Brock Harding
The Iowa men’s basketball team has many potential breakout candidates for this upcoming season.
The popular choice would be to choose guard Josh Dix or center Owen Freeman, starters who established themselves as rising stars in the Big Ten last season.
But of all the players on this Hawkeye roster, point guard Brock Harding will make the biggest jump from last season and break out as one of the league’s best young talents this year.
Harding didn’t blow anyone away with numbers he produced as a first-year, averaging just three points per game while shooting 36 percent from the field and 37 percent from beyond the arc.
But the sophomore is expected to have a different role with Iowa this season. Last year, Harding had to split time with upperclassmen guards Tony Perkins and Dasonte Bowen, sometimes seeing less than five minutes of game action.
Both Perkins and Bowen entered the transfer portal in the offseason, paving the way for Harding to fill the starting point guard position.
Despite limited playing time, Harding showed plenty of potential, as his craftiness off the bench sparked a lot of comebacks for head coach Fran McCaffery.
Harding showed just how good of a true point guard he can be, displaying his ability to drive to the paint and make a play for either himself or a teammate, something the Hawkeyes desperately need on a nightly basis.
These moments showed Iowa fans the high potential Harding has when in control of the offense. With an increased role and a year of offseason development, I think Harding can be the next great point guard under McCaffery and lead the Hawkeyes to success this season.
Taylor McCabe
Two of the biggest components of the success of Iowa women’s basketball last season were head coach Lisa Bluder and superstar Caitlin Clark. But, with this dynamic duo moving on, the program will have to look deeper into its roster to continue its success.
Taylor McCabe is a rising third-year player on the squad, and the Nebraska native has a chance to make a big name for herself in an already blossoming program.
While significant media attention remains on third-year Hannah Stuelke and Villanova transfer Lucy Olsen, players like McCabe have to stand out to gain recognition — but McCabe has been a standout for quite some time now.
There’s a number of things that separate McCabe from the competition.
She was ranked the No. 88 recruit nationally in 2022 by ESPN — the only Nebraska player to receive such an honor — and finished a successful high school run with 2,000 career points.
McCabe has handled the challenges and pressures of college basketball well, scoring 12 points against Big Ten opponent Rutgers as a first-year in the 2022-23 season, leading Iowa to a 111-57 victory.
As a second-year, McCabe kept momentum rolling as the Hawkeyes advanced to the national championship game for the second consecutive season.
During the 2023-24 season, McCabe logged a career-high 18 points from six three-pointers against the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles. And against Minnesota on Feb. 28, McCabe shot 71.4 percent from the arc during a 108-60 win over the Golden Gophers.
While players like Stuelke and Olsen have earned their fair share of attention as Clark moves on to the WNBA, the importance of the rest of the squad cannot be understated.
McCabe represents the building talent that is Iowa women’s basketball.