Jan Jensen doesn’t sound like a coach rushing the process. She sounds like someone who knows exactly what she’s building.
At Iowa’s heart this season is a group that, by Jensen’s account, has already started to click in the way she wants most: not just on the floor, but in the daily rhythms that shape a team. She pointed to the culture around the program - connectivity, dedication and a real affection for one another - as the foundation. And even with all the roster movement, she said this group has already made progress there.
“I think they've all shared different things with that,” Jensen said of the diversity and togetherness. “But I think that -- I hope as close as they've been off the court, I can't wait to see that really happen on the court, and that just continues to take time.”
The makeover in Iowa City has been obvious. The Hawkeyes hit the transfer portal hard, bringing in all-SEC guard Dani Carnegie, veteran Amari Whiting and defensive stopper Jocelyn Faison. They also added five-star McKenna Woliczko and went international for Ella Strohmdahl.
That new talent is being folded into a new system, too. Iowa is installing a four-out offense built around shot-creating guards and space for preseason All-American Ava Heiden to work in isolation. It’s the kind of setup that asks for trust, movement and sharp decisions, and it’s also the kind of offense that can pile up points when it starts humming.
“The challenging thing about this offense is it is a motion -- I've said before, it's kind of like a fine wine. It gets better with age,” Jensen said with a laugh.
“I'm not trying to undersell or overdeliver, although I do think that's a good philosophy. It just can be a little muddy because everything is predicated on the ball.
You have to read what the ball does. Some of our young people have come from all sets.
There's never been a read. They don't make a read.
Only thing they're doing is they go to point B and then they set a screen and they roll to point C and then that's the extent.”
Assistant coach Jasmyn Walker said the staff is leaning into the fact that this roster is different, and that Jensen has long had a knack for matching a team to a system that fits.
“It’s based on the personnel and I think Coach Jensen is amazing at figuring out what we have and what makes sense,” Walker said. “I think we have a different dynamic with the team this year and she's been at it for a long time. It makes sense to trust her word.”
One player who should benefit from all of this is point guard Chit Chat Wright. Last season, she was Iowa’s main shot-creator and had to hunt more of her own offense than the Hawkeyes ideally wanted. This year, she’s expected to settle into a more natural true point guard role, with a better shooting team around her easing some of that burden.
That should play nicely with Carnegie, who brings one of the roster’s most dangerous scoring profiles, while Whiting, Journey Houston, Woliczko and others help stretch the floor with consistent three-point shooting.
Even so, Jensen made it clear this isn’t a plug-and-play operation.
“I see glimpses of it, but we do still have a little bit of ways to go, only because we have to retrain,” Jensen added. “You have to break a lot of older habits, number one; everybody does who has new people from high school to portal.
But then you also have to teach a system. When you're teaching something that has three right answers and you're looking for the best answer, it takes patience and it takes time.
It takes video watching. It takes ups and downs.
It takes a lot of failing, and then the success will come.”
There have already been some turnover issues in the limited media looks at practice, but Jensen didn’t sound alarmed. In a motion offense, that kind of roughness comes with the territory, especially this early.
Her bigger point was that the pieces are starting to settle into place. Iowa has spent the summer and fall working toward that.
“Our staff has worked extremely hard in the summer into the fall, and I think we're beginning to kind of turn that corner to get to everybody's sweet spots.”
In Other News...
Joel Klatt Just Raised The Stakes On Iowas Playoff Push
Joel Klatts latest take on Iowa has added a little extra heat to an already interesting stretch for the Hawkeyes. With a 5-1 record and a remaining schedule that looks manageable, the ESPN analyst argued that Iowa is in a position to stay in the College Football Playoff conversation, especially if the team keeps doing what it has done best under its own identity.
The bigger point, at least from Klatts view, is that Iowa does not need to be flashy to stay alive in the race. He downplayed the quarterback question because of how the Hawkeyes play, then floated the possibility of an 11-1 finish that could put them in the mix over teams such as Ole Miss. For Iowa, the path is clear enough - win the games in front of them and let the rest sort itself out, even if the final call still rests with the selection committee. [Read more 🡒]
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The significance is obvious for a program that prides itself on line play, because the Lombardi has never gone to an Iowa player. That makes the watch-list recognition more than just a nod to two returning starters, it turns the rest of the season into a chance for this group to chase a piece of hardware the Hawkeyes have never brought home. With Pieper and Lauck helping anchor the front, Iowa now has an established line to lean on and a rare individual prize still out there waiting. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa's Secondary Faces A Stress Test At The Worst Time
Iowas secondary has already had to adapt early in the season, and the ripple effect from Tyler Browns injury has forced the Hawkeyes to keep rearranging the back end. With Brown sidelined, Anthony Hawkins and Xavier Styles, both transfers as well, have each been asked to step in at strong safety in different games, creating a moving picture in a unit that usually prides itself on steadiness and precision.
Defensive coordinator Phil Parker pointed to communication as the key area still coming together for the trio, which is hardly a surprise when new pieces are trying to get comfortable on the fly. Browns return remains up in the air, with the only real update being that it will be a while, leaving Iowa to keep sorting out its safety rotation while the rest of the schedule keeps moving. [Read more 🡒]