Iowa WBB 2025 Recruiting Thread
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anon_salmfilsntd0b
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In a perfect world, we'd have 9-10 athletes who can contribute in big games. That includes 2 Cs — fresh legs to run the floor & more importantly, injury insurance. For this reason, I’ve been hopeful we could land Hays for a 1-2 punch at the 5. With the right culture, you can pull this off. South Carolina does it. Unfortunately, I’m not as hopeful anymore about Hays...c'est la vie.
In any case, Guyton, Deal, Houston, Mallegni + Heiden are a solid core. But are they a Final Four team? To return to a Final Four (or win a B1G title again), we’ll need -- at minimum -- talented role players who can spell that core w/o a significant drop in quality. I believe Stremlow can become an excellent reserve CG. Levin, I'm less sure about. But frankly, an upgrade at one or two starting spots is probably more likely to be what the team needs...
For example, signing any of Skinner, Speiser or Hays would put Guyton, Mallegni or Houston in a reserve role. But that’s the Final Four depth. PT could be an issue, but Jensen clearly knows how to keep kids around… the challenge (as it's always been) is getting them to sign. It seems to me that none of the top '25 targets are trending our way...so, looking to other options to improve our core…could Fandel (or someone else) be an upgrade from Levin as a reserve 2-3? If so, I could certainly see a case for making an offer. Wing depth may not be a priority tho, since we’ll have McCabe (and Feuerbach?) for a couple more years anyway.
Perhaps the best tactic is to instead fill the gaps left behind by McCabe, Gyamfi and Stuelke with 2026 prospects. 2-3 of Greenway, Lewis, Koupal, Jones, Bjorn or Krstevski would do that…but these are still lofty targets. Have we attained enough cachet to seal the deal with 2-3? Maybe. Both the Classes of 2024 and 2025 (so far) have very bright spots, but also some weakness -- again, this is looking through the lens of a hopeful return to the Final Four and further B1G titles. Through any other lens, our incoming crew is certainly impressive. It's a complete team, and I believe they'll win a lot of games.
No shade to Lucy whatsoever b/c I'm thrilled she is a Hawk but there is a significant chasm between the All American teams and the HM AAs (for which only one vote is necessary). To be named a 1st or 2nd team AA is a rare honor. I don't think any of us should assume that just because Guyton or Stremlow is a PG for Iowa, they're likely to be an AA, even an HM. Could Lucy be a a 1st or 2nd team AA at Iowa? Perhaps. But probably not, bc that's the nature of those honors. Very few players are shoe-ins in any case.
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37 AP All Americans. 1,755 starting positions in Women’s College Basketball.
Lucy is one of the 37.
Not shabby.
By your reasoning…the ones selected as Honorable Mention All Americans are much worse as players than those that make first or second team All American.
So the Aaliyah Edwards that was Honorable Mention on one list was not as good as the Aaliyah Edwards that was second team by another outlet?
Same with Te-Hina Paopao?
What about ladies that were first or second team All American one year…then the following year just a lowly Honorable Mention…or didn’t make any All American status?
Either way you were more interested in moving the goal posts from your original statement than owning that what you said made no sense.
I have no idea who will be an All American this upcoming year…don’t think anyone would assume anything when it comes to that.
Just seems you are wanting to throw shade on folks for no reason when you have absolutely no idea how they will do… just like the rest of us…hell just like the players themselves.
But I am not going to discount that in 12 of the last 13 years the starting point guard for Iowa was a first team All American at some point in their career. Seems to be trending the right way.
Not unusual to have that many…unless it’s 1987 not usual to rotate through that many in one game.
Did you pull up the roster and recruits and just start throwing out names and some sort of pretense that you have a clue how they are going to perform…when nobody else on this planet really knows?
I will have to go back and find your posts back in 2018 explaining how Doyle was on the verge of becoming the Big Ten Player of the Year, and that the back up center that was not even getting 2 points a game was going to go on to be one of the best for the next four years.
I am sure back in 2015 when looking at that years incoming recruits you have all kinds of posts explaining how Megan is going to be the National Team Player of the Year before it is all over with.
It’s cool…I can go back and find a shit load of posts from 2020 telling us how it was a done deal that Paige was going to be a four time National Player of the Year.
