Tag: Caitlin Clark

Iowa Women’s Basketball: Head coach Lisa Bluder embracing high expectations

Coming off of a Big Ten regular season title and Big Ten tournament championship, expectations are high for Iowa’s Women’s Basketball team.

Coming off of a 24-8 season which saw the Iowa Hawkeyes Women’s Basketball team win the Big Ten regular season title and the Big Ten conference championship there is plenty of reason for the expectations to be high heading into the 2022-23 women’s college basketball season.

The Hawkeyes are entering this year as one of, if not the favorite, to win the Big Ten again as they return superstar guard Caitlin Clark and experience. Twelve members of the roster have collegiate experience and that will bode well for Iowa.

Today, at Big Ten Media Day gearing up for basketball season, Iowa’s head coach of the women’s team, Lisa Bluder discussed the upcoming year and taking on high expectations.

“We’re coming off a historic year. First time ever in the history of our program that we won both the Big Ten regular season and the Big Ten Tournament. We have every reason to have high expectations for this upcoming season. We have experience, offense, a great schedule, and we have a great fanbase. It’s going to be a fun year for the Iowa Hawkeyes,” Bluder said at Big Ten Media Days.

That schedule gets underway on October 28th as the Hawkeyes host Nebraska-Kearney in an exhibition before getting into their non-conference schedule. The Hawkeyes have 16 games that will be broadcast across Big Ten Network, FOX, FS1, ESPN networks, or ABC.

Their non-conference schedule includes an appearance in the Phil Knight Legacy College Basketball Tournament which includes Iowa, Oregon State, Duke, and Connecticut to round out an extremely talented field.

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Caitlin Clark to square off against FOX ‘Big Noon Kickoff’ co-host Matt Leinart in 3-point contest

Fans are invited to see Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark take on Matt Leinart in a 3-point shooting contest Friday in downtown Iowa City.

Iowa City is the place to be this weekend, but no longer for the reason you’re thinking.

While, yes, the Hawkeyes’ afternoon clash with the No. 4 Michigan Wolverines is one of the most anticipated Big Ten matchups of the year, the real highlight comes on Friday.

Drawn in by the allure of the massive contest happening at Kinnick Stadium this weekend, FOX will be in town where Iowa City will play host to their “Big Noon Kickoff.”

Matt Leinart, former national champion and NFL quarterback, used his status on the show to issue a challenge to Iowa women’s basketball superstar Caitlin Clark for a 3-point competition. The All-American guard and recent Big Ten Player of the Year quickly accepted the invitation.

“Iā€™m in. See you tomorrowā€¦ šŸ™‚Ā and see all you hawk fans there too!!!!” Clark tweeted.

Both Iowa basketball teams will host “Hawkeye Hoops from Downtown” from 4:30 to 6 p.m. on Friday afternoon on Iowa Ave. in downtown Iowa City.

 

Leinart might be best remembered for his accomplishments on the football field, winning a national championship with USC and bringing home the Heisman Trophy in 2004. He was the 10th overall pick by the Arizona Cardinals in 2006, but was unfortunately caught behind a resurgent Kurt Warner.

Leinart does have a background in hoops as well, though. He lettered in basketball in high school at Mater Dei, and made headlines back in 2014 when he dropped 15 points and five assists in a Drew League game.

That said, he certainly isn’t Caitlin Clark. We’re talking about the Big Ten Player of the Year here. She averaged 27 points per game last year. She can shoot from anywhere in the gym!

It’s going to be a rough one on Friday for Matt Leinart.

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Iowa Hawkeyes star Caitlin Clark signs deal with Topps trading cards

Topps signed a deal with star guard Caitlin Clark to produce some of the first officially licensed University of Iowa trading cards.

Trading cards are made to commemorate stitches in time for our favorite sports stars. Topps understands that and it’s why the trading card giant has inked a deal with one of college basketball’s brightest stars in Iowa guard Caitlin Clark.

