Tag: Monika Czinano

Magic Johnson welcomes Monika Czinano to Hollywood

There’s nothing like a Hollywood welcome from one of the game’s greats! Magic Johnson welcomed Monika Czinano with open arms yesterday.

When you think of Los Angeles, you think of basketball. The City of Angels has been the home for so many legends of the game.

Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar have all donned the gold and purple for part or all of their careers. With the nice weather and the celebrity star power of the city, Los Angeles is the place you want to go as a player.

Iowa center Monika Czinano is pursuing her dream of playing professional basketball, and she will have her first opportunity in Los Angeles. The four-time first-team All-Big Ten center was drafted 26th by the Los Angeles Sparks. The newest Spark was greeted by Lakers legend Magic Johnson in his usual lovable style on Twitter.

Czinano later commented that throughout the jubilation of being drafted, her mom was even more excited about Magic Johnson tweeting about her daughter.

Making the WNBA is extremely hard, but the former Iowa big will certainly have a shot with L.A. Despite being one of the traditional superpowers of the WNBA, the Sparks are still reeling from former coach and GM Derek Fisher’s disastrous handling of the squad at the end of his tenure.

For a team looking to reestablish its identity as one of the premier organizations in women’s basketball, it sure could use an experienced player who can help instill a high-level culture in the locker room.

For Czinano, she’s going to have to keep improving her game to prove she belongs in the WNBA. Known for scoring without dribbling the ball, Czinano was one of the best players in college near the basket. Her footwork, strength and IQ made her a dangerous threat down low.

She’ll have to stretch her game to the mid-range while proving a difference-maker in the paint on both ends.

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Iowa Hawkeyes’ Caitlin Clark, Monika Czinano among AP All-American teams

Iowa is headed into the NCAA Tournament confident. Caitlin Clark and Monika Czinano have been recognized by the AP All-American teams.

Caitlin Clark and Monika Czinano are two catalysts that make Iowa go. They can play a pick-and-roll game. Clark and Czinano can read each other’s minds on passes with incredible anticipation and they can often score at will. That is why the two of them are earning deserved accolades.

She has done it again. For the second straight year, Caitlin Clark finds her way as an Associated Press first-team All-American. The Iowa Hawkeyes’ guard is a household name across basketball and across the nation right now and rightfully so.

Caitlin Clark has put up a stellar year for the Hawkeyes (26-6, 15-3 Big Ten). She is averaging 27 points, 8.3 assists, and 7.5 rebounds per game. Her numbers are out of this stratosphere. She isn’t just a volume scorer, but also efficient with a 46.9% shooting percentage, 83.1% from the free throw line, and 37.9% from 3-point range.

Czinano finds herself recognized among the nation’s best by the AP. She is an AP honorable mention All-American for her efforts this season leading the Hawkeyes in the paint.

Czinano is averaging 17.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and is making an incredible 67.4% of her attempts from the field along with a 78.1% mark at the free throw line.

The two get to suit up at home at least once, if not twice more, this weekend when they host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. The No. 2 Hawkeyes open up Friday, March 17 at 3 p.m. CT against No. 15 Southeastern Louisiana.

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Monika Czinano rewarded for monster day against Drake, named Big Ten Player of the Week

Iowa women’s basketball star Monika Czinano was rewarded for a monster day against Drake, capturing the Big Ten Player of the Week award.

Monika Czinano wouldn’t let Iowa lose. The fifth-year senior delivered in a big way on Sunday against Drake, pouring in 36 points on 14-of-21 shooting and grabbing 11 rebounds to help stave off the Bulldogs in overtime, 92-86.

“My teammates were hitting me in the best spots possible. They just had a bee line look at me every possession, so that’s obviously super helpful, but I think it was just a really good team effort all around. I know I missed some assists for Caitlin, but that’s places where I can build on myself. I think that we just played a really good, cohesive game of basketball today and I’m glad I could contribute where I could,” Czinano said of her performance after the Drake win.

