New Story Syd Affolter out until November

[Adam Jacobi]

From the UI:

IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa senior guard Sydney Affolter underwent a surgical scope of her knee at the University of Iowa Health Care Medical Center. Affolter will be ready to return to action in early November.

“This is an unfortunate setback for Sydney, but she will work hard during her rehab and is expected to make a full recovery,” said P. Sue Beckwith, MD, head women’s basketball coach Jan Jensen. “She has the support of her teammates and coaches, and we look forward to having a healthy Sydney back when she is given clearance from our medical staff.”

Last season, Affolter stepped in for Molly Davis when she missed time during Iowa’s second consecutive National Championship run. She was named to the Big Ten’s All-Tournament Team and Albany 2 All-Regional Team. Affolter averaged 8.4 points per game and 6.4 rebounds per game in 2023-24. She closed the season playing some her best basketball as a Hawkeye, notching a double-double and reaching double figures in seven out of the last nine games.

 

[kceasthawk]

From the UI:

IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa senior guard Sydney Affolter underwent a surgical scope of her knee at the University of Iowa Health Care Medical Center. Affolter will be ready to return to action in early November.

“This is an unfortunate setback for Sydney, but she will work hard during her rehab and is expected to make a full recovery,” said P. Sue Beckwith, MD, head women’s basketball coach Jan Jensen. “She has the support of her teammates and coaches, and we look forward to having a healthy Sydney back when she is given clearance from our medical staff.”

Last season, Affolter stepped in for Molly Davis when she missed time during Iowa’s second consecutive National Championship run. She was named to the Big Ten’s All-Tournament Team and Albany 2 All-Regional Team. Affolter averaged 8.4 points per game and 6.4 rebounds per game in 2023-24. She closed the season playing some her best basketball as a Hawkeye, notching a double-double and reaching double figures in seven out of the last nine games.

Damn. Best of luck to Syd....Early Nov return, hopefully she'll get up to speed quickly. Bring on the frosh......

 

[nu2u]

Is 8 weeks normal for a knee scope?

 

[conn53victor]

Without Affolter, who starts game #1? I dunno if Jensen will follow Bluder’s trend of starting experience, but I think this lineup is most likely to start the season.
Lucy Olson- senior
Taylor McCabe- junior
Kylie Feuerbach- RS senior
Hannah Stuelke- junior
Addi O’Grady- senior

There will be plenty of competition for playing time and starting slots with Heiden & Mallegni making the most noise among the frosh. When is Guyton going to see the floor?

 

[Adam Jacobi]

Free news story:

Hawkeye Beacon - Sydney Affolter Undergoes Knee Surgery, Returning in November

Iowa's new-look women's basketball team will start the regular season short-handed.

iowa.rivals.com

 

[Adam Jacobi]

Without Affolter, who starts game #1? I dunno if Jensen will follow Bluder’s trend of starting experience, but I think this lineup is most likely to start the season.
Lucy Olson- senior
Taylor McCabe- junior
Kylie Feuerbach- RS senior
Hannah Stuelke- junior
Addi O’Grady- senior

There will be plenty of competition for playing time and starting slots with Heiden & Mallegni making the most noise among the frosh. When is Guyton going to see the floor?

Mentioned it in the article, but I would not be surprised if Gyamfi pushes for a starting spot this year, especially without Affolter in the lineup. She looked very comfortable in the 5-on-5 action we got to see in the summer.

 

[conn53victor]

S

Mentioned it in the article, but I would not be surprised if Gyamfi pushes for a starting spot this year, especially without Affolter in the lineup. She looked very comfortable in the 5-on-5 action we got to see in the summer.

One of the men who practices against the Iowa women sat by me at a game last year. I asked him who would surprise us this year. He said McCabe (not a surprise) and Gyamfi.

 

[Scott559]

Better it happened now then during the season, Get well quick Syd!

 

[creslin_hawk]

This hurts, we need a healtyhy Syd. PT for some freshman I think. Gymfi or McCabe is my bet to start.

 

[citizenHawk]

Bummer. Hope a speedy, solid recovery and rehab for Syd. And hope someone rises with the opportunity to be on the court in her place.

 

[binsfeldcyhawk2]

My favorite player...she's a "glue/swiss army knife" type that every team needs.

 

[INXS83]

Better it happened now then during the season, Get well quick Syd!

Must have been a recent injury. If this was diagnosed last spring they would have scoped her knee over the summer.

 

[INXS83]

My favorite player...she's a "glue/swiss army knife" type that every team needs.

She was set to take on Kate Martins role as a leader and performer. Tough defender. Hard-nosed player. Does everything well.

 

[fish1hawk]

My favorite player...she's a "glue/swiss army knife" type that every team needs.

Mine too, Syd has been the all effort gal whenever she’s on the floor

 

[Titanhawk2]

Is 8 weeks normal for a knee scope?

