Okay Bluder...

[Bigtenchamp]

No more fucking up the transfer portal game...

We got the michael Jordan of women's basketball on our team who can get open shots for all positions.

People going to want to come here and play.

Gotta make this happen.

 

[HaydenHawk56]

No more fucking up the transfer portal game...

We got the michael Jordan of women's basketball on our team who can get open shots for all positions.

People going to want to come here and play.

Gotta make this happen.

Bingo. This is her off-season task......have to bring in a giant in the middle. The rest of the centers at Iowa...god bless them.....I think are ok to good post players. They are fine to bring off the bench.......I think HS needs to grow more before she can be the main person in the middle. I also don't think they are tall enough.

She needs an Elite Center to go with Caitlin. And God Bless Monika...and I do wish she could be back for another year...but someone even better.

 

[headlock]

No more fucking up the transfer portal game...

We got the michael Jordan of women's basketball on our team who can get open shots for all positions.

People going to want to come here and play.

Gotta make this happen.

Agree 100% but it wouldn’t surprise me if she doesn’t she said she doesn’t like the portal but she knows it the new world we live in we shall see we’re lacking a few pieces yet don’t waste Clark

 

[HaydenHawk56]

Put that 6 foot 7 girl from SC on Iowa's roster this game and I suspect a different outcome. Just need some more height.

 

[SwirlinLingerie]

No more fucking up the transfer portal game...

We got the michael Jordan of women's basketball on our team who can get open shots for all positions.

People going to want to come here and play.

Gotta make this happen.

The Iowa Hawkeyes are a few hours removed from playing for a national title.

Bluder is doing ok.

 

[wwhawk]

Here's an article from Charlie Creme of ESPN.com that lists the top 20 women's basketball players in the transfer portal.

The top 20 women's college basketball players in the transfer portal

As we close in on crowning a 2023 champion, the transfer portal is already in full swing and includes several players who won conference player of the year or freshman of the year honors.

www.espn.com

In the article he states that every team in this year's Sweet 16, except Iowa, had at least one starter who came to the team via the portal.

There are two top players listed at 6'3" and one at 6'5", from AZ, NC St and UNC, respectively. Interesting side note: Those of you who are as old as i am will recall a certain Steve "Special K" Krafcisin who transferred to Iowa from a UNC team that had gone to the Final Four, and helped Iowa to the Final Four in 1980. So how nice would it be for the Iowa women to replicate that?

Nothing against the returning players! And obviously a transfer in would have to fit with the incredible family atmosphere that permeates the Hawks. But as the earlier posters in this stream said, Ms. Clark is a generational talent, and the Hawks need to find replacements for Czinano and Warnock, who are ready to be stars next season. What post player wouldn't want to come to Iowa and feast off feeds from Caitlin Clark?

No question Coach Bluder is "doing okay." And yes, it's just a day after the national title game. But these transfer students are being courted by other schools right now. And, as noted be ESPN's Creme, every other team but the Hawks that made the Sweet 16 had at least one starter from the portal. No other team is better situated to be attractive to top post players than the Hawks. It just makes sense to take advantage of the transfer portal.

 

[CP87]

Crazy thought here...

Iowa's best returning front court player, by far, is Stuelke. She was rough around the edges this year, but has legitimate potential to be a star with her size and athleticism. However, she is probably not going to morph into an effective, high-volume 3-pt shooter (ala Warnock, Krei, Ausdemore, etc.).

Iowa prefers to play 4-out. They have occasionally played double-post offense (Morgan Johnson and Doolittle; Gustafson and Stewart/Coley), but it doesn't seem to be Bluder's preference. I also think it would hamper Clark's effectiveness by muddying up driving and passing lanes.

I do not think Iowa is going to find an all-conference post-weapon in the portal. I think their best bet might be to commit to Stuelke at the 5, and then emulate the Warrior's "Death Lineup." The Warriors chose to play 6'5" Draymond at center and Harrison Barnes (or later KD) at the 4, knowing they would give up something on defense, but banking on being able to make up for it on the offensive end.

Stuelke at 5 (with O'Grady playing 15-20 min off the bench), Martin at the 4, and a Clark/Davis/Marshall backcourt. McCabe, Affolter, Fuerback off the bench.

My biggest concern would be defensive rebounding, something we have always struggled with. The ability of Clark to rebound helps, but they might need a bit more length and toughness to hang in there. A rangy 4 with 3-pt range would be great, but those aren't growing on trees. If they were to really commit to playing positionless basketball, someone like the 6'1" James Madison guard could be a huge get. The Lehigh girl (6'1", MN native) is also intriguing; not a great 3-pt shooter, but that can change in a hurry once you are getting open spot-up looks from Clark.

Just my crazy ramblings.

 

[trj]

Help me out here, there are only 2 open scholarships...do I have that right? In order to revamp this roster, does that mean you need one or two ladies to hit the portal or Bluder gently pushing someone out?

 

[CP87]

Help me out here, there are only 2 open scholarships...do I have that right? In order to revamp this roster does that mean you need one or two ladies to hit the portal or Bluder gently pushing someone out?