Czinano felt the overtime win against Drake will help this team down the stretch.

“I think it really builds our mental resolve early in the season. Every team we’re playing, like Caitlin said in our last interview, our nonconference is really good. We’re playing good teams every single night. Drake is no exception, so getting a win here, having to go into overtime, having that mental resolve and quite honestly just getting our conditioning even better. Just working out all through, I think it’s good for us and it’ll be good for us down the stretch.

With the win, Iowa improved to 3-0. In the process, Czinano was rewarded with the first Big Ten Player of the Week award for the 2022-23 season after registering her seventh career double-double. On the season, Czinano is averaging 23 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-3 native of Watertown, Minn., is shooting 69% from the field.

As of Monday’s announcement, Czinano ranked fourth in the country in field goals made with 27 and fifth in points in the NCAA with 69. This is Czinano’s second weekly award in her career, adding to her Feb. 1, 2021, recognition.

Both Czinano and teammate Caitlin Clark were named today to the John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 Watch List.

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Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, Monika Czinano named to John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 50

Iowa’s star duo picked up another accolade. Caitlin Clark and Monika Czinano were named to the John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 50.

Iowa’s terrific twosome picked up more accolades. The No. 6 Iowa Hawkeyes‘ Caitlin Clark and Monika Czinano were named to the John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 Watch List.

Chosen by a preseason poll of national college basketball experts, the list is comprised of 50 student-athletes who are the early front-runners for the most prestigious honors in college basketball, the Wooden Award All American Team and Most Outstanding Player Award.

It’s par for the course for these two. The John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 Watch List recognition is the ninth preseason honor for Clark and the fourth for Czinano.

Clark has been named Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year, All-Big Ten by the coaches and media, to the Nancy Lieberman Preseason Watch List, preseason AP All-American, to the Naismith Watch List, and as The Athletic Player of the Year.

Meanwhile, Czinano was named as a AP All-American, to the Lisa Leslie Watch List and first team All-Big Ten by the coaches and media. Czinano was also just selected as the Big Ten Player of the Week after scoring 36 points against Drake.

Through Iowa’s 3-0 start to the season, Clark is averaging 24.7 points, 7.3 assists and 6.3 rebounds per game. She’s scored 20 or more points in all three games, is shooting 36% from 3-point range and is top five in the country in assists, free throw attempts, and points. Against Evansville, she registered her 27th career double-double.

Czinano is averaging 23 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. The 6-foot-3 native of Watertown, Minn., is converting a silly 69.2% of her field goal attempts thus far in the 2022-23 season.

“To come here on the road and win, I am extremely happy with that. Allison is doing a great job with this program, and I am so happy for her. Katie Dinnebier played extremely well today. We were happy with our 21 assists on 11 turnovers. I was happy that we came out and got 21 offensive rebounds in the second half. Gabbie had some clutch three-pointers for us and played great defense. For us, this was a special game because of Lisa Brinkmeyer, and just wanted to honor her. I think both teams played so well in honoring Lisa today,” Iowa head women’s basketball coach Lisa Bluder said after her team’s overtime win at Drake.

Iowa returns to play when the Hawkeyes travel to Kansas State on Thursday. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT in Manhattan. The game will broadcast on ESPN+ and on the Hawkeye Radio Network.

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Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Southern Jaguars: Stream, injury report, broadcast info

No. 6 Iowa women’s basketball opens up its season hosting the Southern Jaguars at 8:30 p.m. Here’s all the broadcast details.

The Iowa women’s basketball team enters this season ranked No. 6 in the USA TODAY Sports women’s basketball coaches poll and with legitimate national championship aspirations.

The Hawkeyes bring back all five starters and the firepower from point guard Caitlin Clark and forward Monika Czinano. Of course, Clark was the Big Ten Player of the Year last season after averaging 27.0 points, 8.0 assists and 8.0 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, Czinano earned first team All-Big Ten status last year in her own right after averaging 21.2 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.