"early November" would be more like 5 weeks

 

[Doodads and Hoohah]

Is 8 weeks normal for a knee scope?

I was about 90% after 3 weeks when I had mine done but really didn't feel 100% for about 6. I was in decent shape but also wasn't a D1 basketball player

 

[BrotherHawkeye]

Must have been a recent injury. If this was diagnosed last spring they would have scoped her knee over the summer.

Good question. The article does not provide any information about why she needs surgery. A recent injury suffered in practice, a lingering injury that they tried to rehab without surgery, or an injury suffered outside of practice? Not that it really matters, but it would be a nice piece of information to know.

Make no mistake, they will miss her. It would also not surprise me if this would slip into December.

 

[ddeanHawk]

Dang, very disappointed to hear this. Like someone already said she is very good at everything and by far the most intense and go getter iowa has. Get well soon SA

 

[Rocket_Fran]

Is 8 weeks normal for a knee scope?

Completely depends on the nature of the surgery. For example here- meniscal Repair vs Recision (debridement). Typically meniscal repairs require much, much longer times because of multiple reasons: The extent of the surgery, objective of the surgery, extent of the injury, the nature of the anatomy involved.

Basically with repair you're trying to let at risk, or already damaged tissue heal over time. Excessive activity early on will hamper the healing process, extend the rehab/healing process, or make the tissue worse compared to before. For the recision it's just the removal of tissue that is no longer viable or not supposed to be there in the first place (i.e. foreign/loose bodies). So, there's no concern about too much stress too early because you're not trying to salvage anything. There's a lot more context that goes into the decision/outcomes, and some athletes will forgo the "better" long term option based on their team circumstances.

No idea what was done and you can't deduce it from the words the players or writers used as it's often unreliable. Reverse engineering and speculating based on the time to return I would hazard to guess it was a meniscal debridement and that's a very reasonsable time table to return with no further issues. (It could be a different surgery entirely for all i know & lots of ifs on the time to return)

 

[nu2u]

Completely depends on the nature of the surgery. For example here- meniscal Repair vs Recision (debridement). Typically meniscal repairs require much, much longer times because of multiple reasons: The extent of the surgery, objective of the surgery, extent of the injury, the nature of the anatomy involved.

Basically with repair you're trying to let at risk, or already damaged tissue heal over time. Excessive activity early on will hamper the healing process, extend the rehab/healing process, or make the tissue worse compared to before. For the recision it's just the removal of tissue that is no longer viable or not supposed to be there in the first place (i.e. foreign/loose bodies). So, there's no concern about too much stress too early because you're not trying to salvage anything. There's a lot more context that goes into the decision/outcomes, and some athletes will forgo the "better" long term option based on their team circumstances.

No idea what was done and you can't deduce it from the words the players or writers used as it's often unreliable. Reverse engineering and speculating based on the time to return I would hazard to guess it was a meniscal debridement and that's a very reasonsable time table to return with no further issues. (It could be a different surgery entirely for all i know & lots of ifs on the time to return)

Thanks for the explanation. Great info.

 

[hawkod]

This hurts, we need a healtyhy Syd. PT for some freshman I think. Gymfi or McCabe is my bet to start.

McCabe going to start regardless.

 

[undersized_post]

Very sad, especially since this is her senior season. After several important players from the last several classes got 5-6 years of eligibility, the traditional 4 year seniors feel like they hardly got any time at all! I hope we get to see her as an important starter and leader this year.

 

[herkhatescy]

From the UI:

IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa senior guard Sydney Affolter underwent a surgical scope of her knee at the University of Iowa Health Care Medical Center. Affolter will be ready to return to action in early November.

“This is an unfortunate setback for Sydney, but she will work hard during her rehab and is expected to make a full recovery,” said P. Sue Beckwith, MD, head women’s basketball coach Jan Jensen. “She has the support of her teammates and coaches, and we look forward to having a healthy Sydney back when she is given clearance from our medical staff.”

Last season, Affolter stepped in for Molly Davis when she missed time during Iowa’s second consecutive National Championship run. She was named to the Big Ten’s All-Tournament Team and Albany 2 All-Regional Team. Affolter averaged 8.4 points per game and 6.4 rebounds per game in 2023-24. She closed the season playing some her best basketball as a Hawkeye, notching a double-double and reaching double figures in seven out of the last nine games.

Except the Championship game where she took it upon herself to drive to the basket and try a layup on a fast break with 6'7" Cardosa making her eat the basketball. Not once but two or three times.

 

[longliveCS40]

Damn. My favorite player on the team. Hopefully, she makes a full recovery and comes back with the hustle and moxie she had at the end of last season.

 

[Georgia_Hawk]

This hurts, we need a healtyhy Syd. PT for some freshman I think. Gymfi or McCabe is my bet to start.

I realize she would most likely not fit at the 3 spot, but I wonder why Ediger gets no mention in these threads. I thought she was decent in the limited minutes she got last year.

