In a recent interview with KCRG Sports’ “OnIowa Live,” Iowa women’s basketball graduating senior guard Taylor McCabe and assistant coach LaSondra Barrett spoke on the excitement surrounding incoming freshman power forward McKenna Woliczko and lauded her work ethic and team-first mentality.
“She’s one that’s going to come and do the dirty work, too. It’s not going to always be about, ‘I’m a McDonald’s All-American, and I need the ball.’ It’s all self-driven. She’s one that’s going to come in and blend in and be that Iowa kid. It’s about the team. And being able to get an All-American that’s selfless and has a team-first mentality is special,” Barrett said of Woliczko.
The 6-foot-2 native of San Bruno, Calif., arrives as Iowa’s highest-ranked signee since Hawkeyes legend Caitlin Clark, and carries a tremendous amount of expectations after finishing her high school career with an average of 21.3 points and 9.4 rebounds per game on 63% shooting.
McCabe followed up on Barrett’s comments by offering a bit of advice to a star recruit with high expectations like Woliczko.
“I think I would say, not only for her but for everybody, but probably especially for her, would just be to be patient, because it’s not all gonna happen at once. And, you know, the season is so long. There’s so much learning that goes in.
“The jump from high school to collegiate athletics is just such a difference. And it’s one that people don’t really see coming. So, I’d just tell her to enjoy every single second of learning and of the process, and just to stay patient because her moment’s gonna come and it’s gonna be great,” McCabe said.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa women’s basketball lauds team-first mentality of McKenna Woliczko
Reporting by Scout Springgate, Hawkeyes Wire / Hawkeyes Wire
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