Okay Bluder...

I doubt it happens, but if the coaches felt like Van Lith was all in, I'd love to see it. In my opinion, Iowa needs at least two veteran starters from the portal in order to contend for the Big Ten title. And Van Lith is an ideal shooting guard. This would be a hell of a nucleus.

Olsen (or other transfer PG)
Van Lith
Affolter
Stuelke
Next best player (regardless of position)

Ideally I think you'd have McCabe and Feuerbach coming off the bench as the first two backcourt subs.

I also think Iowa has more than enough front court depth with Stuelke, O'Grady, AJ and Heiden.

I'm also not sure why everyone is convinced Stuelke can't be your primary post. She seems most comfortable with her back to the basket. It's a huge advantage, in my opinion, when Iowa plays her at the 5.
 
I think if you are only going to play 1 big player, then Stuelke is the obvious choice. But if Iowa wants to play Stuelke and O"Grady at the same time, then it makes more sense to me to put OGrady at Center. But maybe I am wrong. I honestly don't know who is a better shooter from longer distances.
 
Taylor McCabe could be quite the provocateur, if the Iowa girls fought during/after games.

That's a funny image. Taylor would be aggressive. She's a total shit talker and I have to believe somewhere along the way another girl attacked her out of frustration. Probably some grade school gym in rec league.

But...

Taylor reminds me of Arya Stark
 
I think if you are only going to play 1 big player, then Stuelke is the obvious choice. But if Iowa wants to play Stuelke and O"Grady at the same time, then it makes more sense to me to put OGrady at Center. But maybe I am wrong. I honestly don't know who is a better shooter from longer distances.

Either one of them could position themselves exactly at the free throw line

And anxiously await a pass, then immediately hoist a shot
 
I have no doubt Affolter can handle the point and I will bet the freshman from CA can too. We most need some height in the post to compete in the final four. Three or four more inches would do it. Our existing posts can get us to the NCAA's but then the height begins to matter. With three starters to replace it will probably take awhile for next year's team to come together. By tourney time we should be good.
I believe the recruit from CA is in the '25 class.
 
Van Lith was mentioned a few times in this thread. Not that we had a scholarship for her and I don't know that she'd fit, she has committed to TCU.
 
Van Lith was mentioned a few times in this thread. Not that we had a scholarship for her and I don't know that she'd fit, she has committed to TCU.
Thank God... She just wouldn't have fit in at Iowa why folks were enamored with her is beyond me. That gal from Kentucky was going to visit but Iowa only had the 1 scholly available. Lucy was Bluders #1 option and once she committed that shut the door for Sherr I think is her name and anyone else.
Iowa's got 4 incoming freshman all top 100 kids pretty much. I think at least 2 of them will play this yr quite a bit. Guyton will be rehabbing still some of the yr so I bet she redshirts.
 
Van Lith was mentioned a few times in this thread. Not that we had a scholarship for her and I don't know that she'd fit, she has committed to TCU.

Transfer portal chaos. Haily Van Lith commits to TCU to join one of the Cavinder twins that was transfering there. Now the Cavinder twin has changed her mind and is going back to Miami to play with her twin sister, who also decided to return to Miami.
 
Transfer portal chaos. Haily Van Lith commits to TCU to join one of the Cavinder twins that was transfering there. Now the Cavinder twin has changed her mind and is going back to Miami to play with her twin sister, who also decided to return to Miami.

WTF is going on out there? Hell of a time to be a coach.
 
Transfer portal chaos. Haily Van Lith commits to TCU to join one of the Cavinder twins that was transfering there. Now the Cavinder twin has changed her mind and is going back to Miami to play with her twin sister, who also decided to return to Miami.
And then TCU gets the Kentucky gal Sherr who was set to visit Iowa before Olson committed.... Around and around and around they go
 
And then TCU gets the Kentucky gal Sherr who was set to visit Iowa before Olson committed.... Around and around and around they go
It makes you wonder if Iowa could have got Sherr if Iowa had 1 more scholarship. Of course With NIL available, how much does a full scholarship matter to a senior superstar transfer anymore?
 
Transfer portal chaos. Haily Van Lith commits to TCU to join one of the Cavinder twins that was transfering there. Now the Cavinder twin has changed her mind and is going back to Miami to play with her twin sister, who also decided to return to Miami.

