Iowa Women's Basketball Recruiting Offer/Commitment List
- Thread starter KyleHuesmann
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Bluder could probably coach another decade hypothetically if she stays healthy. There's always a concern of health problems later in life but she had the advantage of being active because of her job.
If I had to guess she steps down before that. Maybe in 3-4 years. If Iowa made a FF under Clark, Bluder might retire - the whole 'going out on top' thing.
C. Vivian Stringer is still coaching at 74. I'd expect if her health issues continue she'll step down after next season. She was out this season but since there's been nothing on her retiring I expect her back.
So with that in mind, Bluder's age is not really an issue.
Max preps has her listed as C/PF. But we have Jada who is a C/PF on roster as well as Shatereah Wettering and Hannah Stuelke who are capable of playing both forward spots.
Loomis Goltl doesn't have any 3 point attempts in HS per Max Preps. I haven't seen any AAU tape. They might have been looking at her because her sister Olivia is a 5'10 PG in '24.
I think Bluder wants to make a run at 1,000 career wins. She is at 819 right now, so you figure 20-25 wins a season and that’s another 7-9 years. Currently only 5 D1 coaches have reached 1000.
Geno Auriemma is 68 and I haven't heard anyone speculate about his retirement. As Gabe said, Coach Bluder turns 61 on Saturday. We're not losing out on recruits because people think Bluder is about to retire.
Aside from Crooks, what 2023 recruits have we really missed out on? Ashlynn Shade and KK Arnold both committed to UConn. That tells me they were probably never coming here. There are a few Illinois players in the back half of the Top 60, but several haven't committed yet.
I think 2023 is just a relatively down year for players from places we normally target. There are fewer members of All Iowa Attack ranked in the 2023 class compared to 2022 for example.
Aside from Crooks, what 2023 recruits have we really missed out on? Ashlynn Shade and KK Arnold both committed to UConn. That tells me they were probably never coming here. There are a few Illinois players in the back half of the Top 60, but several haven't committed yet.
I think 2023 is just a relatively down year for players from places we normally target. There are fewer members of All Iowa Attack ranked in the 2023 class compared to 2022 for example.
And I haven't seen any serious discussion of "will Geno retire after this year" and "is UConn losing recruits because Geno is about to retire" despite those comments.
When Coach Bluder rushed the field hockey field, she did appear a little gingerly. But I think she's still in top shape 
Britt Prince and Olivia Olson are the 2 big recruits that the Iowa staff should be all in on. Both are '24 recruits and have shown some interest in Iowa in the past.
Respectfully disagree with the above take. The 2023 class was the first class to test whether the combination of Caitlin Clark/Iowa’s recent success was going to help Iowa attract more athletic recruits and beat schools that prize athleticism. To date, the answer is no, and losing Williams would really hurt.
Losing Wood to MSU, Beaumont to IU, Woodson and Brown to Michigan, Jones to Purdue and Reynolds to Maryland is also the opposite of an improvement in recruiting. Now some of those losses were to home state schools, which can be tough to beat. But depending on recruits not offered by the top instate schools (e.g. Ediger) is a tough way to succeed. Finally, it would be nice to see some evidence that Raina Harmon is going to help improve Iowa’s recruiting. We know what to expect with Bluder/Jensen and company, but was hoping than an outsider (Harmon) could help boost recruiting.
The magnitude of losing Crooks will be determined in a few years. The only way she'll be effective is if she has teammates that are consistently hitting outside shots to draw the defense out.
Most of her success to date has been based on her bulk and all the 6' and in shots. If she loses weight to run the court better... it greatly reduces the advantage she has now with just bruising her way to the hoop.
Time will tell. And does she have the ability to withstand those all too frequent meltdown tirades ole Bill is famous for?
Most of her success to date has been based on her bulk and all the 6' and in shots. If she loses weight to run the court better... it greatly reduces the advantage she has now with just bruising her way to the hoop.
Time will tell. And does she have the ability to withstand those all too frequent meltdown tirades ole Bill is famous for?
I still think the 2021 and 2022 classes (where every player was rated in the top 100 of at least 1 service) show an improvement in recruiting compared to most of the Bluder era (except the 2 classes that made up most of our Elite 8 team).
Thing is, most of the recruits in 2021 and 2022 had some connection to All Iowa Attack. We've formed a pipeline of sorts with All Iowa Attack players the last few years, but their 2023 class largely doesn't rank as highly as some of the prior classes.
We also have to consider Covid for the 2023 class especially. Iowa's family atmosphere and fan support for women's basketball are both big selling points of the program. The 2023 class hasn't gotten to experience those features nearly as much as most classes due to Covid restrictions. When you aren't able to experience other opportunities, it's much easier to stay with the in state school you know best.
IMO the 2024 class is a better barometer for whether our recruiting success will continue. Olson, Prince, and Hargrove are all really talented players in surrounding states who have shown interest, but who don't play for All Iowa Attack. Can we land any of them?
I think they can try on Price, but to me she is destined for a big name school. Don’t know much on Olson or Hargrove.
I know Prince has visted Iowa and I think? The coaches have went to watch Olson.
I think Olson's family has some connection to Iowa, which gives me more hope than I have for Prince. But Olson also has plenty of big names interested, and has also visited a bunch of schools.
