IOWA CITY — Of the four major sports at Iowa, the NCAA’s new age-based model to allow student-athletes to use five years of eligibility over five years could have the biggest immediate impact in women’s basketball.
And the best player on Jan Jensen’s Hawkeye team indicated she would use that new rule to stay in college an extra year.
Ava Heiden, Iowa’s star center going into her junior season, said after a June 25 practice at Carver-Hawkeye Arena that she was enthusiastic about the NCAA’s ruling and would likely play another three years at Iowa.
“Three more years? I feel like I’m a freshman again. It’s so much longer to go,” Heiden said. “But it’s also a great thing to look forward to, because I get to play around these guys for longer and keep those friendships alive and just grow together as people and a team. I think I’d stay.”
Certainly, Heiden could have a WNBA decision in about 21½ months after her fourth year. She’s that good, having ascended to a first-team all-Big Ten Conference season as a sophomore. The nimble and athletic 6-foot-4 Oregon native scored 55 points in Iowa’s two NCAA Tournament games. For the season, she averaged 18.0 points and 7.2 rebounds while shooting 64.1% from the floor.
But Heiden is also wired a little differently — not entirely focused on basketball, with bigger-picture goals. She is a well-rounded person and outstanding student. Heiden is a double major in finance and risk management.
“Jeez, I’d get grad school paid for. That’s something that’s a big goal for me, education,” Heiden said. “Might as well utilize that and keep staying in great shape and playing basketball for a team that I love and coaches that I love.”
If Heiden were to stay for three more years at Iowa, that would open up a wider window to accomplish the coaching staff’s goals of returning to the Final Four in the post-Caitlin Clark era. Iowa went 27-7 last season and was a No. 2 seed in the NCAAs but lost to Virginia in the second round.
With a junior-led roster next season — Heiden, Taylor Stremlow, Dani Carnegie and Chit-Chat Wright all going into their third years — it was thought that Iowa had a nice two-year window of opportunity ahead. A three-year window would be huge for this program, although Jensen wasn’t spiking the basketball at that thought just yet.
In today’s pay-for-play world where athletes can basically become free agents after every season, she knows that retaining a roster is a difficult, high-priced challenge in college sports.
“You’re just operating that hopefully you get all these people for that extra year,” Jensen said. “… I don’t think anybody’s really had a deep dive into the conversations. I’d love it if we could be really good, and you could hold your team. But we’re living in the most unique times. Everything is kind of a year-by-year basis. I think it’s promising.”
The new NCAA eligibility standard, starting with the 2026-27 season, takes effect at the start of the academic year following a player’s 19th birthday or the first year of full-time enrollment, whichever comes first. Jensen compared the new model to the era when athletes had the option of an extra COVID-19 years of eligibility. Except now, every player who meets the age requirements has that “COVID year” option.
Heiden would be the biggie for the Iowa women to keep, and certain Carnegie — a first-team all-SEC guard at Georgia a year ago — would be great to hold onto for another three years, too. She and Wright are longtime friends and now have the potential to play three years together.
The news was a really nice surprise for new Hawkeye Amari Whiting, who thought she was transferring from Oklahoma State to Iowa for her final year of eligibility. Now, it appears she’ll have the option to stay for double that time. Knox College transfer Bria Medina, a senior guard, also could play another two years.
“That’s so freaking cool. I’m really excited … like, ‘Holy crap, another year,’” Whiting said. “All my paperwork is submitted and I’m ready to go. I’m hoping I get an … option to have that. I would love to be here for two years.”
Looking toward the younger end of Iowa’s roster, the idea of Journey Houston and Layla Hays — two team-oriented women and promising players — now could envision another four years in black and gold. Same with Georgia transfer Jocelyn Faison, who has impressive length for a wing. Prized freshman McKenna Woliczko suddenly has the option (eventually) to play in five years of college.
“Just a great opportunity for all of us to have that education-wise and also basketball,” Stremlow said. “That’s pretty incredible.”
One of Jensen’s top summer goals has been to acclimate six new players with the five returning women on her 11-player roster. However, two newcomers weren’t with the team on June 25.
Carnegie is playing with Team USA’s 3-on-3 team. (Heiden also made the team but declined the invitation, instead wanting to limit potential wear-and-tear.)
Jensen expects Carnegie to miss four of the summer’s 16 total practices and return in early July. Incoming freshman Ella Stromdahl, Jensen said, won’t arrive until the fall semester while playing for Sweden’s national team. That’s not a big deal, as Stromdahl is more of a long-term project.
The absence of Carnegie is for a good reason, obviously, but also slows the progress of chemistry that Jensen hopes to establish in their read-and-react offense that takes time to learn. Still, Carnegie is a bucket-getter and an experienced player. That helps.
“I think she’ll pick up on it really, really quickly,” Jensen said.
The NCAA ruling, especially in women’s basketball, will really benefit teams that can stick together over long periods of time — much like Clark’s teams did with the likes of Monika Czinano, McKenna Warnock, Kate Martin and Gabbie Marshall.
In football and wrestling, most true freshmen don’t have major impacts so the five-year model won’t change a ton for most players. In men’s basketball, the elite players will go to the NBA early anyway. In women’s basketball, the money can be just as good in college (if not better) vs. the WNBA.
Hence, getting this team to blend quickly in combination with the NCAA eligibility model could be a win for Hawkeye women’s basketball. Imagine a three-year starting five of (for example) Wright, Carnegie, Stremlow, Woliczko and Heiden.
For what’s a slow part of the calendar for Hawkeye sports, that’s a pretty energizing long-term thought.
“We all are hanging out, getting to know each other,” Whiting said. “… I love it. Everyone’s just easy-going, great people. Everyone’s just super-inclusive. I know we have, honestly, kind of a brand new team. Everyone’s just figuring each other out, but it’s been so positive and so fun. I think all of us are getting closer and closer.”
Hawkeyes columnist Chad Leistikow has served for 31 years with The Des Moines Register and USA TODAY Sports Network. Chad is the 2023 INA Iowa Sports Columnist of the Year and NSMA Co-Sportswriter of the Year in Iowa. Join Chad’s text-message group at HawkCentral.com/HawkeyesTexts. Follow @ChadLeistikow on X.
This article originally appeared on Hawk Central: Ava Heiden wants to play at Iowa 3 more years. That’s huge | Leistikow
Reporting by Chad Leistikow, Des Moines Register / Hawk Central
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Chad Leistikow, Des Moines Register | USA TODAY Network
