Iowa Suspends Guard Before UConn Game

The Iowa Hawkeyes will be without their sophomore guard when they step onto the court for the highly anticipated matchup against No. 1 UConn in the Shark Beauty Women's Champions Classic on Dec. 20 in Brooklyn.

The Hawkeyes have suspended sophomore guard Emely Rodriguez indefinitely for a violation of team rules, according to On3's Talia Goodman. It’s a dramatic turn for the former UCF transfer, who joined Iowa during the offseason with high expectations.

“NEWS: Iowa’s Emely Rodriguez will not be making the trip to New York with the team for their game against UConn, a source told @On3sports,” Goodman wrote on X.

NEWS: Iowa’s Emely Rodriguez will not be making the trip to New York with the team for their game against UConn, a source told @On3sports.

She’s currently on an indefinite suspension due to team violation of rules.

According to the source, Rodriguez has the opportunity to…
— Talia Goodman (@TaliaGoodmanWBB) December 18, 2025

The suspension came after months of uncertainty regarding Rodriguez's status with the program. She appeared in just six games before her last action on November 22 against Miami (Florida) during the WBCA Showcase. Rodriguez had been classified as "day-to-day" for weeks, with Jan Jensen providing cryptic updates about her situation.

"She is, as of right now, yeah," Jensen said on Dec. 16 when asked if Rodriguez was still part of the team.

The forward has an opportunity to rejoin the team if she "recommits to the standards" of the program. Rather than dealing solely with a back injury that kept her sidelined, Rodriguez apparently faces disciplinary action for violating team standards.

Iowa enters its matchup against No. 1 UConn as the No. 11-ranked team in the nation with a 10-1 record, while the Huskies remain undefeated at 11-0.

Emely Rodriguez’s First Season With Iowa

Rodriguez's brief tenure with Iowa has been inconsistent and plagued by injury struggles. In her six games of action with the Hawkeyes, the Dominican Republic native averaged 7.2 points per game, way below her UCF production of 11.9 points per game during her freshman season.

The Hawkeyes' head coach, Jan Jensen, praised Rodriguez's versatility and skill set upon her arrival.

“We are thrilled to add Emely to our team because she is a skilled, versatile and strong guard that can score on every level and has a great defensive presence,” Jensen said. “Her versatility will also give us increased depth and our fans will enjoy watching her skill set. We are so excited for her to be a Hawkeye.”

Iowa guard Emely Rodriguez (21) drives to the lane Oct. 30, 2025 during an exhibition game against the Ashland Eagles at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

However, things haven’t gone the way Jensen and Rodriguez had hoped. Her most productive game as a Hawkeye came on November 3 against Southern U, when she scored 13 points.

She recorded six turnovers against Baylor while scoring just four points in 15 minutes. It was surprising since she had only accumulated six turnovers combined in her first four games with Iowa.

Rodriguez earned All-Big 12 Freshman Team honors at UCF, where she recorded 297 points on the season despite missing five games due to injury. She averaged 5.3 rebounds per game for the Knights and recorded the second-most steals on the UCF roster with 36 total during the 2024-25 season.

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