Go Iowa Awesome – Iowa WBB Off-Season Roster Review

Iowa’s 2022-2023 season ended simply over three weeks in the past and but it appears like a lot longer. Within the days after the nationwide title sport, a few of basketball’s finest gamers—Hailey Van Lith, Aneesah Morrow, Lauren Betts, Lexi Donarski—entered the switch portal.

That led to days of hypothesis about how Iowa may unencumber a scholarship to land an affect switch. Then Shateah Wetering entered the portal, and instantly a scholarship really was accessible.

We know that Iowa reached out to Morrow about coming to Iowa Metropolis. The coaches virtually actually reached out to Betts too. Sadly, Betts picked UCLA and Morrow introduced a high 3 of South Carolina, LSU, and USC. Donarski can be off the board, and Van Lith hasn’t been linked to Iowa.

This yr’s switch portal had just a few large identify stars, however was mild on gamers that will clearly improve subsequent yr’s Iowa roster. At this level, a switch appears unlikely. Let’s check out the gamers which are dedicated to play for Iowa in 2023-2024.

Gamers in italics are eligible to make use of a Covid season nonetheless.

Covid Season: G Gabbie Marshall, G Molly Davis, G Kate Martin

Senior: G Caitlin Clark

Junior: G Kylie Feuerbach, C Sharon Goodman, C Addison O’Grady, G Sydney Affolter, F/C AJ Ediger

Sophomore: F Hannah Stuelke, G Taylor McCabe, F Jada Gyamfi

Freshman: PG Kennise Johnson-Etienne, F Ava Jones

We all know that Clark, Marshall, and Martin can be three of Iowa’s starters subsequent season. Clark is among the finest to ever play faculty basketball. Martin has began each sport Iowa has performed the final three seasons. Marshall began all however two of Iowa’s video games the final three seasons (she was injured within the different two) and in addition began as soon as throughout her freshman yr. She can be a type of uncommon gamers that begins a sport in 5 completely different seasons.

Iowa additionally has important expertise behind them. Davis will return as Iowa’s backup 1 and also will spend time on the 2. Feuerbach was considered one of Iowa’s key backups within the 2021-2022 season earlier than tearing her ACL and lacking final season. Affolter got here into her personal as a backup final season and appears prepared for an expanded position.

Sophomore Taylor McCabe could be one of many victims of Marshall and Martin utilizing their Covid season. She confirmed promise a three-point shooter in restricted motion final season, however would possibly battle to play once more this yr with six skilled guards returning.

In some unspecified time in the future of their careers O’Grady, Goodman, Stuelke, and Ediger have all served as Iowa’s major backup 5 to Monika Czinano.

Goodman was the backup 5 in Iowa’s 2020-2021 season that ended within the Candy 16. However she misplaced her 2021-2022 season to a torn ACL and barely performed final yr. The place Goodman’s sport stands post-injury continues to be an open query.

O’Grady was Iowa’s backup 5 in 2021-2022 and appeared to have important potential. However final yr, she fell out of favor early within the season and didn’t actually regain it till the NCAA Event, when Iowa wanted her measurement because the backup 5 to match up towards greater groups.

Stuelke was the backup 5 for a lot of final yr, however she was additionally the backup 4 for a lot of the yr, too. With McKenna Warnock additionally departing, Iowa would possibly select to play her primarily on the 4 subsequent yr.

Saying Ediger was Iowa’s major backup 5 for a time is true within the narrowest sense of the time period. Ediger was the backup 5 for a pair video games when O’Grady fell out of favor and earlier than Stuelke’s position was expanded to incorporate time on the 5. Ediger hustles, works onerous on the boards, and has proven some capacity to attain within the publish, however she is undersized for a 5 and it’s unclear if the she’s going to grow to be greater than a reserve.

Having important depth and expertise on the 5 is vital for Iowa, however not less than considered one of these gamers might want to take a big step ahead for Iowa to make one other deep post-season run.

For 3 years now McKenna Warnock has been practically the proper stretch 4 in Iowa’s system. She was one of many higher three-point shooters within the nation and spent most of her time on the perimeter spacing the ground. However she may additionally rebound like a ahead and was an environment friendly scorer across the basket.

Iowa doesn’t have an skilled 4 with a sport like Warnock’s on the roster. In reality, the one pure 4 more likely to play any minutes in any respect subsequent yr is Gyamfi, who solely performed 27 complete minutes as a freshman.

As talked about, Stuelke is one choice on the 4 subsequent yr. One other is for Iowa to go small utilizing Martin or Affolter because the 4 in a 4-guard lineup. Who will begin on the 4 subsequent yr might be the most important query that may have to be answered between now and November.

Most years Iowa has not less than one freshman that steps in and performs an enormous position in her first yr on campus. That’s unlikely this yr for a number of causes.

Earlier than Ava Jones’ tragic accident, she was a High 100 recruit which may’ve been an choice for enjoying time on the 4 place. Now, she is working her approach again by means of a number of surgical procedures and her future is unsure. What we do know is that she won’t be able to play subsequent season.

Johnson-Etienne faces the identical challenges that McCabe does. At 5’8″, she is strictly restricted to the backcourt at Iowa. Given Iowa’s important veteran depth on the 1 and a pair of specifically, it’s unlikely that she’s going to discover a place within the 2023-24 rotation, barring damage.

Subsequent season Iowa will return a lot of the gamers that led it to the primary nationwide championship sport in program historical past. However the lack of Warnock and Czinano looms giant, and Iowa will want a few of its returning gamers to step up if it desires to compete for one more run to the Remaining 4.