Iowa basketball signs fifth former Drake Bulldog
Iowa basketball signs fifth former Drake Bulldog
As the chaos of the transfer portal continues to reshape the Iowa basketball roster, the Hawkeyes have added another former Drake Bulldog to the 2025-26 roster as guard and forward Tavion Banks signed with the program.
Banks, who joins the Hawkeyes as a senior, averaged 10.1 points and 5.0 rebounds per game on 52.0% shooting from the floor and 70.5% from the charity stripe. Banks played in 34 games and started one during his lone season at Drake last year, averaging 20.1 minutes of floor time per contest.
Banks' impressive play off the bench for the Bulldogs last season earned him the Missouri Valley Conference Sixth Man of the Year Award.
During Drake's NCAA Tournament appearance, Banks stood out as one of the team's impact players as he notched 15 points, nine rebounds, three blocks, and three steals in the Bulldogs' 67-57 win over Missouri in the Round of 64. Banks followed that up with 11 points, four rebounds, two assists, and two blocks in Drake's 77-64 loss to Texas Tech in the second round.
Banks is a Kansas City, Mo., native but played high school basketball at Minnesota Preparatory Academy in Saint Paul, Minn.
The 6-foot-7, 200-pounder began his college career in the JUCO level at Northwest Florida State, where he helped the Raiders to an NCJAA Division I tournament championship game appearance.
Banks' 2025-26 season with the Hawkeyes will also be his final year of NCAA eligibility.
Banks is the fifth former Bulldog player to follow Ben McCollum from Drake to Iowa since the Hawkeyes made the head coaching hire on March 26. He joins fellow Drake transfers Bennett Stirtz, Cam Manyawu, Kael Combs, and Isaia Howard.
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions. Follow Scout on X: @SpringgateNews
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