Fran McCaffery and Iowa men’s basketball just landed the second-highest-ranked recruit in program history.
Four-star prospect Joshua Harris announced his commitment to the Hawkeyes live on the 247Sports YouTube channel on Thursday. The 6-foot-7 wing held offers from Auburn, Illinois, Marquette, and Michigan State, among other notable programs.
2025 4-star wing Joshua Lewis commits to Iowa men’s basketball, becoming one of the best prospects the program has landed in the modern recruiting era: https://t.co/48re39XWEQ
— Tyler Tachman (@Tyler_T15) January 23, 2025
Lewis, the No. 68 recruit in the 247Sports Top-150 and the No. 62 recruit in the ESPN Top 100 for the class of 2025, sits behind Tyler Smith in 2006 and ahead of Joe Wieskamp in 2018 in the highest-ranked recruits to commit to the Hawkeyes. The Tampa, Florida, native currently attends Blake High School and is the 11th-best player in the state.
He originally committed to South Florida in May 2024 before the tragic passing of former head coach Amir Abdul-Rahim this past fall. With the passing, Lewis announced his decommitment from the program via social media:
“With a heavy heart, I have been contemplating my future since that tragic day,” he wrote. “At this time, I have decided to de-commit from USF and reopen my recruitment. I would like to thank the USF coaching staff and Bulls Nation as this is not a reflection of how I feel about them, but the uncertainty of the situation has forced me to make a tough decision.”
From there, he shot up the national rankings, becoming a top recruit bombarded with Power Four offers. He took a visit to Iowa City on Jan. 11, and he’s now committed to playing in the Big Ten with the potential to make an immediate impact for McCaffery and Co.
“Just going on my visit and getting to meet everybody, I just got a great feeling from everybody,” Lewis told Travis Branham of 247Sports post-commitment. “All the players, all the coaching staff — it seems like some genuine people.”
The Hawkeyes have a solid young core to role with the next few years.
Forward Owen Freeman and guards Brock Harding, Pryce Sandfort, and Josh Dix will serve as the longer-tenured players of this Iowa program. Forwards Seydou Traore and Cooper Koch are both in their first year with the Hawkeyes and should expect to see increased playing time next season.
Now, the additions of Lewis and Isaiah Johnson-Arigu — Miami-Florida transfer who just joined the program but won’t play this season — gives the team a much-needed combination of length, athleticism, and versatility.
“The culture they have over there is real genuine,” Lewis said. “They’ve got a real culture over there and a great fan base from what I saw. And I love their play style. I feel like I would fit in great with just the way they play and with the great group of guys that they have.”