The Hawkeyes don’t often come across a top-tier prospect in any sport, but head coach Lisa Bluder and the Iowa women’s basketball team have been blessed over the past four seasons to be led by one of the greatest athletes in school history.
Iowa senior Sam Logic came to Iowa in 2011, ranked as the No. 10 overall recruit in the nation by ESPN. Four years later, she was selected 10th overall in last month’s WNBA draft by the Atlanta Dream. She may well go on to be the most successful Hawkeye in the pros, but one thing is already for certain: She was, hands down, the most dominant female athlete Iowa had to offer in 2014-15.
It really comes as no surprise; Logic won this same award a year ago, but to her credit, somehow secured it more convincingly this season.
Maybe it was the way she entered the season as Iowa’s all-time assist leader and now has a 322-dish cushion. Perhaps it’s that, as a point guard, she sits second all-time in rebounds and 10th in scoring. All together, Logic is the only player in NCAA history (men or women) to gather 1,500 points, 800 rebounds, 800 assists, and 200 steals.
She started in 135 games for Bluder, or in other words, every game since she’s ever been on campus. While the individual statistics will cement her in Iowa history, the success she enabled her team to have this season is what sets her apart from the other female Iowa athletes this year.
Logic led the Hawkeyes in the 2014-15 season to an undefeated record at home and set a school-record with 18 home wins. Furthermore, the team made its first Sweet 16 appearance in 19 years. When all was said and done, Logic became the fourth consensus All-American in Iowa history.
Logic’s graduating class — including Bethany Doolittle, Melissa Dixon, and Kathryn Reynolds — was a historically great one. The four exit Iowa as the graduating class with the most victories in 21 years, and while Doolittle and Dixon were superbly talented in their own respect, Logic was the glue that held everything together.
The point guard is the quarterback of the basketball court, and Logic’s ability as a facilitator could not be overstated in the past season. Doolittle, the 6-4 center, was the returning leading scorer, and Dixon was the well-known lethal shooter.
Logic should take great pride in that both of her teammates finished the season at 14 points per game, which not only shows her ability to keep everybody involved but her awareness as a distributor to keep the defense off-balance against a diverse offense.
Logic was irrefutably the year’s most impressive female athlete, but that almost doesn’t feel like enough. She’s the best point guard to ever play basketball in a Hawkeye uniform.