ADVERTISEMENT

WBB 16/17 Season

Playing with a big lead is a learning experience. The tendency is to lose focus mentally and have an energy dip when the adrenaline starts to wear off. Kind of like being on a ledge of a tall building, if you look down and think of where you are, then the panic kicks in.
Hopefully the team learned from those games and will keep playing without watching the score. Last year it resulted in lazy passes and quick threes. Maybe the influx of fresh bodies will help.
 
I love what Allie Disterhoft brings to the team. She has not shown the ability to force her will on the team, carry the team on her shoulders the way Logic did. Disterhoft Is similar to Melissa Dixon in being so critical to the team, but someone else has to drive the car. Maybe with an older team, Disterhoft will be able to exert her will, or maybe someone else will step up to that role.
 
They have all five starters from last season returning, including Tyra Buss who led the B1G in FT's made with 203. They also have Amber Deane who is a graduate transfer G from Dayton. They have talent and depth at every position.

The B1G didn't really name a first team per se. Ally has a chance to become Iowa's all time career scoring leader and may not make the B1G postseason first team even once for her career. I hope she does this year but those other players will take a lot more shots and score 20+ PPG. Ally will share the ball more and allow her teammates to be involved in the scoring. That is the Iowa way.
Ally averaged 17 last year, I believe. 20 isn't much of a stretch.
 
  • Like
Reactions: iarick
Oh Well, I can remember the second half double-digit leads squandered at Iowa State, at Michigan, at Michigan State, and at Indiana, the two inexplicable losses to Penn State, and the last second heave by Banham at Minnesota. However, the silver lining is, Iowa could actually play that well to get the big lead at the opponents' home courts, repeatedly. I hope they continue that trend this year!

I cannot remember all of them, but if Iowa fouls when Banham or whoever crossed the half court with the ball, Iowa wins.
 
I cannot remember all of them, but if Iowa fouls when Banham or whoever crossed the half court with the ball, Iowa wins.
Not that I want to relive the game...but we were only up by one. Did we have fouls to give?
 
Not that I want to relive the game...but we were only up by one. Did we have fouls to give?
I think Iowa had two fouls to give or something like that, definitely not in bonus yet.

I'm not sadistic but I do hope the players and coaches relive every bitter loss from last year from time to time:)
 
Last edited:
A little update on Mohns from Coach Bluder (via CR Gazette) today:


SETBACK FOR MOHNS

Carly Mohns missed the majority of her sophomore season with a knee injury, and Bluder said the sophomore forward has suffered a setback last summer.

“Twice we had to go in there (for surgery),” Bluder said. “But now we are hoping and anticipating that she’ll be back on the floor by December 1.”

Mohns averaged 3.3 points per game in the nine games before her injury last season. She was granted a medical hardship waiver.
 
Excerpts from Coach Bluder's opening statement at the press conference:

Coming into here I was kind of thinking about our team this year, and when I think about our team, you would think with four starters returning, that we would have a really veteran team. But the strange thing is is when you look at our team, we're still pretty darn young. We have a lot of youth on this team. But the good thing is, and the difference from this year, is that that youth has some really good playing experience, and I think that's going to reap us benefits this year.

But even with all this youth, I really feel that we are the deepest that we've been in a long time. I think we're the most balanced that we've been in a long, long time. And you look at places that we can look for contribution, I think there's a number of sources. Alexa Kastanek, Hannah Stewart, Christina Buttenham, I think all of them have the opportunity to contribute for us this year.

Response to question about the possibility of one of the freshmen starting.

There could be. There could be a freshman in our starting lineup.
 
Playing with a big lead is a learning experience. The tendency is to lose focus mentally and have an energy dip when the adrenaline starts to wear off. Kind of like being on a ledge of a tall building, if you look down and think of where you are, then the panic kicks in.
Hopefully the team learned from those games and will keep playing without watching the score. Last year it resulted in lazy passes and quick threes. Maybe the influx of fresh bodies will help.
Agree with you in the bad passes and quick shots. But instead of energy dip, I would call it failure in meeting toughness with toughness. When an opponent raises their level of play in an attempt to get back into a game, you have to match it. Iowa failed to do that in multiple games last year.

