Molly wasn't a grad transfer, the plan was for her to come in using her two seasons left of eligibility 1 of which was her Covid year. She just wanted a change so decided to enter the portal which lead her to Iowa, she is an exercise science major so it was a perfect fit.
**NEW** Iowa Women's Basketball Recruiting Thread
- Thread starter KyleHuesmann
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I believe 105 is the number that can start fall camp. Once school starts all can practice.Hopefully the link will work. I was partially right. Looks like rosters change between 105 and 125 depending on time of year. I don't remember Iowa ever being at the 125 level, but maybe they have.
https://www.scottfujita.com/how-many-players-on-a-college-football-team/#:~:text=The NCAA football team list has several unique,with up to 125 active players. More items
Who's to say that some of our younger players won't step up. Hannah is going to be much improved, Affolter shows great promise, Gymfi was hurt early but should be much improved. O'Grady is the key, at 6' 4" she was a strong rebounder and defensive player. Addison needs to work on her inside game.
Well one problem with wbb- they recruit a long way out and fill classes early. In a way that makes sense and most do it but it leaves little wiggle room to pack a team around a great player. Some schools only have great players so they are always near the top.
If we go into next season with the current roster given a once-in-a-lifetime, generational, golden opportunity of coming off of an National Championship runner-up with the NPOY guaranteed for only one year, that would be a major failure. People are lining up to play with Clark.
That team would be considered less potent than the team that just left with Czinano and Warnock leaving.
I'm very high on the people you mention, we need to strike for gold while we can.
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Wetering entered the portal today.
That makes sense for Shateah. Hope she goes to Drake.
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anon_salmfilsntd0b
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From HawkCentral, after the Mallegni/Wetering news:
"Iowa is also actively trying to recruit a point guard in the Class of 2024 to succeed Clark, who has yet to announce whether she’ll return for a fifth year in 2024-25. The Hawkeyes are in on several top-60 prospects, but those girls are naturally curious about what Clark is going to do before committing."
This is interesting to me b/c I thought both Stremlow and Levin were PGs. Regardless, I would assume this is Bluder still trying to nab Britt Prince. Pretty surprising to read this tbh, I assumed the door for '24 was closed shut after Mallegni signed.
Also interesting to hear that having CC return would be a net negative for a recruit. I don't think that's the case for all Top 60 kids...but maybe it certainly is for a Top 10 kid like Prince. Maybe Clark in fact really is okay with moving on, but assuming the program is in good hands.
"Iowa is also actively trying to recruit a point guard in the Class of 2024 to succeed Clark, who has yet to announce whether she’ll return for a fifth year in 2024-25. The Hawkeyes are in on several top-60 prospects, but those girls are naturally curious about what Clark is going to do before committing."
This is interesting to me b/c I thought both Stremlow and Levin were PGs. Regardless, I would assume this is Bluder still trying to nab Britt Prince. Pretty surprising to read this tbh, I assumed the door for '24 was closed shut after Mallegni signed.
Also interesting to hear that having CC return would be a net negative for a recruit. I don't think that's the case for all Top 60 kids...but maybe it certainly is for a Top 10 kid like Prince. Maybe Clark in fact really is okay with moving on, but assuming the program is in good hands.
If anyone is interested...ESPN has updated their Hoop Gurlz rankings for '24 and '25. They have listed a '26 watch list with Iowa targets Addison Bjorn, Maddyn Greenway and Jenica Lewis.
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anon_salmfilsntd0b
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They also bumped up Ava Heiden about 10 spots to 36. Mallegni just makes the cut at 59.
I also see Stremlow is 57 on Prospects Nation. Hopefully she can appear about the same on ESPN as well.
Any thoughts on whether Levin will end up listed on either Top 100?
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Very disappointing if women cannot bring in a difference make form the portal. JMO
I just don't see it. It would definitely fit in with Bluder not wanting a long term transfer but can she really co-exist on the court with Clark? Nobody would have a better shooting team though, no doubt.
I just highly doubt Van Lith would want to give up her stardom to Clark.
Seems odd to want another pt guard with multiple already committed?? Maybe the staff thinks Levin or Stremlow can play the 2.
Best guess they are still working prince, even though fans are thinking nebraska...
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anon_salmfilsntd0b
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Stremlow seems to be a solid defender (I think she averages 4+ steals a game, others have commented on her intangibles). Is Levin?
Good for her / UNL but Amy Williams had a seriously bad season. If she has another, I think her seat will be very warm. Seems like such a bad idea for Prince lol.
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Looking at the F/C names in the portal, after Betts and Morrow you'd probably be looking at Lauren Ware from Arizona and Shay Bollin from Duke as the next tier. They have impressive high school accolades but injuries have limited their production at the college level. Hard to project what you'd get out of either.
Iowa recruited Lauren Ware out of High School. At the time Ware wanted to play both Volley Ball and Basketball in college. Ware also played with Clark on team USA in 2021.
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anon_salmfilsntd0b
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Have to wonder if the history between Bluder and Ware might be worth something. Especially considering her injury -- you'd think Bluder would know what she could do with her, regardless.
Speaking of which, did Bluder try to recruit Betts?
Betts had an offer from Iowa.
Play with her sister, although it may be a drop down too far for self esteem. Unless both get together at Drake?
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anon_salmfilsntd0b
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I think we need to give our coaching staff a bit of a break here. We've gotta remember that the winds are against us in every way when it comes to recruiting. Raina wouldn't have followed Morrow and Clark would not have liked that post if they weren't trying to bring in an impact transfer. So they're doing what we want them to do. But so is literally every other school in the country.
