Helllooooo!!
It’s been a crazier than expected summer, but I am back with a vengeance to talk about Iowa Women’s Basketball, because, and I’m going to be honest here, the more I think about the possibilities of this team in 2026-2027, the more excited I get.
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Am I setting myself up for extreme disappointment? Possibly! Am I going to worry about that right now? No!
Instead, I’m going to be the optimist for once (I know, I know, it’s strange) and talk about three things that I am very excited about for the upcoming season, as of this moment. These are things that I’m pretty sure will come to fruition of the season (no prediction of another Final Four appearance or anything like that here…but…let’s talk about that another time), but there is unquestionably a lot to be excited about.
Let’s get into it, shall we?
Also, these are not in any particular order, just some good ole fashioned, stream of conscience blog writing, baby.
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1. Ava Heiden’s junior year
There’s no doubt that Ava Heiden was the breakout star of the Iowa Women’s Basketball team last year. After spending most of her freshman season working on her game in practice and not seeing a ton of game time, Heiden exploded in the Big Ten Tournament, and rode that high all the way into her sophomore year.
Sophomore Heiden’s stats jumped from 5.0 points and 2.6 rebounds per game to 18 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, while starting all of Iowa’s 34 games. Not only was Heiden dominant in her sophomore year, there were also moments where she was literally the only player wearing a black and gold uniform that was capable of scoring points.
Going into her junior year, expectations are going to be understandably high for Heiden. One of the great things here is that she will undoubtedly have help from her teammates in the scoring column, which will take some of the pressure off of her — both to be the primary (or only) scorer for the team, as well as literally drawing bodies away from her to focus on Iowa’s other new scoring threats. I still think head coach Jan Jensen needs to get away from having every offensive possession emphasize a post touch, but there’s no doubt that Heiden will be a force to be reckoned with in the Big Ten, especially with Lauren Betts going pro.
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2. The Dani Carnegie/Chit-Chat Wright duo
The moment that it was announced that shooting guard Dani Carnegie was going to transfer from Georgia and reunite with her former teammate and longtime friend Chit-Chat Wright in Iowa City, the potential for Iowa’s season shifted as quickly as pen took to paper.
Carnegie on her own is a walking bucket, exactly the kind of player that Iowa needed to land after the team’s offensive production took a hit with Taylor McCabe’s injury before stalling and soon sputtering out completely in the Big Ten Tournament championship game and the two NCAA Tournament games. She averaged 17.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game in her sophomore season with the Bulldogs. Add a longtime friend who also has some incredible passing abilities as your point guard, and you have a recipe for a lethal backcourt combo. Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited to see Carnegie on the court as well, but the chemistry between these two will be a key factor in the team’s offensive ceiling.
3. McKenna Woliczko’s floor spacing/shooting
I’m going to try and make sure that I remember here that Woliczko is only going to be a freshman, and that she will 100% require some grace, especially early on in the season. But I will not shy away from the fact that there is a lot of good on paper to what the incoming freshman will bring to the 4 for Iowa. I talked above about literally taking pressure off of Heiden, and with a power forward who can stretch the floor even a bit more than Hannah Stuelke could will make a difference for what kind of looks this team can get, at every position.
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Everything I’ve seen this summer indicates great progress and maturity for Woliczko (and many other teammates, but I don’t have time to get into that yet). I think the fanbase will be a bit burned by the whole Addie Deal situation and panic if the new 5-star freshman doesn’t produce big numbers immediately, but the whole team will need time to adjust to 3 new starters, one of them being a true freshman. Even if Woliczko isn’t putting up huge numbers on any given day, her range and scoring threat will make up for it in other areas, even if it’s not highly productive for her right away.
Woliczko is a tremendous fit, not only for this program, but for the type of team that Jensen wants to put onto the court. That alone as well can make a huge difference in a freshman season for a highly touted recruit.
As I said above, these are just the 3 things that I’m feeling super excited for right now as I’m digging my way out of summer and catching up on practice clips and news articles. Send me all the good links below so I can catch up faster, and let me know as well what you’re looking forward to this year.
It may almost be football season, but you know what that means: basketball season is also right around the corner.
