Tiffany Reedy was a forward for the Iowa women’s basketball team in the early 2000s. Commentating the Hawkeyes’ games on Hawkeye Radio Network this season, Reedy has seen the sport grow firsthand.

The Daily Iowan: What is your favorite memory from playing at Iowa?

Reedy: Oh man, there are so many. I think the best memories that come out of that are the relationships that you had when you played and then how they are still alive and well. A lot of my teammates are still my really good friends. We all kind of keep in touch. You know, like, being bridesmaids in each other’s weddings, being there when their children were born. And so I think that’s probably the key memory. I think you don’t realize when you commit at age 16, 17, 18 that the people you’ve played with are going to be a part of your life in such important ways.

How did you get into broadcasting after your college career?

So actually, I am pinch-hitting. One of my teammates and still to this day a very best friend Jamie Cavey Lang has been doing the radio the last eight years. And so this year, she was having some health issues, and she stepped back. And Coach Bluder kind of called and said, ‘Hey, will you fill in for the year and sort of pinch hit.’ So I had filled in, like, when Jamie was on maternity leave, or when Rob [Brooks], the play by play person, does football. So I had filled in the last couple of years, a game here and a game there. But this is my first year doing a full season. So I kind of joke that I’m a substitute color commentator.

How have you prepared for calling a whole season instead of just a few games? 

I definitely was very, very nervous to start out. My first game of the season was the Crossover at Kinnick. I remember going there and sitting down and being like, ‘Oh, we’re on another level here.’ You don’t often get an opportunity in the middle of your life to do something new. So I think I just went in trying to get better every game. I asked my partner Rob for feedback. I asked people who were listening for some feedback. And then I just did a lot more like listening to other people on the radio or on the TV and tried to kind of go from there.

Do you have a favorite moment or game that you’ve been on the call for this season?

There’s been so many, but Caitlin Clark’s last-second three to beat Michigan State earlier this season was pretty incredible. As a broadcaster, you want to paint the picture for the audience because we’re on the radio, so they don’t have the visuals on it. And it’s hard when you have a shot like that in the last second to keep your composure and keep trying to paint the picture for the listeners versus just yelling or jumping up and down or whatever. You have to maintain your composure. I would say the game versus Nebraska in the Big Ten Championship was pretty incredible as well. They got themselves into overtime and then just like went into gear, and so that was a really fun one to call too.

How far have you seen women’s basketball grow since you were a player?

I played 20 years ago, and I thought 20 years ago when I played like, ‘Oh, we’re pretty equal to men’s, and we get a lot of good stuff.’ I was in an era where Tennessee and UConn were two powerhouses. It felt like every year, one of the two teams would make it to the finals. So I think women’s basketball was on the radar. But then you kind of think back to how it wasn’t. And what I mean by that is women would sometimes be on TV. We maybe played four or five games on TV across the season, if even that. I think back to when we played in the Big Ten Tournament where we got these gifts. I remember one year the women got a set of luggage, just kind of random.

Now as an adult, I’m like, ‘That was kind of a good gift.’ You got a whole set of small, medium, and large carriers. And the men, they got a PlayStation, and then, you walk in the locker rooms, and you see the difference. I think looking back, there were those subtle differences that didn’t quite register. All the time people to my face would be like, ‘Oh, you’re a women’s basketball player? We only follow the men, but that’s really cool.’ So, it was more of an implicit bias. I think now, that’s just being blown out of the water. And that’s like a really cool thing. It’s men, women, you know, everybody’s watching. You’re not preferencing everything like, ‘Oh, she’s just a women’s basketball player.’ It’s like, ‘She’s the greatest. Caitlin’s the greatest of all time.’ I think that’s been, by far, the most amazing thing to see happen is just progressing the game even further than I think people ever thought it could go.

Do you have another occupation outside of broadcasting?

I work for John Deere. I’m a marketing manager for the engine side of our business. So we make engines for our tractors and our combines, but then we also make them and sell them to other equipment manufacturers. So I do the marketing for that, and I’m really blessed. I have a great boss, and the company is great, so I’ve been able to kind of do both.

How far do you think the Hawkeyes can go in the tournament?

I think what I’ve seen over the last four or five games is just a lot of different players stepping up in really big ways. I think as a coach, that’s exactly what you want from a team. Sydney Affolter is finding her groove and playing her best basketball. Kylie Feuerbach and Taylor McCabe are hitting the big three-point shots. And of course, Caitlin, Kate, and Gabbie Marshall, they’re all kind of hitting their stride right now. When you have a team that’s doing that, I believe they could get all the way to the finals if they keep playing this really great team basketball.