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Could UCF’s Emely Rodriguez fill final transfer-portal need for Iowa women’s basketball?

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8 months ago

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Could UCF’s Emely Rodriguez fill final transfer-portal need for Iowa women’s basketball?


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In a recent one-on-one interview with the Des Moines Register, Iowa women’s basketball coach Jan Jensen outlined her ideal next addition via the NCAA transfer portal.

“If we added some type of forward, just with our depth, that’d be great,” Jensen said, adding that she would prefer a “scoring forward” ideally.

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With Chazadi “Chit-Chat” Wright already in the fold – “the piece we needed,” Jensen said of the point-guard transfer from Georgia Tech with three years eligibility remaining − the Hawkeyes understand that front-court depth could still be an issue, especially after losing starting forward Sydney Affolter to graduation.

A potential solution is on the horizon.

Central Florida freshman Emely Rodriguez will make an official visit to Iowa on May 12, a source with direct knowledge of her recruitment confirmed to the Register.

Rodriguez is a 6-foot guard/forward who averaged 11.9 points and 5.3 rebounds per game last season at UCF. She made the All-Big 12 Conference freshman team and has three years of eligibility remaining.

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Originally from the Dominican Republic, Rodriguez started 19 times in 25 games (she missed five with an injury) as UCF struggled to a 12-18 season. She averaged 26.4 minutes and scored in double figures 16 times for UCF. Rodriguez shot 40.9% from the field and 33.3% from 3-point range (15-for-45).

She has some size and would potentially serve as a backup to Kylie Feuerbach or Hannah Stuelke, who Jensen wants to move to the “4” position entering her senior year. That would allow Jensen to rotate rising sophomore Ava Heiden and incoming 6-5 freshman Layla Hays at the “5” spot. Jensen wants Iowa to play bigger in 2025-26. The Hawkeyes finished 23-11 last season, with their only double-digit loss being by a 96-62 score to Oklahoma in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Iowa got outrebounded, 64-33, in that game.

If Iowa could land Rodriguez, that would also provide more flexibility with the development of 6-foot forward Teagan Mallegni, who had immense promise as a freshman but struggled from 3-point range. Iowa is trying to figure out whether Mallegni is a better fit at the “3” or “4” position, and adding Rodriguez and seeing what she brings to the table could help that shake out.

Iowa has 13 scholarship players in the fold for the 2025-26 – four seniors (Stuelke, Feuerbach, Taylor McCabe, Jada Gyamfi), six sophomores (Heiden, Mallegni, Wright, Taylor Stremlow, Callie Levin and Kennise Johnson) and three freshmen (Hays, Addie Deal and Journey Houston) – with a maximum of 15 permitted.

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Iowa

See where Iowa State basketball ranks in the AP and coaches polls

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6 hours ago

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December 22, 2025

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See where Iowa State basketball ranks in the AP and coaches polls


Iowa State basketball is now ranked in the top three.

The Cyclone men improved to 13-0 this week after obliterating Long Beach State on Dec. 21 at Hilton Coliseum.

With the holiday week, Iowa State is off before returning for a home game Monday, Dec. 29, against Houston Christian at 7 p.m.

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Here is a look at where the Cyclones stand in the latest college basketball rankings:

Iowa State rankings update

Iowa State moved up one spot to No. 3 in both the AP and Coaches Polls. The Cyclones were previously at No. 4.

USA TODAY Sports men’s college basketball coaches poll

Here is a look at the new USA TODAY Sports men’s basketball coaches poll.

  1. Michigan
  2. Arizona
  3. Iowa State
  4. UConn
  5. Purdue
  6. Duke
  7. Gonzaga
  8. Houston
  9. Michigan State
  10. BYU
  11. Vanderbilt
  12. North Carolina
  13. Nebraska
  14. Louisville
  15. Alabama
  16. Texas Tech
  17. Kansas
  18. Arkansas
  19. Illinois
  20. Tennessee
  21. Virginia
  22. Florida
  23. Iowa
  24. Georgia
  25. USC

Others receiving votes

St. John’s 32; Kentucky 32; Seton Hall 20; Utah State 15; Auburn 10; California 9; UCLA 8; Saint Louis 8; LSU 6; Yale 4; Oklahoma State 3; Saint Mary’s 1; Indiana 1; Clemson 1;

AP Poll

Here is a look at the new Associated Press poll.

