Regarding the Kylie - Gabbie discussion, a player I think/hope will be in the mix is Sydney Affolter. From what I've seen of her, she is aggressive, has the body and strength and can get to the basket. She just needs more playing time.
Iowa Women's Basketball Recruiting Offer/Commitment List
- Thread starter KyleHuesmann
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Gabbie, Kylie, and Sydney are a good example of the floor vs. ceiling discussions in sports.
Gabbie has a really high floor on her talent. She's already a decent starter and would start at many P5 schools. She shoots well and plays decent defense. But her ceiling is also relatively low. I don't think she's going to get significantly better than she is now. She's also fairly limited in that I don't think her defense will get much better (because she isn't that fast) and it would take significant work for her to be good off the dribble.
Kylie and Sydney both have higher ceilings than Gabbie IMO. Kylie is more athletic than Gabbie. She has the potential to be a better defender and contribute more on the glass. She's already better off the dribble on offense. And her shot seems decent. But she also turns it over a lot and commits bad fouls. The coaches don't trust her as much as Gabbie because she makes mistakes that Gabbie doesn't.
I think Sydney has more defensive and rebounding potential than any of our guards not named Clark. She's physical and attacks the basket to get rebounds. Offensively, she has no fear of taking shots in big moments. That said, she also has to have better awareness about when to take those shots and how not to dribble into trouble. And I think her offensive game is very much a work in progress.
With our current roster and rotation, we're a Sweet 16 or Elite 8 caliber team. We would've made at least the Sweet 16 this year but for having our worst offensive game of the season at the worst possible time. Kylie and Sydney (or McCabe when she gets here) have the ability to raise the team's level higher if they can get closer to reaching their ceilings. That's a big if, though. Plenty of players never get close to their ceilings.
Gabbie has a really high floor on her talent. She's already a decent starter and would start at many P5 schools. She shoots well and plays decent defense. But her ceiling is also relatively low. I don't think she's going to get significantly better than she is now. She's also fairly limited in that I don't think her defense will get much better (because she isn't that fast) and it would take significant work for her to be good off the dribble.
Kylie and Sydney both have higher ceilings than Gabbie IMO. Kylie is more athletic than Gabbie. She has the potential to be a better defender and contribute more on the glass. She's already better off the dribble on offense. And her shot seems decent. But she also turns it over a lot and commits bad fouls. The coaches don't trust her as much as Gabbie because she makes mistakes that Gabbie doesn't.
I think Sydney has more defensive and rebounding potential than any of our guards not named Clark. She's physical and attacks the basket to get rebounds. Offensively, she has no fear of taking shots in big moments. That said, she also has to have better awareness about when to take those shots and how not to dribble into trouble. And I think her offensive game is very much a work in progress.
With our current roster and rotation, we're a Sweet 16 or Elite 8 caliber team. We would've made at least the Sweet 16 this year but for having our worst offensive game of the season at the worst possible time. Kylie and Sydney (or McCabe when she gets here) have the ability to raise the team's level higher if they can get closer to reaching their ceilings. That's a big if, though. Plenty of players never get close to their ceilings.
After watching both Gabbie and Kylie play all year I don't think either of them are the answer. They do not have the physical strength or quickness to compete against other Big10 guards. Gabbie is too slow and cannot create anything on her own. Her foot speed is lacking as other teams guards go right by her and she cannot fight through any screens. Kylie is not physical enough and gets brushed off like a fly. Hopefully they get someone in the portal or one of these recruits can add something. Otherwise we will not get to the next level. Martin is not a legitimate Big10 forward either. She is just not physical enough or athletic enough when other teams play that way. Just my opinions. I hope I am wrong. Jensen the transfer from Creighton looked better than all of these players last Sunday.
I don't think Goodman has the agility to be much of a rebounder. The two incoming recruits from Iowa look to be the best bets to help shore up the subpar rebounding dilemma.
Did you even watch last season? Goodman is ALREADY an EXCELLENT rebounder. She is a Jamie Cavey clone in terms of how she plays.
I saw Goodman play in high school. If she is fully recovered from the ACL, she'll be a factor.
Greenway's 38 point performance against Holy Angels is now on YouTube. Holy Angels is one of the top private schools in Division 3A in MN. Not a perfect game but Greenway is impressive, especially with her 3 point shooting. Maddyn was being double teamed most of the game as well. You can see her BB IQ also in this game along with her ability to draw fouls. Really hoping Bluder offers soon as she is player we will need to lock up early.
Olivia Olson's 27 point performance against Holy Angels in the 3A sectional final for comparison. I'd love to get both Olson and Greenway.
I am generally sympathetic to the idea that Iowa needs to get more athletic, and I too have been critical of specific players. So I might understand where ronnh is coming from. But I cringed at reading Kate Martin “is not a legitimate Big10 forward.” She may not be a first team all Big 10 player, but she is more than a legitimate Big 10 player. In an exceedingly good year for the Big 10, Iowa won 2 Big 10 championship trophies, and Kate was a significant reason for that success. She played over 30 minutes a game, averaged over 7 points and nearly 5 rebounds. That is certainly legitimate. She is a good (not great) defender. Perhaps her finest moments were at the Big Ten tourney, where she played great, and was a key reason why Iowa hosted the trophy in Indy.
