Lisa Bluder is no rookie in the world of coaching.

The nearly 40-year coaching vet has been at the helm of the Hawkeyes for 23 seasons and, during this time, she has seen much success, including winning four Big Ten Tournaments and reaching the NCAA Tournament 17 times.

So, it means something when the winningest coach in Big Ten history says that this year’s Iowa team has the most depth she’s seen in a long time.

 “I have so much confidence going to our bench,” Bluder said after Iowa’s 96-50 win over the Wisconsin Badgers, for which the bench contributed 39 points.

Although much of the fanfare goes to Caitlin Clark and the starting five, Iowa’s bench — led by guards Sydney Affolter and Kylie Feuerbach, and center Sharon Goodman — ranks near the top of the Big Ten in terms of points scored this season.

It’s a veteran unit that has learned to trust the process, sitting behind an even more seasoned starting lineup featuring sixth-year Kate Martin and fifth-year Gabbie Marshall. This doesn’t stop the backups who are coming in from making the most out of every opportunity.

“On the bench, everyone knows how good they are, and you know you’re just as good to go in there and get those minutes,” Affolter said.

Backcourt

Fan favorite Affolter, whose tenacity defending and going for rebounds paired with her proven capabilities as a scorer, has garnered her much praise from Bluder and the rest of the coaching staff.

“She’s one of those kids that just do their job. It’s just, ‘I’m in the trenches, I’m going to do what we do,’ [and] that’s kind of rare to get kids with that type of motor,” associate head coach Jan Jensen said. “She’s not going to back down from anybody.”

The third-year out of Chicago has steadily seen her minus increase

and has the highest plus-minus on the team. She is second and third in steals and rebounds per game with 6.6 and 1.4, respectively, despite only playing 21 minutes per contest.

“Syd Affolter has been playing so well, offensively and defensively, and she is an amazing spark off the bench,” Bluder said.

Next to sub in is Feuerbach, whose length and shooting abilities have also led to success for the redshirt third-year in her first season back after suffering an ACL injury. Feuerbach has played some big minutes for the Hawkeyes this season, including scoring a season-high eight points during Iowa’s four-point win over No. 8 Virginia Tech in November.

Second-year guard Taylor McCabe has also seen some playing time this season, mainly during the teams’ blowout wins. She scored a career 18 points versus Florida Gulf Coast University.

Frontcourt

One of the more dynamic things about the Iowa women’s basketball team is their depth at the post positions.

There was much speculation about how Bluder would be able to replicate the success the team had last year with starters Monika Czinano and McKenna Warnock leaving the team. So far, Iowa has done well behind center Hannah Stuelke, who is second in the team in scoring with 13.2 points per game.

However, in lineups where Stuelke is the tallest player for Iowa, it can leave the team at a disadvantage defending against tall post players such as the 6-foot-6 duo Ayoka Lee and Elizabeth Kitley from Kansas State and Virginia Tech, respectively.  In these scenarios, Bluder has given the nod to Goodman and Addison O’Grady, whose 6-foot-3 frames match up well against these physical players.

Add in third-year forward AJ Ediger, who played a season-high 12 minutes against Wisconsin, recording seven points and four rebounds. This depth is crucial, as Stuelke has had trouble staying healthy this season, missing the game against Wisconsin and three others because of a lower-body injury.

Iowa’s bench also stepped up during Iowa’s 92-100 overtime loss to No. 18 Ohio State when Martin and Stuelke got in foul trouble early into the game. O’Grady and Affolter recorded seven and five points against the Buckeyes, respectively.

“Hannah’s a more athletic, speedier post, whereas Sharon is a little bit more physical, back-to-the-basket straightforward post, kind of old school post,” Bluder said.

Eyes on March

Another factor that will help this group is their experience come tournament time in March.

All mentioned have gotten playing time during Iowa’s last two runs in the NCAA tournament, with O’Grady and Affolter notably seeing action in the 2023 Final Four and Championship.

During her time at ISU, Feuerbach started at guard during the Cyclones’ NCAA first and second round tournament games against Michigan State and Texas A&M.

“[The bench] are quality players, right? I mean, they’re really good players, but mostly it’s that they have that experience, and they have confidence now,” Bluder said. “They know when they go in what they’re expected to do, and they’re relishing in their role.”

Bluder said the chemistry among her team is part of what’s made this season successful so far and said no one is bitter or harbors any ill feelings toward another player for starting over them. Martin said this chemistry is formed during practice, and all players know how hard each other works.

“I think that we’ve created a culture where everyone matters. So, everybody on this team knows that they’re valuable, and everybody on this team knows that you might get an opportunity, and you’re going to have to step up,” she said.