The women’s basketball regular season will officially kick off on Nov. 12 against Harvard, but the Hawkeyes will get some court time this weekend when they face Winona State (Minn.) in an exhibition game on Nov. 6.
Winona State is a Division-II opponent, but history says they could provide a challenge for the Hawkeyes. The Warriors beat Minnesota on the Gophers’ home court in an exhibition game last year.
Head coach Lisa Bluder admitted during a Thursday press conference her team hasn’t spent a lot of time preparing for the Warriors.
"We usually don’t with exhibitions," Bluder said. "This is a good Division-II team — the purpose is to get out there, and try different combinations, and see how we do against another women’s team."
Bluder said her starting lineup will be headlined by point guard Kamille Wahlin, an honorable All-Big Ten selection last season and a four-year starter. Junior Jaime Printy — the Hawkeyes’ leading scorer a season ago — will join Wahlin in the backcourt. McDonald’s All-American and freshman Sam Logic will round out the guard spots.
Senior Kelly Krei will start at forward, and junior Morgan Johnson will post up at center.
Bluder said she’s excited about adding Logic to a backcourt with Printy and Wahlin.
"[Logic] has done a very good job," Bluder said. "She’s such a great competitor and wants the ball in her hands the last play of the game. You want those type of kids on your team."
Logic played point guard during her high-school and AAU careers, but she will be asked to play as a guard/small forward hybrid. She said the move won’t bother her one bit.
"Really, the only difference [between the positions] is bringing the ball up on offense," Logic said, before turning the conversation to how much she likes being on the floor with Printy and Wahlin. "They’re scorers — we like to run, and anyone willing to run is going to be a threat in transition."
The addition of Logic gives Bluder three guards capable of leading the offense, and the 12th-year coach said she expects the team to boast more of a transition-based offense and pressing defense than in years past.
Printy said she’s also in favor of the new, high-speed lineup.
"Any three of us can bring the ball upcourt, and we all like to get each other open shots," the junior said. "It will be a lot of fun this year, and we’re going to get out and run."
Another difference from last year’s squad is an increase in team depth.
Iowa has 12 healthy players right now; Bluder said this season will be the first time the Hawkeyes have had that many at the beginning of a season in her tenure.
A capable supporting cast featuring four freshmen, two sophomores, and a senior will be beneficial to the squad because the starters will be able to rest more over the course of the season.
"We’ve never really had a deep bench since I’ve been here," Printy said. "It should help us. Even just a couple extra minutes on the bench each game will help us along in the season."
