Manyawu made up for his size disadvantage with tenacious play.
When Ben McCollum was named Iowa's head men's basketball coach in March 2025, he made the then-questionable decision to bring most of his successful 2024-25 Drake roster with him to Iowa City.
Fans immediately had questions, but their primary question was the center position. The Hawkeyes didn't add a true big man elsewhere, so McCollum would have to rely on one of his former Bulldogs to lead Iowa's frontcourt.
The man McCollum picked to do that was junior Cam Manyawu.
The Hawkeyes would be Manyawu's third college team in as many years, but Iowa will be the final stop on Manyawu's journey.
Here's his 2025-26 season grade:
The rundown
As I mentioned above, Manyawu has had quite the college journey. His career began at Wyoming in 2023-24, where he played in 31 games. Head coach Jeff Linder left the school after that season to become an assistant coach at Texas Tech, so Manyawu entered the portal.
That led him to McCollum and Drake, where he played a key role in the Bulldogs' 31-4 campaign in 2025.
Manyawu wasn't much of a scorer with Drake, instead focusing on protecting the paint and dominating the glass. Though he was essentially entrenched as Iowa's starting center in 2026, that's exactly the role he would continue to play.
Manyawu posted 6.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game. The 4.6 boards were tied for a team-high with Banks, and though Manyawu was always a workhorse inside, he was doomed by his smaller 6-foot-9 frame.
The Big Ten is known for featuring some of the tallest players in the sport year in and year out, and Manyawu had a difficult time matching up with them. That's not his fault at all, but it seriously limited both his offensive and defensive production.
The good news? Manyawu won't have to worry about that next season.
Saint Mary's transfer Andrew McKeever (7-foot-3) will join the Hawkeyes next year, allowing Manyawu to play at the four - a position that fits his skill sets very well.
Grade: C+
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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 bradschultz@roundtable.io