Iowa

How will Iowa State women’s basketball replace Kenzie Hare with tough slate on the horizon

Published

1 month ago

December 14, 2024

Press Room

How will Iowa State women’s basketball replace Kenzie Hare with tough slate on the horizon

AMES – The Iowa State women’s basketball team entered the season with one starting spot up for grabs.

The Cyclones brought back starters Audi Crooks, Emily Ryan, Addy Brown and Arianna Jackson. The team thought it filled the fifth starting spot when Kenzie Hare emerged as a constant contributor.

But with Hare now out for the season with an injury, that starting spot is once again up for grabs. Finding her replacement is one of the top priorities for No. 17 Iowa State, which takes on Eastern Illinois on Sunday at 5 p.m., at Hilton Coliseum.

“We’ve got to figure that out,” said Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly. “And obviously we didn’t do a very good job of it the other night (against Iowa). So, we’ll continue to probably keep doing what we’ve been doing in the sense of giving everyone a lot of opportunities, mix and match and hopefully something good will come of it.”

Hare, a 5-foot-9 junior guard, transferred to Iowa State from Marquette and quickly produced for the Cyclones. The Illinois native averaged 8.3 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 10 games, including eight starts this season.

Hare had been dealing with a hip injury that occurred before she arrived in Ames. The Iowa State coaching staff tried treatment options but never could get her to 100%. So, the Cyclones decided to shut her down and medically redshirt her this season.

Hare’s absence created a giant void on the floor. The newcomer, an established star 3-point shooter, gave Iowa State experience, defense on the perimeter and grit throughout games, diving for loose balls and making small but important plays.

“It’s a huge loss for our team,” Fennelly said.

Replacing her will be difficult. But Iowa State does have options. Freshman Aili Tanke has started at times this season. So has sophomore Kelsey Joens, who filled in during the Iowa game. Then there’s juniors Sydney Harris and Lily Hansford. The problem, Fennelly said, is that no one has stepped up and taken the job.

Tanke provided some valuable minutes in the Iowa game. Joens has shined at times off the bench. Harris has as well. Hansford, another strong shooter who transferred from Oregon State, has struggled to find her rhythm but is still in the mix after knocking down a big 3 against the Hawkeyes.

But no one has continually given Fennelly what he’s looking for: some points, some defense on the perimeter and some hard work. The bar isn’t high with Crooks, Brown and Ryan expected to handle the bulk of the scoring. Still, Tanke, Joens, Harris or Hansford has yet to win the job.

“They’re all in the mix and we just, up to this point, the only consistency has been inconsistency,” Fennelly said.

The coach said Friday and Saturday’s practices would decide who starts Sunday’s game. But that person may not be the permanent answer.

“I’m going to actually meet with all of them and just say, ‘Hey, here’s where we are and it’s going to be, whoever practices best the next two days will go out there first and whoever plays the best in the game on Sunday, stays in the game,’” Fennelly said.

There are other routes for the Cyclones to go as well. Fennelly said he’s thought about playing two post players at once, putting Crooks and Alisa Williams on the floor at the same time. He’s even thought about moving the versatile Brown to the three spot or into the post. Everything is on the table right now.

“I’m not afraid to try other things,” Fennelly said.

Time is ticking for Iowa State to figure it out. Things get very difficult for the Cyclones after Sunday’s game. Iowa State plays No. 2 UConn in the Invesco QQQ Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase next week. After that, the Cyclones embark on Big 12 Conference play. Iowa State was picked to finish second in the league this season.

If the Cyclones are going to have any success this season, replacing Hare is something they have to find an answer for. Fast.

“This is the situation we are in and it’s pretty evident, especially in the two road games that we lost,” Fennelly said. “So, we’ve got to figure that out.”

