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Iowa needs to go get Raegan Beers from Oregon State

Beers isn’t even interested in Iowa you guys please be serious this is comical.

And yall should rly learn more about our new recruits, there are hundreds of posts about them.
Fran Healy Reaction GIF by Travis
 
we already have an agile, physical 6’4 post player coming in from Oregon. Bluder will not risk losing her.
Here in is the biggest difference between a UConn or SC and Iowa, they can recruit over or bring in 5-star transfers to load up their entire roster without anyone feeling hurt and leaving. Iowa doesn’t have that same credibility apparently?

Also, even if Beers never plays a min for UConn, they’ve taken her off the market and kept a school that could really use her from landing her.

WTLF 😣
 
Here in is the biggest difference between a UConn or SC and Iowa, they can recruit over or bring in 5-star transfers to load up their entire roster without anyone feeling hurt and leaving. Iowa doesn’t have that same credibility apparently?

Also, even if Beers never plays a min for UConn, they’ve taken her off the market and kept a school that could really use her from landing her.

WTLF 😣
Did you guys not watch UConn at all this year? They desperately need a big. They had Aaliyah Edwards who is 6’3 playing C and that didn’t cut it, and now she is graduating. They had a 6’5 post player who rarely left the bench (guess Geno didn’t trust her) but just transfered out. Beers WILL get minutes, she’ll probably start on day one. She will be a difference maker for them, almost everyone else on their team that gets minutes is a guard.

I also don’t see get how you guys don’t understand that Bluder wants HEIDEN to start. She doesn’t want her on the bench. She was not recruited to be a reserve. She was recruited to be the next Megan Gustafson. She fits that mold. If you watched her tape, you’d see that she likely jumps O’Grady sooner rather than later.
 
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Again….we already have an agile, physical 6’4 post player coming in from Oregon. Bluder will not risk losing her. TBH she is likely already planning to PLAY her. I assure you Heiden is not gonna be riding the bench. She’ll likely start by January IMO. Once Stuelke is gone, Bluder likely expects Heiden and Deal to be the new focal points of our offense.

Ppl need to understand Bluder is okay with having a rebuilding year. She is going to focus on developing the players she has rather than putting together some super team that has no chemistry. She has always been that way. If you don’t like that, you pry shouldn’t follow too closely bc you’re going to be frustrated. Bluder is one of the best developers in the country, we are lucky to be able to watch her do that work. We should all be excited about what’s to come with Heiden.

I keep coming back to this but Bluder is expending a ton of energy/resources to build a highly impressive class for ‘25 and ‘26. Those are the prize here — she’s playing the long game. She didnt want to burn any years of eligibility on a underclass transfer — that is clear based on her targets from the portal this year. She only pursued guards with 1 year of eligibility left.

Getting Olsen was the best possible thing that could happen and our ceiling for next year is much higher bc of it — there’s literally no reason to fret.

A starting lineup of Guyton / Houston / Deal / Stuelke / Heiden (and then Mallegni when Stuelke graduates) can certainly go farther than a Sweet 16 and compete for a B1G title. Bluder knows that. This next year will be a stepping stone to that.

Furthermore, if Bluder lands even one or Speiser, McGaughy, Hays, Lewis, Greenway, or Bjorn, a path to another Final Four could be in sight. We have to be patient tho — we should overall expect a couple of seasons where we can compete to host the first two rounds, but likely have a ceiling of a Sweet 16.

It could be a lot worse, most programs would kill for those kinds of expectations. And most programs at our level don’t have an Addie Deal on the way either.
Excellent post
 
I truly hope your right. Still I have little thought that in year 4 of someones career the light suddenly come on. Same goes for AOG. Yes I realize that AJ's been injured for a part of that, but she doesn't look like a high level player. I guess we'll see......
It looked to me at the beginning of the season like AJ had gained some bad weight over the summer. However, by the end of the season she looked to be in much better shape and perhaps capable of contributing off the bench next year.
 
Not going to name names but some players shedding a few pounds can only help there game.This goes for any teams.
 
It looked to me at the beginning of the season like AJ had gained some bad weight over the summer. However, by the end of the season she looked to be in much better shape and perhaps capable of contributing off the bench next year.
I’ve asked this elsewhere but I’d love to hear people’s thoughts on what happened to AJ. She was ranked right around where Hannah as in HS but has had a very different career. Why was she so highly ranked and why has that not translated to minutes? Is there any way Bluder could to adjust things to better utilize her? The CW seems to be “too short, not athletic enough” but if that’s the case I don’t get why she was ranked in the top 50 kids in the country. She must have other skills we’re not seeing (or that she hasn’t been given the opportunity to show).
 