Agree with 53victor on this one. Ally had been vocal from the beginning as a Freshman, but as most of her teammates, she was able to defer to an All-American point guard and one of the best 3 point shooters in the history of the program. Last year she realized there is a difference between yelling, screaming (sometimes pouting) and leading. Hopefully this season she is able to focus that.

Her dad told me Carly's first knee surgery over the summer was to clean it out. I was unaware of the second. It sounds a bit more serious. Hopefully she heals properly. When healthy she is the most physical player on the team and will be needed for defense and rebounding this year.
 
Ally averaged 17 last year, I believe. 20 isn't much of a stretch.
She averaged 17.1 which was 14th in the B1G. There were 10 players named to the first team last year. Seven return this year and most likely will repeat. There are only four second-team players returning including Ally so I think she has a very good chance to make the first team this season. I hope so. I really thought she should have been last season. I also believe she will set a new career scoring record at Iowa.
 
With Carly out, size becomes a problem. Again the two "centers" will have to be very aware of foul trouble.
 
She averaged 17.1 which was 14th in the B1G. There were 10 players named to the first team last year. Seven return this year and most likely will repeat. There are only four second-team players returning including Ally so I think she has a very good chance to make the first team this season. I hope so. I really thought she should have been last season. I also believe she will set a new career scoring record at Iowa.
That's a pretty sturdy limb to climb out on cyber. ; )
Barring injury or something unforeseen, Ally will graduate as the all-time program scoring leader.
 
  • Like
Reactions: cyberhawk
I think Lisa is talking about the summer clean-up surgery as the second one. Carly sat out the GTL after that surgery. So she had two total operations. When I talked to Carly she thought she would be back by the beginning of the season. If they are holding her out early , I think it is just precautionary.
On the day shoot for the poster, Carly was running without a brace.
 
That's a pretty sturdy limb to climb out on cyber. ; )
Barring injury or something unforeseen, Ally will graduate as the all-time program scoring leader.
Ally needs 518 to break the record and would need to average about 17.9 PPG in order to do it by the last game of the regular season. If she were to average the same as last season, she would set the record in the 31st game (most likely in the B1G tournament). As you suggest, that is a fairly safe bet and is another reason to be excited for this season.
 
I think Lisa is talking about the summer clean-up surgery as the second one. Carly sat out the GTL after that surgery. So she had two total operations. When I talked to Carly she thought she would be back by the beginning of the season. If they are holding her out early , I think it is just precautionary.
On the day shoot for the poster, Carly was running without a brace.
Having seen similar situations all too often, I think it's more along the lines of finishing up rehab/stress tests on the joint to make sure she is 100%--or at least as close to it as possible. The amount of pounding and stress from an athlete's body weight alone is incredibly forceful. Couple that with the physical nature of the game...cross your fingers her body holds up over the course of the season.

As far as not wearing a brace on the day of the photo shoot, don't read too much into it. We had athletes that needed them and played with them during the season, but never had them wear them until absolutely needed. No sense in giving opposing coaches, the media or the fans any reason to think your team is healthy.
 
She averaged 17.1 which was 14th in the B1G. There were 10 players named to the first team last year. Seven return this year and most likely will repeat. There are only four second-team players returning including Ally so I think she has a very good chance to make the first team this season. I hope so. I really thought she should have been last season. I also believe she will set a new career scoring record at Iowa.

I hope Ally earns that recognition too. The BIG first team list is a little deceiving in my opinion however as OSU & PSU have a few transfer players not included on it. I would bet they will be first team or garner high recognition as they were highly coveted recruits & recent team USA members. PSU has a transfer from UCONN who I recall being very impressive (top 10 recruit in 15), De'Janae Boykin. OSU has three transfers, 2 of whom Bluder coached on team USA - Stephanie Mavunga (UNC), Linnae Harper (UK), & Sierra Calhoun (Duke.) Not sure why they weren't included on that list as talented as they are.
 
Guessing it will be another season before Mohns is 100% and capable of a lot of minutes. Hope I'm wrong.
 
