Drake transfer forward Tavion Banks has signed with Iowa out of the transfer portal.
A JUCO transfer last year, Banks averaged 10.1 points and five rebounds per game this season, on his way to being named the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Sixth Man of the Year.
Coming off the bench behind starting center Cam Manyawu, Banks was forced to play bigger than his 6'7", 200-pound size in the front court. As athletically gifted as anyone else in the MVC, Banks made up for his lack of height with his strength, effort and explosive, playmaking abilities around the rim.
Banks will likely be in a reserve role for the Hawkeyes, coming off the bench as a spark plug-type player who can do the dirty work. Otherwise, in the best case scenario, Banks will have an opportunity to start as the small forward or power forward positions for the Hawkeyes. If he's able to grow as a shooter and ball-handler, he has the potential to play more of the small forward role.
Either way, he should be impactful right away as a defender and rebounder in Iowa City.
Prior to arriving at Drake, Banks was a highly-recruited JUCO player out of Northwest Florida State College. As a freshman, Banks put up 9.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per contest, as the Raiders fell in the championship game of the NJCAA Division I Tournament. In year two, Banks averaged 10.8 points and 7.3 rebounds in 32 starts, leading Raiders to the quarterfinal round of 2024 NJCAA Division I Basketball Championship.
He received offers from Iowa State, Xavier, Saint Louis and George Mason in addition to Drake. Prior to playing college ball, he played at Minnesota Preparatory Academy.
Given the fact that he played two years at the JUCO level, Banks may have three years of eligibility left, depending on NCAA and court rulings regarding junior college players being given four years of eligibility following their time at the JUCO ranks. If those rules don't change, he will have one year of eligibility remaining.
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