I would take both on the roster. Make no sense to not have competition and a good second post come off the bench. Allows you to be more physical and not worry about fouls.
Who says she would not come to Iowa if we got Beer.
 
I would take both on the roster. Make no sense to not have competition and a good second post come off the bench. Allows you to be more physical and not worry about fouls.
Who says she would not come to Iowa if we got Beer.
We already have a second and third post coming off the bench. Both are seniors and both are ESPN top 100 / 4 star athletes. This forum is nuts.
 
Did you guys not watch UConn at all this year? They desperately need a big. They had Aaliyah Edwards who is 6’3 playing C and that didn’t cut it, and now she is graduating. They had a 6’5 post player who rarely left the bench (guess Geno didn’t trust her) but just transfered out. Beers WILL get minutes, she’ll probably start on day one. She will be a difference maker for them, almost everyone else on their team that gets minutes is a guard.

I also don’t see get how you guys don’t understand that Bluder wants HEIDEN to start. She doesn’t want her on the bench. She was not recruited to be a reserve. She was recruited to be the next Megan Gustafson. She fits that mold. If you watched her tape, you’d see that she likely jumps O’Grady sooner rather than later.
My comment is still valid whether you apply to UConn-Beers scenario or not. Schools like SC, UConn and LSU appear to be able to fully load their rosters with 4/5-stars without any backlash. Iowa is not afforded the same consideration apparently?

Also, I understand that UConn was decimated by injuries this year, so maybe I thought some of the injured were post players. My bad.
 
My comment is still valid whether you apply to UConn-Beers scenario or not. Schools like SC, UConn and LSU appear to be able to fully load their rosters with 4/5-stars without any backlash. Iowa is not afforded the same consideration apparently?

Also, I understand that UConn was decimated by injuries this year, so maybe I thought some of the injured were post players. My bad.
No, Iowa is not afforded the same consideration bc it’s Iowa and not UConn, LSU, or SC. Bluder has struggled to recruit her entire career. That was never going to change overnight. There are many reasons for this, discussed to death all over this forum.

Are things perhaps on the upswings thanks to Clark and recent success? Yes, I really believe so! The signings of Heiden, Mallegni, Deal, and Olsen all portend well. So does the fact that Scherr was seriously considering Iowa. But we’re still a ways from getting over the hump of being a true destination.

Kids in the portal now did not grow up with Iowa in the limelight like kids now. This is why some of us are so excited about/confident in Bluder’s remaining targets for ‘25 and ‘26. Iowa has a LOT more cachet than it did only 3-4 years ago. HS kids today are growing up in a world where Iowa has been at the center of the WBB universe.

Again, Bluder is playing the long game…trust the process. Next year’s team is just one step in the journey of Iowa in the post-Clark era.
 
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They need to move Ava Jones to medical. She would still stay on scholarship but she would never be able to play. I love that the Iowa honored the scholarship after her injury. But they need that scholly. Ava will never play with her injuries. You are right they are at the max 15.
No, just keep her on scholarship. They don't need that 15th scholarship
 
Bluder needs to stick with her word and keep Ava Jones on basketball scholarship. In doing so, Bluder keeps intact her leadership, character, and her commitment to her players instead of the "do whatever it takes to win" mentality. If Bluder goes the opposite, it would be out of character for her and would lead to long term collapse of what she's built in Iowa City.

catastrophizing is real folks.
 
This incredible national attention Iowa's women's basketball team got was not just because Caitlin Clark was on the team. It was also that they WON a lot!!! Iowa needed both Caitlin and winning. If the team does not continue to win the attention will all go away. Lisa Bluder and her staff have done great job. Getting Olsen was huge.
In college you are only as good as your next recruiting class. Iowa has one of the best post coaches in the NCAA. You must always get the best player available (of course that fits your system). Iowa lost the NC game because they could rebound or handle SC bigs. SC also had a really deep bench. They had ten players that were good enough to start. Iowa must get better bench players.
Yes, I think Iowa should recruit over players. If they can get a good player off the transfer portal. Go get'm. Yes, you are correct it will cause player to transfer. That is the way the game is played. Last year, Bluder's coaching group exposed that SC three point shooting was a weakness and beat them. What did Dawn Staley do but get Paopao to transfer in and recruit freshman that can shoot.
Iowa fans need to decide what they want this team to be? Do they want to win a National Championship. Iowa has a chance become a Blue Blood in WBB. Like UConn and SC. Figure out a way to get a player like Beers. UConn will take her and they have a loaded team already. But they will get the players they need to win!
We all should be proud of Iowa coaching staff for honoring their word to Ava Jones. They gave her a four year all paid college education. They should not and will never not honor that. I have no inside information but from all reports Ava is doing great but will never play basketball at an elite level ever again. Placeholders of roster spots just don't work if you really want to win. Decisions need to be made. Sometimes they are not easy ones.
What a strange hill to die on.
 
