By Adam Hensley
Last season, a momentous streak at Iowa came to an end; for the first time in nine seasons, the Hawkeye women’s basketball team failed to make the NCAA Tournament.
Expect that to change this season.
Using the tournament absence as motivational fuel, the Hawkeyes are poised to reload and get back on track.
“After the selection show last year, seeing our name as the first team out, I printed off that picture and put it in my room just as a reminder,” senior guard Ally Disterhoft said. “We’ve experienced those highs and lows and just want to get back to playing Iowa basketball — winning, having fun.”
Led by hometown-hero Disterhoft’s scoring, The Hawkeyes compiled a 19-14 record last season and finished ninth in the Big Ten.
Iowa did make a postseason appearance — and quit exit — in the NIT, but compared with the recent history of NCAA action, both the coaches and players deemed the season unsuccessful.
“It’s motivated me,” head coach Lisa Bluder said. “It’s something where we were really proud of the streak we had going. We didn’t like to see it come to an end, but it did. The best thing we can do is learn from that experience and use it as great motivation to return back to the NCAA Tournament.”
The case can be made for numerous factors causing a down season.
Iowa possessed a young, raw-but-talented team during the 2015-16 season — last year’s roster included five freshmen, two of whom scored more than 8 points a game. Competing in one of the best basketball conferences in the country, some of the younger athletes were thrown into the fire but took away valuable lessons.
“We’re still pretty darn young,” Bluder said. “The good thing is, the difference this year [from last season] is that the youth has gotten some really good playing experience. I think that’s going to reap us some good benefits this year.”
Entering her second year as a Hawkeye, sophomore guard Tania Davis is one such player reaping those benefits.
As a freshman, Davis played a key role in the Hawkeye offense. One of two freshmen to lead Big Ten teams in assists, Davis was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team.
She, like Disterhoft, kept the thought of the NCAA Tournament in the back of her mind.
“We’ve been used to [making the tournament] for a while,” Davis said. “It definitely humbled us, and it definitely hungered us. I don’t want to be in that position ever again.”
Iowa’s Most Improved Player, junior forward/center Chase Coley, relished the idea of a fresh start.
“I know we’re better than that,” she said. “Coach Bluder thinks about it all the time. It lights her fire to want to be better this year.”
The Hawkeyes have fewer than two weeks of practice to fine-tune their attack, as the season’s tip-off draws closer.
Iowa’s first game of the season, an exhibition match at home against Lewis, will begin at 2 p.m. Nov. 6.
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By James Kay
The Hawkeye women’s basketball team is back at it again, and it held its annual media day Wednesday afternoon.
Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder took 20 minutes to answer the media’s questions before the players chimed in with their thoughts on this season. Here are a few key takeaways from the session.
Davis’ injury is not a problem
Going into this season, there has been a lot of attention surrounding the health of Tania Davis, who required surgery on her non-shooting arm in April. Bluder shot down any notion that Davis wouldn’t be ready for the beginning of the season.
“Tania [Davis’] health is terrific,” the coach said. “She was playing with an injured shoulder for the last month of the season. She did sit out the summer to make sure she was 100 percent healthy for when the season began. But, yes, she is 100 percent healthy.”
When asked if she was ready to go for the season, Davis did not hesitate.
“Health-wise, I am great. I’m practicing full-time, and the shoulder might bug me from time to time, but other than that, I am great,” Davis said.
Davis has worked hard to get back on the court and has been rehabbing throughout the summer. She was forced to take a back-seat role during the summer workouts, which might have been a blessing in disguise.
“[The rehab] was long and strenuous,” Davis said. “To sit out last summer was rough, and it was hard for me to watch. I do think it was the best thing for me since I was able to have a voice on the sideline. It has definitely helped me be more of a leader.”
Youth movement
According to Blue Star, the Hawkeyes are bringing in the No. 7 recruiting class in the nation.
Bluder has welcomed five freshmen to the squad, including Iowa’s Ms. Basketball Makenzie Meyer, who led her Mason City High team to its first state championship during her senior season. Bluder had nothing but praise for Meyer.
“[Meyer] is a steady, steady player on the court,” Bluder said. “She just doesn’t get rattled. I love the composure that she brings to the court.”
The other new faces on the Hawkeyes include forward Amanda Ollinger and guards Kathleen Doyle, Bre Cera, and Alexis Sevillian. Sevillian played with sophomore guard Tania Davis in high school, so they will be reunited on the court this year.
Start of a new streak
Last year, the Hawkeyes missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time in eight years. With that said, the team has four returning starters from last year, and none of them have forgotten the pain of missing out on the tournament.
“It’s a reminder of the disappointment,” senior Ally Disterhoft said. “We seniors have been to the Sweet 16 and have been undefeated at home. Now, we have been on a team that was eliminated in the tournament, so now we just want to go out and win, have fun, and get back to playing Iowa’s brand of basketball.”
Even Bluder was upset about the disappointing end to last season.
“Not making the NCAA Tournament was motivating for our staff and I believe for our players as well,” Bluder said. “Athletics is all about rising up from failure and this shows what we are, because we were excited to get back in the gym.”