On Monday, Iowa sophomore wing Pryce Sandfort officially announced his plans to enter the transfer portal.
Sandfort, a 6'7", 210 lb sophomore from Waukee, Iowa, came to Iowa as a 4-star prospect out of high school (ranked 96th nationally) and chose the Hawkeyes over offers from Clemson, Nebraska, Washington State, Seton Hall, Drake, and Davidson. After playing minimal minutes as a freshman in 2023-24 (just 8.6 mpg), Sandfort blossomed into a key contributor for Iowa in 2024-25, often serving as Iowa's sixth man and first player off the bench.
Sandfort went from averaging 2.3 ppg, 1.1 rpg, and 0.4 apg last season to averaging 8.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg, and 1.3 apg this season. His shooting percentages improved significantly as well, jumping from 35.6% from the floor (and 34.7% from long range) as a freshman to 48.8% from the floor (and 40% from 3-point range) as a sophomore.
"I want to thank Coach McCaffery and the staff for being there for me every step of the way and giving me the opportunity to play for my home state," Sandfort said in a statement. "It has been truly special the past two years to wear the Black and Gold and share the court with my brother. I will forever cherish the memories I have made with my teammates, managers, coaches, and support staff. Iowa City will always be a special place to me, and I am thankful to have met so many great people throughout my time here."
"After reflecting with my family, I am choosing to enter the portal and am excited to go through this process with an open mind. I'll also be monitoring the Iowa program and will be keeping all of my options open," he added.
Sandfort went for double-figures in scoring 15 times this season and became a key part of Iowa's offense. He posted a career-high 22 points against Southern early in the season (on 6-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc), but he had multiple double figure games in Big Ten play as well. In fact, he scored 10+ in Iowa's final four games of the season, the longest such stretch of his career.
"Pryce, in the first half, was a big difference in the game," Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery said after Iowa's regular season finale win over Nebraska. "Our offense was okay, it wasn't flowing as smoothly as it could. He comes off the bench and really impacts our ability to get a lead. Then you look at him on the glass, and defensively, and I think that's where his game has grown."
Sandfort scored 16 points (on 5-of-9 shooting, including 4-of-6 from deep) against the Huskers and also hauled in 11 rebounds, posting the first double-double of his Iowa career. Sandfort indicated at the time that his confidence was at an all-time high.
"[I've been] repeating things over and over to myself, thinking that I'm the best player on the floor at all times," he said. "Be ready to shoot when I'm open, be ready to make a play when I'm open. That can be a drive, that can be a shot, be ready to attack at all times."
After his strong effort against Nebraska, Sandfort followed it up with 10 points and a pair of rebounds in Iowa's Big Ten Tournament win over Ohio State, as well as 11 points and four rebounds in the Hawkeyes' tournament defeat to Illinois in the second round.
Sandfort will have two years of eligibility remaining.
Due to Iowa's dismissal of Fran McCaffery as head coach, Sandfort and all other members of the current roster are able to enter the transfer portal within a 30-day window of the move.
Sandfort is the third player to enter the portal following the departure of McCaffery, joining Owen Freeman and Brock Harding. Stay tuned to Hawkeye Beacon to follow along with portal and coaching search coverage.
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