The Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball team represents the University of Iowa in the Big Ten Conference. The team competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association. This year’s team is led by Caitlin Clark, who leads the nation in points, assists, and goosebumps. Monika Czinano will return to the Hawkeyes next season, as will Caitlin Clark, who was named honorable mention All-American.
Caitlin Clark is a first team All-American
A heliocentric star, Caitlin Clark has become a key cog in Iowa’s offense this year. Her pick-and roll skills are unmatched in the DI, and she is an elite passer. She has good deceleration and passes angles. Her advanced footwork also allows her to find space to shoot the floater.
A five-star recruit, Clark started every game as a freshman at Iowa. In her freshman season, she earned unanimous first-team All-Big Ten honors and Big Ten Freshman of the Year award. She scored 35 points against Kentucky and led Iowa to its Sweet 16 win over UConn. Her game winning performance against the Wildcats resulted in a first-team All-American nomination.
The Hawkeyes’ seven-game winning streak has been rewarded with a first-round matchup against No. 15 Illinois State. The game will be sold-out, and it has already been sold out twice. Iowa reached the Sweet 16 last year, where it lost to UConn. With the help of Clark, the Hawkeyes are again a threat to advance in the tournament.
The Hawkeyes won the Big Ten Tournament and the regular season title, thanks to the strong play of Caitlin Clark. Clark is the eighth player in school history to receive an AP All-American award. Rhyne Howard also earned an honorable mention. However, there is no shortage of outstanding players in the country. Among them is the sophomore Caitlin Clark, who is a West Des Moines native.
Both players have earned recognition in college basketball, but who is better? Aliyah Boston, of South Carolina, is an outstanding post player, while Caitlin Clark is a talented ball-handler. In terms of basketball talent, both are solid. But which one of them should be the next national champion? Let’s see. There’s no reason why they can’t be the best.
In early January, while visiting Nebraska, Caitlin Clark was booed. The Cornhuskers’ fan base was filled with boos after the game. That’s just the way it is on the border between Nebraska and Iowa. However, Clark didn’t let the negativity keep her from being recognized for her outstanding contributions. She went on to become a first team All-American for the Hawkeyes.
Monika Czinano is an honorable mention All-American
At 6-foot-3, Monika Czinano is a former star in Minnesota’s high school girls basketball program. She is the center for the Hawkeyes and will be back in 2022-23 after a free COVID season in 2020-21. Last season, Monika led the Hawkeyes in scoring and assists. She also played with six seniors, including Caitlin Clark, who led Iowa to the Big Ten Tournament championship.
While Clark is a consensus national player of the year and a finalist for the 2022 Big Ten Player of the Year award, Czinano has a career-high 86 points. In addition, she is a first-team All-Big Ten selection. Despite her early success, Czinano’s accomplishments do not compare to Clark’s.
In addition, Czinano has led Division I field-goal percentage in the last two seasons and was second as a sophomore. The senior will return to the court against No. 10 Creighton on Sunday for Iowa’s fifth women’s basketball sellout in history. Now, she has a chance to shape her legacy. And Bluder believes she’s already shaped it.
Both Caitlin Clark and Monika Czinano earned honorable mentions in the AP Women’s Basketball Poll. Clark was named a first team All-American while Czinano earned honorable mention status. Clark is the team’s all-around leader with more assists per game than any other player. Czinano added 18 points to Clark’s 27 points.
Joens earned honorable mentions the last two seasons. She is Iowa State’s all-time leading scorer and third-leading rebounder. Monika Czinano has made a strong impact in the AP Women’s Basketball Poll and could make an impact on the upcoming North Carolina championship game. In the meantime, she and the rest of the Hawkeyes should have a great year ahead of them.
Joens was also named a first-team All-American. This is Joens’ first appearance on the AP Women’s Basketball Team. Joens was honored with honorable mentions for her play last season. She averaged 20.2 points and 9.5 rebounds last season and is now the all-time leader for Iowa State. She’s shooting 37.5 percent from the three point line and has 84 career-high points.
Caitlin Clark leads the nation in points, assists and goosebumps
The Hawkeyes’ junior guard is a versatile scorer who checks all the boxes on offense. The 6-foot guard can shoot the ball from all over the court and can even hit a logo three from deep. Her footwork and deceleration make her a good passer, too. Her versatility has led to her being named the nation’s top guard by multiple publications.
The six-foot sophomore guard from West Des Moines, Iowa, has been compared to Sue Bird and Steph Curry, and earned praise from Kevin Durant. Her game-winning step-back 35-foot 3- pointer was a highlight of the night, as she carved up the paint for layups and grabbed her fifth steal of the night. Her final possession ended with a layup after being fouled on the baseline.
After her sophomore season, Clark began to become guardable, averaging over 32 points per game. She began incorporating stepback jumpers into her game. Her scoring average increased to 32 points per game, and Clark shot 13-of-17 from three-point range. In one game, the Hawkeyes beat Mason City 90-78, a feat that earned Clark and her team the title.
As the best player in the country, Clark has also cultivated an on-court personality that keeps fans entertained. She loves playing in front of large crowds, but she’ll also voice her displeasure if an officiating call goes her way, such as the non-foul call in the closing seconds of an Ohio State game. Having parents who are not used to high stakes and expectations prompted Clark to start crying after losing games.
The Hawkeyes opened the season ranked ninth in the preseason polls, and Clark was a big part of that success. She had double-doubles against two other powerhouse teams, a mid-major team and an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent. In the Big Ten Tournament, she scored 46 points and had eight assists, and she also led the team in assists. Her triple-double against Evansville ranked among the best performances in the tournament. Clark’s 46-point performance is viral, with over 2.6 million views on YouTube.
Czinano will return to iowa women’s basketball
After missing out on last year’s NCAA Tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Iowa women’s basketball star Monika Czinano has decided to return. The 6-foot-3 guard is the second-leading scorer and third-leading rebounder on Iowa’s 22nd-ranked squad. She averages 20.2 points per game and 6.1 rebounds per game, which ranks her 12th in Hawkeye history.
The Hawkeyes are losing a few key players, including Logan Cook and Tomi Taiwo. But they return five starters from last year. They also have the most efficient scorer in women’s basketball in Monika Czinano. With the returning starters, Iowa will likely open the season in the top ten. The Hawkeyes are hungry to make a deeper NCAA Tournament run than ever before, and it is possible to believe that they can do so.
A year after Gustafson’s graduation, Czinano is expected to return to the Hawkeyes’ roster for her senior season. In fact, Czinano has already earned first-team All-Big Ten honors. And she will get a shot at a collegiate starting center spot next season. But there are no guarantees. While she won’t replace Gustafson, her presence will be a welcome addition to the team.
The Hawkeyes will close the regular season with a home game against No. 5/6 seed Creighton on Sunday. The game will begin at 3:00 p.m. Czinano will make her first NCAA Tournament appearance since joining the Hawkeyes. The Hawkeyes will honor Logan Cook and senior guard Tomi Taiwo at halftime. This matchup will be the Hawkeyes’ final home game before the tournament begins.
While Iowa won seven straight games this season, the Hawkeyes are still just as impressive. The team has won the Big Ten tourney for the first time since 2008, and is favored to host the first round of the NCAA tournament in two weeks. Coach Lisa Bluder has won a record 26 conference tournament games. The Hawkeyes’ success has depended heavily on Czinano’s post play. After winning three consecutive games against the Hoosiers, Iowa has a good chance of making it to the NCAA Tournament.
