Temporarily, Hawkeye forward Cooper Koch is a stranger in a familiar land

IOWA CITY — Instead of transferring to another men’s college basketball team, Cooper Koch had one come to him.

Koch is a 6-foot-8 redshirt freshman who is the lone returning scholarship player on the Iowa men’s basketball team in Ben McCollum’s first year as Hawkeye coach.

Nine scholarship players transferred out after Fran McCaffery was dismissed as the head coach. Koch, from Peoria, Ill., played in 10 games last season before shutting it down with lung issues.

He said his father, former Iowa player J.R. Koch, told him to take a look at what else was out there. However, the father was happy the son remained a Hawkeye.

“Coop stayed because he felt he had unfinished business,” J.R. Koch said. “He loves being a Hawkeye and believes Coach Mac and staff can get the program to an elite level and also help him improve and be the best version of himself.”

After a team practice in Carver-Hawkeye Arena last Thursday, Cooper Koch said “I know Iowa’s going to be the spot for me, so I’m excited to stay.

“(McCollum) knows I’m an Iowa fan through and through, and he wants people that want to be at Iowa, and I wanted to be a part of that.”

Koch showed good things in his limited play last season. He was in McCaffery’s rotation at the season’s start. He averaged 4.6 points and made 9 of 21 3-pointers. He had 14 points in a win over New Hampshire.

When McCollum had his introductory news conference at Iowa, Koch was one of the few Hawkeye players in attendance. McCollum asked Iowa fans to appeal to Josh Dix, Pryce Sandfort and Koch to stay put. Koch watched all his teammates scatter to eight different schools in seven different states.

He, on the other hand, is basically on a brand-new team in the same location.

“I didn’t know many of these guys beforehand,” Koch said, “so being able to play with them, share the locker room with them, it’s been a joy. I’m definitely looking forward to being the only scholarship player returning and kind of be a leader in the locker room, showing them around campus and trying to help them out.”

Six new Hawkeyes followed McCollum from Drake.

“They kind of knew what was going on and I didn’t,” said Koch. “But it’s good now.”

Comments: (319) 398-8440; mike.hlas@thegazette.com