Iowa Officially Adds Cooper Koch and Chris Tadjo on Signing Day

The Iowa men's basketball program has officially added a pair of commits to its 2024 recruiting class on early signing day. Both announcements for four-star Cooper Koch out of Metamora High School in Illinois and Chris Tadjo out of NBA Latin America came on Wednesday.

Koch, the son of former Hawkeye hooper JR Koch (1995-99), committed to Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery and staff in June of last year. Prior to his commitment, he racked up offers from Illinois, Indiana, Purdue, Wisconsin and others while also receiving interest from the likes of Notre Dame, Ohio State and UCLA.

"I just felt like I knew that Fran was the coach I wanted to play for," he told me this summer. "With his coaching style, player development and Iowa's style of play -- getting up and down, and how fast-paced the game is -- I love that kind of basketball. I felt like it was the right fit."

"The family that the team is with the coaching staff and the managers -- it doesn't feel like you guys have known each other for a year after one season -- it'll feel like you've known each other forever."

Tadjo, who is originally from Montreal, Quebec in Canada, picked the Hawkeyes over an offer from Akron, though he also received interest from Xavier and TCU.

"Iowa is an exceptional program with a great community, and the warmth I have experienced while interacting with the coaching staff and the players made Iowa an instant home away from home," he told Iowa Athletics. "I’m more than excited to dive into this experience and get to work.”

Koch is ranked No. 109 in the Rivals150 rankings for 2024. Recognized for his ability to shoot the ball at an elite level, Koch could easily step in as a freshman and provide value for the Hawkeyes in year one.

"I’ve been super impressed with his feel as a stretch-four," Rivals national analyst Jason Jordan said of Koch's game. "He’s a consistent knockdown shooter but he also recognizes situations and makes the right basketball play consistently, whether it’s a skip pass, a slip or setting an extra screen. He’ll need to add bulk down the line but he’s a feisty competitor in the paint, which really makes up a lot of ground. Iowa got a major steal, in my opinion, with Koch.”

With that extra bulk and a few years with the program, Koch has a ridiculously high floor and ceiling, and may just be next in line for an NBA success story out of Iowa City.

An athletic freak who flew under the radar for the majority of his commitment, Tadjo's current skill set is reminiscent of another current, young Hawkeye in Ladji Dembele. Both are currently raw basketball players that use their athleticism to make plays around the rim and have shown flashes of what they could be down the road as their basketball IQs continue to develop.

Tadjo flushes dunks, swats layup and dunk attempts by opposing teams, and has the potential to be one of the -- if not the best -- defenders in the Big Ten when it's all said and done. The Iowa staff will likely work to develop some sort of ability to shoot, but his defense and athleticism are going to be his calling card right away for the Hawkeyes.

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