Foreign target reportedly trending away from Iowa basketball
A foreign basketball target for Iowa is reportedly trending in another direction.
Thijs De Ridder, a 6-foot-8 power forward, had been linked to the Hawkeyes. The Belgian native plays for Spanish squad Surne Bilbao Basket of the Endesa League where he's averaged 11.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per game while shooting 58.5% from the field, 30.0% from 3-point range and 61.3% from the free-throw line.
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De Ridder also has experience playing with the Belgium National Team.
While Iowa was regarded as a finalist, Spanish basketball journalist Chema de Lucas reports that it looks like De Ridder will be heading to Virginia. Per Chema de Lucas, Providence, Connecticut, and Kansas State were also in the mix.
Iowa has already landed transfer portal commitments from Drake transfers Bennett Stirtz, Kael Combs, Isaia Howard, Tavion Banks and Cam Manyawu, Kansas State transfer guard Brendan Hausen and Robert Morris transfer forward Alvaro Folgueiras.
With forward Cooper Koch also returning, the Hawkeyes still need to finish filling out their first roster under head coach Ben McCollum. Iowa has hosted High Point transfer guard Kezza Giffa and Florida International transfer guard Ashton Williamson for visits in the past two weeks.
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A 6-foot-2, 165-pound guard, Giffa averaged 14.6 points, 2.5 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game while shooting 44% from the field, 31.3% from 3-point range and 85.1% from the free-throw line.
Williamson, a 6-foot-2, 170-pound guard, averaged 7.3 points, 2.7 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game in 33 games with 16 starts. Williamson shot 39.4% from the field, 32.9% from 3-point range and 67.6% from the free-throw line.
Maybe Iowa can still make a late push at De Ridder to bolster its frontcourt before he finalizes a move to Virginia. Here's a look at some of De Ridder's highlights while with the Belgium National Team:
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Josh on X: @JoshOnREF
This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Foreign target reportedly trending away from Iowa basketball
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