There certainly is some magic in Iowa. The state of Iowa has two major NCAA college basketball teams. The Iowa Hawkeyes and the Iowa State Cyclones. Both the college programs have produced some top-class hoopers like Caitlin Clark, Megan Gustafson, Audi Crooks, Ashley Joens, Aubrey Joens, and Hannah Stuelke – the list is endless. But unfortunately, no one knows the secret to Iowa continuously producing exceptional ballers. Stuelke got into a casual chat with analyst Tyler DeLuca and her team on Tuesday to share the secret with her fans.
Stuelke was asked a variety of questions ranging from the upcoming season at Iowa to the current Iowa team. However, one question that caught the eye of everyone was when the Iowa star was asked to share the reasons behind the success.
Hannah Stuelke opines that the absence of a WNBA team has helped Iowa
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Stuelke initially joked that there isn’t much to do in the state other than play basketball. But she soon spoke at length about the community structure and how it has been encouraged to breed top players. The video of the same was uploaded on No Cap Space WBB on Tuesday.
“Yeah, well, I would say there’s not like a ton of things to do. But like you can always go to the gym, so that means we’re in the gym extra. Always working but I think why we stay is for the community. You know there’s so many women’s basketball supporters and we don’t have a pro team – so all… all the focus is on our team. So, I think we’re just glad to give back to our communities and be a light in our state,” Stuelke remarked.
Iowa has been producing exceptional ballers, as mentioned before, like Clark, Gustafson, Crooks, Joens sisters, and Stuelke. The nearest WNBA team from Iowa is the Minnesota Lynx, which is an approximate 6-hour drive. Hence, the fans are majorly concentrated on college basketball, which has helped the players get a lot of attention.
While Clark left college basketball at the top of the all-time NCAA scoring chart, Gustafson plays as a center for the Las Vegas Aces. As for Crooks, she is a player for the Iowa State Cyclones and scored an exceptional 40 points in a game against the Maryland Terrapins, which is the record in a single game for a freshman.
via Getty
EVANSTON, ILLINOIS – JANUARY 31: Caitlin Clark #22 of the Iowa Hawkeyes laughs on the bench against the Northwestern Wildcats during the second half at Welsh-Ryan Arena on January 31, 2024 in Evanston, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, the Joens sisters were touted as the noteworthy players, with Ashley Joens being drafted by the Dallas Wings in 2023. All this certainly shows that there is a flair for basketball in the state. Meanwhile, Stuelke was also asked about her transitional offense game.
Hannah Stuelke on her transitional offense
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Stuelke’s mother JoAnna Mantz used to ply her trade as a baller for Illinois State before moving to Missouri Western. Hence, the reporters speculated that she had a hand in Stuelke’s transitional offense game. Stuelke clarified the reason for running track and how it has improved her transitional game.
Stuelke stated that running was the hardest thing to do since it does not involve decision-making. While she didn’t give a clear answer on how that helped her on-court agility and quickness, it looks like she has benefited from it. For the unversed, Stuelke was also lettered in high school track. “I took some years off because track is really hard,” Stuelke expressed.
Perhaps, now that the secret is out, more and more teams will encourage their players to go to the gym whenever they have extra time. Moreover, the coaches at the grassroots level can also model their team after Stuelke & Co.
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Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video.
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Publish date : 2024-07-11 09:54:00
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