The top 5 Iowa women’s basketball players to replace Caitlin Clark

The Hawkeyes should be evaluating their options for the women’s basketball team going forward, since Caitlin Clark is nearing the end of her time in Iowa City. The sixth-ranked Hawkeyes are now facing a championship or bust situation, but once Clark eventually makes it to the WNBA, who will take over as head coach?

These five players have the potential to be Iowa’s next big scorers. You’ll see that they’re divided into two categories: prospective high school recruits and existing team members. It’d be unrealistic to think that these females will take Clark’s once-in-a-generation scoring abilities, but in one sense or another, they might be the heir apparent.

Current Hawkeyes

Hannah Stuelke

Sophomore forward Hannah Stuelke is Iowa’s second-leading scorer this season, averaging just over 14.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists on 63.9 shooting percentage. % (5th in Japan).

Her standout game this season was a 47 point outburst against Penn State on February 9th, with Caitlin Clark dropping 39 points with her. She had 17 hits for 20 and also grabbed nine rebounds. This was the third-highest score ever by an Iowa State player and the second-highest score ever at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

If there’s a player expected to fully take over Clark’s nightly point lock, Hannah Stuelke should be the next best choice.

Sydney Affolter

When Clark departs, Sydney Affolter, a 5-foot-11 guard from Chicago, who is in her junior year, will be this Iowa team’s second-best scorer behind Stuelke. Although her averages (7.1 ppg, 6.3 rpg, and 2.0 apg on 55.7% shooting) aren’t very impressive, it’s clear that she’s more of an all-around player than a pure scorer.

Affolter has shown tendencies to be a good two-way player. She doesn’t score in groups like Clark, but she does whatever it takes on the court to help the Hawkeyes win, whether it’s scoring, passing, rebounding or taking care of the opponent’s best player. You can believe that. defensive team.

High School Recruits

Divine Bourrage

Bourrage is a 5-foot-10, five-star recruit from Davenport, Iowa. As of mid-2023, she is ranked No. 34 by ESPN and her scouting grade is 97. Like Clark, she has played All-Iowa Attack AAU, but she is casting a wide net for college recruiting.

She’s one of the most likely recruits to arrive in Iowa City just because of her homegrown talent. The only reason she doesn’t choose to stay in her home state is her deep roster with the Hawkeyes, which could mean she doesn’t get much playing time ( (from Iowa Rivals).

Journey Houston

Houston, another young prospect from home, has already committed to Iowa. She’s the first student in her class of 2025 to pledge to attend Iowa City. However, her relationship with the university is more profound because her elder sister Jinaya was a member of the 2017 recruiting class.

She has also been in constant contact with the team’s coaching staff for some time; according to Houston, she has known several of the staff members for the majority of her life. Houston, a 5-11 guard from Davenport, averaged 19 points per game while in high school and is an all-state player with the scoring ability to be a leader.

Jasmine “Jazzy” Davidson

One of the big prospects in Iowa, 6-1 forward Jasmine “Jazzy” Davidson is probably one of the Hawkeyes’ top prospects based on rank and talent. 1 person. She is ranked No. 2 by ESPN, and for good reason. She is a third-level scorer with the size and length to trouble opposing defenders on defense.

That said, thanks to Davidson’s former AAU teammate Eva Heiden (who has already committed to Iowa), she was able to play with her closest friends and get an early start. He could get some important playing time.

The only downside is that many other schools want them too. She has offers from Stanford, Oregon, Utah, UCLA, North Carolina, Texas A&M, California, University of Southern California, Iowa, Baylor, Michigan, Ohio State, Tennessee and South Carolina.