Yes she wants Kate Martin to return. Why wouldn't she? She enjoys playing with her and she knows she can trust her on the court.
**NEW** Iowa Women's Basketball Recruiting Thread
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anon_salmfilsntd0b
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I’m more surprised that KM would need convincing tbh. Does that mean the offer stands if she wants it?
I would sure think so. Kate does bring a lot to the dance but roles can change with personnel.
Last I knew she was ready to just move on with life after this season. Kate and Monika are extremely close, she'll have her masters in May, and each game she just gets completely beaten up, so it's just time?
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anon_salmfilsntd0b
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Well, there's still time to have a great season, if they can get things turned around. There's also time to find a player or two for the 2023 class. But a loss this week to the Cyclones would be pretty devastating.
Look at the game day info on the WBB schedule for each game a couple of days before the game. Generally lot 75 fills up quickly. Lot 43 is okay. Lot 65 is for getting there 15 minutes before tipoff..
An updates on Jada Gyamfi? Not sure if she's still injured, getting red-shirted, or..
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she is out of the boot, and seems to be going through warmups. Not sure if redshirting, or just buried on depth chart because she was out for a bit.
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anon_salmfilsntd0b
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She actually told the media early on that she didn’t expect to play much this year so i can’t help but assume Bluder has told her to manage her expectations.
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I have a Lot 46 pass for womens games....but with all the construction spots are limited so have to get there early to secure a spot.
At this point, a redshirt season would make sense. Hopefully, Jada can build her skills to become a legit PF in Bluder's system.
We really needed to win this game, for a range of reasons. Maybe the best defensive game I've seen the Hawks play in several years. Addy overcoming a rather slow start to the season with a great game backing up Monika. Another important game from Kate Mar-Dun. It may not always show on the stat sheet, but Molly Davis is a true portal gift. Now, we need two or three more of those to counter our vacant 2023 class.
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anon_salmfilsntd0b
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LOL.
In all seriousness, Mardun is trending in the right direction. Not a perfect showing every game, but certainly doing the work and showing up more and more.
If we continue to perform well, maybe we can land ex-Louisville G Peyton Verhulst from the portal (Top 15 kid out of KS w/ three yrs of eligibility left).
Wow, ok. I remember watching her in the USA U16/18 games. That would be a nice add.
Is Iowa actively recruiting Verhulst ? She and Clark did play together 2 summers ago on the gold medal team and would be an excellent pickup.
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anon_salmfilsntd0b
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Idk if anyone here knows the answer but Bluder and co certainly know we could use a dynamic 2 next year and they must be keeping their fingers on the pulse of the portal.
The Clark connection is new to me tho so that’s a nice little surprise. I’d love to see our recruiting footprint continue to expand into Kansas. In addition to ISU, I’m sure OSU / KU / KSU will pursue her as well, but ISU/KSU already have very talented guards. Idk much about OU / KU tbh. Her reason for leaving was wanting more playing time. Walz said he didn’t blame her, no drama.
Jenni Fitzgerald follows her on twitter, but that is it, so at the moment I would guess no?
I'm not sure Verhulst is a win-now portal addition. I'm sure she's extremely talented, and maybe a change of scenery will be what she needs, but so far she doesn't have much of a track record of elite performance.
She played 11 minutes per game at Louisville last year, but was only averaging 15 so far this year before transferring. And that's on a Louisville team that's probably worse than we are this year.
I know nothing about Louisville's circumstances this year. Maybe there's a good reason she wasn't playing much. But just looking at her numbers, she doesn't strike me as a player you add to take one last run with Clark.
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anon_salmfilsntd0b
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I see what you mean…but tbh unless we make the Elite 8 and/or repeat as B1G champs (probably and, not or), I don’t think we’re likely to be in a position to land a Mir McLean, Ashley Owusu, or Aijha Blackwell type of transfer.
Verhulst would be a perfect 3 in our system. But I think she'll end up at Oklahoma if I had to take a wild guess.
I don't think either of those things is that unlikely. Healthy UConn is probably the third best team in the country and we nearly beat them on a neutral floor. If this team sells out on defense, it can beat most of the top teams in the country.
Depending on what Marshall, Martin, and Warnock decide to do, Iowa could be a great transfer option for a senior looking for playing time and a deep run with one of the best players in the game.
Whether Coach Bluder is open to adding 1 year transfers to take a last shot with Clark is a completely separate matter than whether Iowa itself would be an attractive landing spot. I'm very skeptical that Coach Bluder would try to add transfers like that.
Peyton Verhulst is a talented player and would be a nice get, but I don't see it happening. She is looking to enroll next semester and Iowa doesn't have a scholarship to offer so she'd have to pay her own way. As undersized said, Oklahoma or Kansas St. would be my bet. Think her sister played at KSU too.
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anon_salmfilsntd0b
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FWIW (not much lol) I think Bluder is more likely than not to bristle at a txfr with one year of eligibility and I also think CC is more likely than not to take her COVID year. I think a soph / junior ready to go is the ideal fit.
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anon_salmfilsntd0b
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It’s become more common. I’m not sure of all the rules but last year a couple players actually even got to play starting in the second semester (Mir McClean was one — IIRC she had barely even practiced with the team before suiting up lol).
I did know about McClean, but I thought to get an exemption for this type of thing you had to have hardly played for your former school. McClean had played in just 3 UConn games, totaling 8 minutes. Verhulst has appeared in 8 games for Louisville this season, totaling 120 minutes. That's a significant rotation player.
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anon_salmfilsntd0b
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This is what a rando ACC fan said on Reddit:
“Like South Carolina, Walz and Louisville hung their hat on exceptional defense and second chance points. The motion and stamina required to play relentlessly on offense and defense is difficult to maintain but they kept the energy up the whole season. But without second chance points from Engstler or Kianna Smith making shots when HVL couldn’t, they don’t have the firepower to catch up.“
I was asking more about Verhulst's circumstances than Louisville's in general. She was ranked top 15 in her class, yet was struggling to play for a Louisville team that has taken a significant step back so far. Why was that?
Does her game not fit their style? Did she clash with Walz? Has she not developed since HS? Did recruiting rankings just overrate her?
There has to be some answer. And whatever that answer is, it might mean that she isn't a great fit at Iowa. Or maybe she's just a change of scenery away from a breakout.
Speaking of Oklahoma, I saw Sa’hara Williams play last night. Holy hell would she have looked good in black and gold. A woman playing against girls.
Braydon I don't know that I can answer all of your question. But, Peyton looked good off the bench in the U19 Worlds in 2021. She was invited to the trials for that team and performed well enough to make the team, which was a really talented collection of players. She didn't create shots for herself, but spaced the floor and knocked down the shots she did get. So her talent level coming out of high school was at a high level.
I don't think the Louisville system is a good match for her game. Point guard play so far hasn't been all that great and that will effect someone who isn't overly athletic playing in that type of system. Maybe Walz and her didn't mesh well.
I know there were some D1 coaches who thought his coaching in the previous U19 Worlds wasn't great and he played favorites starting a potential recruit over more talented players to increase his chances of signing her, Van Lith. So maybe there are some roster/chemistry issues? He hit the portal hard too with some of those players starting now. Just speculating.
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