Kael Combs Commits to Hawkeye Hoops
Former Drake G Follows McCollum
A week after Iowa announced Ben McCollum as its new men’s basketball coach, his roster is taking shape with the help of his former program. Drake University star Bennett Stritz announced his Hawkeye commitment on Tuesday. Wednesday, former Bulldog Kael Combs joined him.
— Kael Combs (@k1combs1) April 2, 2025
Combs (6-4, 190) will be playing at his third school in as many seasons when he dons the black and gold in 2025-26. His hometown of Nixa, MO sits just south of Springfield.
Wyoming landed Combs as part of its ’23 recruiting class. He chose the Cowboys ahead of reported offers from Missouri State and Abilene Christian. ESPN, 247, On3 and Rivals did not rank him as a prospect.
Combs started one of the 26 games he appeared in as a Wyoming freshman in ’23-24. He averaged 2.7 points with a season-best 12 against Boise State.
McCollum, before his one and only season at Drake, grabbed Combs out of the transfer portal when the guard jumped into it last April. He averaged 3.8 points and 2.0 rebounds in 13.0 minutes playing in 31 games as Bulldog reserve this past winter. The MVC regular-season and tournament champs finished 31-4 and reached the NCAA second-round.
Combs and Stirtz, who is going through the NBA Draft Process, joined the six student-athletes listed on the roster at the school’s official website. Freshman guard Cooper Koch entered the portal last month before announcing Sunday that he’d be returning to Iowa. His father, J.R. Koch, played for the Hawkeyes in the late 1990s.
