Momentum for the Iowa Hawkeyes‘ women’s basketball program looks like it’s set to continue well on into the future.
That’s thanks to what Iowa already has on campus, a pair of great recruiting classes that are on their way to Iowa City and the Hawkeyes’ success in the transfer portal with coveted former Villanova guard Lucy Olsen.
One of the prized commits in the class ahead is 2025 guard Addie Deal out of Mater Dei Catholic High School in California. The 6-foot guard announced her commitment to the Hawkeyes on March 12.
Then, after former head coach Lisa Bluder announced her retirement, Deal reaffirmed her commitment to new head coach Jan Jensen and the Hawkeyes.
Congrats Coach!! Still locked in and committed 🙌 pic.twitter.com/DQ11YFwdqw
— Addie Deal (@deal_addie) May 17, 2024
As the interest and popularity in women’s college basketball continues to soar, it’s also led to increased analysis, coverage and evaluations in the sport. That’s great for high school and women’s college basketball.
Recently, On3 unveiled its first-ever women’s basketball recruiting rankings. The On3 HER 2025 rankings feature Iowa commit Addie Deal.
Deal checks in as the nation’s No. 14 player nationally, as the No. 5 shooting guard and as the No. 2 player from the state of California.
“I’ve been an Iowa fan long before the notoriety. Before I had the offer, I was reaching out to my coaches and I was like, ‘Hey the University of Iowa, I’d really love to go there and talk to the coaches.’ I was super interested in that school. So my coaches here were able to help me.
“I just think it’s amazing how far they’ve come. It’s definitely nationwide now. Everyone knows Caitlin Clark. Everyone knows Iowa women’s basketball. So it’s been amazing to see them kind of be the ones leading the charge for women’s basketball all around. It’s so cool that I’ve got to see them before, them during and them still rising up,” Deal told Hawk Central when she committed.
When Deal visited Iowa City, she was swept away by the Hawkeye culture.
“The first time I visited, the girls were there. It felt like family immediately. They really just took care of me and were so kind and nice. That was the first visit I had been on where the girls were actually there. At first I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is so amazing.’ And then when I went to other schools and got to know the other people, it really showed that Iowa’s culture was just top of the line,” Deal said of Iowa.
Deal is joined in Iowa’s 2025 recruiting class by Davenport North guard Journey Houston. Houston is rated as the No. 74 player nationally per ESPN.
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