ball," said Fran McCaffery. "He is nonstop motion. He sprints the floor in transition. He really works hard defensively. He rebounds well. So he tries to impact a game in a number of different ways."
Sandfort's return is especially good news for this younger Hawkeye squad, who lost forward Ben Krikke to graduation and Perkins, Patrick McCaffery and Dasonte Bowen to the transfer portal. In fact, of the current Hawkeyes, only Sandfort and center Riley Mulvey (who redshirted last year and projects as a backup) have been on scholarship in Iowa City for more than two years.
"I wasn't sure, but I was kind of hoping [Payton would return]," said sophomore center Owen Freeman, who returns after sharing Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors last season and looks to be a fellow leader with Sandfort on this year's team. "But obviously I wanted what was best for him. That was a little selfish of me, but I was going to support him in whatever he did."
Incoming freshman Cooper Koch, who arrives as a fellow sharpshooting 6'8" wing, said he's been learning from Sandfort since arriving on campus.
"I'm definitely trying to learn from him as much as possible," said Koch. "He's tried to mentor me, take me under his wing, so being able to learn from him and build into the [type of] player he is has definitely helped."
Sandfort and the Hawkeyes will open the 2024-25 season with an exhibition against Minnesota-Duluth on Friday, October 25, before officially beginning play by hosting Texas A&M-Commerce on November 4.
