By Blake Dowson
The 2015-16 season for the Iowa women’s basketball team was disappointing. The streak of eight-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances was snapped, and a quick exit in front of a home crowd in the NIT ended the season.
But now, with the No. 7 recruiting class in the nation rolling into town this summer, it’s full steam ahead for the Iowa women as they start play in their summer Game Time League today.
Bluder’s class of five joins the rest of the Iowa roster to compete in games versus other eastern Iowa athletes.
Makenzie Meyer, a point guard from Mason City and 2016 Iowa Miss Basketball, is the highest rated recruit in the class at No. 79 in the country. Meyer can play on or off the ball, and she will join junior Chase Coley on Team 3.
Meyer led Mason City High to a state championship last season as a senior, scoring 25 points in the state championship game.
Amanda Ollinger is the other in-state recruit in the class, having graduated from Linn-Mar High in Marion this year. Ollinger is a 6-1 forward with a ton of versatility, just the type of player that Bluder likes to feature in her offense.
Rated as the No. 87 prospect in the class, Ollinger has the size to play down on the block and hold her own, but she excels when she’s stretching the floor. Almost every forward Bluder brings in to Iowa can shoot it — with the exception of Megan Gustafson, who is a special low-post player — and Ollinger fits the mold.
She will join senior Alexa Kastanek on Team 4.
Iowa’s offense is all about spacing the floor, and the ability of Ollinger to step out to the 3-point line and knock down jumpers will allow her to play in the same lineup as Gustafson.
The Hawkeyes have done well recruiting in the state of Wisconsin recently, notably picking up Sam Logic and sophomore Carly Mohns from the Badger State, and they have gone there again to pick up Bre Cera, a Mukwonago native, who will play with sophomore Gustafson on Team 2.
Cera was highly recruited out of high school, getting offers from such schools as Michigan State, Missouri, Vanderbilt, and Virginia as the No. 20 wing in the country, according to ESPN.
She’s tall for a wing at 5-10 but can shoot the lights out of the ball, playing with a similar skillset as Tagyn Larson did a year ago for Iowa. Cera can also put the ball on the floor and create a little bit on her own, which is a plus for Bluder in her constantly moving offense.
Alexis Sevillian, a high-school teammate of Tania Davis in Michigan, will join her former backcourt mate in Iowa City this season. Sevillian is a 5-6 point guard who plays quite a bit like Davis, driving and kicking to find open teammates. She likes to push the ball in transition, and she’s starting to move her game out to the 3-point line just as Davis did a year ago.
Sevillian will join sophomore Hannah Stewart on Team 5.
Kathleen Doyle was the final piece to the puzzle in Iowa’s No. 7 class, committing to play at Iowa after de-committing from Nebraska after a coaching change.
Doyle, the No. 97 player in the class, was Illinois Miss Basketball a year ago. Doyle is the ultimate floor general, and she looks to get her teammates involved however she can. Her midrange game is the glossiest part of her game right now, but she’s shown an ability to steadily improve her game throughout her recruiting process.
As was the case last year with Davis and Gustafson, there will be significant production from this incoming class. Iowa returns four starters this season in Davis, Gustafson, Coley, and senior Ally Disterhoft, but the fifth spot is up for the taking.
Doyle and senior Hailey Schneden will play alongside each other on Team 6, along with player/coach and Iowa alum Bethany Doolittle.