Iowa basketball recruiting 'first-place players'

Under second-year head coach Ben McCollum, the Hawkeyes haven’t been bashful about recruiting some of the nation’s top players. That group includes 2027 point guard Cayden Daughtry, who is ranked as the nation’s No. 3 player, per 247Sports.

While Iowa hasn’t historically swung for the fences on the recruiting trail, McCollum and Iowa are in on players like Daughtry now. At 2026 Big Ten basketball media days, McCollum shared why he’s taking that approach.

“I do think there are unique players out there that if you get them, you have a chance to be No. 1… I think if you’re going to be the best, you have to get the best players. It doesn’t mean at every position you have to recruit the No. 1 kid in the country, and we’re not necessarily trying to recruit the No. 1 kid in the country. We’re trying to recruit the best player for us, if that makes any sense.

“Give them enough time to be able to decide, and then if you miss, is it going to hurt you? Yeah, but I guess maybe some people want to finish whatever place, and our objective is to eventually finish first. That’s the objective is to finish first, and to finish first, you’ve got to get first-place players,” McCollum said.

Ben McCollum on not shying away from recruiting high-level talent to Iowa: “I guess maybe some people want to finish whatever place. Our objective is to eventually finish first. That’s the objective. To finish first, you’ve got to get first place players.” pic.twitter.com/VRsXML4z5J

— Tyler Tachman (@Tyler_T15) October 8, 2026

Bentley Lusakueno, a five-star power forward in the 2028 class, also recently visited Iowa. It’s a welcome philosophy shift for Hawkeye fans.

Iowa heads into the 2026-27 men’s college basketball season after its first trip to the Elite Eight in 39 years. The Hawkeyes finished 24-13 (10-10 Big Ten) last season.

Iowa’s season opens on Tuesday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. CT with a date inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena against Lipscomb.

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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa basketball recruiting ‘first-place players’