PALM DESERT, Calif. — In the grand scheme of Iowa basketball 's offseason additions, Kael Combs flew under the radar.

He was no reigning conference player of the year, like Bennett Stirtz and Alvaro Folgueiras. He was no reigning conference sixth man of the year, like Tavion Banks.

Head coach Ben McCollum brought six Drake transfers with him to Iowa City. One of those six redshirted last season (Joey Matteoni). Of the five Drake transfers who actually appeared in game action last season, Combs ranked last in both minutes and points per game.

Playing around 13 minutes per game off the bench, like he did at Drake, seemed like a reasonable expectation for what his workload would look like with the Hawkeyes.

But during Iowa’s 7-0 start, Combs has proven far more valuable than many would’

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