Iowa Hawkeyes
Overall Rank: #39
Conference Rank: #8 Big Ten
This will be a very interesting season for Iowa. The Hawkeyes earned a #2 seed in the NCAA Tournament last year and reached the Elite Eight, but now they must replace three double-digit scorers. And that includes 17th overall pick in the 2019 WNBA Draft Megan Gustafson who led the team with 27.0 points, 13.4 rebounds and 1.8 blocks. There is a massive amount of production to replace. However, Coach Lisa Bluder has some talent on the roster, but it remains to be seen if they are ready to step up and replace those three key departures.
2018-19 Record: 29-7, 14-4
2018-19 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Lisa Bluder
Coach Record: 393-215 at Iowa, 750-356 overall
Key Departed Players (starters in bold)
Megan Gustafson, Forward/Center, 27.0 ppg
Hannah Stewart, Forward, 11.1 ppg
Tania Davis, Guard, 10.3 ppg
Key Returning Players (starters in bold)
Kathleen Doyle, Senior, Guard, 12.0 ppg
Makenzie Meyer, Senior, Guard, 9.2 ppg
Alexis Sevillian, Junior, Guard, 4.8 ppg
Amanda Ollinger, Senior, Forward, 2.4 ppg
Monika Czinano, Sophomore, Forward/Center, 1.9 ppg
Tomi Taiwo, Sophomore, Guard, 1.4 ppg
Zion Sanders, Junior, Guard, 1.2 ppg
Logan Cook, Sophomore, Forward, 0.8 ppg
Key New Players
Gabbie Marshall, Freshman, Guard
Kate Martin RS Freshman, Guard
Megan Meyer, Freshman, Guard
McKenna Warnock, Freshman, Guard/Forward
Projection:
Senior guards Kathleen Doyle and Makenzie Meyer are the new leaders of this group. Doyle dished out a team high 5.9 assists and added 12.0 points per game. She is not the most consistent outside shooter, but Doyle has enough of an outside shot to keep the opposition honest. Meyer was the most prolific outside shooter on the team last year and will likely be again in 2019-2020. The concern is how many open looks will she get now that the defense is not concentrating on defending Gustafson. Senior Amanda Ollinger and sophomore Monika Czinano have shown flashes, but those two will have to manage most of the minutes in the frontcourt. Alexis Sevillian will again be a solid shooter off the bench, but Iowa will need to get production from either the newcomers or a few of the less experienced returning players like Tomi Taiwo and Zion Sanders. If that depth can be found, Doyle and Meyer can keep this team in the mix for an NCAA Tournament berth. If not, the Hawkeyes could take a big step back.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 78.4 (14th in nation, 1st in conference)
Scoring Defense: 67.3 (243, 10)
Field-Goal Percentage: 51.5 (1, 1)
Field-Goal Defense: 40.1 (191, 7)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.6 (198, 7)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 35.0 (52, 4)
Free-Throw Percentage: 77.3 (12, 1)
Rebound Margin: 4.8 (58, 4)
Assists Per Game: 21.5 (2, 1)
Turnovers Per Game: 13.9 (71, 4)
Madness 2019 Women’s Basketball Recruit Rankings:
#76 McKenna Warnock