Agree settling for fall-back recruits and so-so transfers are a good way to end up in as a middling team in the BIG
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anon_salmfilsntd0b
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The context of my comments concerns whether our future lineup can win a B1G title or return to the Final Four. Those are tall orders. I will cheer for this team whether they advance out of the Round of 32 or not. But the Final Four or a B1G title are by definition difficult feats. The roster as it stands is likely not a shoe-in for either. That is not a slight to our kids, but a testament to our competition.
As for the rotation...how is needing depth controversial? In the championship game we had zero bench points. South Carolina was able to get production from 9 players. When I say "depth in big games" I am referring to that -- not depth in a game versus Purdue. An elite team needs production from multiple bench players in big games. Iowa has not had that luxury...ever? Again, I was talking about a perfect world. We obviously don't live in a perfect world....
I hope I'm wrong about Levin but my opinion is that I'll be shocked if she is able to turn into an impact player for Iowa such that she will contribute to another Final Four run or B1G title. My opinion is based on her offer list, her AAU trajectory and her HS career. She may have contributed to past Iowa teams but most past Iowa teams didn't advance to the Final Four or win B1G titles. We have gotten used to it over the past 5-6 seasons but continued success at that level is not guaranteed (our HC hasn't even coached a game yet! lol).
I hope I'm wrong about Levin (hell, I hope I'm underestimating everyone). I welcome your input if you disagree. Please share why you think I'm wrong -- that's the point of message boards. I won't take it as a personal attack if you are Callie Levin's biggest fan. Feel free to bookmark this post and come back in 3 years if she does, I'll celebrate with you! I sincerely hope she has a great career as a Hawk. And no, I don't believe Iowa needs to necessarily advance to the Final Four in order for that to happen.
As for the AA discussion, IMO it's a fools errand to assume that any player will be an AA before a season has even begun, for obvious reasons. Every year fans from every school have opinions about who will receive such honors and most are disappointed. We will have to agree to disagree about whether HM AA is as venerable a distinction as 1st team, but it's no shade to Lucy or any Hawkeye alum to do so. It's also not a personal attack on you.
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Levin is an interesting case. At the time she committed, I think her offer list (Utah, Iowa State, Arkansas, Marquette, Purdue) was actually pretty solid for her age. She wasn't a Top 20-30 player, but that list was already better than Monika Czinano or Kate Martin's ever was.
In the middle of her HS career, she seemed to tail off. I remember watching her during the state tournament and seeing some positive traits, but wondering if she would be able to make an impact on an Iowa team competing for Sweet Sixteens or better.
When I watched her at the state tournament this year, I thought she looked a lot more polished offensively. She looked more like a player that could be part of Iowa's rotation, though maybe not an ideal starter.
It's also important to mention that rankings, offer lists, etc. are a snapshot in time. Martin went from not a pro prospect to 6th woman for the best team in the WNBA in basically a year. Czinano went from decent backup to one of the best bigs in the country in a year. Work ethic and good development can transform a player into something no one predicted very quickly.
I got no problem with depth…9 or 10 deep as you stated is not normally a desired goal to actually use in a tight game,
Lisa has throughout her history like to stick with her starting 5, and a short bench. Didn’t mean the bench didn’t have depth or talent, just meant she liked to get a group that got a lot of game reps together.
Yes there is examples in history of teams being successful going 10 deep…ie 1987. But if you really look at deep tournament run you far more often than not are not going to see teams really going 9 or 10 deep….most will stick to 7 or less.
Take a look at the box scores from the last 20 or so NCAA women’s finals and you will see the typical rotation is 5 (yes many teams stuck with their starters for 90%+ if the minutes) to 7. The outliers are in blowouts where they are just getting everyone minutes.
A solid 8 player rotation is the Goldilocks game plan IMO. The starting 5 plus a Center….then 2 guards and a forward, or vice-versa. Combo guards provide flexibility, a G/W/F player (such as Koupal) is extra valuable.
Beyond the 8 - ideally a defensive specialist and a 3PT scorer for spot minutes or extended time depending on matchup and/or game situation.
The context this history misses, I think, is the transfer portal. For most of CBB history, teams have had to rely mostly on high school recruiting. Even with bluebloods like UConn, that meant relying on players spread over 4 classes at various stages of development. It was very hard to have 9 or 10 players to rely on by the end of a season when factoring in injuries. Now teams like South Carolina can add experienced players each off-season to address needs while still dominating HS recruiting.
The championship game this year showed that. Kylie Feuerbach was Iowa's only transfer that played (I'm not counting Molly) and she only played 5 minutes. Otherwise, Iowa looked very much like teams of old.