I also suspect that ronnh is a true Hawkeye fan who may not have intended to denigrate Kate. But I thought the label did not fit Kate, a true Hawkeye who is every bit a legitimate Big 10 player.
I also think Kate is playing out of position. She's what I would call a point forward and I think she's better suited for the 4. Still needs to work on her outside shooting but she's an excellent rebounder and is nearly impossible to stop when cutting to the basket.
She isn't at her ceiling yet. We saw glimpses during the BTT as AMAYS has mentioned. Also scored 19 against PSU two years ago when she got hot from outside. If she can continue to develop her outside shooting she can be a consistent 15 points 10 rebounds a game type player. She's had several games where she's been close to a double-double. Also tends to really set up other players and was 2nd in assists on the team last season with 3.5 per game.
It's the things that don't show up in the stat column that really make her special. Help defense, going after loose balls, and setting screens. I really think she is due for a breakout year her senior season. If McCabe can draw as much attention as I think she will, Kate will be freed up on the perimeter or to get to the rim often next season.
We need more help on defense rather than offense. I hope you are right about Sydney, but I don't see her as someone who is quick enough to stop people from driving to the basket. We need to recruit quicker athletes who can defend and score.
Syd is an athlete as is Stueke among the freshman. The defense isn't as much of an issue as rebounding. We actually play pretty good defense on most possessions only to give up 2nd/3rd chance points. Syd showed some flashes as a rebounder when Warnock was out.
The coaching staff had an in-home visit with Jasmine Brown from Joliet, Illinois. Brown is a 5’9” SG and is ranked as the #43 player in the 2023 class by ESPN. Brown is a teammate of Kennise Johnson-Etienne, who Iowa has also offered in this class.
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Kate's production is just really inconsistent. She was spectacular in the Big Ten Tournament. That version of Kate is an All-Big Ten Player. If we could get her to match that level of production consistently next year, we could legitimately be a Final Four caliber team.
But against Creighton she was 2/9 from the floor, 0/4 from three, and really didn't have a huge impact on the game. With that version of Kate, we could lose to any NCAA Tournament caliber team.
If even ONE of our players actually put their rear end into the opposing players body and moved them backwe win the game.
Coaches need to work on basic rebounding fundamentals. Standing in your spot when the shot goes up, hoping the ball comes to you is not ever going to get the job done at the higher levels of competition.
The “help defense” needs to be worked on, too. We always seem to be a full step late when it is time to rotate over.
Coaches need to work on basic rebounding fundamentals. Standing in your spot when the shot goes up, hoping the ball comes to you is not ever going to get the job done at the higher levels of competition.
The “help defense” needs to be worked on, too. We always seem to be a full step late when it is time to rotate over.
You are right. I did not mean to denigrate Kate. She certainly gives everything she has. She looked great in some of the Big10 tournament games. Her size and rebounding ability really hurt her. I don't think Gabbie/Warnock or Martin are good defenders or rebounders. It is not due to effort. I think it is just plain athleticism. I sure hope I am wrong and they all improve next year.
I think one of the biggest offensive problems with McKenna and Kate and Gabbie is consistency. The first dozen games of last season, McKenna was pretty consistent, but not so much after that, and I realize she hurt her left hand. Kate and Gabbie had some good stretches and some bad stretches. McKenna averaged 11.0 and Kate 7.2 and Gabbie 6.8 points per game. During the regular season and tournaments, there were only 3 games where they all hit their season average in the same game. I'm not sure what that means, but that's what happened.
This right here tells me you don't follow Iowa women's basketball much so I'll give you a pass on your Gabby Marshall take.
It's quite possible. She never seemed to regain her 3 point shooting touch. Some of that could be confidence as well. We saw it with Gabbie as well after coming back from injury that there was a lack of confidence. She passed up open shots.
Lead the team in steals shot over 39% from three but ok.
I would say Marshall is a better than average to good defender. She does get beat sometimes but most of the time she's pretty solid. She's best when she's defending along the perimeter or at the top of a press. Quick hands and she can be very disruptive.
She's a really good spot up three-point shooter but she can't create her own shot. In the offseason she needs to focus on creating space to get her shot off and perfecting the pull up jumper. I still think McCabe will surpass her by the end of the next season as a starter or at the very last take up a bulk of Gabbie's minutes. I see Gabbie at her best as more of a defensive/3 point shooting specialist who should be playing 15-18 minutes a game as a change of pace type guard. She'll start at the beginning of the year because of her knowledge and experience.
Defensively in the offseason she needs to work on her close out speed and angles and knowing when to set up to take a charge, especially when players are driving the lane.
She's a really good spot up three-point shooter but she can't create her own shot. In the offseason she needs to focus on creating space to get her shot off and perfecting the pull up jumper. I still think McCabe will surpass her by the end of the next season as a starter or at the very last take up a bulk of Gabbie's minutes. I see Gabbie at her best as more of a defensive/3 point shooting specialist who should be playing 15-18 minutes a game as a change of pace type guard. She'll start at the beginning of the year because of her knowledge and experience.
