CBS Sports includes Payton Sandfort among players that should return to college
One looming question mark for the Iowa Hawkeyes men’s basketball team ahead of the 2024-25 college basketball season is if they will have Payton Sandfort or not.
The guard has played three years at Iowa and is coming off of a career year where he averaged 16.4 points. He also had career-highs in field goal percentage (44.6%), 3-point shooting percentage (37.9%), rebounds (5.4) and free-throw shooting (91.1%).
This year earned him buzz around the NBA draft and has media wondering if Sandfort should stick around at Iowa for one more year or head to the pros. CBS Sports feels one more year at Iowa could benefit the guard.
Payton Sandfort | SG | Iowa – The combine was rough for Sandfort after generating potential first-round buzz leading into the week. He struggled shooting the ball, a worrying trend for a prospect labeled primarily as a shooter, and never got comfortable playing against his peers in the scrimmages. That’s just one piece of the puzzle to consider during the process, of course, and playing great or miserably won’t make or break any one player’s specific stock, but a return to school seems like his best option. – Kyle Boone, CBS Sports
If Sandfort goes to the NBA, Iowa loses its best scorer and most-experienced guard. They will turn to a group, while talented, that is young and would be thrust into Big Ten action.
Second-leading scorer Tony Perkins has since transferred out along with Dasonte Bowen. Behind Sandfort that leaves Josh Dix, who came into his own during the second half of last season, and Brock Harding, who will enter his second year at Iowa.
After those two, Iowa will need to find depth at the guard position if Sandfort leaves. With Iowa’s current roster construction, his decision looms large.
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