Iowa tied for 45th in women's preseason USA TODAY Coaches Poll

The Iowa Hawkeyes are tied for 45th in the women's college basketball preseason USA TODAY Coaches Poll, which was released Thursday morning. They received three votes, along with BYU.
Six Big Ten Conference teams sit above Iowa in the initial rankings. Maryland comes in the highest at No. 5, followed by Ohio State, which is tied with Texas at No. 6. Michigan State is ranked 22nd.

USA TODAY Women's Basketball Coaches Poll

Former Hawkeye standout and current Charlotte HC Cara Consuegra is one of the voters. Iowa Non-Con opponents Notre Dame and UCLA are ranked 2nd and 9th respectively. South Dakota State received 38 votes (28th) and Drake received 1 vote.
 
Last edited:
I hope Ally earns that recognition too. The BIG first team list is a little deceiving in my opinion however as OSU & PSU have a few transfer players not included on it. I would bet they will be first team or garner high recognition as they were highly coveted recruits & recent team USA members. PSU has a transfer from UCONN who I recall being very impressive (top 10 recruit in 15), De'Janae Boykin. OSU has three transfers, 2 of whom Bluder coached on team USA - Stephanie Mavunga (UNC), Linnae Harper (UK), & Sierra Calhoun (Duke.) Not sure why they weren't included on that list as talented as they are.
That's a good point. Michigan State also has a graduate transfer (immediately available to play). Taya Reimer is a 6'4" F from Norte Dame who missed most of last year with an injury. I believe she graduated in three years and received a red-shirt for last season and will have two years of eligibility remaining with MSU. If she is able to return to 100%, she could also be a first-teamer.
 
Last edited:
I was hoping there would have been more said about Hannah [Stewart] from the media day yesterday. Someone needs to give minutes off the bench to give Megan and Chase a break. After her, there is just Carly and Amanda, unless Lisa wants to go really small (Ally or Christina at the 4).
 
Last edited:
That's a good point. Michigan State also has a graduate transfer (immediately available to play). Taya Reiner is a 6'4" F from Norte Dame who missed most of last year with an injury. I believe she graduated in three years and received a red-shirt for last season and will have two years of eligibility remaining with MSU. If she is able to return to 100%, she could also be a first-teamer.

Cyber I forgot about Taya Reimer, she also played for Bluder on Team USA with the others (Mavunga, Harper.) I know Taya was injured a bit, but she also nearly gave up basketball a few times while at ND for other reasons. But she is very talented when everything is right.
 
Kicking the ball or striking it with any part of the leg is a violation when it is an intentional act. The ball accidentally striking the foot, the leg or fist is not a violation.
 
Kicking the ball or striking it with any part of the leg is a violation when it is an intentional act. The ball accidentally striking the foot, the leg or fist is not a violation.
Does that mean dribbling with the fist is illegal? This is the first time I saw "fist" being mentioned in basketball.
 
I liked what was said about the FR and their competitive natures.
Coley: “Cera is kind of a monster. She’s so mean, she gets in there and she’s rough and tough, and she’ll take someone out.
Disterhoft: “Kathleen, you can’t say enough about how passionate a competitor she is. It’s really fun to go out there and play with someone who gets after it and has that edge like I do, like I believe I do.
Hannah Stewart on Mak Meyer,"
Even at her coach’s most recent team dinner. Stewart laughingly relayed a story about getting into a wrestling match in Bluder’s house with freshman guard Makenzie Meyer.

“It got pretty intense, but it was fun,” Stewart said, pausing. “I’ll let you ask Makenzie who won.”
 
Good to hear. Can't wait for Sunday!
Creighton has 13 players back from last year's team that reached the Big East tournament final. They are the preseason favorite to win the Big East this season. So doing well against them bodes well.
 
Last edited:
Good to hear. Can't wait for Sunday!
Creighton has 13 players back from last year's team that reached the Big East tournament final. They are the preseason favorite to win the Big East this season. So doing well against them bodes well.
For a moment I thought, "they are better than UConn?" But then I realized...:)
 
  • Like
Reactions: iarick
It is hard to imagine UCONN in the AAC (American Athletic conference), but there they are.
 
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest posts

ADVERTISEMENT