Iowa basketball point guard Joe Toussaint has entered the NCAA transfer portal

On Tuesday, Iowa forward Keegan Murray was the first major departure from the Hawkeyes' men's basketball program after declaring for the 2022 NBA Draft. Shortly after, another major piece from this year's team announced his departure. 

Junior guard Joe Toussaint announced his intent to enter the NCAA transfer portal via his Twitter account. In his statement, Toussaint thanked Iowa's coaches as well as his teammates and fans for "a memorable three years."

"We want to thank Joe Toussaint for being an integral part of multiple NCAA Tournament teams and a Big Ten championship team,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said in a statement. “He brought great effort and character to our program. He will be great wherever he goes, and we wish him the very best moving forward.”

MORE: How Iowa's offensive line hopes to retool after Tyler Linderbaum's departure

Toussaint started the season as Iowa's starting point guard but was moved to the bench in late January in favor of senior Jordan Bohannon. Despite losing the starting role, Toussaint was a key bench piece for the Hawkeyes and helped them to their first Big Ten Tournament championship since 2006. 

“It’s huge to have Joe Toussaint have that great attitude, great energy cheering on his teammates,” said Iowa assistant coach Billy Taylor after Toussaint's first game coming off the bench against Minnesota on Feb 6. “It is important. And really speaks to the culture of your program.”

In 36 games, Toussaint led the team in assists (3.2) and steals (1.4) per game. Additionally, he averaged 4.3 points per game in about 17 minutes of gameplay. In three seasons, Toussaint played in 98 games, including 41 starts.

Toussaint's departure creates more thinness in Iowa's backcourt, specifically at point guard, with Bohannon graduating. Iowa still has sophomore Ahron Ulis on the roster and the general assumption is senior Connor McCaffery will return for his additional year of eligibility. 

Iowa also has incoming freshman point guard Dasonte Bowen as a part of the 2022 recruiting class. Bowen is a three-star recruit out of Boston, Massachusetts. 

Kennington Lloyd Smith III covers Iowa Hawkeyes football and men's basketball for the Des Moines Register. You can connect with Kennington on Twitter @SkinnyKenny_ or email him at ksmith@gannett.com.