IOWA CITY — Former Iowa women’s basketball guard Addie Deal is transferring to Wisconsin, she announced on social media on April 15.
The move comes after Deal announced her intentions to transfer on March 30 after one season with the Hawkeyes, which she did the first day the transfer portal officially opened on April 6. Deal was originally ranked as ESPN’s No. 23 overall prospect in the 2025 class.
Deal finished her lone season in Iowa City by making three starts in 34 games, averaging 15.5 minutes, 5.1 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists per contest. She shot 39% from the field and 30% from deep, mixing in flashes of potential with stretches of youth that became magnified given Deal’s recruiting stature.
The high mark of Deal’s season came with a 20-point outing in 32 minutes against Ohio State, a game in which Iowa secured a 91-70 win despite losing Taylor McCabe to a torn ACL in the first quarter. That injury opened the door for Deal’s three starts, which coincided with a trip back home on the Hawkeyes’ West Coast swing.
That trip didn’t materialize the way Deal envisioned. She scored three points over 38 total minutes in losses at USC and UCLA while going 1-for-9 from the field. Deal started Iowa’s first game back from that trip — a 91-85 home loss to Minnesota — but Taylor Stremlow replaced her in the starting lineup and remained there for the final 11 games.
Deal’s last game with the Hawkeyes produced zero points in just four minutes, as Iowa suffered a stunning home loss to Virginia in the NCAA Tournament’s second round. That was one of eight scoreless games Deal had to go with six double-digit efforts.
Iowa coach Jan Jensen mentioned multiple times throughout the season about the pressure Deal was under as a highly ranked prospect trying to find her footing for one of the most visible programs in women’s basketball. Jensen hoped some of that would evaporate once Deal strung a few decent performances together in the middle of Big Ten play, where Deal put up 18 points in 20 minutes against Oregon three games before the Ohio State breakout.
However, the freshman’s contributions never really picked back up after departing the starting lineup. After lighting up the Buckeyes with the first 20-point outing of her career, Deal scored 42 points the rest of the season.
She’ll look for a fresh start at Wisconsin with three years of eligibility remaining.
Dargan Southard is a sports trending reporter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Former Iowa women’s basketball guard Addie Deal transfers to Wisconsin
Reporting by Dargan Southard, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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