Caitlin Clark will be back. And expectations for Iowa's 2023-24 season are higher than ever
DALLAS — For all the widespread impact this riveting Iowa women’s basketball season delivered in permanently altering the sport, the Hawkeyes’ march to the national championship game has reshaped expectations on a micro level as well.
And it won’t take long to see the effects.
“This is going to be the standard we have,” said Iowa sharpshooter Gabbie Marshall in an emotionally proud Hawkeyes locker room after Sunday’s 102-85 loss to LSU.
“For next year, we're going to work to get to this point again.”
Suddenly, declarations like that don’t seem so absurd.
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The bulk of this Hawkeyes roster returns next season — most notably superstar Caitlin Clark — and they’ll embark on a season-long journey of intense fanfare and endless support, with confidence confirmed that a program like Iowa can be a consistent Final Four participant and eventually break through to the one level this team didn’t reach.
Yes, replacing Monika Czinano and McKenna Warnock is a daunting challenge, considering how pivotal those two were from a basketball and team cohesion standpoint. But with Clark, Marshall and Kate Martin again anchoring a squad that should be among the nation’s best, predicting Iowa to be in Cleveland next spring with a similar opportunity as this one sounds more than reasonable.
“We know the hard work it takes to get here,” Martin said. “We had to do that this past season. We're just going to go in with that same mentality next season. Why not?”
An early glimpse at where next season’s expectations sit arrived just moments after Sunday’s final buzzer sounded. ESPN’s Charlie Crème pegged the Hawkeyes fourth in his way-too-early top 25 for next year, which is exactly where Iowa started in last preseason’s AP top 25 with Czinano and Warnock.
That shows supreme confidence that Iowa will find the answers to mitigate its departures as much as possible — along with the unwavering belief that Clark, Marshall and Martin will continue to thrive in their well-established roles as the star, the shooter and the one who brings it all together.
“I hope that when people see women’s basketball at Iowa, they want to be a part of it,” said Iowa coach Lisa Bluder. “There’s room. There’s room to join along with us. I just hope they’re proud of where we’ve taken this program.”
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What Iowa women's basketball roster changes could make the difference
While Iowa’s scholarship situation is currently full for next season after Marshall and Martin opted to return for the extra COVID season, today’s college basketball culture of attrition and transfer portal adds likely means someone who isn’t on the roster now will be when the season opener arrives in November.
Given the known departures, a solid post add through the portal makes the most sense. After watching how Czinano, who's now expecting to start a pro career overseas, ascended with Clark by her side — and vice versa — who wouldn’t want to come to receive one brilliant pass after another from the nation’s most thrilling player?
Then there’s the current roster, which could produce a significant jump(s) needed to round next year’s rotation into form. It’s essentially a guarantee that Hannah Stuelke will enter the starting lineup, hoping to build off a productive freshman season that saw her win Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year. A sizable leap from the Cedar Rapids Washington product could consistently give Iowa the interior versatility it saw in spurts this year.
A jump from Addison O’Grady could help ease the Czinano transition as well. The junior-to-be saw her numbers decrease across the board from her freshman campaign to this sophomore season. But her amplified role in March emphasized why the 6-foot-4 forward still has the potential to become a useful commodity. O’Grady played double-digit minutes in three NCAA Tournament games after playing double-digit minutes in just four regular-season games.
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“The coaches know we can do it. We all know we can do it. Our fans, everyone knows we can do it. I feel like we have so much confidence now that we do belong here,” O’Grady said. “And for next season, yeah, this loss, we're so close. It's hard and emotional right now, but I think next year it's going to fuel us.”
Backcourt depth will need to shake out too, with Kylie Feuerbach healthy again alongside Molly Davis, Sydney Affloter and Taylor McCabe. On the season’s biggest stage, LSU showed how vital bench play can be after reserve Jasmine Carson splashed home a decisive 22 points to ignite the win.
Caitlin Clark still holds big impacts for Iowa basketball
Clark, though, will ultimately have the biggest impact on next season’s direction, but there’s little doubt she won’t deliver another jaw-dropping campaign full of prestigious accolades and mind-boggling accomplishments. The West Des Moines native will begin the year as the overwhelming favorite to sweep the national player of the year awards once again.
“I think really, the sky's the limit for Caitlin,” said Czinano, who added she’ll be setting alarms from overseas to keep tabs on what should be another incredible season. “Every year, you think, ‘Oh, what is she possibly going to do?’ And then she does something (crazy). I'm really excited to see her grow as a basketball player, but as a friend too and a person.”
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Next year's Iowa team will be 'hungry'
Next year’s team will need growth as well, even with the established pieces returning. Remember, as well as this Iowa season finished, there were still bumps along the way — particularly early — that the Hawkeyes had to endure.
It’s just now, Iowa gets an overwhelming benefit of the doubt. With another year coming of relentless fan support and endless time in the spotlight, these Hawkeyes feel ready to meet intensified expectations.
“I'm just really excited for next year,” Marshall said. “I really see potential in the team next year, and we're going to be hungry. That helps when you make runs like this.”
Dargan Southard is a sports trending reporter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com.