**NEW** Iowa Women's Basketball Recruiting Thread
- Thread starter KyleHuesmann
- Start date
She appears to be far more athletic than Sharon or Addy. Hopefully, she can stay healthy as she has had some injuries during her high school career.
BTW, has anyone been following our '25 and '26 prospects closely enough to get a sense of how likely they are?
Probably a bit early for 2026 & aside from Greenway...Trinity Jones IL, Brihanna Crittenden CO, Addison Bjorn KC, Kamrah Banks Indy, instate Jenica Lewis, Olivia Vosuka PA to name a few. Jones, Crittenden, & Bjorn are national prospects and could go anywhere. Bjorn was at the Kinnick scrimmage. Plenty of others as well but those are some well known recruits. I haven't seen much info on 25's unfortunately. Something I noticed was the staff seemed to drastically reduce their Twitter usage at the end of December. Nothing from Raina since December 30th & only 1 from Stamp since that time. Jan has been the only coach posting. I wonder if they got some negative feedback 🤔.
Last edited:
I do try to follow recruits on soc/media, but I haven't seen much re: their intent. I was hoping we'd have another commitment by now from the '25 class. You have to wonder about the psychology: Do recruits think that after CC is gone, that Iowa is no longer a legit force, or might some be looking forward to having better opportunities with her gone? Iowa's offers for '25 in an impressive list, and it would really take just one of the top 5 or 6 (in addition to Houston) to establish the Hawks as a desirable destination. That said, I think Bluder needs to be looking at bringing in a quality PG from the portal next season.
I wouldn't be terribly concerned at this point. Only 11 out of the top 100 on ESPN have made a commitment and Iowa has one of them (Journey Houston)
I did a deep dive into when recruits commit to Iowa over the summer. 32.4% of recruits commit sometime between 6 months to a year before signing day. 23.5% commit in the final 6 months.
We're like 9 and a half months from signing day for the 2025 class still.
https://iowa.rivals.com/news/when-do-recruits-commit-to-iowa-wbb#:~:text=64.8%25%20of%20Iowa's%20recruits%20commit,class%20of%202025%20are%20clear.
Man...after the Guyton injury this is the last thing you want to hear
A
anon_salmfilsntd0b
Guest
I think as we get into the thick of the season we will see less travel from the coaches.
Wondering if Jernigan will make it to Iowa this weekend by chance.
Would be really nice to land a ‘25 recruit in early 2024 to maintain momentum / settle anxiety about injuries. Potentially gauge where recruiting stands at large as well.
It means next to nothing but based on Twitter Likes alone it seems Deal is most interested in Iowa, Indiana, OSU, Stanford, Iowa State, LSU and TCU. Those teams seem to take up like 95% of her engagement. On the bright side she has been liking a LOT of Iowa content lately — i.e., the Goetz hire, almost every tweet by Jan. After that I’d say ISU and IU are her most liked content, seems to have cooled on LSU a bit. Again, means nothing basically lol, just grasping for any kind of movement.
God help us competing with Stanford tho, who wouldn’t wanna go there — perfect location, top 5 school, elite coach…but she’d be a rotation player. She’s probably wondering whether she rly wants to be the next Caitlin Clark….big shoes to fill. Even with players like Heiden and Guyton and Houston…it’s not like playing for Stanford or LSU.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Speiser end up at K-State.
Last edited by a moderator:
I might push back on the Stanford comment. First, yes they have a great coach now. But chances of Tara being there for more than 2-3 more years are slim (she is 70). Secondly, They are moving to the ACC next season. So while having an incredible campus in Palo Alto, those multiple cross country trips might get old real quick, on top of having your conference rivals being 3,000 miles away.
I expect that Stanford may fade from relevance over next few years.
A
anon_salmfilsntd0b
Guest
Hope you’re right but I think that’s likely wishful thinking man. Like UConn, they have already fallen a bit from their formerly invincible status (last season was one to forget) but have bounced back. As long as they remain a top 5 school in one of the most beautiful areas of the country, and are willing to shell out the big bucks to hire a suitable replacement for Tara, they’ll be tough out. Similar dealio to UCLA/USC…..lots of gravity in Cali for multiple reasons. A lot of Cali kids wanna stay in Cali, it’s hard to work around that tbh. ACC will collapse sooner or later anyway so we’ll see where Stanford ends up too. Stanford could become the Queen of the MWC. Same thing at UConn in the Big East, kids still headin there in droves.
I would also suspect they will have more $$$ to hire a better replacement than we will to replace Bluder. ND, Baylor lost legendary coaches and while they stumbled a bit, they’re doing just fine again thanks to good hires. Stanford has the same cachet to land a good coach and more good recruits. So long as Stanford is a perennial Top 25 team, they’ll have a lot to offer.
On the coaching side, I worry that we’ll be forced into taking more of a gamble when Bluder retires.
