For Jan Jensen and the Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball team, it was never really a question of having a talented roster or having enough firepower. The question was more centered around who would be supplying scoring and standout play.
Sitting at 4-0 to start the season and owning the No. 20 ranking in the USA TODAY Sports women’s basketball coaches poll, the Hawkeyes have been spurred on by the strong play from sophomore center Ava Heiden out of Sherwood, Ore.
Advertisement
Heiden’s play up to this point in the season has her among the top breakout stars in all of women’s basketball at this point in the young season, per CBS Sports.
Ava Heiden, Iowa
In her freshman year at Iowa, 6-foot-4 center Ava Heiden played just under 10 minutes per game and averaged 5 points and 2.6 rebounds. After her first start this season, Heiden said a door of opportunities had opened. She has certainly taken advantage of those opportunities as she has doubled her playing time and almost tripled her impact. This season she is averaging 14.3 points and 9.0 rebounds per contest. She has already registered two double-doubles and has shot over 60% from the field in three out of four games.
Iowa has not played a ranked opponent yet, but that first big test is coming up soon when the Hawkeyes host No. 7 Baylor on Thursday night. That should provide a good opportunity for Heiden to continue to show how high her ceiling can be. – Isabel Gonzalez, CBS
Heiden is averaging 14.3 points and 9.0 rebounds per game through four games. She is shooting 62.9% from the field.
Heiden’s next chance to shine comes against the No. 10 Baylor Bears in primetime on a national stage. The Iowa Hawkeyes square off against Baylor at 8 p.m. CT on Thursday from State Farm Fieldhouse in Orlando, Fla., in a game airing nationally on ESPN2.
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Riley on X: @rileydonald7
Advertisement
This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa women’s basketball boasts CBS breakout star
