On Tuesday, Iowa officially signed Miami (FL) mid-year transfer forward, Isaiah Johnson-Arigu. Previously a high-priority target for the Hawkeyes out of high school, Johnson-Arigu elected to make the move to Iowa City following the abrupt, mid-season retirement of Hurricanes' head coach, Jim Larrañaga.
In ten games at Miami, the Minneapolis, Minnesota native averaged one point and 0.8 rebounds in 4.9 minutes per game. He'll have three years of eligibility remaining with the Hawkeyes.
"We recruited him hard out of high school," Fran McCaffery said on a Zoom call with media on Thursday morning. "There was obviously a relationship that didn't sour when he didn't come here the first time."
During Jonson-Arigu's recruitment, McCaffery and the staff got to know the three-star prospect well, and though things didn't work out for him to don the black and gold directly out of high school, Iowa hopped on the opportunity to bring him in out of the portal. The already formed relationship -- thanks in part to the fact that Johnson-Arigu and McCaffery's youngest son, Jack played for the same AAU organization, D1Minnesota -- helped the pair reconnect quickly.
"We got to know he and his parents -- they're really good people," McCaffery added. "He's a wonderful young guy. So, we're just thrilled with him."
The Totino-Grace High School product obviously impressed the staff as a recruit, and they're excited about adding him to the roster, even if he won't be able to play the remainder of the season. As a senior, he posted 19.6 points, 9.1 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game for the Eagles, showing plenty of prowess on the court to come in and play early at a place like Iowa.
"He's a really good player," McCaffery said. "[He's] versatile, a proven winner and a powerful athlete. He can dribble, pass and shoot. He can guard, he can rebound."
Though he won't be eligible to play this season, Johnson-Arigu will be able to practice with the team in the meantime, and the staff will get a closer look at what he could bring to the team and how he can fit on the roster in Iowa City.
Iowa is set to add four players to the roster next year, with the signing of Johnson-Arigu and Badara Diakite, as well as the commitments of Dezmon Briscoe as well as Joshua Lewis.
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