Ever since she committed to Iowa as a junior in high school, the spotlight has been on Addie Deal.
Deal came in as a five-star prospect and the highest-ranked recruit in Iowa history since Caitlin Clark (until she was recently passed by McKenna Woliczko), and has lived up to those lofty expectations.
The freshman sensation has shown flashes of brilliance this season, and when she has gotten the playing time, she has made the most of her opportunities.
After a solid stretch of play, Deal earned her first of potentially many Big Ten Conference awards.
Addie Deal was named the Big Ten's Freshman of the Week
𝗕𝟭𝗚 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗵𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 😤@deal_addie x #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/PeboiASmJ2
— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) January 19, 2026
Deal has provided a reliable scoring option off the bench for Jan Jensen, and she has become one of Iowa's first substitutions until the hopeful return of Emely Rodriguez.
After not registering a point in a close 56-53 win over Indiana on January 11, Deal exploded for 18 points, which was the most by an Iowa freshman since Caitlin Clark's 39 points in 2021
She capped off her week by adding eight points and two assists in 15 minutes in Iowa's win over No. 15 Michigan State.
Deal started the season slowly as she adjusted to the college level of play, and as her minutes have increased, so has her production.
In 15 minutes per game, she averages 6.1 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 1.6 assists, while shooting 47.8 percent from the field and 39.5 percent from three-point range.
Iowa will need Deal to stay on her upward trajectory as they have back-to-back challenging games against No. 15 Maryland and No. 12 Ohio State.