Iowa head basketball coach Fran McCaffery announced on Monday the signing of five prep athletes. Keegan Murray, Kris Murray, Josh Ogundele, Tony Perkins, and Ahron Ulis all signed with the Hawkeyes.

Each player brings something unique to this recruiting class, and The Daily Iowan profiled all five of them.

Keegan Murray and Kris Murray

Both of these twin brothers stand at 6-foot-8 and graduated from Cedar Rapids Prairie in 2019. The past year, they attended DME Sports Academy in Daytona Beach, Florida.

They are the sons of former Hawkeye Kenyon Murray, who attended Iowa from 1993-96.

Kenyon Murray named Kris as a tribute to former teammate Chris Street, who died in an auto accident midway through his junior season in 1993.

Keegan Murray was named Metro Player of the Year and first-team all-state by Pro Hoops IA and IBCA following his senior season. Kris Murray was named second-team all-state and unanimous first-team all-metro as a senior.

“They just kept getting better,” McCaffery said. “Kept getting bigger and stronger, kept working on their game. They’re both going to come in ready. They’re complete players. They can pretty much do everything, not the least of which is their incredible 3-point shooting — which they’ve always been able to do — but their versatility and their basketball intellect is really impressive.”

Josh Ogundele

Ogundele, a London, England, native, stands at 6-11 and weighs 245 pounds. He’s a two-year starter for the Worcester Academy in Massachusetts.

 Ogundele was born in England before moving to the United States from London at the age of 16. He played for the English National Team in 2015 and won a silver medal on the 2016 Great Britain National Team.

“What attracted me to the University of Iowa was not only the coaches, but the team’s reputation of players, and how well they play and compete in the Big Ten,” Ogundele said in a release. “I also liked how the program has produced players in the NBA.”

McCaffery saw Ogundele this summer and also traveled to watch the three-star recruit play at Worcester this fall.

“I fell in love with him,” McCaffery said. “He’s got athletic power. He does play sometimes below the rim, but he’ll go up and dunk it on you, block shots above the rim. He can do both. He can play in transition, which is important for us.” 

Tony Perkins

Perkins is a 6-4 guard out of Indianapolis, Indiana, and is a three-star recruit according to 247Sports. He averaged 15.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, and three assists at Lawrence North High last season.

Perkins is a two-time Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player of the Year for Lawrence North while making an impact as a two-time conference selection as well.

“Tony is an athletic, attack-minded guard that can play either spot,” McCaffery said. “He has length and can guard anybody from 5-foot-10 to 6-8. He has tremendous athletic power and competitive instincts. He has great feel for how to play.”

Ahron Ulis

Ahron Ulis is the brother of one of McCaffery’s most sought after recruits since he has been at Iowa — Tyler Ulis.

Tyler Ulis ultimately chose Kentucky over Iowa and Michigan State, but the relationship McCaffery built with the Ulis family helped him this time around.

“I think the relationship was important, because obviously, I knew his mom and dad really well,” McCaffery said. “But he did this on his own. We went hard after Tyler, and I love Tyler’s game, but Ahron earned this scholarship on his own.”

Ahron earned a three-star ranking from 247Sports, standing at 6-2. He is the No. 6 ranked 2020 senior in the state of Illinois and was a second-team all-state selection as a junior.

“I have always dreamed about playing college basketball at the highest level, and the University of Iowa is the right place and right fit for me,” Ulis said in a release. “Coach McCaffery knows my family, and I like the players and coaching staff. I’ve watched Iowa for a while and believe its style of play suits me extremely well.”