IOWA CITY – University of Iowa head men’s basketball coach Fran McCaffery announced on Monday that Belmont transfer and Iowa City native Even Brauns (pronounced Evan) has signed with the University of Iowa.
Brauns (6-foot-9, 240 pounds) has two years of eligibility remaining after playing 91 games in three seasons at Belmont. Prior to Belmont, Brauns was a teammate of Patrick McCaffery at Iowa City West High School.
“Getting the opportunity to come home and play for the Hawkeyes is one of the proudest moments of my life,” said Brauns. “I am thrilled to return home and play in Carver-Hawkeye Arena in front of the best fans in college basketball. I am excited to play with my new teammates because there is a lot of opportunity for new faces to emerge in larger roles this year. I am thankful for this opportunity and eager to give all that I have to the University of Iowa.”
As a junior with the Bruins, he started 29 of 30 contests played. Brauns averaged 7.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists and a team-best 1.4 blocks while shooting a team-best 58 percent from the floor. He netted double figures 10 times, pulled down double-digit rebounds five times and posted four double-doubles.
In 2022, he played in 31 games, including one start. Brauns scored a career-high 19 points to go along with seven rebounds and three steals versus Bethel. As a freshman, he appeared in 30 games, totaling 119 points, 65 rebounds, 14 blocks, eight assists and three steals.
Brauns and Belmont were part of the Missouri Valley Conference last season before previously competing in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC).
The marketing major was named to the OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll in 2021.
“We are excited to have Even back home,” McCaffery said. “He was a terrific player at West High School and had an excellent career at Belmont. Even will be a great fit for our program.”
As a prep, Brauns was a four-year letterwinner at West. He was named to the Des Moines Register All-Iowa and Cedar Rapids Gazette All-Area teams in 2020. Brauns helped lead West to a 22-3 record, averaging 15.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game as a senior. He averaged 11 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots per outing on 68 percent shooting from the field as a junior. Brauns was the No. 2 ranked prospect in the state of Iowa Class of 2020 by espn.com and 247Sports.
In April, University of Iowa head men’s basketball coach Fran McCaffery announced that Valparaiso graduate transfer Ben Krikke has signed with the University of Iowa – the top scorer in the MVC.
(PHOTO: Even Brauns via Iowa Athletics)