Last edited by a moderator:
A
anon_salmfilsntd0b
Guest
I watched Ava Heiden play twice this week. She seems fully recovered from her earlier injury. She is very athletic and very fast for a big.
Mara Braun out for the season. I did a little search, appears females are anatomically more vulnerable to ACL and some other joint injuries, esp. in planting/cutting sports like soccer and bb.
Journey Houston is officially out for the season...not ACL but having knee surgery...4 month recovery.
I see that the Gophers offered Ari Peterson, an eighth-grade teammate of Greenway. She is also the daughter of Adrian Peterson, which is interesting.
My prediction: Ava will come in and have a major impact within her first year, and coupled with Hannah, etc. will transform this team from a PG/2/3 oriented team into a legit 4/5 B1G threat.
Strong take….in my mind, they will still have world class Olympic sports. Those sports are a big deal out there…in totality bigger than football?! I think 🤔…
But all the same, it will most assuredly be changed/different…
Iowa will need to find some 3pts from somewhere next year. McCabe should get more minutes, Affolter is close to being a consistent 3pt shooter, Gyamfi seems to be pretty good in her limited minutes and I don't know about Johnson if she was a pretty good shooter in high school. Feuerbach is not consistent so far. Maybe a freshman or two can help. It will be interesting.
A
anon_salmfilsntd0b
Guest
I’m hopeful last night will help show Clark how effective she and Hannah can be together. Those two back next year alongside a senior Affolter, with Feuerbach/McCabe at the 2 and whoever emerges as the best 5 from our 4 (!) post options is a good lineup, idc what anyone says. Replacing Martin will be a task but it’s doable.
I also think Ava can come in and be productive next year, if only bc our other posts aren’t superstars. No reason Heiden can’t average 3-5 pts a game like O’Grady, Goodman, etc. She can run the floor closer to Hannah’s speed and is taller than them all. If one of the vets blossoms over the summer and ends up gobbling all the minutes, all the better. I think Gyamfi will be ready to back up Affolter / Stuelke.
Ordinarily I would expect some minutes from Mallegni but I think Bluder will play her at the 3. I don’t think she will jump Gyamfi there. She may very well slide to the 4 as an upperclasswoman (like Warnock) but Bluder won’t have her switch back and forth between the two as a freshman. She prefers freshman to focus on either the 2-3 or 4-5. She is rly a guard so I think the latter is unlikely.
Yes, I expect McCabe to get a lot of minutes, maybe even as PG. Mallegni will probably start seeing the floor as a shooter.
I do not expect CC back next year.
I think two of next years recruits will be in the rotation because of talent and shooting skills. PG Taylor Stremlow and F Teagan Mallegni look like big time players.
Evidently you haven't been listening to Clark talk after games. She is not coming back.
A
anon_salmfilsntd0b
Guest
Rly doesn’t matter what you think or I think. I just said what I hope. Don’t see why that’s so bad to say. I’m not the first nor will I be the last to say they hope she comes back.
I won’t be surprised — nor mad — if she goes but I have always thought she would milk the “decision” til the last minute bc she understands the power of a media narrative. Anyone with any media savvy would do the same. Tho in all fairness I’ve also said a million times on here that I don’t see how she is even able to come back when we don’t have a roster spot available lol and we still don’t.
I do find the fact that everyone knows what’s “perfect” for her to be kind of weird tbh. Idk why everyone thinks she’s ready to get married and settle down in Indiana at 22. I hope at least a small part of her is curious about life outside the Midwest, and I hope no part of her makes the decision based on where a boy lives.
I’m torn on Stremlow. She didn’t really have any impressive offers outside Iowa. But neither did Affolter. Their recruiting profiles are actually very similar. Except Stremlow has trended down over the last year which was disheartening. Stremlow is certainly a better shooter but as we’ve seen with McCabe, you need more than excellent shooting to get minutes. Bluder prioritizes defense, ball-handling, rebounding, physicality.
The fact that we may need a new PG helps. If Clark leaves, and with Guyton out due to injury, there may be an opportunity for Stremlow. That depends on Kennise Johnson. Will she be ready? She is awfully slight lol at 5’4. If Stremlow does get significant minutes, I would expect her to (understandably) play like a freshman, and therefore expect a major step back for the program.
I was a lot less worried when Guyton was looking like the heir apparent to CC22, since she is more athletic and decidedly superior in rankings…..but that’s no longer a possibility. I don’t think we’ll see Guyton get minutes til her sophomore year due to the timing of her injury.
As I said earlier, I also hope for Mallegni to get minutes; but there is a logjam at the 2 and 3 already so that may limit her. I don’t see Bluder playing her at the 4 as a freshman guard. I think Gyamfi will become the primary backup at the 3 and 4.
Unless of course McCabe slides to the 1….that would free up space for another W. In that scenario, Affolter could slide to the 2. But she is best at the 3 and furthermore McCabe is best at the 2, so it’s rly not ideal…actually it’s quite concerning lol.
