New horizons await Iowa in the 2024-25 campaign.
After four years of Caitlin Clark’s dashing exploits, the Hawkeyes will enter a new era under head coach Lisa Bluder.
Such is life in the ever-changing carousel of collegiate athletics. Seasons come and go. The program remains steadfast, however. And with a new year comes new talented players, all of whom are hoping to model Clark and emerge as some of the college game’s biggest contributors.
Just what does the future hold for Bluder and the Hawkeyes? The Sporting News takes a look at Iowa’s roster heading into next season.
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What’s next for Iowa after Caitlin Clark?
The Hawkeyes may not have Clark in the upcoming campaign, as the superstar is headed to the WNBA. They will, however, have a cadre of young stars ready to make the grade.
Here’s what you need to know about a few big names slated to try their luck in Des Moines come 2024-25:
Ava Heiden
Leading the way for Iowa is 6-foot-4 big Ava Heiden. Ranked as the No. 40 player in the 2024 class by ESPN, Heiden — a four-star — fielded interest from a host of top schools, including Gonzaga and Utah. However, she opted to join Bluder’s collection, instead, following in the footsteps of her parents, both of whom were Big Ten athletes back in the day.
Heiden earned Pacific Conference Player of the Year honors after averaging 10.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.5 block a game for a Sherwood Lady Bowmen team that raced to conference title during her sophomore year.
An ankle injury in her junior campaign limited her to only a few games. But she was still fairly productive on the few occasions she saw the floor, increasing her scoring average to 12.5 points per game.
She hopes to follow in the footsteps of Megan Gustafson and Monika Czinano as dominant paint presences who called Iowa home. Associate head coach Jan Jensen could prove vital in such development; she’s been seen as something of a big whisperer during her time with the program.
To that end, she seemed pretty excited about Heiden’s incoming arrival when the then-high schooler announced her intention to commit to the Hawkeyes.
How’s everybody doin’ on this fine Sunday?😀 Well, we’re doing’ great here! I mean, we’re having a great day… a realllly great day! 🙌🏼The future looks bright!!!! Let’s Goooo, Hawks!!!!😀
— Jan Jensen (@goiowa) October 23, 2022
Aaliyah Guyton
Joining Heiden on the new-look Hawkeyes will be fellow top-60 recruit Aaliyah Guyton. Guyton — a 5-foot-8 guard from Peoria, Illinois — comes from a basketball family; her father, A.J. Guyton, starred at Indiana from 1996-2000.
Much like her pops, Guyton is quite the scorer. She averaged 21.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.1 steals during her junior season, climbing the ranks to earn four-star billing.
For her efforts, Guyton was twice named Big 12 Conference (high school) player of the year. She could play a significant role in Bluder’s rotation, especially with the impending departures of Clark, Gabbie Marshall, Kate Martin and Molly Davis set to ravage the Hawkeyes’ guard depth next year.
MORE: How much will Caitlin Clark earn in the WNBA?
Teagan Mallegni
Bluder pulled out the stops in her effort to re-jig Iowa’s setup after Clark’s departure. She nabbed yet another top-100 recruit in 6-footer Teagan Mallegni, a high-scoring guard/forward who emerged as one of the state of Wisconsin’s greatest talents over the past four years.
Lengthy players who can score from all three levels are worth their weight in gold in the collegiate game. It’s still early days, but Mallegni has certainly shown flashes of excellence in that regard. She posted averages of 24.5 points, 11.9 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 4.1 steals and 1.7 blocks in 2023.
Further, Mallegni has shown a proclivity for high-paced offense, a tool that could be very useful in Bluder’s system going forward.
“I love transition,” Mallegni said, according to Hawk Fanatic.
If Mallegni can have half the success of another Wisconsinite turned Hawkeye — former National Player of the Year Gustafson — Bluder and Co. will be more than pleased.
Hawkeye fans, get excited‼️ Teagan Mallegni is the REAL DEAL. pic.twitter.com/kczJ47mjzh
— Select Events Basketball (@SelectEventsBB) July 9, 2023
Taylor Stremlow
Bluder secured the services of another highly-rated guard ahead of the 2024 season, nabbing a commitment from Wisconsin native Taylor Stremlow.
MORE: The history of Angel Reese-Caitlin Clark duel predates LSU-Iowa rivalry
Stremlow — a 5-foot-8 guard from Verona (WI) — earned her state’s Player of the Year honors after averaging 18.2 points, 9.7 rebounds, 9.2 assists and 5.8 steals a night during her senior season.
The No. 91 prospect in the Class of 2024 according to ESPN, Stremlow looks a crafty presence in the backcourt, capable of finding acute angles to feed her teammates — or get to the basket herself.
Iowa commit Taylor Stremlow put on a show at the Watertown Holiday Shootout! @StremlowTaylor
Full highlights: https://t.co/fru57PTEoE pic.twitter.com/Sq8B83u0A2
— Fresh Coast Hoops (@FreshCoastHoops) December 31, 2022
She may not be Clark. But Bluder has shown a willingness to let ball-handling mavericks off the leash in recent seasons. Perhaps Stremlow could be the latest to earn such distinction.
Callie Levin
Levin — Iowa’s only in-state commit — won’t come to Des Moines with quite the fanfare compared to her teammates. However, the three-star talent has sound mechanics on her jump shot and looks to be willing to take wary defenders off the dribble if need be.
CALLIE LEVIN GOES OFF IN THE 3A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP!! pic.twitter.com/Kb2MpSguSc
— QuadVisual (@AveryQuad) March 4, 2024
Who is returning for Iowa in 2024-25?
There will be a sea change in the makeup of Iowa’s roster come 2024-25. Clark is one of five seniors set to depart the program. All five exiting seniors play in the backcourt, meaning Bluder will be looking for serious reinforcements via recruiting and transfer portal.
MORE: Lisa Leslie believes Caitlin Clark ‘100 percent’ should be on Team USA
Nevertheless, all hope is not lost in Des Moines. Fortune favors the bold in the college game. Few players in the nation have proven more daring coming off the pick-and-roll than sophomore forward Hannah Stuelke.
Stuelke has quietly developed into one of the country’s best players since her arrival in 2022. She increased her scoring average by 7.6 points between her freshman and sophomore seasons, earning second team All-Big Ten honors this year.
She’ll spearhead a solid, if unspectacular group of returning talents. Here’s a look at the group tasked with bringing the Hawkeyes back to the promised land next season.
- Hannah Stuelke, F (14.1 points per game, 6.7 rebounds per game, 1.2 assists per game)
- Sydney Affolter, G (8.3 points per game, 6.5 rebounds per game, 2.3 assists per game)
- Addison O’Grady, F/C (4.0 points per game, 1.9 rebounds per game, 0.4 assists per game)
- Sharon Goodman, C (4.5 points per game, 3.0 rebounds per game, 0.3 assists per game)
- Taylor McCabe, G (3.4 points per game, 0.7 rebounds per game, 0.7 assists per game)
- AJ Ediger, F (1.8 points per game, 1.3 rebounds per game, 0.2 assists per game)
- Jada Gyamfi, F (1.4 points per game, 0.6 rebounds per game, 0.2 assists per game)
- Kennise Johnson, G (0.5 points per game, 0.3 rebounds per game, 0.2 assists per game)