 

[creslin_hawk]

I realize she would most likely not fit at the 3 spot, but I wonder why Ediger gets no mention in these threads. I thought she was decent in the limited minutes she got last year.

Mostly because her skillset seems to be at the 5, Syd is a 3/4. It seemed like early on AJ should have developed as a 4. She was shooting b the 3 in high school clips

 

[citizenHawk]

I realize she would most likely not fit at the 3 spot, but I wonder why Ediger gets no mention in these threads. I thought she was decent in the limited minutes she got last year.

She does seem to be a player with lost potential, but maybe she's playing really well in practices and has a year. Just don't hear much about her thus far.

I'd guess she is vying for time with players that have been on the court more in prior rotations. Stuelke will be on the court as much as possible, probably moving between the 5 and 4 as matchup needs dictate. *Maybe Mallegni (at 6'1) gets in the 3 or 4 mix as well.

 

[ichawk24]

AJ Edinger was getting more PT towards the end of the season. She had 13, 13, and 7 minutes in the BTT, the NCAA first round, and the NCAA sweet 16. Those minutes may have been matchup-driven.

 

[ChiPackHawk]

Very sad, especially since this is her senior season. After several important players from the last several classes got 5-6 years of eligibility, the traditional 4 year seniors feel like they hardly got any time at all! I hope we get to see her as an important starter and leader this year.

The extra COVID year I understand, but how did anyone without a medical exemption get a 6th year?

 

[creslin_hawk]

Kate played 5 years of 6 with medical. Sharon had option but chose not to take it. Sharon was ahead of AJ until the middle of the year. I think that was part of AJ getting more minutes.

 

[fish1hawk]

Keep in mind getting an additional year ties up a roster spot and its scholarship from recruits or portal

 

[creslin_hawk]

Monica/Kate/Gabby staying extra years created a bottleneck that allowed the team to have more experience, but also kept higher ranked recruits on the bench behind them because except for 5 stars, high level recruits are not as good as 5th year seniors. This is part of why I will be watching Ogrady/Heiden/Ediger at the 5. I think Ava is going to be too good to keep off the floor, but Ogrady/Ediger have experience and should have more confidence/urgency/strength.

 

[conn53victor]

Monica/Kate/Gabby staying extra years created a bottleneck that allowed the team to have more experience, but also kept higher ranked recruits on the bench behind them because except for 5 stars, high level recruits are not as good as 5th year seniors. This is part of why I will be watching Ogrady/Heiden/Ediger at the 5. I think Ava is going to be too good to keep off the floor, but Ogrady/Ediger have experience and should have more confidence/urgency/strength.

I agree, Creslin. I also will watch what happens at the 5. I am just a humble man watching wise coaches, but I believe that Stuelke is a better weapon at the 4, which makes the 5 rotation... interesting. I like what O'Grady & Ediger bring to the table, but do you give Heiden more time hoping it builds to a higher ceiling.

 

[kceasthawk]

I agree that Heiden will be too good to not play meaningful minutes. We've talked at length here about the weird situation with AOG. Lots of talk pre season last year oh her progress, and then Goodman ends up the starter. In the last two tourney runs AOG would have strong spurts in big games and then disappear from the rotation. There was also talk last year about AOG seeing her self as more of a 4, (like she played in high school) and shooting a lot from the outside in the off season, and that there was a disconnect between Jan and Addie on what her best position was. Of course we know who's going to win that debate. It would be great to see AOG come out and have a solid consistent season. We'll know soon enough.....

 

[creslin_hawk]

There were also some rumors that ogrady was on the recieving end of Clark's frustrations. It a possible that that dynamic affected her confidence, so she may be able to play with more self confidence. The physical skills seem to be there, but she seemed to be thinking rather than just playing.

 

[ddeanHawk]

I thought OG looked the best her freshman year

 

[Old Uncle Teddy]

Don't count AOG out. She's big and strong. Very wide so no one should be going over her for rebounds without fouling. She needs to hit those short hooks and layups. Missing those shots probably pissed off CC.

 

[Rocket_Fran]

Don't count AOG out. She's big and strong. Very wide so no one should be going over her for rebounds without fouling. She needs to hit those short hooks and layups. Missing those shots probably pissed off CC.

Needs to learn to like the physicality down low. Don't know if she has the personality for it.

 

[kceasthawk]

There were also some rumors that ogrady was on the recieving end of Clark's frustrations. It a possible that that dynamic affected her confidence, so she may be able to play with more self confidence. The physical skills seem to be there, but she seemed to be thinking rather than just playing.

Absolutely. Still you would hope after two or three years she would have gotten past that. Its just concerning that even with injuries to both SG and AJE over the years and last season given every opportunity that she was unable to win the job. As I said I hope she has a great senior season and she shows everybody what she's got.

 

[creslin_hawk]

From Jan's PC today, she said Addy got better, but sounded like Ava already passed her. Didn't commit to it, but sound like she's thinking Hannah at the 4.