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Hawkeye Women’s BBall Season 2023-2024

I suspect Jada will also get minutes and she likes to shoot. Idk if Syd will ever figure out her 3 pt shot but Kylie must absolutely become a reliable shooter. She can do it, things need to click tho. I think KJE will also get minutes out of necessity. She will have a year of experience over Guyton (who is currently sitting on a knee injury — if it’s serious she may not play again til fall). Kyle H said she is rather athletic once, I don’t think Bluder is too worried about her height tbh.

Wouldnt be surprised if the following 10 gobble up all the minutes next season:

1 - KJE / Guyton
2 - Feuerbach / McCabe
3 - Affolter / Mallegni
4 - Stuelke / Gyamfi
5 - Heiden / Goodman
KJE has seen very limited minutes and Guyton is hurt. I dont know who starts at point, but I wouldnt be shocked to see them play McCabe/Stremlow/Levin get minutes there. I also think Goodman/Ogrady start the year at the 5. The amount of strength and power needed at the 5 often requires a bit of adjustment. I think we often forget that even with kids coming in that are higher rated with higher ceilings it takes time and development to pass by less physically gifted more experienced playes that have been in the weight room and development for 3-4 years.
 
Being a coach's relative is a tricky subject. When players have bad games people sometimes start claiming they're only playing because of that relationship. it's even harder for a player with a style like Kate's where their contributions don't always show through on the stat sheet.

I think the program has done well in not emphasizing Kate's relationship to Jan so her accomplishments can stand on their own.
 
KJE has seen very limited minutes and Guyton is hurt. I dont know who starts at point, but I wouldnt be shocked to see them play McCabe/Stremlow/Levin get minutes there. I also think Goodman/Ogrady start the year at the 5. The amount of strength and power needed at the 5 often requires a bit of adjustment. I think we often forget that even with kids coming in that are higher rated with higher ceilings it takes time and development to pass by less physically gifted more experienced playes that have been in the weight room and development for 3-4 years.
Stuelke is playing the bulk of the minutes at the 5 this year. My best guess at the starters for next year assuming Guyton is out.

McCabe
Kylie
Syd
Mallegni
Stuelke

First two off the bench are Stremlow and Heiden. If the coaches feel that the true centers (Heiden, Goodman, O'Grady) are too talented to all be stuck behind Stuelke, she will have to move to the 4. Ultimately it comes down to which of Mallengi/Heiden/Goodman/O'Grady is ready for the most minutes.

I don't think we'll see Levin, KJE, Jada, Jones, AJ in the rotation for meaningful games.

edit: This got me thinking. Do we know for sure Kylie is coming back? Academically she's a senior but between Covid and her ACL she has two season of eligibility left. Exact same situation as Goodman who's said 24-25 will be her final season which is why I penciled her in her.
 
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Being a coach's relative is a tricky subject. When players have bad games people sometimes start claiming they're only playing because of that relationship. it's even harder for a player with a style like Kate's where their contributions don't always show through on the stat sheet.

I think the program has done well in not emphasizing Kate's relationship to Jan so her accomplishments can stand on their own.
They didnt highlight it very much, but they also didnt hide it. It gets mentioned pretty much any time there is a feature on Kate, and she mentions it in a lot of her interviews. I think the biggest thing is that it gets drowned by by the Caitlin Clark frenzy.
 
Stuelke is playing the bulk of the minutes at the 5 this year. My best guess at the starters for next year assuming Guyton is out.

McCabe
Kylie
Syd
Mallegni
Stuelke

First two off the bench are Stremlow and Heiden. If the coaches feel that the true centers (Heiden, Goodman, O'Grady) are too talented to all be stuck behind Stuelke, she will have to move to the 4. Ultimately it comes down to which of Mallengi/Heiden/Goodman/O'Grady is ready for the most minutes.

I don't think we'll see Levin, KJE, Jada, Jones, AJ in the rotation for meaningful games.

edit: This got me thinking. Do we know for sure Kylie is coming back? Academically she's a senior but between Covid and her ACL she has two season of eligibility left. Exact same situation as Goodman who's said 24-25 will be her final season which is why I penciled her in her.
Kylie was on an Instagram live with Kate last night and said she's graduating this spring, then going to complete her Masters in one year next year. I took that to mean she's done after 2024-2025 also.
 
