Iowa Hawkeyes earn commitment from Valpo transfer Ben Krikke
Iowa made its first offseason addition, securing a commitment from talented Valparaiso transfer big 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.
Krikke took to Instagram to announce his decision to join the black and gold.
Here’s a look at Krikke’s highlights. Plus, a more detailed look at his career thus far.
Career statistics
Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
Season | School | Conf | G | GS | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | FT% | TRB | AST | BLK | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
33 | 1 | 15.7 | 2.5 | 4.5 | .550 | .792 | 2.9 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 6.7 | |||
28 | 28 | 28.3 | 5.0 | 9.6 | .519 | .797 | 4.2 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 12.3 | |||
29 | 29 | 29.3 | 5.7 | 10.6 | .539 | .843 | 4.5 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 14.2 | |||
32 | 32 | 35.7 | 7.6 | 13.8 | .552 | .796 | 5.9 | 2.1 | 0.9 | 19.4 |
Provided by CBB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 4/9/2023.
All-MVC
Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
2022-23 All-MVC first-team selection
2021-22 All-MVC third-team selection
2020-21 All-MVC third-team selection
Vitals
Bryon Houlgrave/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK
Hometown | Edmonton, Alta. |
Projected Position | F |
Height | 6-9 |
Weight | 220 |
Class | Fifth-year |
How Krikke fits in
MaCabe Brown / Courier & Press / USA TODAY NETWORK
Krikke is a natural replacement for Rebraca and should slide right into Iowa’s rotation and play significant minutes in the post.
A lefty, Krikke is comfortable finishing anywhere inside the painted area with great touch. Really, he looks like your throwback big. Krikke wins the battle for post positioning and then lets that soft touch off the left hand take over inside the painted area. He can step out beyond the block and hit pull-up jumpers from 18 feet pretty comfortably and work the turnaround game, too.
For an Iowa team that will be looking for an immediate post scorer to replace Rebraca, Krikke brings that established scoring pedigree to the Hawkeyes. He topped 20 points in essentially half of Valpo’s games last season and finished in double-figure scoring in 30 of the Beacon’s 32 games. Krikke led the MVC in scoring and was a first-team All-MVC selection.
With Krikke on board, Iowa now has two scholarships remaining to fill in order to reach the 13 scholarship allotment. A big that can stretch the floor and shoot would be a natural complement to what Krikke would add for the Hawks.
Who all signed with the Iowa Hawkeyes?
Alex Slitz/Getty Images
Four-star SF per 247Sports: Pryce Sandfort. 6-foot-7, 190 pound. No. 80 player nationally, No. 19 SF, No. 2 player in Iowa
Three-star PF per On3: Ladji Dembele. 6-foot-8, 230 pound. No. 131 player nationally, No. 29 PF, No. 6 player from New Jersey.
Three-star PF per 247Sports: Owen Freeman. 6-foot-10, 220 pound. No. 174 player nationally, No. 36 PF, No. 5 player from Illinois.
Four-star PG per On3: Brock Harding. 6-foot, 155 pound. No. 115 player nationally, No. 17 PG, No. 4 player from Illinois.
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