How do Iowa basketball's 2023 signees fit? Plus previewing next game vs North Carolina A&T

Iowa men's basketball didn't play a game on Wednesday, but the program was busy as it was a significant day on the calendar.

The Hawkeyes officially welcomed three new players who signed their letters of intent during the winter early signing period. All three players: point guard Brock Harding, forward/center Owen Freeman and forward Pryce Sandfort, are all Top-150 players nationally according to 247sports and Iowa's recruiting class is ranked No. 45 nationally.

On Thursday, coach Fran McCaffery met with reporters and could comment publicly on the signees for the first time. He described Freeman and Sandfort as foundational pieces of the class as the coaching staff has recruited both of them for an extended period of time. Harding is perhaps the most intriguing prospect of the trio. Iowa offered him over the summer after a strong AAU season but was the only Power 5 school that offered him a scholarship. McCaffery stated on Thursday that it wasn't a difficult decision.

More:Iowa men's basketball signing day: Fran McCaffery brings in versatile three-player class

"Brock is a guy that we've been watching," McCaffery said. "It's one of those things that didn't take long, but after a while, you just watch this kid play and say he could play for anybody. I think people were looking at his size (listed at 6 feet, 155 pounds) and trying to figure out reasons he couldn't play in a Power 5, but all he ever did was outplay everybody that lined up in front of him."

Harding and Freeman have been teammates for a few years on the same AAU team, Midwest Prospect Academy; the duo helped lead the club to an under-17 national championship this summer with Harding as the tournament MVP. Freeman transferred to Moline High School (Ill.) this year where he and Harding will be teammates once again.

"They've been phenomenal together for a couple summers for a very good AAU team," McCaffery said. "That will continue (at Moline). They already have compatibility in terms of knowing each other extremely well and they're going to be a tough team to beat in that state."

In Sandfort, Iowa is getting an all-around offensive weapon that has guard and forward capabilities. He is the younger brother of starting guard Payton Sandfort. His 6-foot-7 and 190-pound frame is very similar to the elder Sandfort (listed at 6-foot-7 and 215 pounds) but Pryce's development has given him a different skillset that will transfer to Iowa.

"When (Pryce) was a freshman, he started at the point and played point primarily his freshman and sophomore year. I really liked that about him," McCaffery said. "But he kept growing. He's now about almost the same size as Payton, 6'-foot-7, 6-foot-7-plus. I think it's been good for Pryce to really expand his game. He plays at the forward position. He has to rebound. Sometimes he's the tallest guy out there and he has to get all the rebounds and block shots, and then he brings it down, but he's always making threes, he's always making plays."

With the expected departures of Kris Murray and Connor McCaffery at guard/forward and Filip Rebraca at center, it's likely that Freeman and Sandfort will be in line to be early contributors. Harding has a high ceiling but with more numbers at point guard, he'll likely see more of a reserve role. Recently, McCaffery hinted at the possibility of more additions to the 2023 class later on, but for now, he's pleased with where the Hawkeyes sit during the early period.

"I'm really excited about all three of these guys," McCaffery said.

More:Iowa men's basketball rolls in season opener, tops Bethune-Cookman 89-58

What to watch for in Friday's game against North Carolina A&T

Iowa's current team will play its second game of the season on Friday at home against North Carolina A&T at 7 pm. The Aggies are a team that's dealt with significant turnover recently. This season is their third straight year in a new conference (MEAC, Big Sky and now Colonial) and are on their third coach since 2020. Interim coach Phillip Shumpert was just promoted in August. But looking at the personnel, McCaffery sees a good challenge for his team.

"I think they've put a team together that has some pieces that can be special," McCaffery said. "They've got really good guard play, aggressive drivers, scorers, guys that can make shots. And then their frontcourt, they have more depth than they've had in the past. They can go big, they can go small. They're going to play at least 10 players, maybe a little bit more. It'll be a great challenge for us."

When asked about team goals in games like these, senior forward Connor McCaffery stated that it's an opportunity for them to fine-tune certain areas like turnover margin, communication on defense and playing with the necessary amount of energy. Friday will be Iowa's last game before traveling to Seton Hall next week, a much more formidable opponent.

Connor McCaffery noted another challenge: North Carolina A&T plays a number of different defenses. That, coupled with a last-minute change in coach, makes for a little bit of a more difficult scout for the Hawkeyes.

"We're not exactly sure 100% sure of what we're going to see," McCaffery said. "It's always good going into these games not being as prepared as you might be against say another Big Ten team because you got to be able to stick to your rules and effectively handle a game plan that might be not exactly perfect but still needs to be good enough to win."

Adjusting in real-time likely won't affect veterans like McCaffery, Murray, Tony Perkins, etc. but it will be the first time for true freshmen Dasonte Bowen and Josh Dix. McCaffery stated that these games are most important for them as they're still adjusting to all aspects of the college game, including digesting extensive scouting reports and game plans from their own coaching staffs and then executing them. How both players feel out the game when they're faced with something unexpected will be a smaller nuance to watch.