Cordell Pemsl

After four years in Iowa City, Dubuque native Cordell Pemsl is saying goodbye to the Hawkeyes. The redshirt junior forward announced Friday that he is planning on finishing his degree and transferring for his final year of basketball.

Pemsl, a 6-foot-9 power forward, averaged 5.9 points and 4.3 rebounds per game in 96 appearances for Iowa after arriving in the 2016 recruiting class. He struggled with injuries for much of his Hawkeyes career after a promising freshman year.

“I would like to thank my teammates, coaches, and fans for a memorable four years at the University of Iowa,” Pemsl said in a release from Iowa. “I am grateful for the support Hawkeye Nation has shown me through many difficult times. With that being said, I am going to finish my degree and plan on completing my final year of eligibility at another school next season. I wish my teammates the best of luck in the future and appreciate everything the University of Iowa has done for me.”

Iowa now has 13 scholarships accounted for, with eight players returning for 2020-21 and five incoming signees. Pemsl will be eligible to play one year for any school he transfers to.

“Cordell is graduating this year, and I can’t thank him enough for the contributions that he has made to our program over the past four years,” said Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery. “He was a valuable teammate on one NIT and two NCAA Tournament teams, all while overcoming three major surgeries over the last six years. Cordell is beloved by Hawkeye Nation and he has my complete support in the coming months during this transition.”