Cooper Koch is coming back.
After announcing his entry into the NCAA transfer portal on March 19, new head coach Ben McCollum's vision and how Koch would fit into that vision sold the 6-foot-8 forward on a return to Iowa City.
Koch announced his return to the black and gold in a post across social media.
"After speaking with coach McCollum, I believe his vision for the men's basketball team is one that aligns with mine. With that being said, I have decided to withdraw my name from the transfer portal and stay HOME. Go Hawks!" Koch wrote in his announcement.
— Cooper Koch (@CooperKoch_8) March 30, 2025
Koch appeared in 10 games, averaging 4.6 points and 2.1 rebounds per game while shooting 48.4% from the field and 42.9% from 3-point range.
The Peoria, Ill., native arrived in Iowa City as a consensus four-star signee. 247Sports ranked Koch as the nation's No. 86 player nationally coming out of high school. The service regarded Koch as the 80th-ranked player in the transfer portal and the No. 9 small forward.
Koch is the first of eight Hawkeyes that entered the transfer portal that has chosen to return to Iowa. Forward Owen Freeman committed to Creighton, point guard Brock Harding chose TCU and forward Riley Mulvey is headed to Siena.
It's a big early recruiting and retention win for McCollum and his staff. Koch will have three seasons of eligibility remaining.
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