2 days ago
Iowa basketball star learns of Hawkeye football legend with same name
Despite having no familial relation, Iowa basketball guard Tavion Banks discovered why his last name carries so much hype and sentimental value among Hawkeye fans after learning of Iowa football legend, Tavian Banks.
At 6-foot-7, 200 pounds, Tavion Banks joined the Hawkeyes basketball program via the transfer portal after following head coach Ben McCollum from Drake, where he averaged 10.1 points and 5.0 rebounds per game last season en route to capturing Missouri Valley Conference Sixth Man of the Year honors.
Banks played in 34 games with the Bulldogs last season and started one contest. The Kansas City native shot 52.0% from the field and 70.5% from the free-throw line.
While the senior guard said he played wide receiver in high school, he admitted to having very little knowledge of legendary Iowa football running back, Tavian Banks.
Tavian Banks played for Iowa under Hayden Fry from 1994 to 1997, where he exploded onto the college football scene in his senior season by recording 17 rushing touchdowns on 260 carries for a total of 1,691 rushing yards. Banks also added a pair of receiving touchdowns in 1997.
In his standout 1997 campaign, Tavian Banks was named the 1997 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and honored as a second-team All-American.
Although Tavion Banks may not have the same speed and finesse as Tavian Banks did on the gridiron, McCollum and Iowa basketball hope the senior can elevate the program this year to new heights that the fan base has long been dreaming of.
Iowa basketball will open its 2025-26 season on Nov. 4 against Robert Morris from Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
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