FAYETTE, Iowa - Head Men's Basketball Coach Casey Kasperbauer has announced six additions to the basketball team for the 2026-27 season. The class features three incoming freshmen and three transfer student-athletes.

"Our first and main priority was keeping the core group together from last year's team," Kasperbauer said. "We were able to retain 14 players and seven of our top 10 scorers from last season. We are building a program here, and it's important to have continuity and development."

The three Peacock incoming freshmen are Eli Dee of Baxter High School, Hunter Horn of St. Edmond High School and Jack McGuire of Pella High School.

"It will always be important to our staff to have high school recruits in every class," Kasperbauer said. "We feel like we hit home runs with the three local high school recruits we landed. Eli, Hunter and Jack all have winning resumes. They also all have size and skill that will translate to the next level."

UIU added a junior college transfer in Ben Bockman, a 6-foot-5 guard from Decorah out of Kirkwood Community College. The Peacocks also bring in a Division I transfer in Jonah Funk from South Dakota and a Division II transfer in Braden McGlothlin from Wisconsin-Parkside. 

"Our three transfers all provide something different from a basketball standpoint," Kasperbauer said. "Braden is a combo guard who can really pass, shoot and defend. Ben has tremendous size at the off-ball guard spot with his elite skills of shooting and positional defense. Jonah is a true 6-foot-11 who can run and jump with anyone in the country."

With the class complete, Coach Kasperbauer believes the Peacocks found the right qualities in the signees for the 2026-27 campaign.

"The most important traits we were looking for in this year's class were competitive spirit and coachability," Kasperbauer said. "We feel thrilled to have checked those boxes with each of the six signees. I want to thank my staff, Tanner Cooke and Luke Carroll, for the countless hours they spent on recruiting. It's an all-day, every-day type of job, and they did an awesome job identifying and evaluating the players we are bringing into the Peacock Family. We are looking forward to an exciting 2026-27 season."

Read more about the signees below!

Incoming Freshmen 
Eli Dee (G, 6-4, 175, Fr., Baxter, Iowa / Baxter HS)
Dee was a First Team All-State selection this past season after totaling 708 points (29.5 per game). He also averaged nine rebounds and three assists per game while shooting 56.3% from the floor. His 1,589 career points and 708 points in a season both set school records. 

The Baxter native had standout games with 56 points against Collins-Maxwell and 48 points against Colo-NESCO. His 56 points marked the most in a single game in school history. Dee was also a standout in track and field, setting school records in the long jump and high jump and earning a state medal in the long jump. 

"We are so excited to welcome Eli to the Peacock family," Kasperbauer said. "Eli has been all in on Upper Iowa since last fall, and it's very important to me to have people in our program that are extremely proud to represent Upper Iowa. He has great size for his position and a knack for scoring the basketball. Eli also is an excellent rebounder, finding ways to get rebounds out of his area."

Hunter Horn (F, 6-5, 185, Fr., Fort Dodge, Iowa / St. Edmond HS)
Horn finished his career with the Gaels as the all-time leading scorer in program history and helped lead them to the Class 1A State Championship. He was named the Class 1A Player of the Year while earning All-State honors as a junior and a senior. 

He led the state of Iowa with 725 total points this past season, averaging 25.9 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game while shooting 56.2% from the field. Horn finished his career with 1,853 points.

"Hunter led the state of Iowa in scoring and was the MVP of the state tournament as well as a state champion," Kasperbauer said. "He's a winner in every sense of the word. Hunter has all the leadership qualities you want in a player and has an outstanding voice. He can finish in the paint over bigger defenders and is a very good positional defender on the other end of the floor. We are thrilled to coach Hunter."

Jack McGuire (G, 6-5, 195, Fr., Pella, Iowa / Pella HS)
McGuire averaged 17.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game this past season, helping lead the Dutch to a State Tournament appearance. He earned Class 3A All-State Second Team honors, finishing his career with 1,224 points.  

While at Pella, McGuire was a three-time All-Conference, All-Region and All-State selection. He made the Iowa All-Star Game All-Tournament Team while being named the top offensive player. McGuire also competed in the high jump in track and field as the Dutch won the Class 3A State Track and Field Championship. 

"Jack is another state tournament qualifier and had a great senior season where he kept getting better throughout the year," Kasperbauer said. "The quality that jumps out first with Jack is his athleticism. He can run and jump with anyone in our league and has a 6-foot-5 frame that makes him an above-the-rim finisher when he gets in the paint. He has elite touch and was extremely efficient at almost 70% from the field for the season. Jack also has a competitive spirit that you need to be a successful collegiate player."

Incoming Transfers
Ben Bockman (G, 6-5, 195, Jr., Decorah, Iowa / Decorah HS / Kirkwood Community College)
Bockman started 21 games for the Eagles this past season. He averaged 11.5 points per game while shooting 45.9% from behind the arc. He also added 2.2 assists per game. 

During his high school career at Decorah, Bockman totaled 1,286 points for an average of 17.9 points per game. He averaged 19.7 points per game as a senior. 

"Ben has an elite skill that will translate immediately – he's an outstanding shooter," Kasperbauer said. "Ben immediately addressed two big needs we had going into the 2026-27 season, which are size and shooting. He is 6-foot-5 and is a dead-eye from the 3-point line. Ben is also a great positional defender and is never in the wrong spot off the ball defensively. Ben is a national champion at Kirkwood and will provide leadership and winning qualities right away."

Jonah Funk (F, 6-11, 220, R-Fr., Metamora, Ill. / Metamora Township HS / South Dakota)
Funk was a unanimous First Team All-Mid-Illini Conference selection at Metamora High School. He helped the Redbirds to a Mid-Illini Conference Championship and a Class 3A Regional Championship while earning All-State honors. Funk averaged 14.9 points, 10.9 rebounds and 3.2 blocks in his junior season.

"The thing that jumps out first and foremost with Jonah is his frame and athleticism, Kasperbauer said. "He has the rare combination of mobility and size that will provide an immediate impact for our program. Defensively, Jonah can protect the rim and change a game with his ability to alter shots. Offensively, he is a lob threat while also having the ability to be out on the perimeter. We will want to use both his speed and athleticism in space on the offensive end."

Braden McGlothlin (G, 6-3, 195, R-Jr., North Prairie, Wis. / Catholic Memorial HS / Wisconsin Parkside)
McGlothlin played in 27 games with six starts this past season with Wisconsin Parkside. He averaged 3.9 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. Before Parkside, McGlothlin competed for Illinois Springfield, appearing in 12 games with 10 starts. He was also a two-time All-State selection in high school. 

"Braden is a high-IQ combo guard who is a great passer and 3-point shooter," Kasperbauer said. "He has more Division II experience than almost anyone in the country, and that is very valuable. He combines an off-the-charts IQ with being a quick, pesky defender on the ball. Braden is a coach on the court and will do a great job getting the group organized on both ends. We will need his voice and leadership qualities right away when we get going in September."