Defensively in the offseason she needs to work on her close out speed and angles and knowing when to set up to take a charge, especially when players are driving the lane.
Rebounding I think is the biggest issue. We won a lot of games and the conference and the Big tourney. When we struggled the most we were getting out rebounded. We are not real physical
Wbb is about driving. CC is the only one with the handles and guts to do it. Kate can, but rarely does it. Gabby goes in and backs out like she is afraid of contact. Warnock drove last year at times but did not try much this year. Creighton had a whole team that drove on us. I hope the Nebraska girl can drive
Hanna Steulke can rebound and score, inside and at the 3-point line. I think she has the most minutes of the freshmen.
I see McCabe getting the most minutes 18-20 ish with Stuelke getting the 2nd most 14-18 ish. McCabe is a three level scorer and what the offense has been missing. Stuelke will still be backing up Warnock and maybe getting some minutes at the 3 as well behind Kate depending on matchups. Warnock will be harder to supplant because of her shooting ability when she's hot.
McCabe will back up Gabbie and maybe eventually be the starting 2. She likely will also get an opportunity to back up Caitlyn at PG. She appears to be a very good ball handler from her tapes. Of course, we never know for any player how the game is going to translate to tougher competition. McCabe is also the highest rated of all the recruits.
I think I'll take the under on those minutes guesses, assuming a relatively healthy roster. If the freshman play that many minutes it would mean most or all of the following:
Marshall is no longer playing starter minutes, Feuerbach isn't playing much. Wetering and Affolter aren't playing at all, and one of O'Grady or Goodman also isn't playing
I’m no basketball expert but in my uninformed opinion.... it sure seems that between Goodman coming back and the incoming talented freshmen we should have really good front court depth
wouldn’t that give us the ability to adjust our lineup to match up better against teams like say Maryland and help our rebounding..... seems like there will be lot’s of options depending on who we’re playing
or maybe we’ll have some players redshirt.... I’m really excited about the roster additions and possibilities for next season
wouldn’t that give us the ability to adjust our lineup to match up better against teams like say Maryland and help our rebounding..... seems like there will be lot’s of options depending on who we’re playing
or maybe we’ll have some players redshirt.... I’m really excited about the roster additions and possibilities for next season
More information on the 3-point high school shooting contest that McCabe will be participating in:
- She is one of FOUR national recruits that will be in the contest
- The other 3 include Londynn Jones (#22 recruit to UCLA), Kailyn Gilbert (#31 recruit to Arizona), and Tonie Morgan (#24 recruit to Georgia Tech)
- She is one of FOUR national recruits that will be in the contest
- The other 3 include Londynn Jones (#22 recruit to UCLA), Kailyn Gilbert (#31 recruit to Arizona), and Tonie Morgan (#24 recruit to Georgia Tech)
We are certainly going to have more front court depth than we have had in recent history. The issue is most of that front court depth isn't particularly athletic.
Against teams like Maryland or Creighton we could try to play with two 5s to help the rebounding, but our on-ball defense would suffer significantly. Monika had a ton of issues on defense against Creighton. At one point we had her guarding their point guard, because she was least likely to shoot a three. Add O'Grady or Goodman on the court, and those on-ball defensive issues expand further.
that makes sense..... my thought was we could go bigger or play small ball given the matchup..... maybe that would disrupt the team chemistry? I didn’t play basketball..... required too much hand eye coordination.... I wrestled...... played defense in football and ran track.....very little skill involved 😂
It’s funny I have had season wrestling tickets for 20 years and consider wrestling the purest form of athletic competition.... but watching the Hawks basketball games makes me more nervous than any other sport..... things can swing so quickly in basketball and there are so many factors at play..... it really stresses me out to watch 😂😂
I don't see Wetering getting many minutes coming off injury and hasn't really played much at all. Affolter will get some minutes at the 3 but limited as long as Kate is here and not in foul trouble.
I see McCabe taking Tomi's minutes and then some of Gabbie's minutes. I've said I think Gabbie will get surpassed by season's end. But even if she stays in the starting lineup I would expect her to go down to 20-25 minutes a game tops.
I don't see Goodman or O'grady getting minutes anywhere but the 5. I'm hoping one of the two redshirts because there's not many minutes with Monika coming back.
Stuelke will cut into Warnock's minutes and might get a few at the 3.
With more effective backups I can see all the starters minutes going down a little. Take 5 minutes from Clark maybe 5 from Warnock, 10 from Gabbie, 5 from Kate.
Bluder has got to consider protecting players from injury and allowing players to get experience. Also need to protect players from being exhausted.
I'm basing my assessment on the idea that Bluder will play a deeper bench. I see Syd and Kylie staying about the same as there were this year as far as minutes.
We'd be replacing Tomi's 17 minutes per game and then maybe 25 extra minutes split between the starters playing less minutes.
Yes. Stuelke is impressive in transition with sprinter speed. Can shoot deep, mid, get to the rim and post up.
She will be part of some law firm by this time next season.