Yes we have Clark and our recent appearance in a NC game -- nothing to scoff at. I'm sure we're in the conversation for these top recruits b/c of that, but not every kid wants to come to a school like Iowa to be the do-all, be-all savior. What happens if they get injured? They may no longer be on a NC-caliber team. But they would still be if they went somewhere like SC or UConn, with their much more well-rounded rosters. And what happens if Clark graduates in a year? Are we back to a Sweet 16 caliber team? For some of these kids (I'm thinking Betts), one elite year may not be enough to close the deal.
Many of these schools are also located in absolute dream locations for kids -- UCLA, USC are prime examples. Right on the beach, perfect weather, in what feels like the center of the world. Moving to Iowa is something most people just don't want to do (including myself lol). Add on Iowa's dreary winters, lack of major cities, etc. and the fact that we're in the B1G, which a lot of kids (rightfully) recognize as just not being where talent is concentrated. The ACC, SEC, and yes even the PAC have a lot more McDonald's AAs and way more appearances in the Final Four. In addition to perennial powers, lots of up and coming programs are really trendy right now (MS State, Ole Miss, Colorado, USC).
I also read a story recently about WBB coaches finding it more and more difficult to convince kids to move to red states -- social issues like abortion, LGBT laws, weed, etc are increasingly becoming nonstarters for kids and parents alike. Even when Iowa was still a swing state, it had a reputation as a red state. Now there's no way to dispute that reputation.
And yes, I'll say it again, our lack of melanin will also hurt us with many kids -- that's for the players, coaches, and community. It's also a non-starter for many kids and parents alike. Even for some white kids, it matters.
I guess I'm saying, yes, let's all hope for the best. I'm sure we're a contender. But let's not crucify our coaches if they can't compete with blue bloods, perfect climates, young and charismatic coaches or insane NIL deals. If these kids could put together a checklist of the top 10 things they want in a program, we may only check 8 boxes at best. But multiple schools will check all 10...
Edit: SC and Notre Dame just announced they will kick off their season with a game in Paris lol. Both of these schools are pushing for Morrow and Betts. Another example of something we can’t control and also can’t deny as working against us.
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All good points.
The politics in this State right now is hurting people moving here.
Especially high profile females.
I will agree with all of this BUT one thing in Iowa's favor is if these young ladies want to play in front of sold out crowds with national attn at home and on the road then you want to come to Iowa to get that. I dont think anywhere in the country right now has more of a rabid fan base for woman's basketball that Iowa.
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anon_salmfilsntd0b
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For sure! This is definitely a plus for us. I think we do eke out a win over many comparable programs in terms of visibility and fan support. But South Carolina and UConn also offer that and many other schools are catching up to where the difference may be marginal — IU is a good example. IU doesnt need a post tho so for LB / AM not as big of a deal, but SC will be looking for them both. UConn probably not but if they want em, they’ll be considered.
Not buying that at all. Not having legalized weed, really! Not sure I want student athletes smoking weed on my team. LGBT law, really? One of Iowa's assistants has a female partner, I don't see anyone at Iowa being negative towards her. I would think, coaching, fan support, Iowa's long term support of womens athletics would attract national talent.
FWIW, people are leaving the Northeast and California in droves. Moving to your so called red states.
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anon_salmfilsntd0b
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This article I read interviewed an unnamed HC at a successful Wbb program in a red state (it may have been Bluder tbh, or maybe Moren even) and the HC was quoted as saying she had been asked point blank by a parent what she would do if their kid got pregnant. She replied that she’d basically put her life on the line to get the kid an abortion. Great sentiment but not something you wanna worry about as a parent I’m sure.
People leaving CA bc they can’t afford housing has nothing to do with families wanting their kids to go somewhere they can be themselves and not worry about going to jail or being harassed for doing what kids do (whether it’s trying weed, getting pregnant, wanting to participate in a pride festival) or just being black and doing anything.
If you still think no one cares, you can follow athletes’ socials to see what they think. MANY influential female student athletes (college, high school and alums) firmly believe the NCAA shouldn’t have had the Final Four in Texas bc of their abortion laws. Just one example.
To be clear, this is calculus we’re talking about, not simple math. This factor doesn’t apply to all kids. But think of it again as a checklist. The top kids want to check 10 boxes, and they’ll find a school that checks all 10 boxes, or the 9 that are most important. I’m saying that Iowa likely checks 9 or 10 boxes for very few kids.
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I'm not trying to be a downer, but right now I only see maybe 4 players in the portal that would move the needle for Iowa: Betts, Morrow, Van Lith, and Donarski.
I don't think Donarski is a fit for Iowa, because I'm not sure she's significantly better than Marshall/Martin and Iowa is already deep at those positions. Frankly I doubt either party is interested in the other.
Van Lith is a ball-dominant guard used to being her team's top scoring option. She would probably improve the team, but I think her and Clark's styles would clash and diminish somewhat the impact adding her would have. There are plenty of other schools where she could continue to be the ball-dominant #1 option and have a bigger impact.
Betts and Morrow are great fits. But that's also true for many of the top teams in the country.
Being disappointed if Iowa doesn't add a big transfer is understandable. I'm just trying to show that the supply of great players available is fairly low and the demand for them is very high.
Calculus? As an engineer in my early days, almost fifty years ago, I used Calc. to solve practical engineering problems. Differentiation and integration. FWIW, simple math as you call it solved a majority of applications.
Cost of living too high, outlandish taxes, high crime, issues in schools. High cost is simple math, move where is isn't. The Carolinas are inundated from New York and NJ. Sioux Falls - many relocations from California. Arizona and Texas have been the location of choice for many California residents and businesses.
I moved a business we acquired in California to Atlanta, 25 years ago. Our bottom line improved quickly. Simple math.
Doesn’t have to be a great player, just a player that makes us better next year.
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