Koch to Return to Iowa Hoops in 2025-26

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Freshman forward Cooper Koch will return to the University of Iowa men’s basketball program next season. 

The Peoria, Illlinois, native entered his name into the transfer portal on March 19, but he has elected to return to the Hawkeyes in 2025-26 under first-year head coach Ben McCollum.

“After speaking with coach McCollum, I believe his vision for the men’s basketball team is one that aligns with mine,” said Koch in a social media post. “With that being said, I have decided to withdraw my name from the transfer portal and stay home.”

“We are excited to have Cooper return to our program next season,” said McCollum. “I have enjoyed getting to know Cooper over the past week and I feel like he’s going to be a key piece for our team moving forward with his ability to shoot the basketball.

“I also want to thank our fans for assisting us in getting Cooper to return. We need to continue to push the envelope with Josh (Dix) and Pryce (Sandfort) to let them each know how important they are to Hawkeye Nation.”

Koch missed all but 10 games during the 2024-25 season with a medical condition.  He averaged 4.6 points, 2.1 rebounds and 0.8 in 13.6 minutes per game, while shooting 48.4 percent from the floor and 42.9 percent from 3-point range.   

Koch’s best game came during a Dec. 30 contest against New Hampshire when he scored a career-high 14 points on 4-of-7 shooting with three 3-pointers.