Iowa Gets Verbal Commitment From Son of Former Hawkeye

I never start a story with a video, but for this one, I need to. Watch this clip and tell me it doesn't remind you of some recent magic in Iowa City?

Looks a lot like Frank Garza rebounding for his son Luka Garza during his years in Iowa City, doesn't it? In this case, it's former Hawkeye JR Koch rebounding for his son, Cooper. The elder Koch played for Iowa from 1995 through 1999, averaging just over 7 points per game during his career.

Cooper, a 4-star recruit, plays high school basketball in Illinois and is part of the Indiana Elite AAU. Wednesday he gave his verbal commitment to the University of Iowa and today he told the world.

Koch, who will be a junior this fall at Notre Dame High School in Peoria, Illinois, is ranked as the 57th best player in the nation in ESPN's Top 60 for the 2024 class. He's a 6'7" 205-pound power forward who averaged 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists per game during his sophomore season. When you see Koch's highlight reel, you can certainly understand why he has scholarship offers from five Big Ten schools.

If Koch eventually attends the University of Iowa, he'll follow the sons of other former Hawkeyes to the program. Keegan Murray gets drafted into the NBA tonight and his brother, Kris, is preparing for his junior season with the Hawkeyes. Kris Murray will likely be one of the top scorers on the 2022-23 team. Both are the sons of former Hawkeye Kenyon Murray. Carter Kingsbury, the son of Chris Kingsbury, is also a member of the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Speaking of former Hawkeyes, the daughter of former Hawkeye football great Chad Greenway received a scholarship offer from the Iowa women's basketball program earlier this week. Maddyn Greenway started playing varsity basketball as a 7th grader. Last season, she made this amazing move with the basketball:

*You can see more on Iowa's offer to Greenway HERE.