The duo were named to the 2023 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy Women’s Watch List last Friday. Clark was an unanimous preseason Associated Press All-American, while Czinano was an AP All-America honorable mention.

“We have every reason to have high expectations for this upcoming season. 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. First time that’s ever been done in the history of women’s basketball.

“Obviously a Naismith finalist, the MVP preseason and last year’s pick from the Big Ten. We also have one of the best centers in the country. When you think of Monika Czinano has led the United States in field goal percentage shooting at 68% for the last two years, that’s an amazing accomplishment. I always felt if you have a really good point guard and a really good center that you have the opportunity to have a really good year,” Iowa head women’s basketball coach Lisa Bluder said of her two big stars.

Iowa’s other three returning starters are guards Gabbie Marshall and Kate Martin and forward McKenna Warnock. Warnock averaged 11.0 points and 6.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game last season. Martin averaged 7.2 points per game, while Marshall connected on 39.3% of her 3-point tries to average 6.8 points per game.

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.

“We also have Hannah Stuelke, who is a freshman from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Ranked as one of the top 50 players in the country, Miss Iowa Basketball. We also have Miss Nebraska basketball join our team with Taylor McCabe who is the best three-point shooter ever in Nebraska girls basketball history. We have experience, offense, a great schedule, and we have a great fan base. It’s going to be a fun year for the Iowa Hawkeyes,” Bluder said.

Without further ado, let’s take a look at how fans can watch the Hawkeyes tip off their 2022-23 women’s college basketball season against the Southern Jaguars.

Iowa Hawkeyes stomp Nebraska-Kearney in exhibition hoops opener

As expected, Iowa rolled away from Nebraska-Kearney in its exhibition opener, winning 108-29.

If you had any doubts about Iowa women’s basketball heading into the season, then this game probably didn’t mean much to you. Nevertheless, Iowa delivered a good ol’ fashioned thumping in their first exhibition game, trouncing the Nebraska-Kearney Lopers 108-29.

Now, who exactly are Nebraska-Kearney? I’m glad you asked dear viewer! (Opens Google in another tab,) the University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK) is a campus of the public University of Nebraska system and located in Kearney, Neb.

They are a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) conference in NCAA Division II. Judging by their school motto, “Be Blue. Be Gold. BE BOLD,” I’m going to guess their school colors are blue and gold.

Now, what the heck is a Loper? I haven’t been this intrigued by a school name since referencing the Southern Illinois Salukis in their 31-24 win over Northwestern. It is short for antelope, and apparently is based off of a North American antelope, which there literally are none! Their mascot is actually a pronghorn! I guess Middle-Americans wrongly refer to the pronghorn as the American antelope, so there you have it.

Some of their notable alumni include, former Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain and former UFC Welterweight champion Kamaru Usman! Fox News contributor and former NWA World Television Champion (and WWE Slammy award winner for best dancer) Tyrus played football there as well. Get this, prior to transferring to Nebraska-Kearney, Tyrus went to a school in California called Antelope Valley College, so we now know why he went to play for the Lopers.

Anyway, I probably gave more attention to the Lopers than Iowa did on Friday night. This exhibition looked like if the No. 6 team in the nation played a Division II school, because it was!

Star guard Caitlin Clark scored 18 points in only 17 minutes, dishing out eight assists. Monika Czinano also scored 16 points, not missing a single one of her seven shots. I guess the big story would be freshman Hannah Stuelke who scored 18 points in her Hawkeye debut. She’s one to certainly keep an eye on for the future.

I’m not going to try and make some kind of profound statement on this game, or give you some hard-hitting takeaways. That would be absolutely silly for an exhibition that had a 79-point differential. It is good to see the Hawkeyes back in action in what is a massive season. Led by Caitlin Clark, the Hawkeyes have a deep squad that can make a serious run at the national championship.

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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 cards… now Topps and I have partnered to officially create my own 🙂 Could not be more grateful and excited 🤍,” 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 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. 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. 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 finalist 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.

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.