Painter Intrigued by Iowa Offer
Dylan Painter noticed Fran McCaffery watching his games last month at the Boo Williams EYBL event in Hampton, VA. He hoped Iowa’s head coach would call him.
Painter had been hearing from Hawkeye Assistant Andrew Francis, who said the program liked his versatility. He also told the Hershey (PA) High power forward that he’d be contacted by McCaffery.
That call came Thursday. McCaffery said Iowa was extending a scholarship offer.
"He said that they liked me in Hampton but didn’t want to rush things. They wanted to get an all-around feel of my game so they knew I would be able to come in and compete as a freshman. They liked my skill set, toughness and intelligence," Painter said.
Iowa was the latest in a flurry of offers for the Team Final standout. Davidson, Dayton, Georgia Tech, Northwestern, Penn State, St. Joseph’s and Xavier were among the opportunities.
"I’m proud. I’m proud of my hard work for a program of (Iowa’s) caliber and tradition to want me to be a part of the future. It means a lot," the 6-foot-10, 225-pounder said.
Painter said he’s grateful and humbled by the attention. He plans to research all of the programs that have offered to gather as much information as possible.
"I think I’m going to take some unofficial visits to some of the local schools in May and June. After the July AAU period, I’m going to trim it and start scheduling official visits to the schools I can really see myself at," he said.
Painter said it’s unlikely that he would unofficially visit Iowa because of its distance from his home. He said officially visiting the Hawkeyes was probable based on his current path.
"I’m very intrigued by Iowa. First of all, they are in the BigTen, which is a place where any big (man) dreams of playing. They also have a great arena with great fan support. They have a rich tradition of winning basketball and Coach McCaffery’s style of play really utilizes a lot of different aspects of my game," he said.
As a high school junior in 2014-15, Painter averaged 17.8 points, 11.0 rebounds and 4.0 blocks a game while netting 16 three-pointers.