Payton Sandfort returning for senior year

After testing the NBA Draft process, Payton Sandfort has announced that he will be returning to the Iowa Basketball team for his senior season. The 6-foot-7 forward from Waukee, IA had participated in the NBA Draft Combine this month, along with working out for five NBA teams before opting to return to Iowa City.
Sandfort worked out for Atlanta, Boston, LA Clippers, Golden State, and Utah, along with an interview with the LA Lakers during the draft process. He was ranked by ESPN.com and The Ringer as the 46th best prospect in the NBA Draft class and was in the mock drafts of several experts this year.
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However, Sandfort also felt that there was unfinished business at Iowa. He desperately wanted to lead Iowa to an NCAA Tournament and didn’t do that last season. He now gets one more shot at making that happen in the 2024-25 season.
Last season, Sandfort averaged 16.4 points and 4.2 rebounds per game last season. He also shot 36.5% from three and earned third team All Big Ten honors.