Drake transfer has decided to join Iowa basketball, he revealed on Wednesday.
Iowa will be the third school in his college journey. The 6-foot-8 forward began his career at Wyoming before moving to Drake.
Manyawu will be joining the Hawkeyes with two years of eligibility left.
Manyawu, hailing from Kansas City, Missouri, was ranked as the 10th-best prospect in Missouri’s 2023 high school class by 247Sports. Initially, he committed to Indiana State but later reopened his recruitment and ultimately chose Wyoming.
Over his two seasons in college, he has maintained steady performance. As a freshman at Wyoming, he averaged 7.5 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. Then, during his sophomore year at Drake under McCollum, Manyawu posted averages of 7.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. His career field goal percentage stands at an impressive 59.1%.
In the 2024-25 season, Manyawu started all 35 games for a Drake team that finished with a 31-4 record. He scored in double figures nine times, with a season-high of 18 points in the Bulldogs’ victory over Vanderbilt. In that game, he also tallied three blocks, matching his season-high.
Manyawu stuffed the stat sheet with seven points, four rebounds and three steals in Drake’s NCAA Tournament victory over Missouri. He notched at least two steals in 14 games last season.
He has only attempted four 3-pointers during his college career and does most of his damage around the rim. His career free throw percentage, which checks in at 53.6%, could use some work.
But Manyawu has experience, having already started 45 games in his college career, 35 of which came under McCollum. He has also proven himself to be a capable interior scorer and reliable rebounder.
Here are some highlights from Manyawu’s sophomore season:
The exodus following the departure of Fran McCaffery has left McCollum facing a roster overhaul.
In short order, McCollum made a splash in the transfer portal by landing Drake’s Bennett Stirtz, who is following his coach to Iowa.
Stirtz, the reigning Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year, has risen the ranks with McCollum from Division II Northwest Missouri State to Drake and now to Iowa. Stirtz told the Register that he is planning to enter the 2025 NBA Draft but maintain his college eligibility with the intent of playing for the Hawkeyes next season.
“If he’s not the best point guard in the country, he’s top two or three,” McCollum said of Stirtz. “So that’s pretty good fit right there.”
Cooper Koch, a legacy Hawkeye and former 4-star recruit, elected to withdraw from the transfer portal and return to the Hawkeyes. Though Koch missed a majority of the season due to a health issue, he still possesses plenty of potential.
Manyawu now adds to Iowa’s projected 2025-26 roster. He is the third former Bulldog player to follow McCollum to Iowa, joining Stirtz and guard Kael Combs.
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