South Carolina, meanwhile, got invaluable contributions from two transfers: Kamila Cardoso and Te-Hina Paopao. SC was still mostly homegrown players, but those portal additions were huge and helped them have the 9 deep rotation.
It seems very likely that South Carolina will be able to go 9 or 10 deep next year too, unless they have major injuries. If teams want to knock off South Carolina, they're going to have to get deeper or have good fortune come tournament time.
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anon_salmfilsntd0b
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Exactly. SC kept coming in waves. Their starters got to rest. BTW I don't know USC's roster off the back of my hand but they're also shaping up to very deep...it's not just South Carolina. We may still get it, but we're not there yet. I dream of a day when Iowa has this luxury lol.
IMO an ideal Iowa roster would include 8-10 players who could compete for PT. 2 bigs who could split duties at the 5, 2-3 Forwards, 2-3 wings and 2 CGs. I don't know if I'll ever see the day when Iowa can truly play a rotation like that in an NCAAT game....but a small part of me is hopeful that we may have such an opportunity at this time. Imagine how much we could score in a game if 3-5 of our starters could actually breathe. If Jan can make some magic with the 1 more player in '25 and 2-3 in '26, we may get close.
Watching the fever and WNBA cemented a feeling I started to have about 4 months ago. The Iowa coaching staff is not only underrated as a whole but underappreciated in their role developing/managing CC. Me included. I knew our coaches were good to great but WNBA really opened my eyes to what iowa WBB accomplished as coaches.
I'm sure the negative recruiting around WBB/Iowa is that they had CC who carried the team. "What are they gonna be without her? A good upper middle tier team again? Sure that's good if you're the number 70 recruit not top 20!"
The performance this year will be the pivot point. I think a lot of players/coaches are unable or are unwilling to parse Iowa's recent success and how much to attribute to CC being a phenom. Again, me included. I don't know enough about basketball to go in-depth on Xs/Os. I know enough about sports to claim the last two years we had a team cohesion, identity and style of play matching roster construction and player strengths/weaknesses that was elite- for any sport.
Regarding CC effect/recruiting:
I think the program has already taken a giant step forward but we are all suffering an anchoring bias when it comes to recruiting. The last few years being our new anchor. (if you like this sort of stuff, "thinking fast and slow" is THE read but very dense). Altogether from 2018, 2019, and 2020 we had *TWO* top 100 WBB recruits via ESPN. Including CC. Warnock was like 90th.
The CC effect has already happened in recruiting and has been huge even if we don't land these top 30 recruits. But that anchoring bias diminishes our perception. The CC effect may not have the highest initial (unreasonable?) returns we would hope for but it will have a LONG tail regardless. Between the olympics and CC's WNBA career it's entirely possible the zenith of the CC effect on recruiting won't be for another few years. The unfair tangential racial/nonracial social media BS arounder her will continue to diminish to some degree but how much of it is consciously/unconsciouly attributed to her will massively decline. Not here to debate that perspective or topic. Just my opinion.
All-in-all Iowa WBB short term potential will hinge on JJ's year 1/2. If this team succeeds then iowa WBB will be in a GREAT place in 4-6 years.
Awfully quiet on the 2025 recruiting front. After McGaughy's commit to the Huskies, no word on Hays?
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anon_salmfilsntd0b
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Kyle said he heard she is having trouble narrowing down her list. That means she wants to take more visits. I don’t think that bodes well for the Hawks.
I wouldn't really expect a ton of news at this point. Here's what we know:
Bourrage almost certainly isn't coming to Iowa. Iowa had interest in Jernigan and Henderson but they haven't made it to campus yet. Unless they take a visit, both seem unlikely.
Spieser still seems interested in Iowa and so far Iowa is the highest profile program that has offered. She might be holding out for an offer from another school, but so far that hasn't come and we're 5 months from signing day. Spieser has visited Iowa enough that another visit doesn't seem particularly likely. She'll probably either get a new offer or announce a commitment.
Hays has only taken 2 official visits so far: to Iowa and Gonzaga. She has family that really like Iowa, and now Iowa's coach is one of the best post-developers in the country. The good news for Iowa is that Hays doesn't really have a local option. Anything is a significant flight away. Hays might not see a great opportunity for playing time, though, with Heiden in the class before her. Another visit to Iowa this summer seems unlikely.
