Does it seem like nothing's gone right for Iowa women's basketball since the HUGE Final 4 win?
-First, the refs (and a clear lack of athleticism) took the steam out of Iowa's chances in the national title game.
-Then Angel Reece's stock blew up simply by acting like a spoiled thug. Clark, the national player of the year who outplayed Reece in every area, has become more of an after thought.
-Next, season tickets were selling at a record pace...only for the athletic department to inexplicably place an indefinite hold on season ticket sales. They are opting instead to wait until the glow of the season fades before selling high demand tickets for next year. Explain that brilliant idea to me because anyone who knows the slightest bit about marketing knows you strike while the iron's hot and not the other way around.
-Next, virtually all elite women's programs reloaded for next year with high school recruits. LSU, Notre Dame, South Carolina, and Maryland each signed two 5 star high school recruits. They also signed a bunch of 4 stars. Iowa, another Top 5 program, with the defending national player of the year coming back, completely struck out in recruiting. In fact, they ended up with the worst recruiting class in the Big 10. Their only decent commit, a 3 star, was in a terrible accident and will likely never play basketball again. Talk about squandering momentum.
Finally, there's the transfer portal. In the past few weeks, the elite teams have gone out and grabbed super star talent from the portal. Iowa, with it's snow white roster and extremely "Iowa looking" coaching staff, are just kind of waiting around. Most fans assumed Iowa would be the obvious destination for the best transfer portal bigs in the country to beg to play with the best passer in women's basketball, the best post player coach in women's basketball, and some of the best fans in women's basketball, to make a run at a national title. Nope. None.
Much like Kirk with WRs, Bluder has yet to even convince a grad transfer to take a visit to Iowa, let alone commit. Apparently Clark even made some calls to her national team teammates at the height of her popularity, but no one's calling her back.
So what gives? Why is a pre-season top 5 team with the nation's best player striking out so bad in the portal?
None of the other top programs are having any problems. Is Bluder that bad of a recruiter (ya have to admit, Clark, the nations #1 ranked recruit, fell into her lap growing up a Hawk fan)? It can't be NIL, because very few schools out there care about women's basketball as much as Iowa. It's not like the blue bloods of football have fans donating tens of thousands of dollars to their women's basketball collectives. Is Clark not the draw we think she is due to some of her antics and shot selection? Is there a reason nearly every team Iowa played in the tourney started 4 or 5 black players, yet Iowa is as white as snow?
-First, the refs (and a clear lack of athleticism) took the steam out of Iowa's chances in the national title game.
-Then Angel Reece's stock blew up simply by acting like a spoiled thug. Clark, the national player of the year who outplayed Reece in every area, has become more of an after thought.
-Next, season tickets were selling at a record pace...only for the athletic department to inexplicably place an indefinite hold on season ticket sales. They are opting instead to wait until the glow of the season fades before selling high demand tickets for next year. Explain that brilliant idea to me because anyone who knows the slightest bit about marketing knows you strike while the iron's hot and not the other way around.
-Next, virtually all elite women's programs reloaded for next year with high school recruits. LSU, Notre Dame, South Carolina, and Maryland each signed two 5 star high school recruits. They also signed a bunch of 4 stars. Iowa, another Top 5 program, with the defending national player of the year coming back, completely struck out in recruiting. In fact, they ended up with the worst recruiting class in the Big 10. Their only decent commit, a 3 star, was in a terrible accident and will likely never play basketball again. Talk about squandering momentum.
Finally, there's the transfer portal. In the past few weeks, the elite teams have gone out and grabbed super star talent from the portal. Iowa, with it's snow white roster and extremely "Iowa looking" coaching staff, are just kind of waiting around. Most fans assumed Iowa would be the obvious destination for the best transfer portal bigs in the country to beg to play with the best passer in women's basketball, the best post player coach in women's basketball, and some of the best fans in women's basketball, to make a run at a national title. Nope. None.
Much like Kirk with WRs, Bluder has yet to even convince a grad transfer to take a visit to Iowa, let alone commit. Apparently Clark even made some calls to her national team teammates at the height of her popularity, but no one's calling her back.
So what gives? Why is a pre-season top 5 team with the nation's best player striking out so bad in the portal?
None of the other top programs are having any problems. Is Bluder that bad of a recruiter (ya have to admit, Clark, the nations #1 ranked recruit, fell into her lap growing up a Hawk fan)? It can't be NIL, because very few schools out there care about women's basketball as much as Iowa. It's not like the blue bloods of football have fans donating tens of thousands of dollars to their women's basketball collectives. Is Clark not the draw we think she is due to some of her antics and shot selection? Is there a reason nearly every team Iowa played in the tourney started 4 or 5 black players, yet Iowa is as white as snow?
Last edited:
