Final takeaways from Iowa women’s basketball’s 2023 foreign tour
The Iowa Hawkeyes‘ three-game tour of Italy and Croatia concluded with one final overseas drubbing. The Iowa women demolished the Croatia All-Stars, 109-29, in their final overseas contest.
Iowa head women’s basketball coach Lisa Bluder said going into the international tour that it was the life experiences and team bonding elements that would be most impactful on her group.
“For me, these trips are more about the summer extra practices that you get than over there, because the competition is so different. Sometimes it’s really, really good. You’re playing national teams. Sometimes it’s awful. They’re playing international rules. To me, the competition isn’t really what matters. It’s the practices that you get now that will help you, and you kind of get a head start on the next year.
“To me, when you go overseas, it’s about building chemistry, having fun. It’s a reward for the players that they get to actually enjoy this experience. For recruiting, it’s nice that recruits know, ‘Hey, they go on a foreign trip once every four years and it’s really fun.’ But, it’s about chemistry and memory-building for me,” Bluder said ahead of the trip.
But, the Hawkeyes also got a jumpstart on meshing for the 2023-24 women’s college basketball season, too. Now that the basketball portion of the trip is in the books, what are the lasting takeaways from the overseas tour?
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Hannah Stuelke had a good trip
As a freshman, Hannah Stuelke demonstrated plenty of signs that she has the capability of morphing into one of Iowa’s top stars in the days and years ahead. The Cedar Rapids native averaged 6.5 points and 3.9 rebounds per game in just 13 minutes of average floor time.
With star big Monika Czinano having moved on, the Hawkeyes are looking for production on the interior. That means it’s officially go time for Stuelke. She didn’t disappoint on the foreign tour, pouring in 47 points and collecting 20 rebounds. She shot 64% from the floor, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range.
That’s the type of production Iowa will be looking for on a consistent basis.
Addison O'Grady was also productive
Addison O’Grady delivered promising signs and key minutes during Iowa’s Final Four stay in Dallas last spring. Now, like Stuelke, it’s time to elevate her play. That process began with 37 points and 19 rebounds across Iowa’s three overseas games. The Aurora, Colorado, native shot 75% during the trip.
Sydney Affolter was all over the glass
As McKenna Warnock moves on, Iowa is looking for more contributors along the wing and in its backcourt as well. One of the pieces that Warnock provided was her work in the rebounding department. Remember that offensive board against South Carolina?
Well, enter Sydney Affolter. The 5-foot-11 junior guard from Chicago, Illinois, was all over the glass on this international swing. She finished with a team-high 33 rebounds, including 11 offensive retrievals. Affolter also scored 30 points, dished out 11 assists and came away with seven steals.
A very productive trip for someone that Iowa is similarly hoping will take a leap.
Taylor McCabe can shoot it
More 3-point shooting surrounding Caitlin Clark will be a welcome sight as the Hawkeyes look to create driving lanes and open up the paint for its bigs. Taylor McCabe is a name to watch in that regard.
The Fremont, Nebraska, native connected on 11-of-25 from downtown during Iowa’s trip. That’s actually just a touch above the 42% from 3-point range that she shot last season.
Molly Davis led in the assists column
Molly Davis’ best performance came against the Croatian Club Team where she poured in 17 points and tossed out seven assists. She also led the Hawkeyes in the assists department during the tour, dishing out 17 in total.
Ignore Gabbie Marshall's 3-point shooting
Kate Martin and Gabbie Marshall have combined to start 199 games during their Hawkeye careers, so Iowa knows what it’s getting with these two. A pair of longtime starters that produce in a number of ways.
Marshall couldn’t buy a 3-point basket, misfiring on all nine of her attempts. But, if there’s a couple of players that the coaching staff isn’t going to get bent out of shape over their overseas performances, it’s Martin and Marshall.
While the 3s weren’t falling during this trip, Marshall impacted things by tallying 16 assists, nine rebounds and eight steals.
Meanwhile, Martin was really efficient from downtown. She made 5-of-10 3-pointers, collected 17 rebounds, dished out 10 assists and swiped seven steals.
Caitlin Clark was Caitlin Clark
Caitlin Clark looked like, well … Caitlin Clark. She knocked down 12-of-28 3-pointers en route to 56 points during the three games. The high-water mark was her 30-piece against the Croatian Club Team in the second overseas contest.
The superstar from West Des Moines would probably be the first to tell you that she’d like to cut down on the turnovers and crank up a few more assists, but it’s obviously nothing to be concerned about. Clark finished with 16 assists against 10 turnovers.
She shot 47.6% from the field. In short, the best player in college basketball is still precisely that.
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