Does Bluder even get 1 from the porthole

Scott Leclair

Scott Leclair

Well-Known Member
Highly doubt a top player will come to Iowa to play in the shadow of CC. But will this staff ride the momentum of a NC game, best player in WB and bring in a player that will help Iowa get over that last hurdle, or follow in the footsteps of football and MB and do nothing in the porthole??
 
I think Iowa was treading on too much expectations, there are some very good players still available out there that would help Iowa get back to the sweet 16 at least. Beyonce Bea out of Idaho looks like a Warnack replacement or Alexa out of Iowa State. Two very good players, plus the center in Arizona is still in play. There are more players out there.
 
When looking at Iowa’s 2023-24 roster, the backcourt positions are set. Clark returns, along with Gabbie Marshall and Kate Martin, and a trio of underclassmen guards (Sydney Affolter, Jana Gyamfi and Taylor McCabe) should be able to handle the backup perimeter minutes. However, rising sophomore Hannah Stuelke and rising junior Addison O’Grady are the frontcourt options to replace Czinano and McKenna Warnock, but neither has shown the capability to be as efficient as their predecessors. One would think that any big in the transfer portal would be dying to play with Clark, but Lauren Betts (Stanford) went to UCLA, Maria Gakdeng (Boston College) to UNC, Alanna Micheaux (Minnesota) to Virginia Tech and Camille Hobby (NC State) to Illinois, among others.




If I were Iowa, I’d be less set on finding a center and more focused on finding a power forward to replicate Warnock’s skill set. There’s a better chance of O’Grady or Stuelke growing into an efficient paint scorer than providing Warnock’s spacing or defense. Lexi Donarski, an Iowa State transfer, is the player who would make the most sense to slide into Iowa’s starting lineup next year and make an immediate impact.
Click to expand...
The foregoing is from a Q & A article in The Athletic by Sabreena Merchant from two days ago.
 
headlock said:
Bluder doesn’t like the potal I think she will go with the people she’s got
Click to expand...
#1 Molly Davis is a transfer portal addition from Central Michigan
#4 Kylie Feuerbach is a transfer portal addition from Iowa State.
Would be most surprised if Coach Bluder passes on filling the current scholarship vacancy.
 
wwhawk said:
#1 Molly Davis is a transfer portal addition from Central Michigan
#4 Kylie Feuerbach is a transfer portal addition from Iowa State.
Would be most surprised if Coach Bluder passes on filling the current scholarship vacancy.
Click to expand...
We will see !!!
 
So to try out Microsoft Bing, I asked it what chance does Iowa have of returning to the Final Four next season. I have no idea why it changed colors during its answer, but here's what it said:

According to the web search results, Iowa women’s basketball has a slim chance of reaching the Final Four again next season if they don’t add anyone from the transfer portal. The Hawkeyes lost to LSU 102 - 85 in the Final Four title game this year, ending their historic run led by Caitlin Clark
1. Clark, who averaged 31.4 points and 9.4 assists in the tournament, will return for her senior season, but she will need more help from her teammates and newcomers
2. Iowa will also face tough competition from other teams in the Big Ten and nationally, such as LSU, Virginia Tech, South Carolina, Maryland, Michigan, and Ohio State
3. The odds for Iowa to win the national championship next season are +950, which is the third-lowest among the Final Four teams this year
4. Iowa is also a slight underdog against LSU in a hypothetical matchup next season, with a spread of +1.54.
Therefore, Iowa may need to add some players from the transfer portal to improve their chances of making another deep run in the tournament.

My reaction is with the two super talents that clown impersonator Mulkey added, Iowa would not come within 1.54 points of them next season. And no truer words were ever spoken about the Hawks needing transfer portal help.
 
OK Im officially disappointed. I was looking at Iowa picking up a covid year player or a senior from a lessor league but it looks like Bluder is gonna get shut out. Hard to take that with the fan support. Just disappointed for Clark. Can't see the current roster being as good as last year. Just don't know if the well is poisoned or Bluder is not interested.
 
Last edited:
From an article in the CR Gazette Friday:

Thursday, Lisa Bluder addressed the quiet offseason.

“There were about 1,000 players in the portal, and about 10 of them were good enough to play for us,” Bluder said.

“We were only looking for a ‘4’ or a ‘5,’ so there were probably about three players that would have fit with us.”

And in the end ...

“Our ‘salary cap’ wasn’t as good as other people,” Bluder said, referring to NIL collectives.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Share this page

Top