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I have followed Callie Levin for a while. I think she is a sleeper and could be a nice surprise.
She has college size and she drives and hits the 3 with range. I would not count her out.
I think she has a high ceiling and may be more ready .... Iowa attack etc ,, than Stremlow.
Just my thoughts. Hidden gem.
 
I have followed Callie Levin for a while. I think she is a sleeper and could be a nice surprise.
She has college size and she drives and hits the 3 with range. I would not count her out.
I think she has a high ceiling and may be more ready .... Iowa attack etc ,, than Stremlow.
Just my thoughts. Hidden gem.
She has a nice step back 3!
 
Ayoka Lee of Kansas State will be out for 4 weeks after an ankle surgery. Will they stay undefeated in the Big 12 during that time? Possibly affecting Iowa's NET ranking.

 
Think about Coach Bluder’s history; she tends to start experience. Clark was given the start from day one, but I think for the first exhibition/nonconference games, returners start next year. The players with the most average minutes coming back are:
• McCabe
• Feuerbach
• Affolter
• Stuelke
• Goodman

Maybe a freshman is so outstanding before the season starts that she has to be a starter, but I doubt it. By conference play, game experience might mean that a newbie starts.

As an aside, I sat next to one of the practice squad men last game. I asked who might surprise us from the far end of the bench next year. He pointed to McCabe and Gyamfi.
 
Think about Coach Bluder’s history; she tends to start experience. Clark was given the start from day one, but I think for the first exhibition/nonconference games, returners start next year. The players with the most average minutes coming back are:
• McCabe
• Feuerbach
• Affolter
• Stuelke
• Goodman

Maybe a freshman is so outstanding before the season starts that she has to be a starter, but I doubt it. By conference play, game experience might mean that a newbie starts.

As an aside, I sat next to one of the practice squad men last game. I asked who might surprise us from the far end of the bench next year. He pointed to McCabe and Gyamfi.
Coming into this season McCabe was mentioned as someone to watch. Taylor has muscled up, and her defense, rebounding, and ball-handling all seem improved. I'd love to see her get some meaningful minutes in non-mop up time to really see what she's currently capable of.

Gyamfi still has a lot to prove for me. I know it's common now, but I was disappointed when she left Urbandale to join a loaded Johnston squad after her sophomore year. In high school you could see she had talent, but I saw her take plays off...perhaps because of the team around her. Felt she was overrated.

Potentially Jada could be a better shooting, less physical version of Hannah. I know her minutes have been quite limited which slows her development, but on a team that's begging for size there might be a reason for her not being out there. I'd love for her to be part of the picture next year.
 
As I prepare to watch an Iowa women's basketball game (home or away), I like to look at our opponent's game preview. Iowa has a very professional preview available at a click on the schedule. Other teams? Not so much.
May be a graphic of basketball and text
 
Forgive me for jumping way ahead here, but re: next season: We lose Gabby, Kate, Molly, and likely Caitlin, so has to be seen as a "rebuilding year". We have a decent core returning, and by mid-season I'll predict we'll see Ava starting at 5, Hannah at 4, Syd/Kylie at 3/4, TMac at 2/1, and hopefully Guyton at PG1. That lineup looks to be a good paint team, but doesn't boast many outside shooters. TMac might be our leading scorer, but if Mallegni produces, she could be that 2nd shooter. It's a different approach for Bluder from the past few years, but she's done this before. It'll be a good team, maybe 20-ish wins, and mid to upper B1G. Biggest issue is the huge gap at PG, and who can step into that role. I admit to a fantasy that Olivia Miles will portal to the Hawks, and keep them in contention for final 4 status.
Her knee will mean she does even play until next Jan or Feb. missing summer prep, fall prep etc. Whomever us out PG is on our team right now😩
 
As I prepare to watch an Iowa women's basketball game (home or away), I like to look at our opponent's game preview. Iowa has a very professional preview available at a click on the schedule. Other teams? Not so much.
May be a graphic of basketball and text
A problem with Iowa's Game Notes is that the series and historical information presented is frequently wrong. For example, this week the Iowa Game Notes say "Iowa leads the all-time series [against OSU], 38-37." But the Iowa media guide has a game log that shows Iowa with 36 wins and Ohio State with 39 wins.

