We are just under two weeks from Iowa's first game of the season!
The Hawkeyes welcome Division II Maryville to Carver-Hawkeye Arena on October 29, and the squad will look a lot different this season. Jan Jensen and the program added six new players (four transfers, two recruits) and have been diligently preparing for next season. Jensen recently gave a lengthy update on the program's current status, and we have the four biggest takeaways.
Jensen singled out Chit-Chat Wright for her leadership
In Jensen's opening statement during media days, she stressed that the team's success will be based on how they mesh together. She said she has liked the team's togetherness so far, and the three captains have been crucial to it. The team selected Ava Heiden, Chit-Chat Wright, and Taylor Stremlow as captains, and Jensen has been thoroughly impressed with all of them. Jensen has been especially impressed with Chit-Chat, who has become a more vocal leader.
Wright transferred from Georgia Tech to Iowa before the 2025-2026 season and became a team leader. It took her a while to get comfortable as a starter and lead point guard, but once she did, the difference was clear. In her second full season with the program, Jensen has praised Wright's vocal leadership, especially how she has been a "catalyst" in bringing the new players up to speed.
Jensen is excited for Wright this season and has appreciated how she's set the tone.
The new offense will take time to look the way Jensen wants
Jensen admitted she was always trending back to the four-out, one-in offense, especially with the program's talented guards. One issue that could surface is the large number of new players. If the ball doesn't move, the offense doesn't work. Fluidity is the name of the game, and in an offense withfew rules, Jensen admits it could look "herky jerky" at first. The talent is there, but Jensen believes they aren't where she wants them to be yet.
A big part of why the offense doesn't look crisp is because Jensen and the coaching staff are "breaking" old habits to form new ones. The staff has been diligently learning each player's strengths and putting them in the right places to succeed. There have been glimpses of how good it can be, but there is still some work to do before the regular season begins.
Rebounding could be an issue without Hannah Stuelke
Former Hawkeye and All-Big Ten performer Hannah Stuelke graduated, taking her team-leading 9.0 rebounds per game with her. Stuelke was such a force on the glass that Jensen said Windex should have sponsored her. Without her, the program must find other ways to make up for her rebounding. Jensen said one way is to be more efficient so they don't need as many offensive rebounds. She also said she's liked how McKenna Woliczko and Journey Houston have looked in the weight room, adding the rebounding strength they need.
The squad has plenty of talented rebounders, and aside from Ava Heiden, no one has grabbed rebounds at Stuelke's level. Houston (5.1) and Dani Carnegie (5.3) pulled down just over five rebounds per game, and Woliczko was a double-double machine in high school, but the Big Ten is a major jump in competition. We could easily see a rebounding-by-committee plan early on, with Heiden leading the way. Jensen isn't saying they can't rebound at a high rate, but losing 9.0 rebounds per game is hard to make up for.
Jensen hasn't even considered the possibility of Iowa starting in the top 10
During Jensen's tenure as coach, the Iowa program has been a perennial threat to crack the preseason top 10. That intensified during the Caitlin Clark era, but three years later, the Hawkeyes are still making noise on the national stage. Iowa had a veteran-heavy roster last season that was talented, but had only two true stars (Heiden/Stuelke). That could all change this season with the new players they brought in. Heiden will lead the way, but transfers Dani Carnegie, Amari Whiting, Bria Medina, and Jocelyn Faison could all play major roles, not to mention potential star McKenna Woliczko.
Iowa has a lot of solid players this season, and they have a good chance to crack the preseason top 10. That's definitely a goal, but not Jensen's ultimate goal. She was adamant that it's about how you finish, and they are going through a lot of "growing pains." She hasn't used a potential top-10 start to the season as motivation, because they are still building confidence. Jensen knows they have the talent to be there, but she doesn't feel like they are even a top-50 group right now. Iowa is very well-rounded, and it will be interesting to see how they mesh before a challenging Big Ten Conference schedule.
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