The past three seasons, Iowa women’s basketball fans witnessed the dynamic duo of guard Caitlin Clark and center Monika Czinano.
With Czinano’s departure, younger Hawkeyes like Addison O’Grady, Hannah Stuelke, AJ Ediger, and Sharon Goodman will have the opportunity to showcase their skills in the paint.
Clark, the reigning National Player of the Year, believes that she and her teammates down low can be successful this season but said it’s a work in progress. Clark added how there were miscues between her and Czinano, who now competes in Hungary for TFSE-MTK Budapest, the first season they played together.
“I think the biggest thing for me that I’m trying to live by is just instilling confidence in them,” Clark said Wednesday of Iowa’s post players. “They understand how great Monika was, but they don’t need to be Monika. That’s something we always talk about, is they’re going to be different. They shouldn’t be expected to be Monika.”
Head coach Lisa Bluder echoed the importance of not comparing this year’s centers to Czinano, who averaged 17.1 points and 6.5 boards last season.
At 6-foot-4, O’Grady played some of her best basketball in the 2023 NCAA Tournament and helped lead the Hawkeyes to their first national title game appearance.
The junior played in 32 games in 2023 and answered the call against undefeated South Carolina in the Final Four after Czinano picked up her third foul less than a minute and a half into the third quarter. O’Grady then racked up season-highs with five rebounds and three blocks in 18 minutes of play against LSU in the championship.
O’Grady said playing in the national tournament helped build her confidence and showed her that she can compete with the best post players in the country. The junior said she has worked on conditioning and being more assertive on the floor this offseason, adding that she hasn’t played a full basketball game since high school because she’s been backing up Czinano.
O’Grady also impressed in the Hawkeyes’ three exhibition games during their 11-day tour of Italy and Croatia in August. She scored 16 points and went a perfect 8-for-8 from the field in Iowa’s 116-46 victory over Italy’s Team Slammers. Bluder said if she had to name a starting five right now, O’Grady would be included because of her size and experience.
“Give Addie time to come of her own,” Bluder said. “Addie is a good basketball player. She’s a darned good basketball player, just like Megan [Gustafson] was, just like Monika was. But comparisons don’t do anybody any good, so just give her a little bit of time.”
The head coach said there is not a huge gap between O’Grady, Goodman, and Ediger, who all roomed together last season. O’Grady said the trio’s close relationship off the court has made it easier for them to lean on and learn from each other on the hardwood.
O’Grady and Goodman live together again this season.
“She is an amazing teammate. You can just see her confidence growing every day,” Goodman said of O’Grady. “I’m just so happy for her, and it’s fun to see her succeed.”
Goodman brings strength to the post position that can get her teammates off the block and make positioning hard for Iowa’s opponents. The 6-foot-3, Lime Springs, Iowa, native played in just 13 games last season and put up 22 total points, eight rebounds, two assists, and two blocks. Ediger earned 54 minutes last year and averaged 1.7 points and 1.1 rebounds.
Along with Czinano, Iowa lost McKenna Warnock at the four. Warnock started 36 games last season for the Hawkeyes, shooting 38.4 percent from beyond the arc.
Bluder said playing Stuelke at power forward is “obvious.” The Cedar Rapids, Iowa, product won Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year as a freshman last season, averaging 6.5 points and 3.9 boards in just 13 minutes per game off the bench. Stuelke, who shot 46 percent from the free throw line last season, said her goal is to shoot at least 70 percent from the charity stripe in her increased role.
Bluder added that if the Hawkeyes want to play faster, Stuelke can be used at center.
“I think over the summer she became a better basketball player, and that’s what we needed for her to become,” Bluder said of Stuelke. “I think now she understands the game better. Her shot is better.”
Goodman complimented Stuelke’s drive to get better and improve her skill set. Stuelke has avidly been working on her jump shot, but Bluder said the sophomore’s all-around shooting has improved.
“Her confidence [has grown], the way she carries herself on the floor,” Bluder said. “I want her to put her shoulders back and know that she owns it.”