Jan Jensen is getting the kind of recruiting news that can change the shape of a roster, and Iowa is now firmly in the mix for one of the top bigs in the 2027 class.
Khalia Hartwell, a four-star center from South Carolina, has trimmed her list to Georgia, Iowa, and Virginia Tech, according to 247Sports. She also has official visits set for each of her finalists, including a trip to Iowa on September 11 this fall.
The Hawkeyes were not in the same position long ago. They recently missed on Mya Wilson, the No. 44 overall prospect in the 2027 class, after she committed to Ohio State.
But that setback hasn’t slowed Iowa’s run on the trail. Nation Williams, Destiny Manyawu, and Sienna Williams have all already put the Hawkeyes on their final choices lists in the 2027 cycle, and Hartwell is the latest major name to follow suit.
Hartwell carries serious weight in the recruiting rankings. 247Sports lists her as the No. 2 overall center in the class and South Carolina’s No. 1 overall prospect. That makes her omission from Dawn Staley’s final three a notable miss for the Gamecocks, while giving Iowa a real opening with one of the most coveted post players in the country.
For Iowa, the fit is obvious. The Hawkeyes need size, and they need it badly after Hannah Stuelke left to start her professional basketball career in Italy.
That leaves Ava Heiden and Layla Hays, both six-foot-five, as the only remaining post players. McKenna Woliczko, a six-foot-two addition from the 2026 class, and transfer Jocelyn Faison, who stands six-foot-one, can help, but both are better suited to forward roles than true center work.
Hartwell would give Iowa something different. At six-foot-four, she is a natural center who lives in the paint.
Her length helps her score inside, rebound, and alter shots, and she has built a reputation for blocking shots at a high rate without piling up fouls. Her offensive game is still developing, but her defensive presence is already a major calling card.
That’s the kind of profile Jensen can work with. Iowa already has sharpshooting 2027 commit Jada Seubert in the class, and adding Hartwell would balance the group with the size and rebounding the Hawkeyes are still chasing. A front line built around Hartwell, Hays, and Heiden would give opponents a brutal time around the rim and add a legitimate defensive anchor to the mix.
Jensen has earned a reputation as an elite post developer, and Hartwell would be another high-upside piece for her to mold. If Iowa can land her, the conversation about the Hawkeyes’ need for size could start to fade in a hurry.
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Virginia Just Landed A Local Scorer Fans Will Want To Watch
Virginia added another intriguing piece to its future backcourt with the commitment of Sabrina Anderson, a Northern Virginia product whose scoring touch has made her one of the more closely watched players in the Class of 2027. The four-star recruit gives Coach Aaron Roussell a local talent with plenty of upside, and her combination of scoring ability and versatility fits the kind of perimeter threat every program wants to keep home.
Andersons rise has been reinforced by more than recruiting buzz. She has taken part in Team USA U-17 National Team trials and has spent time working with a range of coaches and trainers as part of her development, all signs of a player who has been building toward this moment for a while. For Virginia, the commitment brings both regional value and a clear hint at what could be coming next in the programs recruiting push. [Read more 🡒]