The sophomore delighted Hawkeye fans with his gritty defense, but his offensive game needs improvement.
Editor's note: HawkeyeRoundtable will be releasing player and head coach grades for every Iowa men's and women's basketball over the course of the month of April. This is the fourth article of the series.
When Ben McCollum was named Iowa men's basketball's new head coach in March 2025, he brought six of his former players from Drake with him to help rebuild the struggling Hawkeye program.
Iowa fans were both excited and concerned about the move. Each of the players following McCollum were obviously familiar with his system and could bring valuable continuity for the upcoming season, but neither player had played at the Power Four level.
Those fears have long since subdued, as the Hawkeyes went on an improbable run to the Elite Eight as a No. 9 seed - the program's first trip since 1987.
One of those former Drake players was Isaia Howard. The Plattsburg, Missouri native opened the McCollum era in the starting lineup, but primarily came off the bench during the year.
Here's Howard's 2025-26 season grade:
The rundown
Iowa fans probably got their introduction Howard from Drake's 2025 NCAA tournament run, where he scored seven points in the Bulldogs' first round upset over No. 6 Missouri.
Howard started the Hawkeyes' first four games of the year before McCollum moved him to a bench role in favor of Kael Combs. The move worked well for both parties, as Combs could give Iowa an additional ball handler for Bennett Stirtz, while Howard could be the spark plug off the bench.
The 6-foot-5 sophomore posted 5.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game in this role. Howard reached double figures just three times, but his 19-point outing in an ugly 59-46 win over Grand Canyon on Nov. 26 was probably the reason why Iowa won that game.
While not as skilled as some of the league's best guards, Howard performed admirably on defense, collecting 38 steals and often diving on the floor for loose balls and even taking some charges.
Howard's offense needs to improve if he wants to see the same amount of minutes next year - 28% from three in the Big Ten won't cut it - but he's a great foundational piece for McCollum as continues to rebuild this program.
Grade B-
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