Lisa Bluder and former Iowa star Caitlin Clark

The era of Caitlin Clark is over in Iowa City, and coach Lisa Bluder needs to look forward to the immediate future. Her team didn’t just lose a generational talent in Clark but also a handful of other players who were critical to their two straight runs to the national title game.

However, if one thinks that the Hawkeyes are just letting their recent successes go and focusing on a tanking phase, they’d be wrong. Bluder and the Hawkeyes have been quite busy retooling their roster. This is what it looks like right now ahead of the 2024-25 season.

Key returning veterans for Iowa women`s basketball

Iowa’s key returnees are Hannah Stuelke, Sydney Affolter and Taylor McCabe. These three are expected to take the helm of the offense after losing a 30+ point scorer in Caitlin Clark.

Stuelke was the team’s second-best scorer and could be their new leading individual bucket-getter. Affolter, meanwhile, will be the one holding the fort down low and doing a lot of the dirty work.

As for Taylor McCab, she’s described by Hawkeyes associate head coach Jan Jensen as “one of the best shooters I’ve ever seen” (via CBS Sports).

Other additions

Iowa women`s basketball has no shortage of other players to build around its current core of Stuelke and Affolter.

For one, former second and third-stringers are due to get their minutes, including incoming six-foot-one junior Jada Gyamfi. Here’s what Jensen said about Gyamfi:

“Jada Gyamfi, she has a size and skillset. Sometimes when you are playing behind people you start wondering, ‘Can I do that?’ So I think this summer is going to be really big for her. I would say those kids are really going to be a good mix with our freshies.”

Incoming new recruits could round up Lisa Bluder’s new starting lineup with guards Taylor Stremlow and Aaliyah Guyton (via The Mirror).

Stremlow is a newly crowned State Journal/ WiscNews All-Area girls basketball Player of the Year in 2023-2024 (via Madison.com), while Guyton is a consensus four-star recruit.

Last but not least, Iowa women’s basketball is also prepping to welcome former Villanova Wildcat Lucy Olsen, who will be among the veteran voices to lead the young team.

Here are few more players to round up Iowa women’s basketball for the upcoming season:

Sharon Goodman, 6-3, incoming senior
Kylie Feuerbach, 6-0, incoming senior
Addison O’Grady, 6-3, incoming senior
AJ Ediger, 6-2, incoming senior
Kennise Johnson, 5-4, incoming sophomore
Ava Jones, 6-2, incoming sophomore