Nobody seems to have much idea what Skinner plans to do. She has plenty of offers, but has only taken visits to Utah, North Carolina, Arizona, Utah State, and Iowa. The good news for Iowa here is that if Skinner commits, she has a very good chance of being Iowa's PG from day 1. Utah is also the only real close-to-home option for her. Another visit to Iowa this summer seems unlikely after she visited so recently.
It's also not clear how many roster spots the staff want to fill. Iowa is at 15 for this upcoming year, but 12 for 2025-2026. If none of Spieser, Hays, or Skinner commit, Iowa could conceivably be done with the 2025 class and instead plan to bring in a transfer or two to fill needs once they have a better idea what those needs are.
To me, the key compliment for the Iowa women’s program is not CC. It is Kate Martin and Megan Gustafson. Talented players who progressed and developed into elite players while playing for Iowa. CC is on a level by herself. How good can the next level players become is the question. The answer could be argued, play at Iowa.
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anon_salmfilsntd0b
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They could also offer Feuerbach a COVID year.
Yes that's an option, but based upon what she said on one of Kate's Instagram Lives, I don't think it's all that likely. She seemed to contemplate one more year and then moving on. I think she'd have to take a significant step forward for that to be on the table for her or Iowa.
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anon_salmfilsntd0b
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My guess if that if a) Kylie earns a starting spot this year b) she is regularly contributing to the box score somehow c) Jan doesn’t feel giving her minutes to an underclassman would be a huge step back and D) we don’t land another Top 25 kid who would be ready to step in for her and contribute day one…it’d make sense to offer her a 5th year. My sense is Bluder was always very high on Feuerbach’s potential even with her imperfections. She got regular minutes from day 1 and this year had the green light even when she was cold game after game.
But yeah, that would mean a step forward for her this year. So not something I think is certain but def could be an option if Jan is thinking about transfer calculus and bridging gaps. Feuerbach could be a great glue player at multiple positions. I do agree tho that she’s not quite there yet. Like many here I have been hoping the class of 2025 would be a bunch of all stars and there’d be no need, but I think that scenario is unlikely now. I get that she can say no thanks as well.
It's also worth remembering that her sister plays at Eastern Washington, 15-20 miles from Gonzaga, and would be there (assuming she stays) for Layla's first 2 years at Gonzaga.
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anon_salmfilsntd0b
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She has also Liked multiple UW posts on IG. Seattle is basically the only place you can get a direct flight to Alaska, so that tracks. She has likely been at least a few times and living there would provide the most convenient access home.
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anon_salmfilsntd0b
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We won't know the impact of Lisa retiring for awhile. I think Jan can be very good but it may certainly cause some recruits to take pause.
Sure feels like Iowa has lost any and all momentum they had coming off back to back NC games right now.....
Really, we have a top class right now, with a couple options waiting on.
Quite a few others had offers as well. It seems clear on who they would have accepted commitments from in the 25 class by who they had visit.
Who is saying our fanbase is racist?
Anonymous people online?
Can't play both sides, sourgrapes.
Have to say, I'm a little concerned that we've had no commits, or even likely prospects since Addie Deal. Something needs to happen fairly soon in order for the program to maintain momentum. It can all disappear so easily. We're not UConn, SC, etc. If any of you have any real info on the likelihood of specific players, I'd love to hear it.
Easy to become frustrated on our schedules....need to be patient. I have those thoughts as well.
Layla Hays was expected to be a July/August decision for a long time. No idea on anyone else.
Layla Hays was expected to be a July/August decision for a long time. No idea on anyone else.
The previous 2 messages use the term "frustrated" and "concerned".
I would think understanding that we changed head coaches just 2 weeks ago should be taken into consideration, heck, we have 2 assistant coaching positions open. These issues would certainly slow down any program a bit.
Until I hear differently from players committing to other schools, I will continue hoping and thinking Iowa is in good shape to get the players they really want. Jan won't take any fallback recruits. She's in it to win now as she has waited a long time for this opportunity.
I would think understanding that we changed head coaches just 2 weeks ago should be taken into consideration, heck, we have 2 assistant coaching positions open. These issues would certainly slow down any program a bit.
Until I hear differently from players committing to other schools, I will continue hoping and thinking Iowa is in good shape to get the players they really want. Jan won't take any fallback recruits. She's in it to win now as she has waited a long time for this opportunity.
How many times I have heard the words frustrated and concerned over the years on FB and BB also. It's part of the journey. Patience folks.
