After a devastating loss in the national championship game, the Iowa women’s basketball team is eager to return to the court and begin their quest for a title.
Though the Hawkeyes lost key contributors McKenna Warnock and Monika Czinano, three starters return, including superstar Caitlin Clark.
On Monday afternoon, the Hawkeyes previewed their upcoming season at Big Ten Media Days in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Iowa was picked to finish first in the conference in the preseason media poll.
Head coach Lisa Bluder, Clark, defensive specialist Gabbie Marshall, and post player Hannah Stuelke attended and discussed the upcoming season.
Celebrity status
For her performance during the 2022-23 season, Clark received numerous accolades, including Naismith Player of the Year, the AP Player of the Year, the John Wooden Award, and first-team All-American, to name a few.
She enters the season only 811 points away from breaking the all-time scoring record currently held by former Washington standout Kelsey Plum.
Clark’s play has earned her a celebrity following in the sports world, with endorsement deals ranging from local brands such as HyVee to global brands like Nike.
Being a celebrity is not easy, but Clark has welcomed her popularity with open arms.
“You have to be a little more cautious and aware of what you are doing, but everyone humbles me quite a bit,” she said Monday.
Despite her individual accolades and the team’s success last season, she acknowledged that each year is different, no matter what happened previously.
“I think the biggest thing, for our entire team in general, is we don’t have to be what we were last year. Every year is new,” Clark said.
She also credited her teammates around her for helping her become a better player, such as fifth-year senior Marshall.
“I’m lucky to have a teammate like [Marshall] and a friend like her,” the West Des Moines, Iowa, native, said.
Winning off the court
Not only does Iowa perform well on the court, they are also excelling off the court by helping out with charitable activities and performing well in the classroom.
Bluder is proud of the team’s success on and off the court, and she says part of having a winning team is to win outside of the game.
“It goes to recruiting young women that want to win, also want to graduate and be good role models. I’m proud of them,” she said.
A tough road ahead
To succeed in March, college basketball programs are known to schedule difficult opponents in the non-conference to prepare for the conference season.
Bluder understands the challenge of the Hawkeyes’ schedule this year but feels her team is built for it.
“We have a very challenging non-conference schedule, and we have to prepare ourselves for the grueling Big Ten conference,” Bluder said.
This year, Iowa will have no shortage of tough opponents on the schedule. In the second game of the season, the Hawkeyes take on fellow 2023 Final Four participant Virginia Tech in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Big 12 foe Kansas States comes to Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Nov. 16 after defeating Iowa last season, 84-83.
Iowa will also play each in-state rival, traveling to Northern Iowa and Iowa State while hosting Drake.
It doesn’t get any easier for the Hawkeyes in conference play with matchups against Ohio State and Indiana, but Clark and Co. think they have what it takes to overcome a tough slate.
“As a competitor, these are the games that we grew up watching, and it’s something we embrace and love,” Clark said.
Basketball collides with football
On Oct. 15, Iowa will host the first outdoor basketball game at Kinnick Stadium for an exhibition clash against DePaul.
Over 48,000 tickets have been sold, according to Bluder, showcasing the hype and enthusiasm around the program. While the Iowa fanbase is certainly excited for the game, the players are even more pumped up.
The current women’s college basketball attendance record of 29,619 fans was set during the 2002 national championship game between Connecticut and Oklahoma. If the weather holds up, then that record will be shattered on Sunday at Kinnick Stadium.
“It’s something you can only dream of,” Marshall said. “We just can’t wait for this moment.”
This game will be the second indoor women’s sporting event to take place in an outdoor football stadium. Nebraska’s volleyball program hosted Omaha in front of 92,000 people at Memorial Stadium. Clark knows how special the two events are for women’s sports.
“I think it shows how excited people are about women’s sports,” Clark said, “whether it’s volleyball, basketball, softball, and you can see that everything is on the rise.”
