Following Iowa women’s basketball’s 86-73 win over Drake on Sunday from the Knapp Center in Des Moines, Iowa, Hawkeyes head coach Jan Jensen praised the confident start to the season from senior center Addison O’Grady. The 6-foot-4 big has taken on the starting role for Iowa in stride.
Thrust into a starting role for the Hawkeyes, O’Grady has been terrific. The Aurora, Colo., product is currently averaging 16.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game while shooting 73.2% from the field and 77.8% from the charity stripe.
O’Grady led the Hawkeyes’ offense on Sunday, finishing with 27 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks, and one assist in 33 minutes played vs. Drake while shooting 13-for-21 from the field. Highlighting O’Grady’s game was her 14-point first quarter on a perfect 7-for-7 from the field.
Jensen said O’Grady helped exploit Drake’s small ball actions.
“I think if you look back in this series, they [Drake] play that five out. I call it small ball, and it’s really good, and it’s hard if you have a traditional center, Jensen said. “…But that inside presence, if you can stay pretty efficient with how you score, you can counter all of their small ball action.
“So we were hopeful that Addie was going to have a game, but I try not to put that much pressure and expectation because this is the first time she’s really wearing that role. Wearing the go-to, wearing ‘Hey, we’re going to go into Addie.’ And I was really pleased.”
With O’Grady’s fast start to the season, Jensen said the senior is starting to shoulder expectations that mirror those of great Hawkeye centers from the past such as Megan Gustafson and Monika Czinano.
“I think the biggest compliment I can give her is I’m now starting to have Czinano and Gustafson expectations. I was kind of cranky at a couple of things she did out there, and that means that the expectations are growing, but I only know they’re growing because I know she can do it,” Jensen said.
With a neutral-site contest against Kansas next up on the Hawkeyes’ docket from Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D., on Wednesday, Jensen will be looking for O’Grady to continue her stellar performance against the Jayhawks.
Tipoff against KU is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network and on the Hawkeye Radio Network.
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