Tommy Birch, the Register’s sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He’s the 2018, 2020 and 2023 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468

Source link

Click to comment

Iowa

USC 99, Iowa 89: Still Winless on the Road

Published

3 hours ago

January 15, 2025

Press Room

USC 99, Iowa 89: Still Winless on the Road

LOS ANGELES, CA — Iowa put together yet another dreadful defensive performance on the road, dropping Tuesday night’s matchup with USC (11-6, 3-3) by a score of 99-89. The Hawkeyes dug themselves too deep of a hole to climb out of and remain winless on the road in Big Ten play.

Here are three takeaways from the loss.

Still Winless on the Road

Iowa is 0-3 in true road games this season, all of which have come in conference play. With losses to Michigan, Wisconsin and now USC, all of Iowa’s losses in the Big Ten have come away from home.

“[USC] is a driving team,” Fran McCaffery said after the loss. “I thought our defense was not what it needed it be. … Our rebounding was not good.”

The latter portion of the quote is definitely accurate in all three road losses. Over the three games, Iowa has allowed an average of 100 points per game. In the same three contests, Iowa was out-rebounded by an average of 16 rebounds per game(opponents averaging 39.7 to Iowa’s average of 23.7).

“There are a lot of good teams in this league,” McCaffery added. “It’s not going to be easy to win on the road, so you try to protect home and stay in the fight. We made a nice comeback, had a chance, didn’t get it done. Onto the next.”

The teams Iowa has lost to aren’t slouches by any means — Michigan is the No. 20 team in the country, Wisconsin was ranked at one point and was able to hit 21 three-pointers against the Hawkeyes and USC is fresh off an upset win over No. 13 Illinois on the road.

However, if Iowa is going to be competitive in the Big Ten this season, they’ll need to start winning against teams with solid resumes, and if they’re going to make the tournament, they’ll need to start doing it sooner rather than later — and doing it on the road.

More Hot Shooting vs. the Hawks

Going into Tuesday’s contest, the Trojans were shooting 47.8% from the field. Against Iowa, they shot 64.9%. Prior to the contest vs. the Hawkeyes, USC was shooting 33% from three. They shot 66.7% from deep on Tuesday.

“They got comfortable,” McCaffery said. “They they made a bunch of threes tonight. It’s not typically their strong point, but they made them tonight and you can see that they’re a team that’s gaining confidence.”

Four Trojans scored in double-figures, with junior guard Desmond Claude leading the way with 25 points, nine assists and eight rebounds.

“He dribbles a lot,” McCaffery said regarding the difficult of guarding Claude. “I thought a lot of things that I can’t say, but I want to give the kid credit because he’s a really good player. We had some success with the trap a little bit, but our reactions out of it were not good enough [to stop Claude].”

Redshirt-freshman guard Wesley Yates posted a career high 21 points on Tuesday night as well, hitting four 3-pointers, which was also a career high. Each of those triples came in the first half.

Dug Too Deep of a Hole

Iowa went into halftime trailing 48-32, an all too familiar scenario for the Hawkeyes, even within the last week.

With recent performances by senior forward Payton Sandfort that have earned him the nickname “Second Half Sandfort” — scoring 30 in the second half against Nebraska and 21 in the second half against Indiana — trailing by double-digits doesn’t seem terribly difficult to overcome for the Hawkeyes and their senior leader.

This time, it came back to bite them. With just five first-half points, Sandfort had trouble getting going early yet again.

“It’s hard for him because he’s getting mugged,” McCaffery said. “You try to screen for him, he’s getting held. But to his credit, he keeps moving and he keeps screening and he figures out a way. … We want to run stuff for him, but teams are really, really mugging him.”

With the Trojan defense so focused on the perimeter, things opened up inside for Owen Freeman, who looked to take advantage over USC’s center and former Iowa portal target, Josh Cohen.

The sophomore big did just that with a myriad of post moves, soft touch around the rim, going up strong for dunks and making his first three since December 12, to score 13 points in the first half and finish with a career high of 23. He also led Iowa in rebounds with six.