Last edited by a moderator:
Very concerning at PG if Clark leaves. I like McCabe but definitely at the 2 as I don't see the ball handling/slashing ability needed to be the point. Not hoping for it all but If we see transfers, then we need to get a PG.
A
anon_salmfilsntd0b
Guest
Yeah, Clark certainly doesn’t owe the program anything more than what she’s already given in (less than) 4 years — but a part of me does wonder how she feels about the immediate drop off that will happen now if she does leave….
And it’s really only been on my mind since the writing is clearly written on the wall with Guyton’s injury. Even if Bluder hits 4 more home runs with the class of 2025, the ‘24-‘25 season will probably have to be a bit of a throw away without a true PG or starting a reserve.
It’s one thing to start anew with a young raw recruit — just like we did with Clark as a freshman — it’s part of their journey and the nature of collegiate sports. It’s another thing to have to move people around due to injuries while rebuilding. A whole year of starters playing out of position could impact future seasons as well. Maryland this year is a great example of what can happen when you’re forced to do that….and their players are exponentially more athletic than ours.
Of course Clark could also know things we don’t. Maybe she believes KJE is ready to step up and will impress all of us. Bluder certainly believes in her. Maybe CC has an inkling that one or two people might transfer. Or, she may just not feel it’s her problem. And that’d be fair, bc it’s not her problem.
Last edited by a moderator:
Agreed. Definitely worried about point guard next year if Clark doesn’t come back or if we don’t get someone in the portal.
As far as McCabe, she makes me nervous when she puts it on the floor which makes me worried about her ability to create off the dribble for herself and others. I feel like she is undersized and she may be a defensive liability. She can work on her ball handling, play making ability, and get better on defense, but I do not see her playing point guard at all.
I see her as more of a 3pt specialist like they view Gabbie. They need a point guard or other players to get her open to drain threes. Also, I did not see her play in high school and she has had limited minutes/reps, so it is hard to gauge where she is at and she has not really had the ability gain more confidence through experience. Either way, I am excited to see her get more playing time next year.
Last edited:
For sure starters next year are Stuelke and Affolter, and probably McCabe and Feuerbach. McCabe was recruited mainly as a 2 but the coaches seem very aware that we need to develop our PG depth or else she wouldn't be getting the reps at the 1 that we've seen her get in garbage time. I think Affolter can cover minutes at the 1 as well as we have seen Kate Martin do at times (we saw this more before acquiring Molly Davis).
After that I would expect O'Grady at the 5 (seniority/experience) unless either Heiden or Mallengi are a clear star and too good to keep off the floor. (If Mallengi then Hannah stays at the 5.)
McCabe
Feuerbach
Affolter
Stuelke
O'Grady/Heiden
or
McCabe
Feuerbach
Affolter
Mallengi
Stuelke
Even if they don't start Heiden, Mallengi, and probably Stremlow are part of the core rotation:
McCabe
Feuerbach/Stremlow
Affolter
Stuelke/Mallengi
O'Grady/Heiden
It's not impossible but Gyamfi, Goodman, Ediger, and KJE will need to make a big jump to crack the main rotation. Levin is probably lower on the depth chart too unless she is vastly underrated as a recruit. Guyton probably redshirts and Jones is IR.
After that I would expect O'Grady at the 5 (seniority/experience) unless either Heiden or Mallengi are a clear star and too good to keep off the floor. (If Mallengi then Hannah stays at the 5.)
McCabe
Feuerbach
Affolter
Stuelke
O'Grady/Heiden
or
McCabe
Feuerbach
Affolter
Mallengi
Stuelke
Even if they don't start Heiden, Mallengi, and probably Stremlow are part of the core rotation:
McCabe
Feuerbach/Stremlow
Affolter
Stuelke/Mallengi
O'Grady/Heiden
It's not impossible but Gyamfi, Goodman, Ediger, and KJE will need to make a big jump to crack the main rotation. Levin is probably lower on the depth chart too unless she is vastly underrated as a recruit. Guyton probably redshirts and Jones is IR.
Iowa will have plenty of money to hire a new women’s bball coach. Stanford coach will be gone very soon and rumors about Geno retiring after this year. Now while we’re not a destination school I’d argue we’re a top 10 job these days, even when CC leaves. Our attendance and passion for women’s bball goes way back. I’m going to totally disagree with you here.
I would be shocked if Geno leaves after this year. Paige will likely come back and with all of their injuries over the last few years he will want to be there for her, Azzi, and the rest of the team as they try to win a championship.
Good news is our top target for next head coach is currently leading the Big 12 with a top 25 team. I know people say Jan should be offered, but I don’t think she wants to be the top person if she has never left Bluder’s side in 30+ years across two schools. Just like Phil Parker, that screams career assistant. And honestly, a school at our level should not be hiring someone without head coaching experience of their own school. The last time we did that we ended up with Angie Lee who struggled once Stringer’s players were gone.
Similar threads
