Iowa grants freshman Brandon Hutton his transfer release

Freshman forward Brandon Hutton, a three-star recruit coming out of Chicago, has been granted his release to transfer from Iowa, the school announced Wednesday afternoon.

A 6-foot-5, 212-pound athlete, Hutton was impressive last summer during the Prime Time League before redshirting in his first season with the Hawkeyes. Iowa will have to replace four starters and potentially a fifth (star junior guard Peter Jok declared for the NBA Draft without signing with an agent) this offseason.

“Brandon is a terrific individual who remained positive and worked on his game all season long,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said in a prepared statement. “He is a versatile player, who is ultra-competitive, and we wish nothing but the best for Brandon moving forward. My staff and I will do whatever we can to help Brandon during this transition.”

“I would like to thank coach McCaffery and staff for this past year,” Hutton said in the prepared release. “Even though I redshirted and did not play in games, my coaches and teammates helped me grow as a basketball player in practices. With that said, I feel like it is in my best interests to pursue an expanded role at another institution.

“I would like to thank my teammates for the friendship we developed and their support with this decision. And also a special thank you to the Hawkeye fans for making me feel welcome this past year.”