By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Maishe Dailey’s decision to transfer from Iowa probably shouldn't come as a surprise.

He didn’t even wait a week since the season ended this past Sunday to announce that he has submitted his name to the NCAA transfer portal.

Dailey’s decision to transfer makes sense because there was little to no chance that his playing time would have increased next season.

If anything, Dailey’s playing time probably would have decreased next season with the addition of guards Joe Toussaint and C.J. Fredrick and with forwards Cordell Pemsl and Jack Nunge back in the mix after being redshirted this past season.

Dailey is also from Ohio, so maybe he’s looking for a school closer to home, and for a fresh start.

“Maishe has expressed his desire to play his final season elsewhere,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said in a release. “Maishe has been a great teammate and a valuable member of our program throughout his career. We thank him for his contributions to our program and we wish him the best.”

You couldn’t blame Dailey for wanting a fresh start after having mostly been buried on the depth chart during his first three seasons at Iowa.

There was also the unfortunate incident in which Dailey was criticized by Iowa radio play-by-play announcer Gary Dolphin on a live mic during the Pittsburgh game on Nov. 27^th when Dolphin thought he was speaking in private.

Iowa coach Fran McCaffery called the comments inexcusable and Dolphin also apologized to Dailey, who has said little about the incident.

The 6-foot-7 Dailey was the ninth player in Iowa’s nine-man rotation this past season while alternating between shooting guard and small forward.

He played in all 35 games in 2019, averaging 2.5 points and 1.5 rebounds per outing. He played in 80 career games in his three seasons. His career scoring high of 16 points came in a win over Colorado early in the 2018 season.

"I would like to thank Coach McCaffery and the coaching staff for the opportunity to be a part of the Iowa program,” Dailey said in the release. “I want to wish my teammates the best of luck in the future.”

Dailey was previously committed to Rutgers in high school before switching to the Hawkeyes.

Players are transferring at an alarming rate, but Dailey’s decision is hardly a case of him being impulsive or bailing on his teammates.

He stayed for three seasons at Iowa despite playing very little, and by all accounts was a good teammate and a good citizen.

He was also polite and respectful to the media, and very soft-spoken.

Dailey deserves the respect of Iowa fans, and hopefully, his decision to transfer will be beneficial.