Iowa forward Payton Sandfort has had a whirlwind of a late spring and summer.
Following a second-round NIT loss to Utah and the end of the 2023-24 season, he made the decision to enter the NBA Draft while maintaining his final year of college eligibility. Through the pre-draft process, Sandfort saw his stock soar into the first round before sinking back down due to struggles at the NBA Scouting Combine.
After more individual workouts with teams and waiting until the day of the deadline to announce his plans, he decided to return to Iowa.
Between all the intense workouts, plane rides and long conversations about his future, Sandfort was ready to take a step back from the game for a little while.
"I probably won't touch a basketball till I get back campus to be completely honest," Sandfort said while speaking with the media following his decision. "I didn't get much time off after the end of the season. The end of that season was a grind -- every game was like life and death. Then it was straight into tough workouts every day. So, it'll be nice to relax and see some family."
After taking that well-deserved rest, Sandfort returned to campus to get in summer work with his teammates -- new and old. Both were thrilled to have him back for his final year of eligibility.
"It's been awesome to have him back," sophomore point guard Brock Harding said. "All the experience he gained working out with different guys, seeing what those were like and bringing those to us. His mindset has been awesome. He's told us this is his last one -- he wants to go out with a bang, make the tournament and it's been fun to be back with him and work with him [towards those goals]."
"I've been able to build some chemistry with Payton," added Morehead State transfer Drew Thelwell. "The way he shoots the ball -- I'm going to try to find him. He knows that I'm going to go out him on defense, too. I think we both get better off of that."
Sandfort also received an opportunity to play at the Jayson Tatum Elite Camp in Las Vegas, Nevada in early July. The camp, which is hosted by Tatum -- All-Star forward and NBA Champion for the Boston Celtics -- brings in some of the top college and high school wings in the country.
"It was a ton of fun," Sandfort said. "There was a ton of good knowledge on the on-the-floor stuff as well as the off-the-floor things -- how to handle yourself as a pro. It was awesome to get to test my skills against some of the best in the world."
Whether the off-court lessons translate to more on-court success in Iowa City for the 2024-25 season remains to be seen, but Sandfort has high expectations for the Hawkeyes this coming season. That's part of the reason he decided to return for his senior year.
"I didn't want to live with the regret of leaving one more year on the table and getting to make history in an Iowa uniform," he said. "I want to play in the Final Four. That's the goal, and that's what we work for every day."
