It takes more than just Caitlin Clark.
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.
With the loss of the top two scorers behind Clark, the Big Ten favorites suffered significant blows after their journey to the NCAA championship game. As the intimidating team’s post player, Monika Czinano is the antithesis of Clark and currently plays professionally in Hungary. Clark’s three-point shooting buddy, McKenna Warnock, is a dental student.
In their nine combined seasons, Martin and Marshall have scored 1,650 points, played in 252 games, and received 199 starts combined. Without Clark, the remaining 11 players on the team have played in 327 games, notched one start, and totaled 1,076 points over their 13 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.
Marshall had trouble with her shot in the beginning of the previous season, but she concluded with a bang, which contributed to her choice to come back. During three Big Ten Tournament games and five NCAA games, she was 13 of 21 on threes.
About her return, Marshall remarked, “It was truly a no-brainer for me.” “You ask yourself, ‘Can I do this psychologically, physically?’ back and forth. I’m simply trying to treasure this final season because these are the folks I want to be with every day at the end of the day.”
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 to be the favorite to replace Czinano. O’Grady scored 10 points and pulled down 14 rebounds at 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.
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