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Putting her on medical scholly doesn’t put Bluder’s leadership or character into question. The girl still gets her schooling paid for.
This. For goodness sake people. Were almost 2 years in and the young lady can't sit on the bench because she wouldn't be able to get out of the way. She was also in another car accident a few months ago. Don't know the details but it was reported here. I have no doubt that Ava knows pretty well by now whether or not she'd be able to compete at the D1 level in the next couple of years. There are a lot of ways that Bluder can support her AND keep her as part of the team without her being on the active roster. It would be a fabulous thing if Ava was ever able to play at Iowa, but at this point I wouldn't give it even a 1 % chance of that ever happening. Lisa can still pay for her education and keep around the team, and frankly if she wanted to let her walk out in the last game in a couple of years and get introduced to the crowd she could do that as a walk on non athletic scholarship player. The staff have most certainly kept their commitment to Ava, and to suggest otherwise is foolish.....
 
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Now Iowa needs to have Jan go get Raegan Beers. How good of a post could she be with Jan coaching her? She is from Colorado. Many Addy knows her. That would be perfect and a big that I could really use. And she is not a one year player. Go Hawks!
Nope
 
Here in is the biggest difference between a UConn or SC and Iowa, they can recruit over or bring in 5-star transfers to load up their entire roster without anyone feeling hurt and leaving.

Ya could actually try to know what you are talking about before you post.

Since 2021 UConn had 9 players enter the portal. South Carolina has had 6 in that time.

We have had 5.
 
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Ya could actually try to know what you are talking about before you post. (back at ya)

Since 2021 UConn had 9 players enter the portal. South Carolina has had 6 in that time.

We have had 5.

The difference Einstein is that they lose 4-stars and replace them with 4/5-stars ....Iowa, not so much.
 
Dude do you even read what you write?




All I responded to was you saying that players do not leave schools like UConn.

Obviously that is incorrect.
Okay, that's valid.

Of course players leave UConn.

Iowa fans seem to be afraid of that, and rightfully so, since we can't afford to lose highly rated players by bringing in some competition. We don't have a team/depth made up almost entirely of highly rated players like UConn, SC, LSU, USC, etc.

Wish that would change, but it will take time and hopefully Bluder is up to the task.
 
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We don't have a team/depth made up almost entirely of highly rated players like UConn, SC, LSU, USC, etc. Wish that would change, but it will take time and hopefully Bluder is up to the task.
Bluder is certainly working to create such a roster with her targets in ‘25 and ‘26. But she’s doing it on her schedule, no one else’s.

If she wasn’t, the class of ‘25 would be done. She would have signed kids like Ava Zediker (Creighton commit out of DSM) who probably would have committed to Iowa in a heartbeat. Or she would have given offers to kids in the portal who had more than one year of eligibility. She didn’t do that bc she wants to use up all of the available spots for the class of ‘25.

Looking at our targets/commits, it’s clear that there was a shift in our cachet between the classes of ‘23, 24 and ‘25.
  • ‘23 was basically a bust. We only got Jones bc she decommitted from ASU. KJE seemed like a backup that we signed bc we otherwise would have had no one else and having any PG is better than no PG.
  • ‘24 started slow but ended up great by getting Mallegni and Guyton, both of which had better offers by far than Stremlow and Levin (Heiden’s offers are more opaque but I’m happy with the 4th best true Post in the country signing, and the fact that a kid from Oregon — who at least had some major PAC offers — was all in on the Hawks is very telling).
  • For ‘25, we have signed a consensus Top 12 kid (Deal) and another Top 50 (Houston). We are a finalist for 3 more kids in the Top 25 (Hays, Speiser, McGaughy) and likely in the mix for 2-3 more top 50 kids (Jernigan, Henderson, Jackson).
  • ‘26 has a similar outlook: We are clearly a finalist for one Top 10 (Bjorn) and two Top 25 kids (Greenway, Lewis). Other Top 50 level kids likely in the mix too (Koupal).
I don’t see how anyone can argue that Bluder is settling or looking to take a step back. We already have a highly talented starting lineup for when all our current players are gone (Guyton, Houston, Deal, Mallgeni, Heiden) and Bluder is now in a position where she can be picky. We don’t rly have a gap at any spot — any addition from the kids listed above will only add to our depth and increase our ceiling.

