When Dani Carnegie led her Georgia team to Carver-Hawkeye Arena for the first round of the NCAA tournament game, she just knew she’d return to the venue someday.
“UGA is big on football there, so it was stunning, and I just love how they support women, how they support the game of basketball,” Carnegie said. “I just love it, and I was like, one day I’ll be there for sure.”
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But Carnegie never realized that one day would be just a few months later – in an Iowa women’s basketball uniform nonetheless.
Just weeks after Carnegie’s seventh-seeded Lady Bulldogs dropped an overtime heartbreaker to No. 10 Virginia in the first round, head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson and Georgia mutually decided to part ways.
That opened the door for Carnegie to transfer to another program. Iowa quickly vaulted to the top of Carnegie’s list thanks to previous relationships with point guard Chit-Chat Wright and assistant coach LaSondra Barrett.
All three women became acquainted with one another during their one season together at Georgia Tech. Carnegie averaged 12.9 points per game as a freshman and earned ACC Sixth Player of the Year honors while there, but head coach Nell Fortner’s retirement at the end of the 2025 season sent Carnegie on a 70-mile hike to Athens.
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Not only did Carnegie improve her numbers at Georgia, she became one of the best scorers in the Southeastern Conference, netting 17.8 points per game and earning first-team All-SEC honors.
Carnegie’s connection to Wright, whom she called one of her best friends, and Barrett certainly helped push Carnegie toward the Midwest, but Iowa’s winning culture ultimately was the difference in her recruitment, and she committed to the Hawkeyes on April 12.
“But I just feel like just how the energy pushed in brought to me,” Carnegie said at media availability Thursday. “I know this culture is a winning culture. I just want to win.”
Carnegie hopes to remain with the Hawkeyes for her final two years of college basketball (she’s tired of moving). It’s only July, but it seems like that’s probably a good bet to make.
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Not only will Carnegie become one of the main focal points of Iowa’s offensive game plan, she’s also got a lot of weapons to work with, too.
Likely preseason All-American Ava Heiden, rising star Taylor Stremlow, Oklahoma State transfer Amari Whiting, and former teammate Wright are all capable of scorching the nets at any given moment.
While Carnegie did have some scoring help in Athens, she doesn’t have to be the go-to scorer every night for the Hawkeyes to win basketball games. That’s helped her feel little pressure as she learns Jan Jensen’s 4-out-1-in offense.
“They make everything like enjoyable, and we have fun. I like how we talk about each other, how we do everything. We just have fun.”
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Bonding with her new teammates isn’t the only fun adventure Carnegie has embarked on this summer. She was one of two Hawkeyes to qualify (Heiden was the other, but she decided not to play) for the United States 3×3 Women’s Nations League Team earlier this summer.
The squad played across the globe from June 27-July 3, finishing 16-1 and qualifying for the FIBA 3×3 U23 World Cup in September.
Playing three-on-three ball instead of the traditional five-on-five was a stark change for Carnegie, but having fewer players on the floor did teach her something she can apply to the 2026-27 Hawkeyes.
“I can put it to five on five because of different angles and how like different playmates and different angles to get a bucket or even defend,” Carnegie said.
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Carnegie returned to Iowa City after Iowa’s Fourth of July break, but it hasn’t been a smooth ride for her. Jensen was slightly concerned about Carnegie missing valuable practice time during her first media session on June 25, and though she’s been with the team for almost a month now, Thursday was only Carnegie’s third or fourth practice of the summer.
Despite these strep throat and ankle sprain setbacks, Jensen can’t contain her excitement about Carnegie.
“She’s someone who you want on your team,” Jensen said. “All you new ball guys and gals, you know you just want her because she’s a bucket getter, and that’s what I think is going to be real helpful for us.”
HawkeyeRoundtable is giving away TWO tickets to Iowa’s season opener against Northern Illinois on Sept. 5!
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This is easily the biggest giveaway we’ve ever done on this site, and it’s a great opportunity for two lucky fans to experience the joy of attending a Hawkeye football game at Kinnick Stadium.
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HawkeyeRoundtable publisher Brad Schultz has covered the Iowa Hawkeyes since 2023. To send him story ideas, scoops, or criticize his writing, reach him at bradschultz@roundtable.io
