Jan Jensen, Iowa’s associate head coach, believes certain other returning Iowa players are capable of stepping up next season.
“You don’t see her a lot right now, but one of the best shooters I’ve ever seen is Taylor McCabe,” Jensen was quoted as saying by CBS Sports. “If we can put other players around her she is really lethal.”
McCabe averaged only eight minutes per game as a sophomore last season, but she shown flashes of brilliance. McCabe has the potential to become one of Iowa’s top distance shooters, having gone 35-for-76 from beyond the arc in limited minutes. She scored a career-high 18 points, including six three-pointers, against Florida Gulf Coast in November. lowa hawkeye have added Lucy Olsen, the nation’s third-leading scorer in 2023-24, to fill the scoring vacuum left by Caitlin Clark.
The Caitlin Clark era at Iowa has come to an end, but the Hawkeyes are not going anywhere. Iowa got Villanova transfer Lucy Olsen on Wednesday, who was the nation’s third-leading scorer last season, trailing only Clark and JuJu Watkins of USC.
As a junior in 2023-24, Olsen averaged 23.3 points on 43.8% shooting, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists. She made first-team All-Big East and was chosen the conference’s Most Improved Player.
“New Beginnings,” Olsen wrote in a social media post announcing her move to Iowa.
Iowa has been the best offensive team in the country the last two seasons, thanks largely to Clark’s outstanding scoring and passing. The Hawkeyes will undoubtedly miss her, and other major contributors Kate Martin, Gabbie Marshall, and Molly Davis will also be gone next season.
However, Iowa should be able to stay afloat thanks to a mix of good newcomers and talented returning players.
Iowa’s two main players returning are Hannah Stuelke, the team’s second-leading scorer, and Sydney Affolter, whom her colleagues characterise as the team’s most underestimated player. Affolter averaged 8.4 points and 6.4 rebounds as a junior this season. However, those statistics may not tell the whole story, as her importance grew after Davis had a knee injury late in the season. Affolter finished the year well, with seven double-figure scoring efforts in the last nine games while shooting over 55% from the field.
“She is a dog. “That’s it,” Stuelke stated about Affolter. “She can do just about anything on the floor.”
Jan Jensen, Iowa’s associate head coach, believes certain other returning Iowa players are capable of stepping up next season.
“You don’t see her a lot right now, but one of the best shooters I’ve ever seen is Taylor McCabe,” Jensen was quoted as saying by CBS Sports. “If we can put other players around her she is really lethal.”
McCabe averaged only eight minutes per game as a sophomore last season, but she shown flashes of brilliance. McCabe has the potential to become one of Iowa’s top distance shooters, having gone 35-for-76 from beyond the arc in limited minutes. She scored a career-high 18 points, including six three-pointers, against Florida Gulf Coast in November.
Jensen also highlighted sophomore 6-foot-1 forward Jada Gyamfi, who only appeared in 20 games and averaged four minutes.
“Jada Gyamfi, she has a size and skillset,” Jensen said. “Sometimes when you are playing behind people you start wondering, ‘Can I do that?’ So I think this summer is going to be really big for her. I would say those kids are really going to be a good mix with our freshies.”
Those freshmen Jensen is referring to will have a chance to get some valuable minutes early in the season.
Four of Iowa’s five incoming freshmen are ranked in HoopGurlz top 100. Ava Heiden (No. 42) is a 6-foot-4 post player who will give Iowa some size and a boost on defense. Guards Aaliyah Guyton (No. 58), Teagan Mallegni (No. 65) and Taylor Stremlow (No. 94) will be joining Heiden in Iowa City.
“I think that is the motivation,” Jensen said of Iowa’s post-Clark era. “We understand there is Caitlin. And I think North Carolina understood there was Michael Jordan. But North Carolina still competed. They didn’t end their program, they didn’t close it, right? You have to become your best version without a generational talent.”
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