After a season in which Clark led the nation in both points (27) and assists (8) per game, it makes perfect sense why Topps would want to partner with Clark. The 6-foot native of West Des Moines, Iowa, earned All-American honors last season, finished as a finalist for both the Naismith Trophy and Wooden Award and was named the Big Ten Player of the Year.

“Grew up collecting trading cardsā€¦ now Topps and I have partnered to officially create my own šŸ™‚ Could not be more grateful and excited šŸ¤,” Clark tweeted on Tuesday morning.

The official Topps Twitter account wrote, “Her autographs will be some of the first officially licensed University of Iowa cards made by Topps.”

One of the biggest names on Iowa’s campus is the perfect place for Topps to start. During the 2021-22 women’s college basketball season, Clark helped lead the Hawkeyes to a share of the Big Ten regular season championship and helped Iowa win the Big Ten Tournament title as well. Iowa ended its season 24-8 and advanced to the second round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament.

With Clark back alongside fellow All-Amerian Monika Czinano and the Hawkeyes’ same starting five, the expectation is this is the year that Iowa can make a deep push in the NCAA Tournament.

One thing is for certain. This group has captured the hearts of Iowa City. During last year’s NCAA Tournament, Iowa fans sold out both contests inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The program has five sellouts in its all-time history and three of those came last season.

Overall, the Iowa women’s basketball team ranked third nationally in attendance for the 2021-22 season. With that in mind, Topps can expect the Iowa fan base to be one that’s eager to collect some Clark memorabilia.

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Iowa women’s basketball slated to take part in Phil Knight Legacy tournament in November

Iowa appears like it’s on an early collision course with Paige Bueckers and Connecticut in the Phil Knight Legacy tournament in November.

We might have a game of the year contender in the first week of the 2022-23 women’s college basketball season.

Iowa women’s basketball announced on Monday that they would be participating in the Phil Knight Legacy College Basketball Tournament on Nov. 25. The Hawkeyes will open up their 2022-23 campaign against Pac-12 foe Oregon State. Oregon State finished with a respectable 17-14 record last season.

Not to completely gloss over Oregon State and the opening contest, but the bracket posted for the tournament should widen the eyes of any fan of college women’s hoops. On the other side of the bracket Connecticut faces Duke. The idea of a potential Connecticut-Iowa matchup should have every hoops fan salivating.

Both Uconn and Iowa will surely enter the upcoming season in the top 10. While Iowa unfortunately fell in the second round of last year’s NCAA tournament, they certainly have the talent to go way further. Uconn did exactly what they always do, making the Final Four for the 13th consecutive year in a row. Both teams feature arguably the best hooper in the nation.

Paige Bueckers was probably Connecticut’s most hyped-up recruit since superstar Breanna Stewart. She proved that hype was warranted right away, becoming a leader early in her freshman year. Her offensive output declined a bit last year due to an injury, but she’s still clearly one of the nation’s elite.

Iowa’s Caitlin Clark was the nation’s leader in points per game and assists per game. It goes further than just the stat line, though. Clark’s long range shooting has made her one of the biggest stars in all of women’s basketball.

This right here is the matchup every fan, every person involved with women’s basketball should be hoping for. Clark and Bueckers are leading the way for the next generation of women’s basketball stars alongside South Carolina’s Aliyah Boston. They are leading a movement that is getting more and more people interested in women’s hoops.

The last time these two matched up against each other was in the Sweet 16 of the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Uconn got the better of Iowa, winning 92-72, but both looked like potential superstars. Now after both have reached that elite status, a super matchup between two of the biggest stars in the sport would be monumental.

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Iowa Hawkeyes pick up a pair of commitments from 2023 F Ava Jones, G Kennise Johnson-Etienne

Iowa women’s basketball earned a pair of commitments recently from forward Ava Jones and guard Kennise Johnson-Etienne.

Iowa women’s basketball has picked up a pair of commitments in the 2023 class in the past week. The latest is from Nickerson High School (Kan.) power forward Ava Jones.

