Tag: Iowa women’s basketball

Iowa’s Caitlin Clark named Preseason Player of the Year by The Athletic

Iowa’s Caitlin Clark continues to grow as a household name. She has been named the Preseason Player of the Year by The Athletic.

Welcome to center stage, Caitlin Clark! Well, actually, welcome back, as you maintained that spot the entire 2021-22 women’s college basketball season and are rather familiar with the spotlight.

In what has been an offseason of expectations growing, hype surrounding the team, and recognition continuing to circulate around Clark, another accolade has found its way to her.

This time we see the leader and guard of the Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball team, Caitlin Clark, named the Preseason Player of the Year by the Athletic.

This comes right on the heels of Clark being named a unanimous preseason All-American by the Associated Press. Only Clark and Aliyah Boston of South Carolina were honored with that recognition by the voters.

“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. The first time that’s ever been done in the history of women’s basketball. Obviously, a Naismith finalist, the MVP pre-season and last year’s pick from the Big Ten,” Iowa head women’s basketball coach Lisa Bluder said.

While Clark will certainly be the focal point for the Hawkeyes, they are going to be bringing talent across the board at all positions. One key contributor expected to break out this year is senior guard Gabbie Marshall.

The duo of Clark and Marshall, which could also be a fantastic law firm name and a nickname I will now use all season, can provide great leadership and output for the Hawkeyes as they look to build on a season that saw a Big Ten regular-season championship and a Big Ten conference tournament championship.

The season gets underway Monday, Nov. 7 at 8:30 p.m. against Southern University on Big Ten Network Plus.

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Gabbie Marshall on ESPN’s breakout season watch list

Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball sees their guard, Gabbie Marshall, among those on ESPN’s breakout season watch list for 2022-23.

The Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball team is primed up for another great season. The talent is there. The expectations are there. Everything is in place for the No. 4 ranked team in the AP Poll to be there when the season comes to its end.

To add to the mix of point guard Caitlin Clark running things, ESPN has named senior guard Gabbie Marshall to their breakout season watch list for the 2022-23 season.

Iowa has the luxury of returning all five starters from the previous two seasons, a group headlined by Caitlin Clark and Monika Czinano. So where does Marshall come in? Any pressure she can alleviate from Clark needing to produce from the backcourt would be helpful, and she could be a great recipient of Clark’s dimes off her paint penetration. Marshall has been a strong 3-point shooter since arriving to Iowa, but if she can get closer to her clip from her sophomore season (47.1% on 4.0 3-point attempts per game), then Iowa might really be cooking. For Iowa to advance to its first Final Four since 1993, though, the team will need to play better defense; Marshall can help spearhead that effort, as she has led the team in steals each of the last two seasons. – Alexa Philippou, ESPN.

Marshall appeared in 30 games last season and produced at a high level. In her career, she has tallied 135 three pointers, 158 assists, and 129 assists.

After touching on her team’s two biggest stars in Clark and forward Monika Czinano at Big Ten Media Days, Iowa head women’s basketball coach Lisa Bluder discussed what Marshall and the rest of the supporting cast brings to the Hawkeyes.

“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,” Bluder said.

Iowa opens its season on Monday, Nov. 7 at 8:30 p.m. against Southern University on Big Ten Network Plus.

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Caitlin Clark signs prestigious NIL deal with Nike

Iowa Hawkeyes star Caitlin Clark signed a prestigious NIL deal with Nike.

One of the biggest stars in college basketball just received a big time deal with Nike.

Iowa point guard Caitlin Clark was one of five student-athletes to receive a name image and likeness deal with mega-power sporting company Nike. She is joined by Stanford guard Haley Jones, as well as Sierra Canyon guard Juju Watkins as the three women athletes to receive a deal.

Caitlin Clark reflected on how Nike and their athletes impacted her journey to stardom.

“I grew up watching Nike athletes across all sports play their game. They have inspired me to work hard and make a difference. I’m humbled to be part of this first Nike Basketball class and passionate about inspiring the next,” Clark told ESPN’s Nick DePaula.

Joining Clark and Jones are three of the biggest stars in men’s high school basketball, Nike capitalizing on NIL opportunities to sign them before their rise to hopeful global superstardom.

Joining the Nike brand are Camden guard DJ Wagner, and Sierra Canyon guard Bronny James. If those names sound familiar, it’s for good reason. The Camden guard is the son of former sixth overall pick Dajuan Wagner, or if you’re from an older generation, is the grandson of NCAA and NBA champion Milt Wagner. Wagner is currently the highest ranked or second highest ranked player in the 2023 recruiting class, depending on which recruiting source you use.

Bronny James is of course the son of NBA legend Lebron James. He is a four-star guard whose future is kind of up in the air. Nobody really knows if he is going to play at the college level or not. Will he go in the G-League? Will there be the opportunity for him to go pro right away? It is unknown at this current point in time.

This recent batch of NIL deals just shows the advancements in opportunities for female hoopers. Wagner and James are two of the most recognizable names in high school basketball, Wagner seen as a potential NBA star. It’s great to see a light not only shine on two NCAA stars in Clark and Jones, but on Juju Watkins as well. Watkins is seen as the consensus #1 recruit in the high school ranks, and the next big time NCAA Women’s Basketball star.

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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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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’ 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.

Hawkeyes women learn NCAA seeding, opponent

The Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball team learned its seeding and first opponent for the 2022 NCAA Tournament on Sunday.

The Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball team has enjoyed a week of rest since winning the Big Ten tournament in Indianapolis last Sunday.

Now, star sophomore Caitlin Clark and the rest of the Hawkeyes (23-7) know their seeding and opponent for the 2022 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. The Hawkeyes are a No. 2 seed in the Greensboro Region and will oppose No. 15 seed Illinois State (19-13), the Missouri Valley Conference tournament champion, on Friday in Iowa City.

If the Hawkeyes win, they will face the winner of Friday’s game between seventh-seeded Colorado and No. 10 seed Creighton.

Clark, the Big Ten Player of the Year and Big Ten tournament MVP, is a semifinalist for the Naismith Award, given annually to the nation’s top player. She leads the Hawkeyes in points (27.4), rebounds (8.1) and assists (7.9) per game this season.

It’s the fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance for the Hawkeyes women under head coach Lisa Bluder.

Last year, they beat Central Michigan and Kentucky before losing to Connecticut in the Sweet 16. In 2019, they beat Mercer, Missouri and North Carolina State before bowing out against the eventual champion, Baylor, in the Elite Eight round. In 2018, the Hawkeyes lost to Creighton in the first round.

(There was no NCAA Tournament in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.)

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