IOWA CITY — Illinois State transfer Ty'Reek Coleman has officially signed with the Iowa men's basketball program, the school announced.
Coleman averaged 10 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists while shooting 50.4% from the field and 41.6% from deep as a true freshman at Illinois State. The 6-foot-2 guard will come to the Hawkeyes with three seasons of eligibility remaining.
“Ty’Reek is a twitchy, efficient scorer,” said Iowa coach Ben McCollum said in a release. “He has a knack for being able to get into the lane to finish and he’s going to be a weapon in the pick-and-roll and drive-and-kick situations in our offense. Defensively, he is a strong guard who can really pressure the ball. We’re excited for Ty’Reek to join our program this summer.”
Coleman started 19 of his 35 appearances for the Redbirds last season. He scored in double figures 15 times, including a career-high 24 points against Cornell in November. He also had a 22-point, five-rebound, four-assist, four-steal performance against Murray State in February.
More: How Iowa basketball landed Illinois State transfer Ty'Reek Coleman
Coleman's shooting efficiency was impressive, considering it's not abnormal for younger guards to struggle in those areas. He finished the season shooting 50.4% from the field and 41.6% from deep. Coleman did not take an extremely high volume of 3-pointers. About 37% of his field goal attempts last season came from 3-point range. For comparison, that figure was at nearly 49% for Bennett Stirtz last season.
Coleman, who shot 55.7% from 2-point range, possesses an elusiveness and ability to get downhill to the basket.
“I chose the University of Iowa for a number of reasons from the players and coaches to everyone surrounding the program,” Coleman said in a release. “When I hung out with the players on my visit, they were like my friends from back home, so it was easy to mesh with them.
“When I had the chance to spend more time with the coaching staff on my visit, I felt nothing but honesty and a connectedness that I knew I wanted to be a part of. This staff has a true belief in what I can bring to this program and how they can help me become the best version of myself. That led me to choosing the University of Iowa as my home.”
Coleman's assist-to-turnover ratio needs work, but that's also natural for a freshman guard. He logged just five more assists than turnovers last season (62 to 57).
Statistically, Coleman made an impact on the defensive end, averaging 0.9 steals per game. But it will be interesting to see how Coleman adjusts to the physicality of the Big Ten on both ends of the floor. Listed at just 6-foot-2 and 175 pounds, Coleman does not have great positional size for a league like the Big Ten. Maturing physically will be important for Coleman to be able to make the jump to a higher level of competition than what he saw in the Missouri Valley Conference.
One of the biggest storylines heading into head coach Ben McCollum’s second season at the helm is the ability to fill the departure of star Bennett Stirtz, a projected first-round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Coleman will not come to Iowa with a resume close to Stirtz’s, but he does give the Hawkeyes a playmaking guard with value both in the short and long term.
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This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Ty'Reek Coleman officially signs with Iowa men's basketball