Thanks to the first half lead, and the continued advantage on the glass and from the perimeter, the Trojans were able to keep the Hawkeyes at arms length for the majority of the second half, building a lead of up to 19 points.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Iowa trimmed the deficit to nine points with just with 6:50 to go. The game, appearing to be within reach, was promptly taken over by guard Drew Thelwell. He hit the gas, scoring eight of his 16 points over the ensuing two minutes.

Not only did the Morehead State transfer drive to the bucket at-will, but he made four-of four free throws over that stretch — a rarity for the senior, who was shooting 64.2% going into Tuesday’s contest.

“I thought his energy level was really impressive at both ends,” McCaffery said. “He was really fighting defensively, pushing it hard, driving the ball, being aggressive offensively — that’s what we need from him. I’m really proud of him.”

Pair Sandfort’s trademark second half and adding 15 points, it looked as though McCaffery’s squad had a real opportunity to steal a win in the LA.

The attempt to will iowa to victory came up just short for Thelwell, as with 4:06 to go and the Trojan lead cut to five, he lost control of the ball and turned it over out of bounds. USC scored on the following two possessions to extend its lead to 89-81. It never felt as though Iowa had its chance to get back into the contest, and USC pulled away for the win at home.

NEXT: Iowa will travel across town to take on UCLA (11-6, 2-4) on Friday night at 8 pm CT. The game will be broadcast on FS1.

Don’t miss out on any of our exclusive football, basketball, and recruiting coverage. Sign up with Hawkeye Beacon here.

Source link

Iowa

Former education department employee to receive settlement in discrimination case

Published

11 hours ago

January 14, 2025

Press Room

Former education department employee to receive settlement in discrimination case

The state of Iowa will pay $440,000 to settle a 2022 disability discrimination case from a former employee of the Iowa Department of Education.

Amy Williamson, the former deputy director of the Iowa Department of Education, resigned from her position in 2022 after allegedly facing retaliation for complaining to the governor’s staff about civil rights violations within the agency.

State records indicate that before she resigned, Williamson had worked for the Iowa Department of Education since May 2007. In October 2020, she was promoted to deputy director of the agency. She remained in that position until she resigned in February 2022.

Williamson, at a 2022 hearing on her claim for unemployment benefits after leaving the Department of Education, recounted she had concerns with some of the department’s human resources policies in early 2021. She also alleged her concerns were not taken seriously by the then-director of the Iowa Department of Education Ann Lebo. Lebo resigned from the role in February 2023 and currently works in the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services.

Williamson said Lebo later conducted an “employee review” to show she had not met certain mandatory deadlines. Williamson protested, arguing the deadlines had been met. She also alleged Lebo was “not pleased” after she relayed her concerns to the governor’s office in January 2022.

At the unemployment benefits hearing, Williamson said her role as deputy director was reduced after her meeting with Lebo. She was no longer responsible for managing K-12 education, and someone was to be hired to replace her in that role. Her oversight went from managing 138 people to supervising three administrative consultants and a secretary.

Two days after her duties were reduced, Williamson experienced gastrointestinal bleeding and was treated at an urgent care clinic and diagnosed with an acute stress reaction. Her doctor took her off work for six weeks.

While on medical leave, a job was posted for an administrator at the department with nearly identical duties to her position, including all of the responsibilities that had just been assigned to her by Lebo. She was advised by her doctor not to return to work because her illness was a direct result of work-related anxiety and stress.

On Feb. 24, 2022, Williamson submitted a letter of resignation. She later applied for and was denied unemployment benefits. Williamson appealed the decision and the Department of Education did not participate in the hearing.

According to Iowa Assistant Attorney General Christopher Deist, the state agreed to settle the appeal for a total of $440,000. As part of the settlement, Williamson will receive a $59,000 payroll check, a $200,000 settlement check, and $180,000 payable to Fielder Law Firm to pay for attorney fees and litigation costs.

The Iowa Department of Education will also be reimbursed $4,517.68 for Williamson’s share of FICA taxes.

Kyle Werner is a reporter for the Register. Reach him at kwerner@dmreg.com.

