Just hours before the deadline, Tyler Cook announced that he will return to the Iowa basketball program for his junior season. Cook led the Hawkeyes in scoring and rebounding last season as a junior.
“I am excited to return to Iowa for my junior season,” said Cook. “I am grateful for the opportunities and feedback that I have received from NBA personnel. I am thankful for coach McCaffery and the coaching staff for their assistance and patience with me during this process. I thank God for the experiences that I had and progress I have made during this time. I can’t wait to get back to work and continue to try to lead this team back to the NCAA Tournament. I appreciate the love and support by all during this process.”
Cook (6-foot-9, 255 pounds) ranked seventh in the Big Ten in double-doubles (7), eighth in field goal percentage (.566), 11th in scoring average (15.3), and 12th in rebounding (6.8) as a sophomore in 2017-18. Cook's scoring and rebounding averages led the Hawkeyes as a sophomore. The St. Louis native tallied 20 points or more a team-best nine times in 2017-18, seven of which came against Big Ten opponents. Cook was recognized as an honorable mention All-Big Ten performer as a sophomore and was voted to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team honoree in 2017.
“We are happy to have Tyler back for his junior season,” said McCaffery. “Tyler is an extremely talented young man who will continue to work tirelessly to reach his potential and ultimate goal of playing in the NBA. We encouraged Tyler to take advantage of this process and take as long as he needed and I’m proud of how he went through this process. Tyler did well in his workouts and interviews, which will bode well for him next year when he goes through the process again. He has had a significant impact on our basketball team the past two seasons and we look forward to Tyler improving his overall skillset and being a leader for us next season.”
Isaiah Moss announced yesterday that he will return to Iowa for his redshirt junior season after going through the NBA Draft process.
Iowa returns 12 players, including all five starters, from last year’s squad.