Again, she clearly wants to add MULTIPLE kids for ‘25 or she certainly would have offered to someone in the portal that had more than just one year remaining.
 
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AJ's position isn't a placeholder, as you will discover next year.

We're O.K. IMO.

We're at the point scholarships need to be planned. Stuffing the roster is not a wise strategy. Bluder has kept a consistent roster with few defections by maintaining a happy group.

She has a top ten recruiting class arriving and quality returnees. Add Olsen to that and we have the formula for a strong season, maybe a Big Ten title. Weight it down with too much attention want-a-bees and it can backfire.
 
If Beers was going to UConn it would already happened. Rumors is that she is looking at OK. Iowa should have a chance if Bluder is interested.
 


A real test for Jennie B’s recruiting chops, even if she does hire Oregon State’s post coach.
 
Ya could actually try to know what you are talking about before you post.

Since 2021 UConn had 9 players enter the portal. South Carolina has had 6 in that time.

We have had 5.
Not sure where you are getting your info but UConn has had 4 transfer out, 1 leave to turn pro and now have 2 additional ones in the portal between 2019-20 and now.

 
I’ve asked this elsewhere but I’d love to hear people’s thoughts on what happened to AJ. She was ranked right around where Hannah as in HS but has had a very different career. Why was she so highly ranked and why has that not translated to minutes? Is there any way Bluder could to adjust things to better utilize her? The CW seems to be “too short, not athletic enough” but if that’s the case I don’t get why she was ranked in the top 50 kids in the country. She must have other skills we’re not seeing (or that she hasn’t been given the opportunity to show).
I can tell you when Jan and Raina identified and offered AJ early in HS she was a different athlete then. She was good inside and was developing a good outside game with deep range, this is what lead to her HS rankings. As she progressed through HS her body type changed and she wasn't the same athlete, so they've only been playing and developing her at the 5 during her time at Iowa although she does run a few sets at the 4 from time to time. She did get in better shape and stayed healthy as this year progressed and got more time, she has a lot of game most haven't seen yet.

AJ's situation was almost the reverse of former Hawk Shateah Wetering.
 
I can tell you when Jan and Raina identified and offered AJ early in HS she was a different athlete then. She was good inside and was developing a good outside game with deep range, this is what lead to her HS rankings. As she progressed through HS her body type changed and she wasn't the same athlete, so they've only been playing and developing her at the 5 during her time at Iowa although she does run a few sets at the 4 from time to time. She did get in better shape and stayed healthy as this year progressed and got more time, she has a lot of game most haven't seen yet.

AJ's situation was almost the reverse of former Hawk Shateah Wetering.
There was always a huge disconnect between Ediger’s recruiting ranks and her offer list. Neither Michigan BIG school offered, and her offer list, per WBB Blog, was unimpressive: W. Michigan, Iowa, Oakland, Illinois State, Illinois, Nebraska, Xavier.

Edit: the above is not a criticism of Lisa’s/Jan’s evaluation skills. Czinano’s offer list was also unimpressive, for example.
 
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There was always a huge disconnect between Ediger’s recruiting ranks and her offer list. Neither Michigan BIG school offered, and her offer list, per WBB Blog, was unimpressive: W. Michigan, Iowa, Oakland, Illinois State, Illinois, Nebraska, Xavier.

Edit: the above is not a criticism of Lisa’s/Jan’s evaluation skills. Czinano’s offer list was also unimpressive, for example.
Lisa really liked AJ, it was her versatility they thought would be a great fit for the program.

AJ was offered at the 2017 elite camp I believe, then committed around the same time in 2019 after her SO. year so it was slightly early still. It wasn't a secret she'd visited Iowa outside of the camps several times and was likely headed here which could have effected her offer list, although Nebraska made a late push and got her to visit.
 
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The rich get richer. UConn just got a good player from the Ivy League Kaitlyn Chen. The blue bloods don’t worry about recruiting over people.
 
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