Ohio State’s game notes say “Ohio State leads the all-time series with Iowa 38-36,”which does not include an OSU win in 2017 that was later forfeited.
 
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Stuelke is playing the bulk of the minutes at the 5 this year. My best guess at the starters for next year assuming Guyton is out.

McCabe
Kylie
Syd
Mallegni
Stuelke

First two off the bench are Stremlow and Heiden. If the coaches feel that the true centers (Heiden, Goodman, O'Grady) are too talented to all be stuck behind Stuelke, she will have to move to the 4. Ultimately it comes down to which of Mallengi/Heiden/Goodman/O'Grady is ready for the most minutes.

I don't think we'll see Levin, KJE, Jada, Jones, AJ in the rotation for meaningful games.

edit: This got me thinking. Do we know for sure Kylie is coming back? Academically she's a senior but between Covid and her ACL she has two season of eligibility left. Exact same situation as Goodman who's said 24-25 will be her final season which is why I penciled her in her.
So is Ava the Jones you mentioned? If so your right of course. I mean not to be a downer, but it would be shocking to see her on the court at all next season considering where she is right now......
 
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With the loss at OSU today, the schedule threatens to hurt Iowa again.

Last year Indiana finished 16-2, and Iowa and MD both finished 15-3. The home team won all head-to-head games between the top 3, but IU only played MD once, at IU.

This year, OSU, Iowa and IU look like the top 3. But OSU only plays IU once, at OSU, and OSU already won at MD. Going to be tough for Iowa to get a share of the regular season title. Really needed to win today.
 
With the loss at OSU today, the schedule threatens to hurt Iowa again.

Last year Indiana finished 16-2, and Iowa and MD both finished 15-3. The home team won all head-to-head games between the top 3, but IU only played MD once, at IU.

This year, OSU, Iowa and IU look like the top 3. But OSU only plays IU once, at OSU, and OSU already won at MD. Going to be tough for Iowa to get a share of the regular season title. Really needed to win today.
Indiana barely beat Purdue today with Sydney Parrish out with an undisclosed injury. She was in a walking boot. No word on when it occurred or how long she will be out. You think Iowa should have hit the transfer portal. I wonder how Indiana fans feel. They have literally no bench. Reserves scored a total of 2 points today, and Parrish's replacement had no points.
 
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Indiana barely beat Purdue today with Sydney Parrish out with an undisclosed injury. She was in a walking boot. No word on when it occurred or how long she will be out. You think Iowa should have hit the transfer portal. I wonder how Indiana fans feel. They have literally no bench. Reserves scored a total of 2 points today, and Parrish's replacement had no points.
Indiana has never had a bench. They have had an elite starting 5 for going on 5 years now but their recruiting has been hit or miss / middling outside Parrish. A couple good gets but have never been able to go deeper than 7 at most.

Will be a tough out for them if they can’t get Parrish back on the floor soon. Unless their recruitment steps up this year they will take a step back next year. Same could happen to us FWIW. IU is hoping to land Addie Deal as well fyi. She could save either program from obscurity.
 
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I’m not critical of Bluder striking out in portal. Options were limited, and not interested in Iowa.
I think there were very limit options that were clearly bett over what we had for potential. Betts, Morrow, and Lauren Ware were likely, Jan/Lisa seem to be locked in on centers who can play resonably fast and yet have old school post moves. They are not interested in having the center shoot from any distance as they are looking for 60+% efficiency from that position. This really limits options, as many center really want to shoot the 3. out of the 4 we have, Hannah is the most potent against small teams, an when healthy puts pressure on slower centers. Addy builds the best wall defensibly, but the Clark/Ogrady offensive connections have left Caitlin visibly frustrated. AJ seems to small, has better post moves, but for some reason cant get looks at the 4. Sharon seemed to have the most luck getting on the same page as Clark, but struggles with speed on defense. Hannah did not seem the same after she went down today, it seemed like something might be bothering her. I think there is a lot of room for growth here, but will any of them be able to make a big step up down the stretch?
 
