The Iowa women’s basketball team enters this season ranked No. 6 in the USA TODAY Sports women’s basketball coaches poll and with legitimate national championship aspirations.
The Hawkeyes bring back all five starters and the firepower from point guard Caitlin Clark and forward Monika Czinano. Of course, Clark was the Big Ten Player of the Year last season after averaging 27.0 points, 8.0 assists and 8.0 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, Czinano earned first team All-Big Ten status last year in her own right after averaging 21.2 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.
The duo were named to the 2023 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy Women’s Watch List last Friday. Clark was an unanimous preseason Associated Press All-American, while Czinano was an AP All-America honorable mention.
“We have every reason to have high expectations for this upcoming season. We return, in my opinion, the best point guard in the country. Caitlin Clark not only led the United States in points per game, but also led the United States in assists. First time that’s ever been done in the history of women’s basketball.
“Obviously a Naismith finalist, the MVP preseason and last year’s pick from the Big Ten. We also have one of the best centers in the country. When you think of Monika Czinano has led the United States in field goal percentage shooting at 68% for the last two years, that’s an amazing accomplishment. I always felt if you have a really good point guard and a really good center that you have the opportunity to have a really good year,” Iowa head women’s basketball coach Lisa Bluder said of her two big stars.
Iowa’s other three returning starters are guards Gabbie Marshall and Kate Martin and forward McKenna Warnock. Warnock averaged 11.0 points and 6.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game last season. Martin averaged 7.2 points per game, while Marshall connected on 39.3% of her 3-point tries to average 6.8 points per game.
Not only with those two women, but we have all the people around her. We have Gabbie Marshall, who is lethal from three-point range. We have Kate Martin, who I honestly believe can just contribute in so many areas. She’s a great captain, the glue to our team. We have McKenna Warnock at the power four position. Return all five starters from last year.
“We have some newcomers. I think Molly Davis is somebody that you’re really going to hear a lot about. Molly Davis transferred from Central Michigan. She has two years of eligibility left. She is going to give us depth at the point guard, which we did not have last year. We’re extremely excited to have Molly join our team.
“We also have Hannah Stuelke, who is a freshman from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Ranked as one of the top 50 players in the country, Miss Iowa Basketball. We also have Miss Nebraska basketball join our team with Taylor McCabe who is the best three-point shooter ever in Nebraska girls basketball history. We have experience, offense, a great schedule, and we have a great fan base. It’s going to be a fun year for the Iowa Hawkeyes,” Bluder said.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at how fans can watch the Hawkeyes tip off their 2022-23 women’s college basketball season against the Southern Jaguars.