LINCOLN, NE – Individual titles can be fleeting. For Iowa men’s basketball’s Pryce Sandfort, crowned Iowa Mr. Basketball his senior year of high school, the moniker lost its shine on the collegiate hardwood. On the Hawkeyes, everyone was a star player back in their prep days. Second-year guard Brock Harding won Illinois Mr. Basketball his senior year.
No matter the accolades, all college players have to establish themselves, and for Sandfort, that process wasn’t immediate. Coming off the bench his first season and playing in the shadow of his older brother Payton, Sandfort lacked conviction that he could make a name for himself once again.
“I just didn’t really have the confidence piece,” Sandfort said of his first season at Iowa. “I think that’s like 95 percent of college basketball and professional sports.”
As his second regular season in the Black and Gold reached its close on Sunday afternoon in Nebraska, Sandfort radiated confidence from his shot attempt to his embrace with Payton in the draining minutes of the Hawkeyes’ 83-68 upset of Nebraska at Pinnacle Bank Arena. The forward finished with 16 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists – earning first career double-double and finishing with a team-high in plus-minus.
“Repeating things over and over to myself,” Sandfort said postgame. “Thinking that I’m the best player on the floor at all times. Be ready to shoot when I’m open. Be ready to make a play when I’m open.”
Asked how he would describe himself as a player now, Sandfort flashed a smile, barely pausing before giving an answer.
“All-around baller.”
The description aptly suited Sandfort as a senior at Waukee Northwest High School, where he averaged 24.9 points, 11 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.8 blocks, and 1.7 steals per game, guiding his team to an appearance in the Class 4A state title game. A four-star prospect, Sandfort chose to stay home over offers from Nebraska, Clemson, Seton Hall, and others.
“You’re talking about a guy who was Mr. Basketball in the state of Iowa,” Hawkeye head coach Fran McCaffery said. “So you expected an impact.”
The head coach added Sandfort was skinny as a first-year and saw action on the scout team at practice. The 6-foot-7 forward played in 32 games last season, averaging 8.7 minutes and 2.7 points per contest. He notched a season-high with 12 points against Northern Illinois.
Sandfort came one point shy of that mark just in the first half in Lincoln.
Hopping off the bench with 14:17 remaining in the period, Sandfort’s three-pointer tied the game at 18 and erased what had been an early seven-point deficit. Snagging his own rebound off a missed triple from the corner, Sandfort dished the ball to Harding – whose splash from deep gave Iowa its first lead in the contest.
Another triple – his third of the half – put Iowa ahead for good with 4:36 remaining.
“He was just raining them in,” Payton Sandfort said of his younger brother. “He was unbelievable. I’m so proud of him for the way that he was tough … That’s what it takes to win.”
Pryce Sandfort embraced physicality in the offseason, spending more time in the weight room and focusing on proper nutrition to gain muscle. He also couldn’t escape constant texts from Payton inviting him to get shots up and watch film together.
“He’s always looking out for me,” Pryce said. “Sometimes he can be annoying and on my ass a little bit, but I know it’s all love. I know he just wants me to succeed.”
Pryce said he and his brother rekindled the chemistry they had as high school teammates. The pair finished as Iowa’s top two scorers against Nebraska. Eventually, the duo will have to split up once the season ends and Payton runs out of eligibility, but Pryce is confident he and the Hawkeyes can delay the breakup.
“We don’t plan on the next one being the last one,” he said.