By Hawk Fanatic

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Iowa men’s basketball coach Ben McCollum has returned to the town in northwest Iowa where he grew up to land his latest commitment as 6-foot-6 Storm Lake native Jaidyn Coon committed to Iowa on Thursday.

Coon, who was previously committed to Creighton, was named 2026 Mr. Basketball in Iowa this season.

He is ranked as the 116th prospect nationally, as the No. 44 small forward, and as the No. 3 recruit in Iowa in the 247sports composite rankings for the 2026 class.

In his senior season with Storm Lake High School, Coon averaged 22.0 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.7 steals per game, and led the Tornados to a semifinal appearance in the 2025-26 Iowa State Boys’ Basketball Tournament.

Coon is now committed to an Iowa program that is coming off its first appearance in the NCAA Elite Eight since 1987.

McCollum, who was born in Iowa City in 1981 and then grew up Storm Lake, joins Tom Davis as the only Iowa head coaches to make the Elite Eight in their first season as head coach, and the NCAA Tournament for that matter.

Coon is the second player to commit to Iowa’s 2026 recruiting class, joining Ethan Harris, a 6-8 four-star forward from Camas, Washington.

Harris signed a letter of intent in November.

Coon had been committed to Creighton since May 2025, and he also signed a letter of intent with the Bluejays in November. But then he withdrew his pledge and re-opened his recruitment shortly after long-time Creighton head coach Greg McDermott announced his retirement.