Iowa Women's Basketball Head Coach Jan Jensen wants her team to play bigger in her second season. During her first season, Jansen put Hannah Stuelke at the center position and placed shooters around her.
This season, she aims to move Stuelke back to the power forward position, presumably to start sophomore Ava Heiden at the center position. Heiden was a revelation for the Hawkeyes as a freshman last season.
After limited usage at the beginning of last season, she found her footing and became one of the first bigs off the bench for Jensen.
With Jensen's new philosophy for this season, 2025 four-star recruit Layla Hays could also play significant minutes during her first year. As a junior in high school, Hays averaged 16.2 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game.
On Monday, Jensen and her staff added more depth from the transfer portal, snagging a forward from UCF.
After a successful meeting on May 12, six-foot forward Emely Rodriquez joined the Hawkeyes from the transfer portal. Rodriguez spent her freshman season at UCF and will remain eligible for three years.
Rodriguez made an immediate impact for the UCF Knights as a freshman last season and can do the same at Iowa in her second season.
She averaged 11.9 points and 5.3 rebounds per game and was named to the All-Big 12 Freshman Team.
Rodriguez ranked second on her team in total points (297), second in steals (36), and third in total rebounds (132). She also led the team in free-throw percentage, shooting 75 percent from the charity stripe.
Rodriguez is a versatile player who can play forward and guard. She gives the Hawkeyes an option at the small forward, power forward, and off guard positions, as well as backup Stuelke or Kylie Feuerbach. In her second year, Jensen wants to play big, and Rodriguez fits perfectly into that system.