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  1. Arizona
  2. Michigan
  3. Iowa State
  4. UConn
  5. Purdue
  6. Duke
  7. Gonzaga
  8. Houston
  9. Michigan State
  10. BYU
  11. Vanderbilt
  12. North Carolina
  13. Nebraska
  14. Alabama
  15. Texas Tech
  16. Louisville
  17. Kansas
  18. Arkansas
  19. Tennessee
  20. Illinois
  21. Virginia
  22. Florida
  23. Georgia
  24. USC
  25. Iowa

Others receiving votes

Kentucky 78, Seton Hall 49, Auburn 39, St. John’s 23, California 19, LSU 17, UCLA 13, Clemson 9, Miami (Ohio) 6, Utah St. 5, Arizona St 5, Indiana 4, Miami 4, Saint Louis 3, Belmont 2, Baylor 1, Oklahoma St. 1, UCF 1, NC State 1.



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Iowa

Jaxx DeJean, brother of Hawkeye icon Cooper, commits to Iowa football

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18 hours ago

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December 22, 2025

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Jaxx DeJean, brother of Hawkeye icon Cooper, commits to Iowa football


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Class of 2027 prospect Jaxx DeJean, the younger brother of former Iowa football star Cooper DeJean, has committed to the Hawkeyes.

Jaxx DeJean made the announcement via social media on Dec. 21.

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DeJean, listed at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, committed to Iowa as a tight end.

DeJean is a 3-star prospect and the fifth-ranked player in the state of Iowa’s 2027 high school class, according to the 247Sports Composite.

As a junior at OABCIG, DeJean showed versatility offensively. He led the team with 36 receptions for 461 yards and six touchdowns, while rushing for 207 yards and three touchdowns. DeJean also passed for 149 yards and two touchdowns. On the defensive side of the ball, DeJean recorded 18.5 total tackles and three interceptions.

DeJean was named honorable mention All-Iowa by the Des Moines Register.

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The Odebolt product earned offers from UNLV, Kansas State, Michigan, UAB and Iowa.

DeJean has become a well-known last name in the Hawkeye and NFL communities.

Cooper DeJean became an Iowa legend in three seasons with the Hawkeyes, starring as a defensive back and punt returner. As a junior, DeJean was Tatum-Woodson Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year and Rodgers-Dwight Big Ten Return Specialist of the Year.

DeJean’s story rose to new heights once he got to the NFL. He somewhat surprisingly slipped to the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft, but was scooped up by the Philadelphia Eagles, which ultimately proved beneficial for both sides. As a rookie, DeJean picked off a pass from megastar quarterback Patrick Mahomes and returned it for a touchdown in Super Bowl LIX to help the Eagles take down the Chiefs.

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Before the 2024 NFL Draft, DeJean commented on the recruitment of brother Jaxx.

“I want him to make his own decision,” Cooper said of Jaxx in March of 2024. “If he could be here, that’d be awesome. We’ve all grown up Iowa fans, but I’ll definitely be giving my pitch, for sure.”

Jaxx DeJean is the third prospect to commit to Iowa’s 2027 recruiting class this month.

4-star Bettendorf linebacker Gavin Stecker announced his commitment to the Hawkeyes on Dec. 9. Less than one week later, Pleasantville High School Braylon Bingham also committed to Iowa as a linebacker. And now, DeJean becomes Iowa’s first offensive commitment in the 2027 recruiting class.

All three members of Iowa’s 2027 recruiting class are in-state products.

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Follow Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15, contact via email at ttachman@gannett.com



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Two Iowa tickets miss $1.2B Powerball jackpot by just one number

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1 day ago

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December 21, 2025

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Two Iowa tickets miss .2B Powerball jackpot by just one number


Nobody hit the estimated $1.2 billion Powerball jackpot in the Dec. 20 drawing — but the prize isn’t going anywhere. In fact, it’s climbing to an eye-popping $1.6 billion for Monday’s drawing, making it the fourth-largest jackpot in Powerball history and fifth-largest among U.S. lottery jackpots. The cash option? $735.3 million.

Two Iowa players came close to the big win. One ticket, sold at Kwik Star in Vinton, matched all five white balls and missed only the Powerball — good for a $1 million prize. It was one of eight tickets nationwide to hit that mark.

“A jackpot of this size naturally captures attention nationwide, but a $1 million win right here in Iowa shows there are plenty of chances to win along the way,” Iowa Lottery CEO Matt Strawn said in a news release.

Another ticket, sold at Hy-Vee Fast & Fresh in Johnston, matched four white balls plus the Powerball and added Power Play, turning a $50,000 prize into $150,000.

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In all, Iowa players won 41,288 prizes Saturday, from $4 to $1 million.

Want in on Monday’s drawing? The ticket deadline is 8:59 p.m. Odds of hitting the jackpot remain 1 in 292.2 million — but someone will eventually get lucky.

More: Iowa’s biggest lottery winners over the years

Susan Stapleton is the entertainment editor at the Des Moines Register.



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