With the Aces’ win over the Mercury last night, the WNBA season may be down to just one game. A’ja Wilson and company have a commanding 3-0 Finals lead, and with how dominant they’ve been in the second half of the season, it would be a surprise if they didn’t close out the sweep on Friday.
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Fans of women’s basketball need not despair, because the college season is almost here to take the baton from the WNBA. The first games are less than a month away, meaning fans won’t have long to wait to get back in the action.
Big Ten media day was yesterday, and one of the teams everyone has their eyes on is Iowa. Caitlin Clark’s alma mater is expected to battle for conference supremacy with UCLA, Maryland, Michigan, and USC (who, unfortunately, will be without star JuJu Watkins all year as she recovers from her torn ACL). If the Hawkeyes have a shot, it’ll be in large part because senior forward Hannah Stuelke leads them there.
Stuelke’s points and field goal percentage dipped a bit last year, but she raised her rebounds and assists on her way to a Second Team All-Big Ten selection by the media for the second year in a row (she was also selected by the coaches in 2023-24). Stuelke sat down with the Big Ten Network’s Mike Hall at media day to discuss the upcoming season and to confirm a rumor about her famous former teammate.
“Caitlin Clark told me a couple years ago, and maybe she’s taking credit for something or maybe she just made it up,” Hall said, “She told me she told you to watch Draymond Green play ball, and that that’s what you should model your game after.”
Putting aside Hall’s odd skepticism about what Clark said, Stuelke confirmed that it was indeed “100% true.”
“I think the aggression that he plays with is really key for me,” she said. “She always wanted me to be really aggressive and play with a lot of passion, and I think he does that. I think I do that, too.”
Stuelke is like Green in a lot of ways. Most of her game is based inside the 3-point line, but she’s not a ball-stopper. She’s a tough defender and an energy player. She’s also a proven winner. She was on two straight national runners-up teams, and even after Clark left and legendary head coach Lisa Bluder retired, she helped guide the Hawkeyes to a 23-11 record and a second-round NCAA Tournament appearance.
Like Green, Stuelke played a lot of small-ball 5 last year, but she’s expected to shift back to forward this year with the arrival of 6’5″ freshman Layla Hays. She’s also been working on her 3-point shot, a new skill that she hopes to show off once the season gets going.
With Stuelke and former Villanova transfer Lucy Olsen leading the way, the Hawkeyes have a chance to make some noise. If Stuelke can embody some of Green’s best qualities, there’s a chance that this could be a special season.