JFC did anyone see Hannah's dad's recent (deleted) tweets? Talking about how Hannah needs to be on the perimeter more, she could be playing like MacMahon, hopes she isn't "broken" by next year. Really hope he stops with that mess. He said Heiden will back up Hannah at the 5 next year and it could ruin her future.
 
Also Oregon state beat Colorado last night. Iowa is still very much in play for a one seed. Big tests coming up.
 
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JFC did anyone see Hannah's dad's recent (deleted) tweets? Talking about how Hannah needs to be on the perimeter more, she could be playing like MacMahon, hopes she isn't "broken" by next year. Really hope he stops with that mess. He said Heiden will back up Hannah at the 5 next year and it could ruin her future.

Yeah, he had a few questionable tweets right after the Ohio State loss. I'm hoping he can avoid tweeting right after a loss in the future
 
Ticket question...Boomer here. I don't have season tickets, but I am thinking of surprising my wife today and taking her to the game. Is it possible to buy tickets in person from scalpers OR is everything handled electronically via resellers like Seatgeek these days?

In other words, even if the ticket is an electronic one, can you score them in person in front of the arena 30 minutes before tip off?
 
JFC did anyone see Hannah's dad's recent (deleted) tweets? Talking about how Hannah needs to be on the perimeter more, she could be playing like MacMahon, hopes she isn't "broken" by next year. Really hope he stops with that mess. He said Heiden will back up Hannah at the 5 next year and it could ruin her future.
There have been a few tweets about letting AOG/SG play the 5 and HS move to the 4.
 
Meanwhile on the other side of LA, Washington beat USC 62 - 59.
Lots of upsets this week, our L is old news now.
  • #3 Colorado lost to #25 Oregon State earlier this week. OrSt then destroyed #16 Utah today 91-66.
  • Notre Dame (#14) beat UConn (#6) -- UConn continues to prove they are no longer the juggernaut they were for decades. 4 Losses on the season now. Notre Dame has not had a stellar season either, so this wasn't necessarily a "good loss" -- it's definitely worse than our loss to OSU.
  • Virginia (N/R) beats #20 North Carolina -- Virginia also beat #15 Florida State 2 games ago, but lost to Pitt in between (that's a BAD loss).
  • Washington (N/R) beat #11 USC -- USC now up to 4 Ls as well.
  • UCLA lost to Utah 2 games ago and just got upset by N/R Washington State. Lauren Betts was out for her second game, so it was quite an opportunity for WSU. But WSU's best player left the game with a knee injury in the 3rd as well. Still managed to hold on. UCLA is being cagey about Betts. No word on when she'll be back.
In other related news:
  • Penn State demolished Maryland -- and Shyanne Sellers also injured her knee during the game. First time PSU has beat MD since 2003. PSU is very, very good now that Ashley Owusu is back on the court. They could very well win out the rest of the season. Glad we only play them at home, wish it was over already.
  • Maryland is having its worst season maybe ever -- they blew a 15 pt lead to lose to Michigan, got demolished by PSU, and now play Indiana and then Iowa. Not sure how they'll fare if Sellers is out for both. Really bad week for her to get injured. They also lost a 5 star freshman to an ACL tear earlier this season. 2 players on their current roster coming back from ACLs in former seasons and really just haven't recovered well at all, both still slow. May not make the NCAAT.
  • Meanwhile Ohio State and K-State both squeaked by non-ranked teams this weekend (OSU 71-68 over Purdue, who they seem to always struggle against, and K-State 67-65 over BYU). More evidence Ohio State played its best game of the year against us -- if they keep playing like they did today, they can lose to a number of B1G teams.
  • Also, Iowa State was looking really good for awhile there but (quite bewilderingly) now that Emily Ryan is back to full form, they seem to have hit a mid-season funk. After playing us close, they knocked off Baylor and WVU -- both top 25 teams. They've since lost game after game to teams good and bad...
  • LSU lost to SC of course.
Wouldn't be surprised to see Stanford #2, K-State #3, Iowa #4 tomorrow or something like that. K-State (Lee out for 3 more weeks) and Stanford are both vulnerable -- if we can hold on to at least win @ MD, we might get back to #2.

IMO a lot of the ways the dominos have fallen are rly helping us in the NET.
 
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