Portal Craziness

Certainly has changed the face of college basketball

Portal 2 co-op partner (GA)
 
It makes you wonder if Iowa could have got Sherr if Iowa had 1 more scholarship. Of course With NIL available, how much does a full scholarship matter to a senior superstar transfer anymore?
Hard to say. I think there is one starting spot kinda up for grabs yet maybe two if you're not sold on Feurbach. (I'm not sure I am) Do they play small a lot like they did this yr with Molly Davis and play McCabe in there? Or put another post in there like O'Grady alongside Stuelke?

These 3 I think you can put it in ink will be starters next yr those other two spots will be competed for and I'm not gonna predict how they'll shake out. There's like 4 or 5 new freshman coming in (Guyton is hurt and won't be able to play till Nov I think I heard at the earliest) If one or 2 of them emerge then all the better. I really hope Ava Heiden is one of em but we'll see.

Olson
Affolter
Stuelke
 
Hard to say. I think there is one starting spot kinda up for grabs yet maybe two if you're not sold on Feurbach. (I'm not sure I am) Do they play small a lot like they did this yr with Molly Davis and play McCabe in there? Or put another post in there like O'Grady alongside Stuelke?

These 3 I think you can put it in ink will be starters next yr those other two spots will be competed for and I'm not gonna predict how they'll shake out. There's like 4 or 5 new freshman coming in (Guyton is hurt and won't be able to play till Nov I think I heard at the earliest) If one or 2 of them emerge then all the better. I really hope Ava Heiden is one of em but we'll see.

Olson
Affolter
Stuelke
I think Feurbach will be a lot more aggressive next year. I think she was a little tentative due to her surgery a year plus ago. I think she'll trust it a little more.
 
I think Feurbach will be a lot more aggressive next year. I think she was a little tentative due to her surgery a year plus ago. I think she'll trust it a little more.
I think it was more then that she looked healthy/athletic. It was a basketball awareness thing. When she catches and shoots in rhythm she's really good. But often when she puts it on the floor she'll dribble into double teams with no plan of what to do and turn it over a lot. She didn't play much at all in the final 4 compared to earlier and I think that was a trust thing Bluder had with her. I think she can provide a roll for this team I just don't see her as a prominent starter
 
I think it was more then that she looked healthy/athletic. It was a basketball awareness thing. When she catches and shoots in rhythm she's really good. But often when she puts it on the floor she'll dribble into double teams with no plan of what to do and turn it over a lot. She didn't play much at all in the final 4 compared to earlier and I think that was a trust thing Bluder had with her. I think she can provide a roll for this team I just don't see her as a prominent starter
Feuerbach herself has joked that she kind of plays out of control without a plan at times.

I think Bluder's plan to limit playing time of the bench in the final 2 games kinda backfired cause Clark and the starters seemed tired at the end of the UConn and South Carolina games. Should have sat the starters for a few minutes. But then again, Bluder is much smarter than I am, so what do I know?
 
Feuerbach herself has joked that she kind of plays out of control without a plan at times.

I think Bluder's plan to limit playing time of the bench in the final 2 games kinda backfired cause Clark and the starters seemed tired at the end of the UConn and South Carolina games. Should have sat the starters for a few minutes. But then again, Bluder is much smarter than I am, so what do I know?
Yeah as nice as giving the starters some more rest in the tourny down the stretch goes I think Bluder just wasn't going leave anything to chance. She trusted her senior starters and was going to sink or swim with them for the most part. It woulda took an act of congress to get Clark, Marshall and Martin to take much of a break down the stretch of any of those last few games. I'm totally good with how that coaches played that out. If their was more confidence to be had in McCabe and Feurbach that'd be one thing...

Being able to rest Stuelke at times was a pretty big deal for her to play the physical way she did and run as hard as she does she had to be able to get a blow now and then. I thought O'Grady did pretty well at times. And I like AJ too I wish she coulda played some more just not enough mins for all 3 of them. Next yr with Ava coming in they very well have a taller front court next yr with Stuelke moving to the 4. All I know is 4s trying to guard Stuelke will be really problematic for other teams. And if Stuelke can develop any kind of touch from 12-16 feet consistently look out. This was about the time in Monica Cs career when she did so here's to hoping.
 
Feuerbach herself has joked that she kind of plays out of control without a plan at times.

I think Bluder's plan to limit playing time of the bench in the final 2 games kinda backfired cause Clark and the starters seemed tired at the end of the UConn and South Carolina games. Should have sat the starters for a few minutes. But then again, Bluder is much smarter than I am, so what do I know?

The starters were Exhausted

UConn was Tough and Caitlin was harassed the entire game, every second on offense

The Final Four Format is a brutal one but it it perhaps the best weekend in college basketball

Especially the Women Now
 

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