IOWA CITY — The emotional wave of reality comes and goes for Hannah Stuelke as she inches toward her closing collegiate act.
An Iowa women’s basketball career full of memorable moments and self-growth still needs to find its proper ending.
To some degree, every senior athlete feels that full-circle moment when things are winding down. The wide-eyed newbie is now the veteran who’s seen it all, full of wisdom and guidance for the next wave of program pillars. Nostalgia is usually in the air.
Reaching this point has required Stuelke to step further outside her comfort zone than ever imagined. Much has changed since she arrived in Iowa City as the homegrown freshman, even more so since Stuelke committed to the Hawkeyes out of Cedar Rapids Washington way back in 2019. Her goofy, light-hearted personality still shines through in just about every media and team setting. But the shy, reserved girl uncomfortable with the relentless spotlight has largely faded.
“Sometimes it just hits me like a truck and I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s my last year. It’s so sad,'” Stuelke said during the Hawkeyes’ final summer media session on July 22. “But I’m excited to get to play one last one with the Hawks.
“It’s been weird because I’ve always been the baby, my first two years especially. But it’s been fun growing as myself and speaking up a lot more. I’ve grown a lot, especially in media. I used to give like one-word answers. And everyone would be like ‘So …’ But I’m always looking forward to growing as a person. It’s been a really fun journey.”
It helps that Stuelke’s career has coincided with Iowa’s unprecedented surge in women’s basketball prestige. She was playing double-digit minutes on a Final Four run as a true freshman, then was Iowa’s second-leading scorer the following year while on the same postseason surge. As Iowa said goodbye to Lisa Bluder and Caitlin Clark ahead of last year, it was Stuelke who helped anchor the Hawkeyes transition into the Jan Jensen regime.
That experience collectively sets the stage for this final ride, one that could solidify Stuelke’s WNBA aspirations if Iowa’s interior vision comes to fruition. A natural “4” despite playing all of her sophomore year and most of her junior year at the “5” spot while Iowa mostly ran with four guards, Stuelke is back in her original spot again as a senior. Her pairing with some combination of Ava Heiden (6-foot-4) and Layla Hays (6-foot-5) gives Jensen enticing size to implement.
The frequency with which Iowa can implement that sort of lineup might hinge on how much Stuelke’s range can expand. Her free-throw turnaround has been well-documented — from 46% as a freshman to a respectable 68% last season. Similar growth farther from the basket could unlock Iowa’s highest ceiling.
“Both positions are pretty natural for me (at this point). I like to drive. I used to shoot more than I do right now. But I’m getting there,” said Stuelke, who is just a 23% career 3-point shooter but attempted more last season (17) than her first two years combined (14). “I’m shooting a lot in scrimmages, which is nice. It’s fun. But I also like to post up. I get to do all the fun stuff.
“I shoot like 52% in practice when I’m shooting. So I’m trying to get to 65 (percent). I should get there in the next two weeks.”
What remains of Stuelke’s offseason is pivotal considering her hectic itinerary so far. After missing most of last offseason while recovering from knee surgery, Stuelke again was absent during much of this summer — but for a much better reason.
As a defensive specialist on a roster featuring the top talent in women’s college basketball, Stuelke held her own for Team USA en route to winning a gold medal in the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup. Her final defensive assignment was a rigorous one — guarding former South Carolina standout and current WNBA center Kamilla Cardoso, alongside the Indiana Fever’s Damiris Dantas — as Stuelke battled against Team Brazil.
Initially hesitant to accept the invitation, Stuelke impressed all who watched her play during Team USA’s seven games in Chile. Consider it another crucial confidence boost ahead of such a pivotal campaign.
“What I’m hoping is that type of experience gave her something mentally and internally that can lead a relatively younger, inexperienced group,” Jensen said. “We had new last year, but we had some key people that had been here.”
Now that leadership at the top resets again. Only Jada Gyamfi, Taylor McCabe, Kylie Feuerbach and Stuelke remain as players who were on the roster for both Final Four runs. That entire quartet departs after this season. Just as Stuelke learned from those above her, Iowa’s next wave of talent will inevitably look to No. 45 for answers.
“I really appreciate how much she knows because I obviously feel like I don’t know that much coming from high school in Alaska,” Hays said. “I want to absorb as much as I can from her.”
It won’t take long before this season breezes by like Stuelke’s previous three did. Left and right will be the “final” this and that, complete with the emotional whirlwind as the finish line comes into view. WNBA aspirations are there for Stuelke. And they’re achievable with a grand finale in Iowa City.
Let this senior-year excitement commence.
“There’s something that happens when you become a senior — just through every realm of growth, especially for Hannah,” Jensen said. “I think she’s embracing that.”
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: The final chapter of Hannah Stuelke’s Iowa women’s basketball career is an important one
Reporting by Dargan Southard, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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