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Former Iowa Hawkeyes guard visiting Big Ten rival

josh helmer
·3 min read
12

Former Iowa Hawkeyes guard Ahron Ulis announced on March 22 that he would be entering the NCAA’s transfer portal.

“I want to thank the Iowa coaching staff for giving me the opportunity to play college basketball at this level and become a Big Ten champion,” Ulis said at the time. “I also would like to thank my teammates and fans for embracing and supporting me over the past three years. I have built lifelong relationships and brotherhoods during my time as a Hawkeye. With that being said, I have decided to enter my name into the transfer portal and begin my next journey as a student-athlete.”

Center Josh Ogundele revealed his decision to transfer as well. Back in March, Iowa head men’s basketball coach Fran McCaffery thanked the pair for their time in Iowa City.

“We are all appreciative of Ahron and Josh’s contributions to our program the past three years. Both were good teammates on three NCAA Tournament teams and helped us win a Big Ten championship. Both Ahron and Josh have bright futures. My staff and I will assist both players during this transition,” McCaffery said.

Now, it looks like Ulis has a potential landing spot in mind. It’s a Big Ten rival, too. Brian Christopherson of Husker 247 broke the news this morning that Ulis is visiting the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

While Ulis may be suiting up for an Iowa rival next season, the Hawkeyes haven’t been quiet in their own right this offseason. Below is a look at Ulis’ time with the Hawkeyes and who Iowa has brought in via the transfer portal and 2023 signing class.

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Ahron Ulis' Iowa career

Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports

  • Played in 84 career games, including 27 starts last season

  • 2022-23 averages: 6.1 points, 2.1 assists, 1.6 rebounds, 39.6% FG, 31.9% 3-point FG

Iowa-Nebraska Series last season

Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

  • Thursday, Dec. 29, 2022: Nebraska 66, Iowa 50

  • Sunday, March 5: Nebraska 81, Iowa 77

The series against Nebraska perhaps best defines why last season was so frustrating at times for Iowa. The Huskers finished as one of the bottom-four teams in the Big Ten. Including the Big Ten Tournament loss versus Ohio State, Iowa finished with a 2-6 mark against the Big Ten’s bottom-four teams in the league standings. Conversely, Iowa finished 4-3 against the Big Ten’s top-four teams. Just a weird year in that regard.

Who else ended their Iowa career?

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Outgoing: F Kris Murray, F Filip Rebraca, G Connor McCaffery, C Josh Ogundele

Iowa's transfer portal adds

Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

Incoming: Valparaiso F, Ben Krikke

Last season with the Beacons, Krikke led the Missouri Valley Conference in scoring. The 6-foot-9, 220 pound forward earned first-team All-MVC after finishing with averages of 19.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. His MVC average was actually 21.0 points per game.

Krikke finished with double-figure scoring in 30 of Val’s 32 games, including 15 contests where he eclipsed 20 points and three where he topped 30 points. He also had a pair of double-doubles against Toledo on Nov. 7 and against UIC on Feb. 19.

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Iowa's 2023 signing class

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Story originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire