Rock enjoys Iowa official visit

One of Iowa’s top targets in the Class of 2024 made an official visit to Iowa City this past weekend.

JT Rock, a 7-foot center from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was visited by Hawkeye head coach Fran McCaffery recently. This weekend he visited the Iowa campus, including getting to watch practice and attend the Michigan/Iowa football game at sold out Kinnick Stadium.

He came away impressed by what he saw at practice and the close bond that the Hawkeye players have with each other.

“I enjoyed getting to watch the team practice and seeing how they compete each possession. They work as hard as they can during each drill and come to get better each day.” Rock said. “They treat each other like family as in they get after each other a little bit but they have fun at the same time because they all have the common goal of winning.”

The message he received from McCaffery and his staff was simple, Rock is a great fit for Iowa’s style of play.

“Coach McCaffery and the staff focused heavily on how they think I can fit into their style of play. They like to play fast, in transition before the defense has a chance to get set. They emphasized that they believe the versatility of my game can fit well into their system,” he said.

During his visit he was hosted by sophomore Payton Sandfort, but he also spent a lot of time with Connor and Patrick McCaffery and Kris Murray. He learned what their day to day life is like and how they balance basketball, academics, and life outside of basketball.

Rock said what stood out to him is the success that Iowa has had in the Big Ten Conference and how they have had success developing players similar to him.

He has already visited Creighton and he has two other official visits upcoming that he declined to disclose. In addition to offers from Iowa and Creighton, Rock has scholarship opportunities from Iowa State, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Purdue.