Jan Jensen picked up her first commitment as Iowa’s head women’s basketball coach on Saturday.
Four-star center Layla Hays committed to the Hawkeyes over fellow finalists Duke, Gonzaga, Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska, North Carolina and Washington.
Hays joins a group of 2025 commits that features five-star point guard Addison Deal and four-star guard Journey Houston.
According to ESPN, Hays is the nation’s No. 68 player. The 6-foot-4 center averaged 16.2 points, 11.9 rebounds and 2.0 blocked shots per game last season with Wasilla High School in Alaska en route to a state championship.
Hays earned a Team USA tryout with the U18 squad thanks to her standout play.
As Hays readies for her final high school season and then her collegiate chapter with the Hawkeyes, 247Sports’ director of scouting for women’s basketball, Brandon Clay, broke down Hays’ game.
It includes a comp to a current Iowa Hawkeye.
Hays has elite size in the interior. She is a consistent factor with her rebounding, especially in her area. Hays’ ability to finish at the rim and then protect it on the other end sets her apart from most of her peers nationally. Very few players possess her size and physical gifts at this stage.
Hays should be able to provide quality minutes similar to what Addison O’Grady has done for Iowa. As Hays continues to add more lateral mobility to her game, expect even more production as a result. – Clay, 247Sports.
Another Addison O’Grady-type patrolling the paint for the Hawkeyes sounds like a pretty good pairing alongside both Deal and Houston in the 2025 class.
Hays caught up with 247Sports’ Dushawn London to discuss her commitment to Iowa.
“Since the first time I came here, I had a connection with the coaches and they believed in me. I knew I was going to go far away for college since Alaska is far from everywhere, so my biggest thing when looking at a college was finding a family. I connected so well with everyone at Iowa.
“I just knew Iowa was the place for me. I had a feeling in my heart when I first got here. The other schools were all amazing, but something in my heart told me that this is where I need to go,” Hays said.
In what fans hope are many to come, Jensen officially has her first blue-chip commit as the head Hawkeye women’s basketball coach in Hays.
Iowa opens up its 2024-25 season with an exhibition on Oct. 30 versus Missouri Western at 6:30 p.m. CT. Then, the season officially begins on Wednesday, Nov. 6 versus Northern Illinois at 6:30 p.m. CT.
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