Projecting the 2024-25 Iowa Women’s Basketball Rotation

We are just over 100 days away from the Iowa Women’s Basketball team tipping off a new era of Hawkeye Basketball. There’s a new head coach on the sideline, players in new roles and six newcomers that joined the roster. Plenty of turnover, but the Hawkeyes are still the Hawkeyes and the expectation is that this team will compete to finish near the top of the Big Ten.

“I think this year, they can lean in to the little chip on their shoulder because everybody is going to say, oh they lost Caitlin, they’re never going to be the same, it’s going to be so difficult,” said head coach Jan Jensen. “I think this group, what they’ve shown me is that it’s fun and I could not ask for any more energy or great worth ethic to start.”

The past few years haven’t come with many questions as to how the starting lineup would play out. Caitlin Clark, Kate Martin, Gabbie Marshall combined for about a million starts, as did McKenna Warnock and Monika Czinano in the years prior, so there hasn’t been much to ponder when making a starting five. Now, for the first time in a long time, there is some discussion around the way Jan Jensen can and will rotate her players onto the court.

Before we get into my projections, you’ll notice that I mentioned 12 players, including at least one backup at each position. Obviously Jan Jensen will not rotate 12 players during Big Ten play. It’s still July and I can assure you that Jan Jensen has not yet decided on a strict 8-9 player rotation, so neither will I just yet. That being said, I will give my thoughts on who I think is trending towards making the cut for that ‘close game’ rotation and how that group of 8 or 9 players could look.

Point Guard: Grad Senior Lucy Olsen

Every indication that I have gotten talking with players and the coaching staff is that Lucy Olsen has been a perfect fit for the Hawkeyes on and off the court. It truly was a best-case scenario for Iowa in the transfer portal. They needed a big time, proven point guard to run the offense and round out a talented roster. That’s exactly what they got.

“I told her, I wish I could have coached you for four years,” said Jan Jensen. “We haven’t had anyone like her for a while. She’s more mid-range, pass first and she just has a nice bounce about her.”

The biggest question surrounding Lucy Olsen heading into the season is, what shape will her role take in terms of scoring and facilitating? She certainly has shown that she can take the role of primary scorer, as she was third in the country in scoring (23.3 ppg) at Villanova last season and scored 20+ points in 25 games. She’s also proved to be a trustworthy passer, with a career 2.09 assist-to-turnover ratio and it’s fair to say that her assist numbers will go up with the talent that she has around her.

I could see Lucy having a season similar to 2019-20 Kathleen Doyle when she won Big Ten Player of the Year. Someone that can score 25-28 points in a game if she needs to, but generally will be a 15-18 point per game scorer, with 6-8 assists and 5-6 rebounds. A player that can run the offense at a high-level, but also turn it up in the scoring department when called upon.

Next Player Up: True Freshman Taylor Stremlow or Aaliyah Guyton

This may not be the biggest position battle on the roster, but it is an intriguing one. Lucy Olsen is going to play 30+ minutes per game, which she is no stranger to, as she averaged 34.5 minutes per game over her last two years at Villanova. However, when she does come to the bench, it’s very likely that it will be a true freshman coming on as the backup point guard.

Four-star freshman Taylor Stremlow looks to be fitting in well, while she possesses the basketball IQ, court vision and ball handling skills needed to be the backup. At the moment she probably holds the slight advantage, as four-star freshman Aaliyah Guyton will likely not be cleared to practice until late August. That being said, I believe that the coaching staff envisioned Guyton as the point guard of the future when she committed. She has all the tools to earn minutes off the bench, but how quickly she gets things rolling once she is 100% will dicatate when that time comes.

Shooting Guard: Junior Taylor McCabe

The time has come for Taylor McCabe to make herself known, not only at Iowa, but in the Big Ten. The Nebraska all-time leader in made three-pointers is set to have a big role on this team after averaging just 8.1 minutes per game over her first two seasons.

“I was in the weight room a ton, put on a couple more pounds. Probably needed to. I don’t want there to be a single excuse for why I can’t be on the floor,” said McCabe on the HawkeyeReport Podcast. “I know that I’m going to have an impact and an impact that we’re going to need.”

The Hawkeyes lost nearly 80% of their made three-pointers from last season and although it’s unfair to expect them to make over 400 threes this season, McCabe is someone that can light it up from behind the arc. Through 50 career games, Taylor has made 55 of her 124 (44.4%) three-point attempts and is averaging 5.4 made threes per 40 minutes. I believe she will lead the team in made threes and surprise with other areas of her game. She told HawkeyeReport that she has put a lot of work into her floater that she used back in high school.

Next Player Up: Redshirt Senior Kylie Feuerbach

Kylie Feuerbach could very well be the first player off the bench for the Hawkeyes this season and the coaching staff is hoping that she can be a consistent spark of energy for that reserve group.

“I think she’s the type of kid that just needs to kind of take the leash off and go and you’ll see those type of plays we saw from her (at times) last year,” said assistant coach Abby Stamp. “We’ve really challenged her this summer (to play free).”

On the defensive end of the floor, Feuerbach could take over the assignment of guarding the opposing teams best player. She brings good energy and has a knack for getting deflections that lead to transition opportunities. Offensively, Kylie has the ability to drive to the basket and knock down open threes, but consistently being a threat is where she is looking to grow. If she can play under control and mostly mistake free, her minutes per game will go up.

