>Iowa has a fantastic starting players and a strong bench as well, some are even claiming that Sharon Goodman, Kylie Feuerbach, and Mo..

For the average fan, Caitlin Clark is the main focus of Iowa women’s basketball.

One could argue that if Kate Martin and Gabbie Marshall hadn’t returned for a sixth and fifth year, respectively, and if the current national player of the year hadn’t returned for a fourth, the Hawkeyes wouldn’t be ranked as high as No. 3 in the AP Top 25 preseason poll.

Martin and Marshall have combined for 252 games, 199 starts and 1,650 points in their nine combined seasons. The 11 other players on the roster, not including Clark, have 327 games, no starts and 1,076 points in 13 combined seasons with the Hawkeyes.

Bluder described Marshall and Martin’s return as a “welcome surprise.”

Bluder remarked, “Kate is one of the strongest leaders I’ve ever worked with. She builds culture.” Right now, she’s playing like a pro. She is, in fact. She’s making threes. She is rebounding and playing strong physical defense. Kate is going to really pop off the stat sheet this year, in my opinion.

Early in the previous season, Marshall had trouble with her shooting, but she ended with a flurry, which contributed to her choice to come back. During three Big Ten Tournament games, she was 13 of 21 on threes; during five NCAA games, she was 12 of 29.

Naturally, Clark is where it all begins. To become the all-time best scorer in Division I, the AP preseason All-American needs to accumulate 811 points. She enters the season with 90 straight double-figure scoring games, a lifetime average of 27.3 points per game, 43 double-doubles, and 11 triple-doubles. She is well-known for her ridiculously deep 3-pointers.

Martin averaged 7.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, and made 41.3% of her 3-pointers. Marshall led the club with 62 thefts and averaged 6.2 points per game.

After playing little minutes at center last season, Addison O’Grady looks ready to replace Czinano. O’Grady had 10 points and 14 rebounds in Kinnick Stadium’s outdoor exhibition versus DePaul. Forward Hannah Stuelke, a rookie and the Big Ten’s sixth player of the year, replaces Warnock.

Taylor McCabe and guard Kylie Feuerbach, who missed the previous year due to an ACL injury, are returning. Sydney Affolter and Molly Davis provide the Hawkeyes with excellent guard depth as well.

After three years of incredible chemistry with Clark, Czinano is no longer with us. She averaged 17.1 points per game while shooting 67.4%, frequently converting entry passes from the point guard. Warnock averaged 10.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 38% from beyond the arc.

Joliet, Illinois native Kennise Johnson is the only genuine freshman who is eligible to play. Last season, she ranked third among Illinois’ guard prospects.