By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

IOWA CITY — The reality of the business of college basketball helped make Ben Krikke’s decision to come to Iowa.

Krikke, a 6-foot-9, 245-pound forward, was coming off a season at Valparaiso in which he led the Missouri Valley Conference in scoring. He had a fifth year of eligibility available, and he knew he had his choice of career avenues.

Valpo, though, felt like home to Krikke.

“I was kind of on the fence after last year about what to do,” Krikke said. “Take a fifth year (of eligibility). Maybe decide to play pro somewhere. But in terms of transferring, I was kind of on the fence. I felt a good sense of loyalty, always appreciated the staff there, built good relationships.”

But Valpo coach Matt Lottich and his staff were let go after an 11-21 season in which the Beacons won just five games in the Valley.

“Once they got fired, it made my decision easy,” Krikke said.

The choice to come to Iowa, Krikke said, was the right one.

“I love my decision,” he said. “It’s been great. It’s really a lot of fun. Great city, great program.”

Iowa coach Fran McCaffery needed some experienced frontcourt help with the departures of Kris Murray and Filip Rebraca, the Hawkeyes’ top two returning scorers from last season.

Krikke was the Hawkeyes’ first choice as soon as he hit the NCAA’s transfer portal, which was good, because Krikke wanted to make a quick decision.

“I didn’t see any point in dragging it along, having conversations with coaches and stringing them along for a month or two,” Krikke said. “I knew what to expect. I knew what college was about, and I knew what I wanted out of a school for my fifth year. Just having a short list of what I wanted made my decision easy.”

“He’s a perfect fit for us,”McCaffery said. “And that’s why we went so hard at him out of the portal.”

McCaffery likes how Krikke works in Iowa’s offense.

“He’s different than Kris, but he’s big and physical,” McCaffery said. “He’s athletic. He’s got an unbelievable motor. He can really score and never stops working. He’s very competitive.

“I think, most importantly, he understands motion, and as you know, if you’re going to transition to motion, you have to have guys who understand how to play with four other people, how to play fast without making mistakes, how to move without the ball, how to screen and get people open, how to slip when they’re switching, and that comes with experience, sometimes. He’s obviously an experienced guy.”

Krikke, who averaged 19.4 points and 5.9 rebounds last season, was an all-conference selection in his last three seasons at Valparaiso. He was comfortable with Lottich and his staff, but their firings affected him.

“It was tough,” he said. “I understand, it’s a business. Honestly, we struggled the last three years at Valpo. That was kind of tough. I felt some level of responsibility for not helping the team achieve a little bit more. Last year was particularly tough, just because we had so many tough games we couldn’t pull out.

“It’s unfortunate it happened. It happens all of the time. But I really appreciate those guys, appreciate everything they’ve done for me.”

Krikke has been a mentor to Owen Freeman and Ladji Dembele, the incoming freshmen in Iowa’s frontcourt.

“Coming in here as one of the older guys now, it’s cool to be able to share my experiences,” he said. “It wasn’t in the Big Ten, but it’s four years of college basketball nonetheless. I’ve had some personal success, so I’m really excited to share that with the guys, hopefully help them along.”

“When you get a guy like him, the learning curve is a lot shorter because of the experience that he has,” McCaffery said.

The avenue that Krikke chose has him in the Big Ten. He knows the importance of being in a power conference.

“It’s super-exciting,” he said. “Obviously a step up in the level of play. I’m really excited. It’s a good stage to play on, and hopefully it provides good exposure. It’s a great opportunity.”

Photo: Ben Krikke (left) chose Iowa as the place to use his final season of eligibility. (Rick Ulreich/Icon Sportswire)