Megan Gustafson went down in history as the greatest women's basketball player in Hawekeye history. She was named the national player of the year in 2019 after leading the nation in points per game (27.9) and field goal percentage (69.6). She also led the Hawks to the Elite 8.
With all of those accolades, however, her game didn't translate to the WNBA. She was drafted something like 17th overall, which was lower than most expected for the national player of the year, then 3 days later the team that drafted her cut her. The explanations given were that she dominated college opponents based on her size, but her game was ineffective for the WNBA.
Garza absolutely dominated the Big 10 this year unlike any Hawk in most of our lifetimes. He's been named him the national player of the year by some publications, and had double doubles in almost every Big 10 game.
Surprisingly, he's been in college for 3 years (a long time, by college all-American standards), yet we're not hearing draft analysts rave about the guy.
No one has a crystal ball, but the question lingers, is Garza a Gustafson (star in college, but destined for European basketball) or can his game flourish in the NBA? Unlike Gustafson, he can hit 3 pointers at a pretty good clip. On the other hand, Gustafson was a much better free throw shooter, rebounder, and shot blocker, statistically. Time will tell, and the board's homers will be triggered to their safe zones at the very question, but it's a valid one.
With all of those accolades, however, her game didn't translate to the WNBA. She was drafted something like 17th overall, which was lower than most expected for the national player of the year, then 3 days later the team that drafted her cut her. The explanations given were that she dominated college opponents based on her size, but her game was ineffective for the WNBA.
Garza absolutely dominated the Big 10 this year unlike any Hawk in most of our lifetimes. He's been named him the national player of the year by some publications, and had double doubles in almost every Big 10 game.
Surprisingly, he's been in college for 3 years (a long time, by college all-American standards), yet we're not hearing draft analysts rave about the guy.
No one has a crystal ball, but the question lingers, is Garza a Gustafson (star in college, but destined for European basketball) or can his game flourish in the NBA? Unlike Gustafson, he can hit 3 pointers at a pretty good clip. On the other hand, Gustafson was a much better free throw shooter, rebounder, and shot blocker, statistically. Time will tell, and the board's homers will be triggered to their safe zones at the very question, but it's a valid one.
