Life was a little different a year and a half ago for Payton Sandfort.
Sandfort was coming off a solid sophomore season for Waukee where his main role was a 3 and D type player for a team that finished in 3rd place in Class 4A.
Sandfort, who stood at around 6-foot-5 at the time, played on the AAU circuit with Kingdom Hoops, opened a lot of eyes, but wasn't picking up any offers.
In June, Sandfort and his dad took the trip down to Kansas City for the IBCA Top-40 Camp. In case you don't recall, the Top-40 showcase was one of the NCAA sponsored events where college coaches could watch prospects in a casual setting similar to the AAU Live Period.
Sandfort was one of the many midwest prospects looking to make himself a name at the showcase and he did just that.
Sandfort played well throughout the weekend and after a great performance in one of the games on Sunday, Sandfort's life changed.
"I played really well, and that was the first game that Fran McCaffery was at and Coach [Sherman] Dillard was at the games on Saturday," Sandfort said. "I went out into the lobby area, got a text from Coach Dillard that Fran wanted to call me. I was sitting at one of the school lunch tables and he said he wanted me to come to play for him and that was pretty special.”
“I was like ‘oh my gosh’ and I couldn’t find my dad then I found him talking to one of his friends. I was like ‘Dad! Dad! Iowa just offered me’ and he was like ‘Wait, offered?’ and I said yes and he was like ‘holy smokes’ and we just hugged. It was really special.”
After Iowa extended the offer, it only took a few hours for Utah to follow, then came Minnesota along with Air Force and Drake then Loyola-Chicago coming a month later.
Sandfort put together a strong junior season for Waukee where he averaged 19 points and eight rebounds per game while also shooting 53 percent from the field and 47 percent from beyond the arc while leading the Warriors to a state runner-up finish in Class 4A.
This summer was going to be a big summer for Sandfort. There were double-digit high-major programs that were itching at the chance to see Sandfort play in person but never got the chance to due to COVID-19 canceling almost all of the live summer events.
Stanford was the lone high-major school to offer Sandfort this summer and there was buzz that if the PAC-12 program came in with an offer, it'd be tough to top for Sandfort.
However, Iowa being there from the beginning was a big reason the Hawkeyes were the choice for Sandfort in the end.
“I think that was really special," Sandfort said of Iowa being the first school to offer. "There were a lot of schools for a while that were telling me how much they really like me but they never really pulled the trigger. But with Iowa, the first time they saw me, they knew that I was the guy that they wanted and it was really cool for them to feel that way the first time they saw me.”
Tim Lubke has been Sandfort's AAU coach and trainer for the past few years at Kingdom Hoops. Lubke has a close bond with Sandfort and knows first-hand that loyalty means a huge deal to Sandfort.
“First things first, loyalty," Lubke said of what Sandfort talked about often regarding Iowa. "Fran McCaffery was the first one to throw him an offer. The first time Fran saw him, Fran offered him. You have that right there. He is probably one of the most loyal, trusting kids that I know of.”
The relationship process between Iowa and Sandfort took a few months to heat up. The two parties were still getting to know each other, but Sandfort really started to feel the love when McCaffery became the lead recruiter for him.
It's not often that the head coach is the main recruiter for a prospect, but that's what happened with Sandfort and McCaffery.
“Coach McCaffery, himself, was a big piece," Lubke said. "As you know, he was kind of the main one involved in his recruitment. That right there, not a lot of people get to say that the head coach was their recruiter."
"I think the bond that those two made, that’s a big sign of the trust, and the faith has that Fran has in Payton already, I think that stuff right there meant a ton to him. It’s the stuff that Fran knew, like when Payton's sister’s birthday was, details like that. They were so invested in Payton and I think that played such a huge role in his recruitment and he knew that ‘I’m their guy.’ Being able to say that as a kid with a high-major school, an in-state school, that means a lot. I think that his relationship that him and Coach McCaffery developed, I think that was one of the biggest things that helped him decided Iowa was where he wanted to be for the next four years.”
Things between Sandfort and Iowa started to pick up around the time COVID-19 sent everyone into quarantine.
There were a lot of Zoom calls, almost weekly, and Sandfort felt the love from the Iowa staff. Iowa always seemed to make Sandfort a priority throughout the recruiting process, but it definitely started to heat up this past spring.
"They really stressed how bad they wanted me, and how it’d be a successful class if they got me," Sandfort said.
The Iowa coaches continued to let Sandfort how great of a fit he'd be. Sandfort, who is a confident kid by nature, took that to heart, and that is a great building block coming in as a freshman.
"Coach McCaffery and his staff, their faith in Payton will make him feel like he's invincible," Lubke said. "That right there, he already has a staff that's really, really confident in him. He could blossom into something really special."
There are surely high expectations for Iowa this year. Sandfort will arrive on campus in 2021, but the Iowa program has plenty of underclassmen who have the experience and talent to make noise in the Big Ten and on the national scene for the next few years under McCaffery's direction.
If the hype matches the results on the court, then there's a strong chance Iowa continues to add more upper-tier talent on the recruiting trail. That combination of young talent mixed with proven, experienced upperclassmen is a recipe for success.
Sandfort likes the direction of the Iowa program and feels that there's definitely potential for success over the next few years.
“Every night, I’m going to do everything I can to win every game, and not just in the game, but in practice to improve and get myself better for the betterment of the team," Sandfort said. "Ultimately, the goal will be to win a national championship, make it to the Final Four, and win Big Ten championships.”
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Loyalty a big reason Payton Sandfort picked Iowa - 247Sports
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