University of Northern Iowa Athletics
UNI men’s basketball: Bennett Koch re-signs with Sheffield Sharks in England
8/23/2024 12:51:00 PM | Men's Basketball
SHEFFIELD, England --- Former UNI men's basketball forward Bennett Koch has re-signed to play professionally with the Sheffield Sharks of Super League Basketball (SLB).
A 2018 UNI graduate and Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin native, Koch will play his sixth season with the Sharks in the SLB, which replaced the British Basketball League (BBL) as the United Kingdom's top league after the folding of the latter earlier this year.
In the BBL's final year of existence, Koch averaged 9.4 points per game with 5.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists while shooting 55.7% from the field, helping the Sharks to a 19-17 regular season record this past season. His 340 total points this season were the second-most in a single season in his playing career, collegiately or professionally. Koch notably was also named the recipient of the team's Coach's Player of the Year award following the 2022-23 campaign.
Koch also played professionally in the Netherlands during the 2018-19 season, his first after playing at UNI with the Dutch Windmills. He notched 6.7 points and 3.8 rebounds on 55% shooting from the floor during that season.
During his collegiate career with the Panthers, Koch appeared in 124 games from 2014 to 2018, averaging 8.3 points a game, including a career-high 12.7 points and 6.1 rebounds his senior season. His skills earned him Third Team All-Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) honors in 2018, as well as a spot on the 2016 MVC Most Improved Team. After redshirting the 2013-14 season, Koch helped contribute to UNI's back-to-back MVC Tournament titles and subsequent NCAA Tournament appearances in 2015 and 2016.
Koch and the Sharks will kick off the upcoming season on Friday, Sept. 27.
Koch is one of four former Panther men's basketball players to currently be playing professional basketball, including AJ Green (Milwaukee Bucks, NBA), as well as Wes Washpun and Jeremy Morgan, who both recently signed with FC Porto (Portugal) and Hapoel Jerusalem BC (Israel).
Since 1964, 56 Panthers have gone on to play professional basketball in multiple leagues across the globe, including 23 who have played under current UNI head coach Ben Jacobson.
UNI men's basketball action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Men's Basketball), X (@UNImbb) and on Instagram (@uni_basketball). The full 2024 schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.