Hargrove is a little more under the radar, but I really like the tape I saw, and I think Iowa and Indiana are the only big names involved so far. She also attended a game, which shows reciprocal interest we don't necessarily see with all recruits.
Prince’s mom coaches her club team in Nebraska. Asst. Coach of said team is Amy Williams husband and their daughter is on the team. Amy Williams doing all she can to keep Prince in state. The pull will be strong for her to stay in Lincoln.
I feel Hargrove is waiting for a Louisville offer. Hope they stay away, then I like our chances.
I think until we get finished with the uncertainty of the covid years we're going to have problems. I feel most players want a chance at playing time. With the roster size and numerous people eligible for covid years that's going to be hard to do. Just my opinion.
Where Iowa WBB Stands with the 2023 Class
Projected 2023-24 Team Guards: Caitlin Clark, Kylie Feuerbach, Sydney Affolter, Taylor McCabe Forwards: Shateah Wetering, AJ Ediger, Hannah Stuelke, Jada Gyamfi Centers: Sharon Goodman, Addison O'Grady Projected 2024-25 Team Guards: Sydney Affolter, Taylor McCabe, Callie Levin Forwards: AJ...
iowa.forums.rivals.com
Tomorrow is the start of a big weekend as the AAU season kicks into full swing. I'm sure Iowa will have coaches in Hampton, Virginia for the Nike EYBL (where 2 All Iowa Attack teams will be) as well as other places across the country.
I think those EYBL games are going to be streamed on Twitch, which is linked at the top on their website here: https://nikegirlseybl.com/
I think those EYBL games are going to be streamed on Twitch, which is linked at the top on their website here: https://nikegirlseybl.com/
Purdue and Ohio State will have coaches there according to twitter. Iowa doesn’t advertise where their coaches are going like some teams.
Jan, at least, is in VA per her social media.
They had a picture of Jan and Lisa on a plane heading out to see some young guns.
Raina is in Charlotte, NC, which is having the Insider Exposure Apache Memorial tourney this weekend. It’s about 5 hours from the EYBL tourney so I suppose there’s a chance she heads over there as well at some point.
Edit: looks like she’s now in Birmingham, AL for the GUAA tourney (Under Armor)
Edit: looks like she’s now in Birmingham, AL for the GUAA tourney (Under Armor)
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I’m still pretty confident they land Kennise Johnson-Etienne. Also Iowa never offered Loomis-Goltl. They visted her once and she visited Iowa once.
Covid changed recruiting for Iowa quite a bit, I think. Sharon Goodman has the eligibility of an incoming freshman, for example, despite being on roster for two years. Because of the additional Covid season, Iowa can probably afford to take 1 or even 0 players in the 2023 class so long as the 2024 class is solid.
I'm sure the coaches still wanted Crooks or some of the players who have committed elsewhere, but missing on most top targets in the 2023 class won't have the impact it normally would have because of the Covid year.
I think the coaches not offering Loomis-Goltl is somewhat significant in that it shows they either feel confident in landing some of their remaining 2023 targets or think taking fewer players in 2023 is fine.
Back in 2017 we offered Paula Valino Ramos really late in the process. Paula barely played in her time with Iowa, and I didn't see anything in her game that would make me think she had tons of potential that was underdeveloped.
Loomis-Goltl received other P5 offers, so I assume she is better than Paula was. Yet Iowa didn't offer her (that we know of) even after missing out on Crooks and other top talent in the region. Clearly the coaches aren't just extending offers to players lower on their list when players higher up commit elsewhere.
My top 3 in 2024 in the region are:
Olivia Olson 6'0'- Benilde Saint Margaret HS- Minnesota.
She's a natural 2 that might be able to play 1 in college if necessary. She's also one of the top recruits in the country in 2024. She's taken visits to Iowa, Notre Dame, Oregon, and a number of other schools. I think UConn is also interested. I believe I heard at some point that someone in her immediate family is an Iowa fan, so that could be helpful. I think she is a realistic target and would go a long way in helping Iowa stay in the top of the Big Ten post-Clark.
Britt Prince 5'11'- Elkhorn North HS- Nebraska
She's ranked top 10 in the 2024 class and is more of a natural 1. She's taken a visit to Iowa, but has also visited a ton of top schools. She has family connections to Nebraska, so my guess is she either goes to Nebraska or one of the top schools in the nation. I don't think Iowa has much of a shot.
Amiah Hargrove 6'2'- Christopher, Illinois
Amiah isn't rated in the Top 25 on ESPN, but I really like the tape I saw on her. She's tall, athletic, and can handle the basketball well. She could be an ideal fit for what we're trying to do at the 4 position now, or could also play the 3 if we want a bigger lineup. Right now she's flying a little under the radar in that Iowa and Indiana are the only major programs who have offered her. She attended the Michigan game, so I think she is a realistic target.
I think there are some other highly ranked players in Illinois and Wisconsin, but I'm just not that familiar with them. If Iowa could land Olson and Hargrove I think 2024 would be one of the best recruiting classes in program history.
With the lack of 2023 targets and with our local targeted recruits committing elsewhere leads me to my prediction that Warnock, Martin, and Marshall are all gonna take the extra covid year. (I have no inside info just a prediction).