Jones initially committed to Arizona State in February of 2021, but after Sun Devils head coach Charli Turner Thorne elected to retire at the end of this past season, Jones decommitted from ASU and reopened her recruitment.

Ultimately, that winds up being great news for the Hawkeyes. Jones committed to Iowa over schools such as Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Oregon State and Texas Tech. The 6-foot-2 forward also had offers from Drake, Ohio State, Minnesota, TCU, Tulsa and Wichita State.

“I would first off like to thank my family for everything they do, along with my WSE and SWE family. None of this would be possible without each and every one of you. I would also like to thank all the schools that have recruited me and taken the time to get to know my family and myself. With that being said, I’m excited to announce that I will be committing to the University of Iowa! Go Hawkeyes!!” Jones wrote on Twitter.

According to Billy Watson of The Hutchinson News, Jones averaged 20.8 points, 15.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game en route to first-team all-state and first-team all-Central Kansas League selections. Jones and Nickerson won the Central Kansas League title and finished fourth in the Class 3A state tournament.Ā Jones is ranked as the No. 83 player in ESPN’s 2023 HoopGurlz player rankings.

Jones joins Example Academy (Ill.) guard Kennise Johnson-Etienne as a recent Hawkeye commit. According to HawkeyeReport‘s Kyle Huessman, the 5-foot-8 guard averaged 11.3 points, 6.2 assists and 3.1 steals this past season.

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“I just want to thank god for every blessing sent my way. I also want to thank my parents for the countless sacrifices of time and money to feed my every dream and goal. I want to thank Coach Frazier, Coach E, Coach X and the entire Example Family for pushing me out of my comfort zone and to reach my full potential.Ā Also for believing in me and never giving up on me.

“Lastly but not least, I want to thank the Iowa staff and players for making me feel at home, and making me feel like a priority. So with deep thought and consideration, I will be attending The University of Iowa. Let’s go Hawkeyes,” Johnson-Etienne wrote in her Instagram announcement.

Johnson-Etienne is rated as the No. 3 guard and the No. 13 recruit from Illinois in the 2023 class by Prep Girl Hoops. These two commitments are big news for Iowa head women’s basketball coach Lisa Bluder and her staff as the Hawkeyes look to parlay their 24-8 season in 2021-22 into future successes.

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Updating a flurry of recent Iowa women’s basketball summer 2022 offers

Iowa women’s basketball added Central Michigan transfer Molly Davis last month. Now, they’re busy on the recruiting trail with six offers.

It’s a great time to be a fan of Iowa women’s basketball. The Hawkeyes enter the 2022-23 women’s college basketball season after a 24-8 season that included a share of the Big Ten regular season championship and the Big Ten Tournament title.

Of course, Iowa returns one of the frontrunners for national player of the year honors in point guard Caitlin Clark. The 6-foot junior from West Des Moines just capped a season where she led Division I in both points and assists per game with averages of 27 points and eight assists per contest.

In the process, Clark became the first women’s college basketball player to accomplish that feat. She also averaged eight rebounds per contest.

Last season, she was named Big Ten Player of the Year, earned unanimous first-team All-Big Ten honors and also earned Big Ten Tournament MVP and was named to the Big Ten All-Tournament Team.

Clark was named the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year and was the Dawn Staley Guard of the Year Award recipient, becoming the first student-athlete to win the Dawn Staley Award in consecutive seasons. She was also a finalistĀ for the Naismith Award, the WBCA Wade Trophy, the John R. Wooden Award and the Honda Sport Award.

Joining Clark is a nucleus of talented players that will have the Hawkeyes back in the mix for both of the Big Ten championships next season as well as one of the contenders for the national championships once the 2023 NCAA Tournament rolls around.

Forward Monika Czinano is back after registering averages of 21.2 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. Guards McKenna Warnock, Kate Martin and Gabbie Marshall all return as well. That trio averaged 11 points and 6.5 rebounds, 7.2 points and 6.8 points, respectively. Warnock and Marshall connected on 40.4% and 39.3% of their 3-point tries last season.

