Just a year removed from having some of the best post players in the country, the Iowa women’s basketball offense is taking a slightly different tone for the coming season.

The departure of one of the highest-scoring inside tandems in college basketball – Megan Gustafson and Hannah Stewart – leaves holes in the starting rotation, but more importantly it means points have to come elsewhere on the offensive end.

The majority of the returning minutes from last year’s squad come in the guard spots, with Makenzie Meyer and Kathleen Doyle as highlights, so a huge shift in the offensive philosophy in the Hawkeye program will take place in the coming months.

“I do think that we are going to be back to more of a perimeter team,” head coach Lisa Bluder said. “A couple of years ago we changed our style based on what we had coming back and the strength of some of those players, so now we feel like this is an opportunity to go back to more of a guard-based offense.”

Meyer and Doyle were big impact players across last season – even with both losing several weeks due to injuries at various points – especially down the stretch in the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments. Doyle proved herself as a disher of the ball, leading the conference in assists with 5.9 per game, while Meyer’s biggest imprint was left in Iowa’s perimeter shooting, as she shot 35.4 percent and finished the season tied for 8th in the Big Ten in 3-pointers per contest.

Still, a shift in an offensive mindset is sometimes hard to enact in the span of a single offseason. This year’s seniors have an advantage, though, both because of their individual skillsets and because Bluder ran a guard-oriented offense in their freshman year, when then-starting guard Ally Disterhoft set scoring records for the program.

“I feel like it’s natural for us because the things that we’re doing are what guards are supposed to do, like attacking the basket and things like that,” Doyle said. “So, it’s not that different, everyone except the seniors had to learn this offense. They have never run it before, but we ran it in our freshman year.”

The good thing for Iowa is that Doyle’s play is largely unpredictable, and she brings a wide skillset to the table for the team. Besides her offensive prowess, the senior brings an emotional leadership that was even vital in last year’s Elite Eight run. Her tenacious defense brings that to light; she finished the year ranked second in the Big Ten in steals with 2.3 per game.

“She’s such a competitive player,” Meyer said. “She’s definitely a player that we wouldn’t want to play against. She does everything on the court so well and she’s a really great leader for us, so I’m excited for her this season. She’s going to have a great, great year.”

Rounding out the returning guards is Alexis Sevillian, who rotated in and out of starting spots last season when Meyer or Doyle were injured. She proved dependable as a shooter, hitting 36.1 percent of her shots from the field and dropping 4.8 points per game, despite not always having an expanded role.

New faces are expected to play meaningful minutes in Iowa’s backcourt, as well. Bluder said that freshmen guards Gabbie Marshall and Kate Martin will have an immediate impact on the team this season.

“It is going to be fun to get up and down the court and to play on the perimeter more, and I think we’re all looking forward to the opportunity,” Meyer said.