"Underclassmen gotta stand": Iowa fans fired up as Jada Gyamfi, Lucy Olsen, Kylie Feuerbach, and more strike a squad pic
The Iowa Hawkeyes are ready to take on the new season, with Kylie Feuerbach and Jada Gyamfi leading the team. Villanova transfer Lucy Olsen is expected to play a huge role as she fills the gap left by Caitlin Clark.
In preparation for the season, which is just almost a fortnight away, the Hawkeyes shared a photo of the entire team on Instagram.
"The squad 🤩," the caption read.
Fans in the comments were excited about the new team and their prospects this season.
"Underclassmen gotta stand," one fan wrote.
"Come on!!! Nation of doubters out there thinks the Iowa story is over, GO GET EM!!!," another fan commented.
Here are a few more reactions:
The Iowa Hawkeyes underwent major changes this offseason as core seniors Caitlin Clark, Kate Martin, Gabbie Marshall, and Molly Davis departed college for other endeavors like the WNBA and higher education. Former coach Lisa Bluder retired in May, giving way for long-time assistant coach, Jan Jensen, to take over leading a new Hawkeyes roster.
The new team has five freshman recruits coming in and they will rely on experienced players like Kylie Feuerbach, Sydney Affolter and Jada Gyamfi to take the lead this time.
Kylie Feuerbach is looking forward to leading Iowa with an expanded role
Kylie Feuerbach made the return to court last year after she missed the 2022-23 season with a torn ACL. She played an average of 13.8 minutes and finished with 2.6 points, 1.3 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated, the guard revealed that she was looking forward to doing more on the floor after she put in extra work during the offseason.
“I want to be scoring more, but right now I’m focused on the nit-picky things this summer," Feuerbach said. "I can improve my game in a lot of different areas, especially offensively. I’m getting my shots up, but there are some little things on that side of the floor that I can be working on.”
At the same time, with her being one of the seniors on the team, Kylie Feuerbach is expected to also take on the leadership role.
“I think that’s the most important thing right now is making sure we are making sure they’re on the same page as us, that they can all reach out to us if they have any questions,” Feuerbach said.
“For me, working hard and always kind of going hard is my way of having leadership. They can see how I’m doing it, and they can learn from that.”
The Iowa Hawkeyes are set to begin their 2024-25 season on Nov. 6 against Northern Illinois.
Also read: WATCH: Iowa's Lucy Olsen, Kylie Feuerbach, and Taylor McCabe tap dance in latest viral TikTok