Iowa's Jan Jensen Provides Cryptic Update On Injured Guard

Having appeared in just six games this season, it seems like that may be all the Iowa Hawkeyes are getting out of Emely Rodriguez this season. The sophomore guard went down with an injury in Florida during the WBCA Showcase and hasn't returned since.

Rodriguez struggled big time against No. 7 Baylor as she turned the ball over six times. That's extremely uncharacteristic as she only had six turnovers in her first four games combined.

Regardless, she was getting big minutes. Head coach Jan Jensen loved what she saw out of the Dominican Republic native and gave her 13+ minutes in each of her first five games. Now, no one knows if she'll play in another game this season.

Jensen's Cryptic Update On Rodriguez

Jan Jensen on whether Emely Rodriguez is still part of the team:

“She is as of right now, yeah.”
— Jeff Linder (@jtlinder) December 16, 2025

On December 13, Jensen addressed Rodriguez and her status. With basically everyone on the team healthy, Rodriguez was the only missing piece to the puzzle, "There's a lot of things I'm trying to figure out with that one. Definitely day-to-day."

Just three days later, a new update has been provided, "She is as of right now, yeah," Jensen said when asked if Rodriguez was still part of the team.

Hawkeyes fans took notice of the "as of right now", as they should. It's quite alarming to hear those words just 11 games into the season, but it's not a good sign for the UCF transfer. After averaging 26.4 minutes per game with the Knights last season, Rodriguez expected more of the same during her time with the Hawkeyes. Clearly, that hasn't been the case.

Rodriguez May Be Done With Iowa

Jan Jensen did not have much of an update on Emely Rodriguez who missed her fifth straight game with a back injury.

"There's a lot of things I'm trying to figure out with that one. Definitely day-to-day."
— Kyle Huesmann (@HuesmannKyle) December 13, 2025

Shockingly, the Miami game may have been Rodriguez's last with Jensen. No one expected this to be the outcome, but there are clearly things going on behind the scenes that aren't being addressed. Obviously, Jensen is keeping things close to home until more clarity is provided.

Rodriguez had been averaging 7.2 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game prior to getting injured. Her injury still takes center stage, but she's been "day-to-day" for so long now it's hard to ignore.

Iowa dropped a game to Iowa State without Rodriguez, but that's the lone game she's lost without her in the lineup. They're 4-1 without her, and that's not to say they don't need her, but they've been able to find ways to win. Whether that continues against the likes of UConn or their B1G opponents remains to be seen, but at this point it doesn't seem like Rodriguez will be back anytime soon, if at all.

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