Ava Heiden foreshadows her success with an outstretched right hand. Pinning her opposite elbow into her defender’s sternum, the 6-foot-4 Heiden seals herself along the block and waits for her opportunity.
Once a teammate lobs up a pass, Heiden takes a shuffle backward, her eyes simultaneously tracing the ball and her position underneath the basket. After snatching her prize from midair, Heiden doesn’t even need to dribble. Her right hand, no longer a foreshadow, finishes the play with a flourish, flipping the ball off the backboard and converting through contact.
Her and-one logged her 15th point, tying her career-high. Iowa still had two minutes to play in the first half against Southern University, its season opener and Heiden’s first-career start. Heiden said her first start “opens a door of opportunities,” and the center created a grand entrance for herself, tallying a team-high 21 points and career-high 14 rebounds in the Iowa victory Monday night.
The box score may indicate a sudden rise for the sophomore, but Heiden’s linear growth started in the offseason. The Iowa coaching staff ordered her to be more demanding, and despite her position at center, Heiden operated as the floor general. An outstretched hand in the post isn’t exactly a suggestion.
“She’s commanding it from her team,” Iowa head coach Jan Jensen said after the win over Southern. “She’s really commanding a lot of attention from the opponents.”
From confidence to command to cognizance, Heiden’s early performance this season featured improvement across the board. Head-turning moments from late last year are now commonplace as the sophomore has recorded a double-double in each of Iowa’s first two contests (one an exhibition). At media day before the season, she admitted to being nervous as Monday’s tip off approached. Yet after performing well in a preseason scrimmage, Heiden developed confidence. Soon, the date against Southern became more anticipated.
“The nerves were paired with excitement,” Heiden said.
Over the offseason, Heiden’s improved command developed both vocally, in terms of calling for the ball, and physically, in terms of advantageously positioning herself in the paint. Jensen taught her not to have a predetermined post move in mind, but to simply accept the opportunity provided by the defense. If the defender is playing in front, look for a lob pass toward the basket. If the defender is guarding the left side, maneuver to the right, like Heiden accomplished for Iowa’s first basket of Monday’s contest.
With Heiden, less overthinking produces more efficiency in the paint.
“Take what the defense gives you, and it’ll be the right move every time,” she said.
For Jensen, ideal post play isn’t just simplifying options, but becoming aware of how guards provide entry passes. The head coach explained Heiden is recognizing angles to receive such tosses.
“Not necessarily the first pass, it’s really that second pass,” Jensen said. “And if you’re really good, you’re thinking about the third pass that might be made.”
Heiden complements calm, cerebral offensive play under the basket with an aggressive mindset on rebounds. Jensen said Heiden’s become “more of a tenacious rebounder,” and such persistence unveiled itself in the first quarter against Southern.
Leaping to secure a rebound, Heiden’s white jersey was a rising cloud amid two sky-blue Southern uniforms. Nailing the landing and firing the ball out to the three-point line, Heiden kept the Hawkeyes’ possession alive, then provided another resurrection when she wrestled another board away from two defenders.
While Heiden’s two rescue attempts didn’t lead to any points during the possession, the home crowd roared its approval for the performance. In Jensen’s eyes, there will be more encores to come.
“You’re just seeing another confident level of Ava that’s chasing the next level,” she said.