Source link

Iowa

The 20 Most Expensive ZIP Codes In Iowa, Revealed By Zillow Data

Published

19 hours ago

January 14, 2025

Press Room

The 20 Most Expensive ZIP Codes In Iowa, Revealed By Zillow Data

Morning in Des Moines, Iowa. The suburban and rural areas around Des Moines are home to several of … [+] the most expensive ZIP codes ion Iowa.

getty

We’ve been moving through the Midwest, analyzing ZIP codes in terms of their home values, and going state by state to identify the most expensive ones. Recently, we investigated the most expensive ZIP codes in Michigan and Wisconsin. Now, we are going to take a look at Iowa’s most expensive ZIP codes.

So, read on to find out the most expensive ZIP codes in Iowa in 2024, based on data from Zillow’s home value index and the Census Bureau.

The Most Expensive ZIP Codes in Iowa

Using data from Zillow’s home value index, plus the Census Bureau’s 2023 American Community Survey, we analyzed thousands of ZIP codes across the country. We’ve been identifying the most expensive ZIP codes on various geographic levels, including on the state-level and on the city-level. Here, we’re going on the state-level with what are the most expensive ZIP codes in Iowa.

As part of our analysis, we took into consideration the latest monthly home values Zillow has — December 2024 — as well as the average of 12 months of median home values from January 2024 to December 2024, in order to gain a more complete picture.

Below are the 20 most expensive ZIP codes in Iowa.

The Top 5 Most Expensive ZIP Codes in Iowa

The No. 1 most expensive ZIP code in Iowa is 50061, covering an area south of West Des Moines and includes towns like Cumming and Orilla. This is an affluent place, beyond the immediate suburbs of Des Moines. The median household income in ZIP code 50061 is $130,250, while the average household income is $175,415. Around 30% of households earn at least $200,000 a year in this ZIP code. Home values rose markedly in 50061, with the median home value going from $404,552 in December 2019, to $578,220 in December 2024, which is 42.9% in five years. The growth over just the last year is arguably more impressive, at 4.9%; it rose from $552,312 in December 2023 to $578,220 a year later.

The No. 2 most expensive ZIP code in Iowa is 51355. It is centered on Okoboji, with its entire left-side boundary being West Okoboji Lake. The lakefront homes here are beautiful and the scenery exemplary. Back in December 2019, the median home value in ZIP code 51355 was $343,041. A year later, it had risen by about $30,000. But from December 2020 to December 2021, the median home value jumped from $371,560 to $433,999. By the end of December 2024, the median home value had reached $517,944, a rate of 51% over five years.

The No. 3 most expensive ZIP code in Iowa — 51331 — is right across the lake, to the south of ZIP code 51355. The third most expensive ZIP code is centered on Arnolds Park, which is connected to Okoboji by Okoboji Grove Road. The median household income in ZIP code 51331 is $84,615, whereas the mean household income is $109,911. This ZIP code experiencing the greatest home value appreciation out of the top five most expensive ZIP codes. From a median home value of $295,105 in December 2019, the median rose by 61%, to reach $475,070 in December 2024.

The fourth most expensive ZIP code in Iowa is 50323, which covers western Urbandale. It’s a little over 11 miles from Des Moines to this ZIP code. Incomes here are very high. The median household income in ZIP code 50323 is $173,659. The average household income is $202,398. Home value growth in 50323 was slower than in the other top most expensive ZIP codes. From a median home value of $348,828 in December 2019, values increased by 31.5%, reaching $458,591 in December 2024.

The No. 5 most expensive ZIP code is 50229, which is a sprawling ZIP code centered in Prole. It stretches from Prole in the east to Patterson in the west. This ZIP code covers a largely rural area southwest of Des Moines. Incomes here are certainly higher than the state average. The median household income in ZIP code 50229 is $106,087, while the average household income is $125,598. Home values increased by more than 40% in 50229. The median home value back in December 2019 was $322,235. It then grew by 41.5% over the next five years, reaching $456,018 by the end of December 2024.

Source link