Sorry Hawkeyes fans, to more or less quote Rick Pitino — Kris Murray isn’t walking through that door! Furthermore, neither is Filip Rebraca or Ahron Ulis, leaving just two returning starters from last season. There’s going to be an adjustment period, but there’s reason for optimism.

Ben Krikke, who led the Missouri Valley Conference in scoring last season, transferred to Iowa a few months back.

Krikke stands at 6-foot-9 and weighs 220 pounds. He’s a three-time All-MVC honoree, earning first-team accolades in 2023 and third-team recognition as a sophomore and junior. He also garnered NABC All-District second-team laurels this past year. He finished his four-year career at Valparaiso with 1,596 points — seventh most in program history — and reached double figures 82 times as a Beacon.

It’s fair to say he was a hot commodity.

“I mean that first day was nuts there was 60-70 schools reaching out right away,” Krikke revealed.

But the first of those 60? Iowa — who reached out in the first 20 minutes. And the good first impression turned into a visit and what Krikke dubbed “a really good fit.”

Another factor: The Hawkeyes history of developing bigs, like Filip Rebraca who made the jump from North Dakota last season.

“Watching how these coaches have developed big guys, watching Filip Rebraca find success here and coming from a mid-major like me,” Krikke said.

The other transfer already knows Iowa’s history — he grew up in Iowa City and was the state’s #2 overall basketball prospect according to 247sports.com. Even Brauns played three years at Belmont — starting 29 of 30 games as a junior. Now, he’s ready for a homecoming.

“It was pretty easy once they reached out,” Brauns said. “I felt like it was something I couldn’t really pass up on.”

Brauns returns home and does so with three years of collegiate experience under his belt.

“I think just offering some bringing in some experience,” Brauns said. “I played in college three years so I think it will be good for me to come in and offer some leadership to some of the new and younger guys.”

There’s plenty of young players that will benefit from the influx of experience. Iowa brings in a freshman class featuring Payton Sandfort’s brother Pryce and a pair of state champions in Brock Harding and Owen Freeman.

But the losses can’t be overstated — Iowa has to rebuild its frontcourt from the ground up. But Krikke and Brauns will serve as the pillars of hope this year’s Hawkeyes will be able to lean on experienced players. At the very least — Brauns and Krikke are leaning on each other.

“Being able to share that experience has been good and we’ve been able to bond over it since it’s been nice,” Brauns said.

“Coming into here together was big and just getting to learn on each other we’re also roommates too so that’s been cool.” Krikke said.

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