The Illinois State transfer's decision came down to two schools. Here's how Iowa became his new home and how he's adjusted to it this summer.
Iowa and Nebraska played three memorable basketball games during the 2025-26 campaign.
While the two squads split their regular season meetings in narrow fashion (each won on their home floor), the Hawkeyes won when it mattered most when they rallied to defeat the Huskers in the Sweet 16.
The hostility between both fanbases eventually died down after a few days, but another battle between the two programs would soon begin - the recruitment of Illinois State transfer Ty'Reek Coleman.
Coleman, who averaged 10 points per game and started 19 games for the Redbirds last year, took visits to four different schools during this process, but Iowa and Nebraska soon emerged as the frontrunners for his services. Though Coleman was down to his final two schools, he wasn't sure where he would end up until he met with Hawkeye coach Ben McCollum one final time.
McCollum's message was simple: if Coleman committed to Iowa, he would help elevate Coleman's game - something he's done with so many other point guards in the past.
After hearing the message and listening to McCollum break down his game film, Coleman knew the Hawkeyes were the right choice the moment he returned to his car.
"When he [McCollum] talked about how how much he went in depth in like the game of basketball I never really heard the game be talked about about it in that way, like in the sense of, he breaking down what the difference between playing fast but the playing with pace," Coleman said at media availability on Wednesday.
While Illinois State won 23 games and reached the NIT semifinals in Coleman's lone season in Normal, playing basketball in the ragged Big Ten compared to the Missouri Valley Conference will be a challenge for Coleman.
He's already noticed the vast differences in physicality and speed, but isn't worried about that at this point - he's just trying to be himself.
"Overall, man, it's just coming in, being myself, trying to obviously do the right thing, but also still be instinctual out there on the court. So I think the jump has been as expected," Coleman said.
"Defensively, he's been awesome. Good length on the ball, twitchy. He's getting used to the workload. He's doing a great job with that. Our guys love him. Great attitude. All those things," McCollum said.
Once Coleman gets acclimated with McCollum's system, he may not be just a bench player. Iowa was desperate for guard help alongside Kael Combs after Bennett Stirtz graduated, and Coleman could fill that void if he can continue the momentum that he had during the end of his freshman season (he had 17 points in the season-ending loss to Auburn).
Coleman averaged only 1.8 assists per game with Illinois State, but that's a number the Hawkeyes' structured offensive system could fix very quickly. Having a lineup of red-hot shooters like Tate Sage, Cooper Koch, and others could help, too.
"This is a team where when you get downhill, you got nothing but shooters around you, so that that helps a lot," Coleman said. "I think when I start to pick up on it [the offense] more, I'll be able to be able to play very well in it."
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HawkeyeRoundtable publisher Brad Schultz has covered the Iowa Hawkeyes since 2023. To send him story ideas, scoops, or criticize his writing, reach him at [email protected]