Small Forward: Senior Sydney Affolter

I firmly believe that the Syd Affolter we saw in the Big Ten and NCAA Tournament last year is the Syd Affolter that we will see for the entirety of the 2024-25 season. Not only has she taken over the leadership role that Kate Martin held, but she could even put together a similar season in terms of production on the floor.

“Syd has always been good, but she has been unbelievable. She paid a lot of attention to Kate and I’m very thankful for that,” said Jan Jensen. “Syd has really risen and I’m really excited about her. Her leadership has been great.”

Affolter took over in the starting lineup for the injured Molly Davis and scored in double figures in seven of the Hawkeyes nine postseason games, including a career-high 18 points against Penn State at the Big Ten Tournament. She has the ability to drive to the basket, rebound on both ends of the floor and defend multiple positions at a high-level. Last season, Affolter averaged 13.5 points, 10.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists per 40 minutes. Fans should be excited to see what is in store for Syd Affolter this year.

Next Player Up: Junior Jada Gyamfi

Jada Gyamfi is likely on the outside looking in at that 8-9 player rotation that I mentioned, but she has raised her level of play this offseason and is much closer to legitimate playing time than she was last season. Assistant coach Raina Harmon mentioned to me Jada’s willingness to get in the gym this summer to improve her game and it has shown at points during the open media practices. She looked like a confident three-point shooter and, in all, a more confident player. It’s uncertain what her role will be right now, but Jada Gyamfi will, at the very least, will give the Hawkeyes even more depth off the bench this season.

Power Forward: Junior Hannah Stuelke

A nagging knee injury kept Hannah Stuelke from being completely healthy for the majority of last season, but she was still able to play in 35 of 39 games and make 32 starts en route to Second Team All-Big Ten honors. In the offseason, Stuelke had a minor knee operation to clear things up and has not yet partcipated in summer workouts. The expectation is that she will move to her natural position at power forward this year and with a fully healthy knee, an even bigger year could be on the horizon in her junior year.

“(Hannah) becomes a matchup nightmare (at the 4),” says assistant coach Raina Harmon. “Even if we put her at the pinch post, you’ve got to (guard her) to the elbow. If you go there, she’s going to take you off the dribble.”

Last season, Stuelke averaged 22.8 points and 10.7 rebounds per 40 minutes, while nearly 41% of her rebounds came on the offensive end. She had some big games against Ohio State (23 pts, 9 reb), Nebraska (25 pts, 9 reb) and UConn (23 pts, 3 reb), as well as a 47-point outburst against Penn State. There are a couple of areas that she needs to improve, including her mid-range jumper and free throw shooting, but it feels like she is on the verge of something great this season. I see Hannah pushing the upper teens for points per game this season.

Next Player Up: True Freshman Teagan Mallegni

Every time I get to see Teagan Mallegni in person, I feel like it is more and more likely that she will have a significant role off the bench for the Hawkeyes this season. Yes, she’s a freshman, so there will be some of those growing pains that each first year player goes through, but her game is very well rounded and could help the Hawkeyes right away. I think there’s a good chance that Teagan is the second player off the bench this season.

“(Teagan) is so skilled,” says assistant coach Raina Harmon. “Her first step is so quick, she’s really smooth finishing at the basket, she’s not afraid to mix it up getting in there and rebounding, she can knock down threes with ease. She’s probably going to give the fans a glimpse of McKenna Warnock.”

Center: True Freshman Ava Heiden

The most intriguing position battle for the Hawkeyes comes at the center position. After having Doolittle, Gustafson and Czinano start for 11 straight seasons as true post players, Hannah Stuelke slid over from her natural power foward position last season. For the most part it worked well, but the coaching staff is looking to get a true post back in the starting lineup this season. The question is, who will it be?

At this point, I am leaning towards true freshman Ava Heiden because I think her upside is the highest of the three post players. She would be the first Hawkeye freshman not named Caitlin Clark to start a season opener since Makenzie Meyer in 2016. The skills are undeniable, it will just be a question of how quickly she gets aclimated to college basketball. Heiden already shows the ability to make quick decisions when she catches in the post, while she loves to run the floor, block shots and shoot the mid-range jumper. That skillset, plus her 6’4 height makes her someone that the Hawkeyes haven’t had at center in a while.

“(Coach Jan) has been amazing. She’s so positive and is teaching me all that I need to know. There’s a lot and she knows that there’s going to be a learning curve. She’s been helping me along that process and building me up to where I need to be,” said Heiden.

Next Player Up: Senior Addi O’Grady or Senior AJ Ediger

I’m not quite sure what to make of this battle for the backup five. Addi O’Grady (38 gms, 8.8 mpg) and AJ Ediger (20 gms, 4.5 mpg) both played sparingly last season, but one of them must step up because Ava Heiden is not going to play 30+ minutes as a freshman. Jan Jensen has mentioned that O’Grady has taken some positive strides this offseason and she has had some flashes over her first three seasons, but hasn’t done enough on a consistent basis to parlay it into significant minutes. It will be interesting to see if either can take hold of the backup five minutes.

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