On Thursday, Iowa sophomore forward Ladji Dembele officially announced his plans to enter the transfer portal.
Dembele, a 6'8", 255 lb sophomore and native of Mali, Africa, was a regular member of Iowa's rotation during his two years in Iowa City, though his game-to-game contributions were inconsistent at times. As a freshman in 2023-24, Dembele played in 32 games for Iowa and averaged 2.2 ppg, 2.0 rpg, and 0.4 apg in roughly 11 minutes per game, while shooting 37.8% from the floor and 31% from 3-point range. As a sophomore in 2024-25, Dembele's played in 33 games (starting 21) and averaged 4.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg, and 0.6 apg in 17 minutes per game while shooting 46.7% from the field and 38.2% from distance.
"Thank you for all the memories, experiences, and opportunities you've given me during my time here," Dembele said in a statement. "I am incredibly grateful for the support from my coaches, teammates, and the fans. After careful consideration, I will be entering the transfer portal while keeping open the option to return back to Iowa."
Due to Iowa's dismissal of Fran McCaffery as head coach, Dembele and all other members of the current roster are able to enter the transfer portal within a 30-day window of the move.
After a largely quiet freshman season backing up Ben Krikke, Dembele entered 2024-25 with designs on a bigger role. He began the year as Iowa's starter at the 4, or power forward position, but was moved to the bench 10 games into the season after struggling for consistency as a scorer and rebounder.
Dembele returned to the starting lineup in February, shortly after a hand injury resulted in season-ending surgery for Owen Freeman. Freeman's absence meant that Dembele saw more time at the 5 and as Iowa's primary (and often only) big on the court, though results were again mixed. Despite his size (6'8", 255 lbs) and athleticism, Dembele struggled to consistently rebound at a high level for the Hawkeyes.
The best game of Dembele's Iowa career was arguably an 11-point, 8-rebound effort on 5-of-8 shooting against South Dakota early in the season. He also had a few impactful performances against major conference opponents, including 11 points and four rebounds in Iowa's loss to Iowa State in December and 11 points and eight rebounds in Iowa's loss to Maryland. More recently, Dembele also had eight points and a career-high nine rebounds in Iowa's win over Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament.
Dembele will have two years of eligibility remaining.
Dembele is the 7th player to enter the portal following the departure of McCaffery. Stay tuned to Hawkeye Beacon to follow along with portal and coaching search coverage.
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