Iowa WBB Class of 2024 recruiting update
Back during the early signing period, a pair of Iowa women’s basketball commits signed their NLI to play for the Hawkeyes. Those signings wrapped up the class of 2023 and now it is time to turn our focus to the class of 2024.
We take a look at the three players that have committed to Iowa so far and give an answer to what might be ahead for Lisa Bluder on the recruiting trail.
Commits
6’5 C Ava Heiden (Sherwood, OR – Sherwood High School)
The Iowa coaching staff was ecstatic when the Oregon native announced her commitment to the Hawkeyes back in October and there is reason to believe she will be a good one. The Hawkeyes have had great success with Jan Jensen coaching post players like Megan Gustafson and Monika Czinano. That was a huge selling point in the recruitment of Heiden.
The top-rated player in the class for the Hawkeyes was named the Pacific Conference Player of the Year as a sophomore for a Sherwood Bowmen team that went 15-10 and won the conference championship. She averaged 10.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.5 blocks per game.
So far this year as a junior, Heiden is averaging 12 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks per game, but suffered a sprained ankle on December 16th and has missed some time. Still, ESPN has her rated as the #4 C for the 2024 class and the #42 overall prospect for the class. Heiden committed to Iowa back in October over Oregon State, Utah and Washington.
Sherwood Head Coach Jeff Anderson talked highly of Heiden’s game in a recent article for OSAA Today saying, “She really dominates the game on that (defensive) end. She’s just so long, and she’s quick and athletic. She’s not that big, plodding post. She’s athletic enough to defend on the perimeter.”
“She’ll trail on the break, and we’ll kick it back, and she’ll pull up and knock down a three,” Anderson said. “She’s got an all-around inside-outside game. I think at the next level she might be a pick-and-pop. Her mid-range pull-up game, that’s the next thing I want to develop.”
PG Callie Levin (Solon, IA – Solon High School)
Callie Levin could almost be considered a hometown commit, as she will come from just 12 miles away. The Solon native grew up dreaming of playing for the Hawkeyes and committed back in August of 2021 over other offers from Iowa State, Drake, Purdue, Utah, Arkansas, Oklahoma State and Marquette.
As a freshman at Solon during the 2020-21 season, Levin led all freshman in the state of Iowa in scoring with 436 points. She followed it up as a sophomore averaging 21.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 4.3 steals for a Spartans team that went 15-8. Her 483 points scored ranked second in the state among all sophomores.
Now, during her junior season, Levin is averaging 19.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.6 steals per game for a Spartans team that is currently 7-1. Over 54 career games, she has accumulated 1,073 points, 250 rebounds, 214 assists and 222 steals.
Jeremy Brooks of Prep Girls Hoops had this to say about Levin’s game.
“I had the chance to watch Callie at the EYBL nationals this past summer while competing with the 17u All Iowa Attack EYBL team and it is an understatement to say that she is a game changer in all facets of the game. Someone who can really impact the game on all levels, even when she is having a rough shooting day. It will be interesting to see how far she can take her Spartans team once the playoffs begin.”
PG Taylor Stremlow (Verona, WI – Verona High School)
The most recent commit for the Hawkeyes is Taylor Stremlow. The point guard out of Verona, Wisconsin committed to Iowa back on December 28th. She is rated as the #4 player in Wisconsin for the class of 2024 by Prep Girls Hoops.
Stremlow plays for a Verona team that is off to an 8-2 to start and she is averaging a statline that is pretty hard to believe. Over ten games, Taylor is averaging 15.1 points, 8.9 assists, 8.5 rebounds and 8.8 steals. She has two quadruple-doubles and three triple-doubles.
You can read more about her commitment and see what she had to say in our recent article below.
Link: Iowa WBB lands Class of 2024 Verona PG Taylor Stremlow (on3.com)
WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE 2024 CLASS?
At this moment in time it feels like the class could be complete. They got their top target at center and two talented guards. On top of that, the roster for the 2024-25 season appears to be full at 15 players. However, there are still a couple of questions that will be need to be answered. Will Caitlin Clark return for a fifth season in 2024? Does Ava Jones continue to have positive progress towards returning to play? Does anyone enter the transfer portal? Unfortunately, those questions do not and will not have answers for a little while.
Here are a couple of names to keep an eye on…
SF Teagan Mallegni (McFarland, WI) #59 overall by ESPN
F Amiah Hargrove (Christopher, IL) #6 in Illinois by Prep Girls Hoops
