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USA Today
17 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Former Iowa basketball assistant reportedly lands new role in SEC
Former Iowa basketball assistant reportedly lands new role in SEC Former Iowa basketball standout and recent Hawkeye assistant coach Matt Gatens is reportedly set for a new gig in the SEC. According to Justin Hokanson of Auburn Live win On3, Gatens is joining Bruce Pearl's staff at Auburn as the Tigers' general manager. Gatens would help oversee and influence transfer portal recruiting, high school recruiting, NIL requirements, scouting and roster strategy. Gatens' ties to Bruce Pearl and the Auburn program date back to his work as a graduate assistant with Auburn during the 2017-18 season when the Tigers won the SEC championship. Gatens' father, Mike Gatens, was a close friend of Pearl during Pearl's time as an assistant at Iowa from 1986-1992. The 35-year-old spent each of the past three seasons as an assistant coach on Fran McCaffery's staff. But, after McCaffery's dismissal, Gatens was not retained on staff by new Iowa head men's basketball coach Ben McCollum. Prior to his three seasons as an assistant coach in Iowa City, Gatens spent four seasons on Drake's coaching staff. Gatens served as director of operations his first two years at Drake before being elevated to an assistant coach in his last two seasons. The former Iowa Mr. Basketball and Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior at Iowa City High School, Gatens was a four-year starter for the Hawkeyes from 2009-12. His final two seasons were McCaffery's first two as Iowa's head coach. During Gatens' senior season, Iowa advanced to the NIT for its first postseason appearance under McCaffery and for its first postseason appearance in six seasons. Gatens was a two-time All-Big Ten selection, two-time team captain, two-time academic all-conference honoree, recipient of the 2012 Chris Street Award, and voted to the 2009 Big Ten All-Freshman team. Gatens amassed 1,635 points and 239 3-pointers ranking 10th and third, respectively, in Iowa history. In 128 career games, he averaged 12.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals per contest. 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
USA Today
20-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
2025 Iowa basketball recruit commits to Atlantic 10 program
2025 Iowa basketball recruit commits to Atlantic 10 program A recent Iowa basketball visitor from the 2025 recruiting class announced his commitment to VCU. Class of 2025 prospect Nyk Lewis visited Iowa at the beginning of last week, but the 6-foot-2 point guard is headed to play his collegiate basketball with the Rams. Lewis is ranked as a four-star prospect, as the No. 55 player nationally, as the No. 8 point guard and as the No. 3 player from Washington, D.C., per 247Sports. Originally a Xavier signee, Lewis requested his release after former head coach Sean Miller took the Texas job. First-year Iowa head men's basketball coach Ben McCollum recently landed his first high school recruit as he and the Hawkeyes flipped center Trevin Jirak from Northern Iowa. A 6-foot-11, 250 pound center, Jirak was the 2025 Iowa Mr. Basketball honoree after averaging 16.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.1 blocks per game. Jirak shot 59.2% from the field and 38.6% from 3-point range. Jirak was also recognized as the 2024-25 Iowa MaxPreps High School Basketball Player of the Year. McCollum and the Hawkeyes have been busy in the transfer portal, bringing in Bennett Stirtz, Kael Combs, Isaia Howard, Tavion Banks and Cam Manyawu from Drake and former Kansas State guard Brendan Hausen. After entering the transfer portal, forward Cooper Koch elected for a return to Iowa City and the black and gold. 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
USA Today
12-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Iowa basketball flips 2025 UNI signee
Iowa basketball flips 2025 UNI signee Iowa basketball landed its first high school commitment of the Ben McCollum era on Friday night, flipping UNI signee Trevin Jirak. The 6-foot-10 center hails from Valley High School in West Des Moines where he helped lead the Tigers to three consecutive state championships from 2023-25. Jirak contributed 13 points and 10 rebounds in this year's state title game victory over Waukee Northwest. Jirak is coming off a stellar senior season during which he averaged 16.2 points and 9.4 rebounds per game on 59.2% shooting from the field, 38.6% from three, and 71.2% from the free throw line while adding 3.5 assists and 2.1 blocks per contest. In addition to the team successes, Jirak took home Iowa Mr. Basketball honors from the Iowa Basketball Coaches Association and the Iowa Print Sports Writers Association this season. Jirak was also named the 2024-25 Iowa MaxPreps Player of the Year. Jirak is ranked as a three-star commit, as the No. 40 power forward and as the top player in the state of Iowa according to On3. While the Hawkeyes will certainly have a different look from years past in the first year under McCollum, adding Jirak is a major win for Iowa as the program builds its future beyond the 2025-26 season. 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