By NCAA rules, players using their COVID year don't count against the scholarship limit. However, not all schools agree to pay for that extra scholarship year...Wisconsin came out right away and said they wouldn't due to budgetary concerns. I am not sure what Iowa's policy on that is.

 

[dahlhawk]

Two huge targets very close to us, ISU 6’0 guard (defensive POY in Big 12), Minny center, both just entered portal. Close to us, seen our crowds, would be nice additions. Adding a power forward who loves to rebound would put this team in contention immediately. Bluder’s main problem will be sifting through the players to see the right fit. Alexi from ISU should be Bluder’s first get.

 

[dahlhawk]

By NCAA rules, players using their COVID year don't count against the scholarship limit. However, not all schools agree to pay for that extra scholarship year...Wisconsin came out right away and said they wouldn't due to budgetary concerns. I am not sure what Iowa's policy on that is.

A team just off the Title Game better not be worrying about paying one or two one year scollies. Hope the Swarm is talking to these ladies.

 

[CP87]

Two huge targets very close to us, ISU 6’0 guard (defensive POY in Big 12), Minny center, both just entered portal. Close to us, seen our crowds, would be nice additions. Adding a power forward who loves to rebound would put this team in contention immediately. Bluder’s main problem will be sifting through the players to see the right fit. Alexi from ISU should be Bluder’s first get.

I agree with a 4 who can rebound, as long as she can also shoot/score. Can Donarski rebound? The 2 players I linked to above averaged 8+ reb/game, which is why I thought they looked intriguing. But Donarski having a proven track record in a good conference means a lot.

 

[Bigtenchamp]

The Iowa Hawkeyes are a few hours removed from playing for a national title.

Bluder is doing ok.

yeah i agree... my old man doesnt agree so much.

He feels like time has already been wasted with clark.

We got two years to win a championship and it is possible if we take action.

 

[SwirlinLingerie]

yeah i agree... my old man doesnt agree so much.

He feels like time has already been wasted with clark.

We got two years to win a championship and it is possible if we take action.

Time has been wasted? They played for a national title.

 

[CP87]

Time has been wasted? They played for a national title.

but certainly there is a lag time between recruiting actions and on-court results. The recruits to help us next year need to already be in the fold (and they are not).

Frankly, I am not sure they are coming. We might have to roll with what we have, and I am okay with that.

I think the real Clark recruiting effect is going to be felt 5-10 years down the road when all of these young girls who are enamored with how she plays think about Iowa as being near the pinnacle of the sport.

 

[HawkPowerlifter]

I can't remember where I was reading this article, but there was talk that CC has her senior year and COVID year left and she has left the door open to come back both years. At first, I thought, "Why? Go to the WNBA and make your money."

Although I was unaware of the disparity with compensation. I think the article said the average NBA player makes $250 K. The article went on to say that with NIL deals from Nike, H&R Block, Buick, and Hy-Vee to name a few, CC makes over a million in NIL deals alone. Her summer basketball camps have sold out as well.

With that, I can definitely see why she is willing to stay for both years. Hopefully, with the exposure the Hawkeyes received with their run, style of play and the opportunity to play with one of the best college players in the game, we can get someone in the portal.

 

[CP87]

Perhaps a more interesting question than portal acquisitions...where does Clark go from here?

Bluder's previous superstars (Logic, Disterhoff, Gustafson) all continued to improve across all 4 years. I kept thinking, "What more can they do?", and they all kept growing.

Is that even possible with Clark? If so, what does that look like?

edit: left off some other obvious, recent superstars with patterns of dramatic improvement (Czinano, Doyle)...no offense intended, I am sure I am missing others as well

 

[ChosenChildren]

Clark is a generational offensive player and a great rebounder.

Her defense could improve??

 

[CP87]

Clark is a generational offensive player and a great rebounder.

Her defense could improve??

For sure. She is actually a pretty good one-on-one defender when locked in, but she tends to gamble, reach, and just generally lose focus too much, especially off the ball. A related issue, she exerts so much energy on offense, there is only so much left to give on the defensive end.

I know Bluder wanted Clark to work on more of a post-game last off-season, but Clark wasn't really feeling it (much like LeBron resisted in his early career). But that is one way she can be a weapon without having to exert so much energy.

If they find more ability to create offensively, they can also have more possessions where she spots up in the corner as an occasional break. This past season they couldn't really do that without cratering their half-court offense. One of the reasons that a player like this could really make a difference: https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/player/_/id/4594726/kiki-jefferson

 

[Grady]

Perhaps a more interesting question than portal acquisitions...where does Clark go from here?

Bluder's previous superstars (Logic, Disterhoff, Gustafson) all continued to improve across all 4 years. I kept thinking, "What more can they do?", and they all kept growing.

Is that even possible with Clark? If so, what does that look like?

Better defense, for sure, but also a continued reduction in turnovers. I know she had like 9 TOs vs S.Carolina. She really struggled with TOs last year, and seemed better this year, but her constant gambles with her passes are both brilliant and terrible -- often in the same quarter.