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anon_salmfilsntd0b
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Some random tidbits:
1) According to this article, Divine Bourrage has scheduled visits to Arizona (Sept. 7), California (Sept. 14), Virginia Tech (Sept. 21) and LSU (Oct. 12). I can’t read the full article so idk what else of interest may lie therein….im guessing there’s no mention of interest in Iowa, but I will say that this does go to show that ‘25 kids will still be narrowly their lists and going on visits into the fall.
2) ESPN’s latest rankings for 2025 were released, this time expanding to 100. Deal fell a bit to #22 (still a 5 ⭐️). Houston fell HARD to #74….that’s a bummer. I’m sure injuries contributed to both declines.
Looking at our targets tho:
Amani Jenkins from Johnston also showed up at #82. Anyone know the deal with her? I actually don’t think I’ve heard of her before…a quick scan of her Twitter list doesn’t rly reveal too much about her offer list besides a recent one from Cal.
3) I learned today that Adelaide Jernigan and Maddyn Greenway are friends. They visited Tennessee at the same time. May or may not be meaningful. Probably not.
4) In the most meaningless of updates, I’ve noticed a slight uptick in Iowa WBB Likes from Layla Hays on IG (she has basically Liked every recent post about the new season). Probably means absolutely nothing…but there’s really not much else to report on with any of our targets, so I thought I’d share with the class.
On a more thoughtful note…. I realized that, unless Guyton makes the smoothest of recoveries, it may make sense for her to red shirt her freshman year, effectively putting her in the class of 2025. Add a potential COVID year for Feuerbach and all of a sudden the incoming classes are a bit more balanced in coming years. That could — to some extent — explain the relative quiet.
IMO if we can only get one of the ‘25 targets, I’d want it to be Hays, followed by Speiser and then Skinner…due to positional need. We rly need another big. Outside Heiden, none of our 7 commits for ‘25/‘26 clear 6’0.
1) According to this article, Divine Bourrage has scheduled visits to Arizona (Sept. 7), California (Sept. 14), Virginia Tech (Sept. 21) and LSU (Oct. 12). I can’t read the full article so idk what else of interest may lie therein….im guessing there’s no mention of interest in Iowa, but I will say that this does go to show that ‘25 kids will still be narrowly their lists and going on visits into the fall.
2) ESPN’s latest rankings for 2025 were released, this time expanding to 100. Deal fell a bit to #22 (still a 5 ⭐️). Houston fell HARD to #74….that’s a bummer. I’m sure injuries contributed to both declines.
Looking at our targets tho:
- Skinner stayed steady at #9
- Speiser dropped ever so slightly to #20
- Taliyah Henderson ascended further to #21
- Jernigan fell a bit to #58
- Hays debuted at #63 (she is listed at 6’4 btw….she is usually listed at 6’5 or 6’6).
Amani Jenkins from Johnston also showed up at #82. Anyone know the deal with her? I actually don’t think I’ve heard of her before…a quick scan of her Twitter list doesn’t rly reveal too much about her offer list besides a recent one from Cal.
3) I learned today that Adelaide Jernigan and Maddyn Greenway are friends. They visited Tennessee at the same time. May or may not be meaningful. Probably not.
4) In the most meaningless of updates, I’ve noticed a slight uptick in Iowa WBB Likes from Layla Hays on IG (she has basically Liked every recent post about the new season). Probably means absolutely nothing…but there’s really not much else to report on with any of our targets, so I thought I’d share with the class.
On a more thoughtful note…. I realized that, unless Guyton makes the smoothest of recoveries, it may make sense for her to red shirt her freshman year, effectively putting her in the class of 2025. Add a potential COVID year for Feuerbach and all of a sudden the incoming classes are a bit more balanced in coming years. That could — to some extent — explain the relative quiet.
IMO if we can only get one of the ‘25 targets, I’d want it to be Hays, followed by Speiser and then Skinner…due to positional need. We rly need another big. Outside Heiden, none of our 7 commits for ‘25/‘26 clear 6’0.
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I've seen Amani Jenkins play a couple times last year for Johnston (loaded Jennica Lewis team); transferred there from a Des Moines metro school, North. Really impressive inside, 6'2" I believe. If she had a few more inches she'd be much more highly rated. Has committed to Marquette I think, although with her showing up on this list who knows what will happen.
Hope you both realize that Iowa started several three star players last yrar that weren't ranked nationally. It has a lot to do with development and hard work.
