Preseason AP rankings placed Iowa women’s basketball in the top five.
As the 2023–2024 season approaches, the expectations for the No. 3 Hawkeyes are very high. This past season, Iowa made it to the national championship game for the first time in school history. Lisa Bluder’s team, which includes Caitlin Clark, the best player in the country, will bring a wealth of experience back.
The city of Iowa City As the 2023–2024 season approaches, the expectations for the No. 3 Hawkeyes are very high. This past season, Iowa made it to the national championship game for the first time in school history. Lisa Bluder’s team, which includes Caitlin Clark, the best player in the country, will bring a wealth of experience back. This season, the Hawkeyes will be in the public eye, and the pressure won’t be relieving anytime soon.
Here are three queries I have regarding this year’s team before the season begins.
Apart from Hannah Stuelke, who else can take the lead?
It’s understandable why one of the most widely chosen candidates to be a breakout player in the conference is the Big Ten Conference’s Sixth Player of the Year. Stuelke led Iowa to an exhibition victory with a game-high 27 points and 10 rebounds. She made four of her five free throws and entered the three-point line with confidence, which is one of her main advantages.
The Hawkeyes lose Monika Czinano and McKenna Warnock this season. Both of them had bright moments and Czinano might go down as one of the more underappreciated post players in conference history. Iowa has a few contenders that can step up into the role. They return Gabbie Marshall, who was red-hot in the postseason from three-point range. Iowa also has Kate Martin, who is one of the toughest players in the Big Ten.
Martin has gotten better every year and continues to add more elements to her game. She isn’t afraid to do the little things that it takes for a team to win. She also showcased an improved three-point shot and a willingness to drive into traffic and finish through contact.
Iowa has all the makings of a winning team this coming season, but how far this team can go will ultimately depend on how well others can step up.
Is Addison O’Grady able to make consistent progress all season long?
There have been many outstanding post players during the Lisa Bluder and Jan Jensen era, but Czinano’s departure is a great loss. Bluder has advocated for patience with O’Grady. The 6-foot-3 post has demonstrated a wide range of moves on the block in addition to his ability to block and dish out some baskets.
“She gives us a greater defensive presence in the middle, but I’m also going to beg you — I’m going to ask you, I might even beg you to not compare her to Monika, just like four years ago I sat here and I begged you not to compare Monika to Megan. Monika came of her own. Give Addie time to come of her own. Addie is a good basketball player. She’s a darned good basketball player, just like Megan was, just like Monika was. But comparisons don’t do anybody any good, so just give her a little bit of time.”
Blocked shots don’t always tell the story defensively. It’s all about the player’s ability to alter the shot to make it more difficult. Former Hawkeye center Adam Woodbury was an expert at that, but never had the blocked shot numbers to back that up.
It will be crucial to ease O’Grady into her role this season, but her development may be the deciding factor in how far Iowa can go in the real season. In the middle for the Hawkeyes will be Sharon Goodman, who scored 14 points and pulled down nine rebounds in Iowa’s exhibition game against Clarke.
Is Caitlin Clark still capable of being herself?
Yes, I realise this is a silly question, but it’s so simple to take Clark’s celebrity status for granted. Clark has been well-known to Big Ten basketball fans ever since she arrived on campus and took over the reins of the Iowa offence. It was during this past season that her talent was discovered by the world.
Clark became the first player in Division I women’s basketball history to record more than 1,000 points and 300 assists in the same season and was fastest Division I player (men’s or women’s) to reach 1,500 career points over the last 20 seasons.
There has never been a women’s college basketball player that will have more eyes on her than Clark heading into this season. Clark doesn’t shy away from the pressure and knows that expectations for her are insanely high.
“If I have to be the face of women’s basketball or women’s college basketball, I think that’s a really good thing,” Clark said. “I think that’s cool. I think it’s something that’s only going to help the game grow more. It’s not anything that I feel comes with a lot of pressure.”
Following Iowa’s exhibition, Stuelke remarked, “It’s usually the Caitlin Clark show, but I love the Caitlin Clark show.” “I just like to lend a hand when I can.”
Because Clark has demonstrated her greatness so often, it is easy to take it for granted. Even so, it’s critical to take a broader view and appreciate just how challenging it is to function at her level.
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