With all of that excitement in tow for the 2022-23 season, there’s really no better time than the present to parlay it into recruiting successes. Iowa head women’s basketball coach Lisa Bluder and her staff have stayed busy this offseason as they look to bolster this current roster and ensure exciting basketball stays in Iowa City for years to come.

Let’s take a look at an addition from last month to next season’s roster and break down six recent offers the Hawkeye staff has doled out.

Iowa Hawkeyes’ Caitlin Clark only D1 player to ever lead nation in both points, assists

No player has ever led the nation in points and assists in the same year. That is until Caitlin Clark from Iowa just became the first.

With how the talent level across women’s basketball is exploding, it isn’t very often we have a new “first” or see something that has never been done before.

Iowa’s Caitlin Clark did just that, though. Last year during the 2021-22 season, she became the very first Division I player to ever lead the nation in points and assists.

Clark averaged 27 points per game and eight assists per game on her way to making history. These numbers helped propel Iowa to a phenomenal year that eventually saw them crowned Big Ten champions after sharing the regular season title and then winning the conference tournament.

Clark is coming back for her junior year and looks to build on what is already a career for the record books. While her performance on the court is top notch, her off the court moves have been equally as impressive.

She is part of H&R Block’s “A Fair Shot” to help provide $1 million to support women in collegiate athletics as they generate name, image, and likeness deals as well.

Caitlin Clark had an outstanding year in 2021-22 and there is no reason to believe she isn’t going to become even more of a household name this upcoming year. A few more records should probably be ready to fall as well.

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Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball No. 3 nationally in attendance

The Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball team packed Carver-Hawkeye and came in at No. 3 in the country in attendance for the 2021-22 season.

It should come as no surprise that the Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball team is receiving some national notoriety after their impressive campaign in the 2021-22 season. In an incredible showing from the fans, the Iowa women have come in with the No. 3 best attendance in the nation.

The ladies put on a quality show all year and had Carver-Hawkeye Arena often selling out in an effort to become a raucous environment for opponents to venture into.

Last season saw them finish the regular season with a share of the Big Ten championship with a 24-8 (14-4 Big Ten) record. They went on to run the table in the Big Ten Tournament and took home the championship with a 74-67 win over Indiana. That was good enough for a No. 2 seed and hosting rights in the 2022 NCAA Tournament.

Led by guard Caitlin Clark who averaged 27 points per game, they put on an offensive firework show with barrages of points. The Hawkeyes averaged just a touch over 84 points per game, the second-best in the nation. Clark’s 27 points per game led the nation. She also led the country with eight assists per game and finished with 257.

With Clark returning and the Hawkeyes looking for revenge after an unexpected loss to Creighton in the tournament, it can be expected that the fireworks continue, both on the court and in the stands as Hawkeye fans will continue to show out for their ladies.

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WATCH: Caitlin Clark, Monika Czinano toss out first pitches for Iowa baseball

Iowa women’s basketball stars Caitlin Clark and Monika Czinano threw out the honorary first pitches for Hawkeye baseball with mixed results.

Around Iowa City, there are few bigger stars than those on the Iowa women’s basketball team. The Hawkeyes electrified the fan base with a 24-8 season that included a Big Ten regular season co-championship and the Big Ten Tournament crown outright.

How the women’s basketball team captured the hearts of Iowa City is perhaps best illustrated by the Carver-Hawkeye Arena attendance numbers during the NCAA Tournament. Iowa fans packed down Carver-Hawkeye Arena to the tune of back-to-back sellouts of 14,382.

Iowa’s season ended in a shocking second-round upset loss against 10th-seeded Creighton, 64-62. With star point guard Caitlin Clark and star forward Monika Czinano back in the fold for the 2022-23 women’s basketball season, optimism is high that the Hawkeyes can enjoy a deeper NCAA Tournament run in 2023.

Given their star status, it makes sense why Clark and Czinano were natural candidates to throw out the honorary first pitches ahead of Iowa baseball’s rubber game versus Purdue. To be kind, the results from Clark and Czinano were mixed.

