Three Iowa Women’s Basketball players that could have a breakout 2024-25 season
The Hawkeyes have returned to campus, and the freshmen have moved in. With summer workouts commencing on Tuesday morning, the Iowa Women’s Basketball team, now under Jan Jensen’s leadership, is determined to maintain its status as one of the nation’s premier programs. To remain a powerhouse in the Big Ten, they will need to do it with some players in new roles. Despite the departures of Caitlin Clark, Kate Martin, Gabbie Marshall, and Lisa Bluder, Iowa retains a strong roster capable of competing as a top 25 team in the 2024-25 season.
“I’d like to think they’re coming in with a mentality, little chip on their shoulder, because most everybody else is going to say, hey, you lost all that,” said Jan Jensen during her introductory press conference. “I don’t think there’s been one season, where we’ve gone in there and said, let’s just try to finish fifth this year. I’m not wired like that.”
The Hawkeyes brought in Villanova transfer point guard Lucy Olsen to spearhead the offensive attack after she was third in the country in scoring (23.3 ppg) for the Wildcats last season. Hannah Stuelke returns after earning Second Team All-Big Ten honors last season, while the #13 overall recruiting class will aim to make an impact in their first year on campus. On3’s Talia Goodman rated the Hawkeyes as the #17 team in the country in her post-spring Top 25.
For Iowa to materialize as a contender in the Big Ten and have a successful first season under Jan Jensen, they are going to need a couple of players to have breakout campaigns. HawkeyeReport takes a look at three players who could be poised for a standout 2024-25 season.
1. G Syd Affolter – 8.4 ppg, 6.4 reb, 2.3 ast in 2023-24
This seems like an obvious choice and it’s because it really is. Syd Affolter started just three of the first 27 games last season, however, when Molly Davis went down with a knee injury in the regular season finale, the Hawkeyes needed someone to step up during postseason play. The junior from Chicago stepped up in a big way averaging 12.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists over nine postseason games. She reached double figures scoring in seven of those nine contests, including a season-high 18 points against Penn State in the Big Ten Tournament.
“All year long I was telling her, you’re the sixth player in our league. You could be starting on every other team,” said Lisa Bluder after Syd moved into the starting lineup late in the season. “It really was effortless for her to move in there. She’s always been confident. She’s always been just this tough like chip-on-my-shoulder I’m going to prove you wrong type of kid.”
Watching Syd on the court brings to mind the type of play that Kate Martin displayed for the entirety of her Hawkeye career. Syd does whatever the team needs, whether that means scoring crucial baskets, securing tough rebounds or hustling for loose balls. With Iowa needing to replace nearly 65% of last season’s scoring, Affolter’s role in offense is expected to expand significantly.
Over 39 games last season, Affolter averaged 13.4 points, 10.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists per 40 minutes. She was an efficient scorer, shooting 55.2% from the floor and 41.4% from three-point range. It feels like she could be set to have a breakout season similar to the one that Kate Martin had last year.
2. G Taylor McCabe – 3.3 ppg, 8.2 mpg in 2023-24
It feels like the time is coming for Taylor McCabe, right? The 2022 Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year and a four-star recruit out of Fremont High School, McCabe has had limited opportunities in her first two years in Iowa City. However, this does not diminish her potential for a significant role in the upcoming season.
She is the only the second Nebraska Class A player to accumulate over 2,000 career points, while she broke the Nebraska girl’s state record with 389 career made three-pointers. Despite averaging just 8.2 minutes per game through two seasons, McCabe has flashed her elite three-point shooting ability on several occasions. Taylor has played in 50 of 77 games, but is shooting 44.4% (55/124) from three-point range. Yes, it’s a small sample size, but she is currently averaging 5.40 three-pointers per 40 minutes. She has made 3+ threes in five games, including a 6/7 game against FGCU this past season.
The Hawkeyes lost 79.6% of their 426 made three-pointers from last season, so Jan Jensen is going to be searching for someone that can knock down the three ball. Not many can do that better than Taylor McCabe. If she can stay healthy, do not rule out her hitting the century mark for made threes next season.
3. C Addi O’Grady – 3.9 ppg, 1.9 reb, 8.8 mpg in 2023-24
I’ve long believed that Addi O’Grady possesses the talent to be an asset for the Hawkeyes. However, she hasn’t quite managed to fully harness her abilities, which is why her playing time has been restricted to an average of 8.2 minutes per game across her three seasons with the Hawkeyes. Don’t forget, Addi is a former four-star, #92 player in the country in the ’21 class.
Throughout last year, there were moments when Addi demonstrated her potential as a contributor, with notable performances against Maryland (6 pts, 7 reb), Ohio State (7 pts, 4 reb), Michigan (8 pts, 4/4 FG), Holy Cross (14 pts, 5 reb), and LSU (5 pts, 4 reb, 15 mins). Yet, she has lacked consistency. O’Grady has solid backup five and even starter potential, but getting that constant contribution is a step that hasn’t quite been taken yet.
Sometimes a player needs a change of scenery to reach their full potential. In today’s college sports landscape, this often means entering the transfer portal to join a new team. However, O’Grady has chosen to remain with Iowa. For her, the change of scenery could be having a new point guard in Lucy Olsen and running a slightly different offense with Jan Jensen calling the shots. I’m not predicting Addi O’Grady to average 10.0 points and 6.0 rebounds, but I think she can contribute this season.
The post Three Iowa Women’s Basketball players that could have a breakout 2024-25 season appeared first on On3.
