Early Analysis for '24-25 Iowa Women's Hoops

What the Hawkeyes Look Like After Caitlin Clark

IOWA CITY, Iowa - Sunday’s conclusion of the Iowa Women’s Basketball season brought with it an end of a special era. Caitlin Clark, Kate Martin, Gabbie Marshall, Molly Davis and Sharon Goodman played their final game as Hawkeyes. 

That group formed the foundation of a team that reached back-to-back national championship games. It was an incredible accomplishment not likely to be repeated anytime soon. 

Clark became the game’s most recognizable face. Her skills drew in record crowds, far and wide, as she rewrote the record book. Her supporting cast earned fame. It was a sight to see. 

They’ll be an adjustment period following the final curtain for the greatest hoops show on earth. ESPN's Charlie Cream doesn't list Iowa in his way-to-early Top 25 for '24-25. 

How big will the drop-off be from second best in the country? We'll find out next winter. 

The Hawkeyes advanced to the Final Four just once before last year. What we witnessed the last two seasons is unusual, to say the least. 

It should be pointed out that the program was rising before Clark, however. Iowa made the Elite Eight for the fourth time ever the year before her arrival. 

The sky is not falling. There may just be occasional clouds after it's been mostly clear for the last two seasons, though. 

The future starts with a rebuild. Returning starters Hannah Stuelke and Sydney Affolter form the foundation of that. Kylie Feuerbach, Addison O’Grady and Taylor McCabe are scheduled to be back in the rotation after taking part in a wonderful run. 

Senior-to-be AJ Ediger and Jada Gyamfi, a junior-to-be, could step into bigger roles. Sophomores-to-be Kennise Johnson and Ava Jones are working their way back from surgeries. Iowa welcomes a five-member 2024 recruiting class that will be relied upon beginning next season. 

As we sit here in April, the offense likely will run through Stuelke. The Cedar Rapids native is a rising star with a high ceiling. With an expanding game, her numbers should increase from the 14.0 points and 6.6 rebounds she averaged this winter. 

Affolter was a revelation replacing the injured Davis as a starter late in the season. A key contributor off the bench prior to the promotion, she thrived with more minutes. She ranked fourth on the team in scoring (8.4) and rebounding (6.4) in 24.8 minutes a game

Feuerbach started as an Iowa State freshman in ’20-21. The Sycamore (IL) High graduate played in 32 games (two starts) for the Hawkeyes the following winter. A torn ACL cost her the ’22-23 season. 

This year, Feuerbach logged 13.9 post-surgery minutes a game. She knocked down 21 three-pointers in a reserve role, also handling the ball at times. 

O’Grady shined on occasions during the last two seasons. Inconsistency has kept the 6-foot-3 center from maximizing her considerable potential. 

Ava Heiden should push O’Grady for minutes in the post. She’s the highest-ranked member of the incoming freshmen, turning up as the No. 40 overall prospect in the ’24 espnW class rankings. There’s potential for the newcomer from Oregon to deliver an Owen Freeman like impact. 

McCabe owns an experience advantage over the four guards arriving in the ’24 group. The junior-to-be from Nebraska can connect from deep, as evidenced by her shooting 35 for 76 (46.1 percent) from behind the arc while playing 8.2 minutes per game this season. 

Incoming freshman Aaliyah Guyton is recovering from January ACL surgery, telling us recently that she hopes to be full speed by November. The dynamic combo guard from Peoria is ranked No. 58 in ’24 by ESPN. She’s also a member of the Brazilian national team. 

Two more ESPN Top100 recruits will be competing for backcourt minutes. Teagan Mallegni (64) and Taylor Stremlow (91) hail from Wisconsin. The former can inflict serious damage from downtown, while the latter does whatever her team needs to win (think Kate Martin). 

Callie Levin rounds out the freshman five. She’ll make the short move down Highway 1 after leading Solon to a state championship this winter. Levin is a tough, three-level scorer with a solid handle. 

Edinger played ahead of O’Grady at times this season. Gyamfi displayed a versatile skill set in limited minutes. 

The Hawkeyes have been connected to student-athletes in the transfer portal. The success achieved during the last two years should have built NIL support needed to land top players. 

They've been connected to Villanova guard transfer Lucy Olsen, who just entered the portal Tuesday. The Pennsylvania product ranked third nationally with 23.3 points per game. She averaged 4.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists, and sank 55 treys (29.4 percent). 

Iowa also could lose student-athletes to transfer. Shateah Wetering exited after last season. Megan Meyer and Lauren Jensen left following the '20-21 campaign. 

What we're saying is that the season just ended and roster management has changed a lot. Therefore, it's a fluid situation until the transfer windows close. The current period ends on May 1. 

No matter what the roster ends up looking like when next season tips off, plenty of folks will write off the Hawkeyes sans Clark. That's a challenge for a program expecting to compete for championships.