HawkeyeReport’s Kyle Huesmann may be on to something here. After Czinano airmailed the pitch to home plate, it might be time to think about better ways to use that arm strength somewhere other than on the pitcher’s mound. Her toss to home plate had to make Harry Doyle from Major League smile. It truly was “just a bit outside.”

Meanwhile, Clark delivered a pretty good pitch to home plate and showcased some velocity as well.

In all seriousness, it was great to see both Clark and Czinano out to support Iowa baseball. The pair of stars are two of the biggest reasons why Iowa will be one of the favorites to repeat as the Big Ten regular season and tournament champions in 2022-23.

After averaging 27 points, eight assists and eight rebounds per game, Clark was up for all of the national player of the year awards last season. The West Des Moines, Iowa, native was named the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year, the Dawn Staley Guard of the Year, the Big Ten Player of the Year and earned Big Ten Tournament MVP.

Czinano had a fabulous season as well. The Watertown, Minn., product led the nation in field goal percentage and ranked sixth in field goals made. Czinano finished the 2021-22 season averaging 21.2 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. In the NCAA Tournament, Czinano connected on an astounding 18-of-26 field goal tries. She scored 18 points against Illinois State in the tournament opener and then 27 points against Creighton.

Here was some of the other reaction to the pair’s first pitches on Sunday.

Iowa’s Caitlin Clark ‘super honored’ to repeat as Dawn Staley Award winner

Iowa point guard Caitlin Clark reacted to becoming the first repeat Dawn Staley Award winner.

Iowa point guard Caitlin Clark was announced as the winner of the Dawn Staley Award last week. The honor is bestowed upon the most outstanding college guard in the country.

The West Des Moines, Iowa, native made history on the court this season as Clark led the nation in both scoring average and assists per game. Clark averaged 27 points and eight assists per game. She finished with 863 points and 257 assists on the season. As a result, Clark made history in women’s college basketball, too.

Clark became the first two-time winner and the first repeat winner of the Dawn Staley Award.

“Every winner has been a special player and a special person, but this yearā€™s award is unique. In Iowaā€™s Caitlin Clark, we have the first ever two-time winner and Caitlin absolutely deserves it.Ā A dynamic offensive player with shooting range the likes of which our game has never seen, Caitlin led the nation in both scoring and assists this season.

“Sheā€™s an absolute force, someone who is quite literally changing the way basketball is being played. Sheā€™s a winner, leading her team to the Big 10 Tournament Championship and a shared regular season title. And sheā€™s also a terrific person, the type of player and the type of woman we can be proud to have as an ambassador for our game for years to come,” Staley said in a statement.

On Thursday, Clark was recognized in a virtual ceremony where Staley told her that she “transcends the sport.”

 

“Well, thank you coach Staley. I appreciate your kind words and thank you to the Phoenix Club of Philadelphia for putting this on and having me. I think our game is full of a lot of great guards. A lot of great posts, too, but I think there’s just so many tremendous guards all across the country and I think that’s really just great for our game in general. You can really see that it’s growing. I’m super honored to win this award once, but to win it twice in back to back years is super, super special.

“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for my coaches, my teammates. I love the University of Iowa. I love playing for coach (Lisa) Bluder, and, you know, we did a lot of really great things this year. It obviously didn’t end how we wanted it to, but, you know, I think there’s still a lot to be proud of. Big Ten champions twice. Hasn’t been done in the history of our program, so still a lot to be proud of but we want to come back, work harder and get even further, so that’ll be our goal. Thank you to my family. They supported me every step of the way,” Clark said during the virtual ceremony.

Clark will return for her junior season alongside star forward Monika Czinano. Iowa’s season ended in a second-round NCAA Tournament loss versus Creighton inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. With that duo back, the Hawkeyes will be one of the trendy picks to defend their Big Ten championships from this past season. In ESPN’s way-too-early top 25, Iowa checked in at No. 6.

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