By Blake Dowson
It takes a village to raise a single child, so how many people does it take to raise five freshman basketball players?
Well, in the Iowa women’s basketball team’s case, they’re hoping it only takes three seniors.
Ally Disterhoft, Alexa Kastanek, and Hailey Schneden return as the senior leaders on a team stacked full of young talent, and it will be their job to harness the energy the young bunch brings and translate it to on-court success.
“There’s a lot more energy and a lot more competitiveness now,” Disterhoft said after Game Time action on Wednesday. “I think the freshmen bring a lot of that. You have five girls who bring so much energy, and it’s really exciting to play with that.”
It certainly hasn’t been looked at as a burden for the three seniors to show the freshmen the ropes. In fact, it’s been a breath of fresh air for the eldest members of a squad only two years removed from a Sweet 16 trip.
After faltering last year and ending a streak of eight-straight NCAA Tournament berths, a new beginning with new faces is welcome.
“The team is so young,” Schneden said. “We have those five freshmen, which is so many, but I think it’s good for us, because I think we needed a fresh start from last year, with it not going the way we wanted.”
Of course, it won’t be the trio’s job to hold the freshmen’s hands all year. During summer league play, that responsibility falls on them a bit with the coaching staff not being allowed contact with the players.
But once the season rolls around, Disterhoft, Kastanek, and Schneden will look to get theirs, leading the team for one last go at an NCAA Tournament berth.
Disterhoft, who was a team captain last season as a junior, said her role is still evolving on the team.
She has a shot at leaving the Hawkeye program as the all-time leading scorer, but there are certain numbers she is more focused on this year — the ones that go in the win column.
“The three seniors are just really passionate about going out on a high note,” Disterhoft said. “We’ve put in the work in the past, and we deserve that. We’ve been a part of Iowa teams during the really high times and the low times.
“We know what it feels like to go undefeated at home, and we know what it feels like to lose in the first round of the WNIT. None of us want that to happen again.”
It’s about getting back what they had two years ago, when they made their run in the NCAA Tournament and taking certain things from last year to learn from to make for one final push.
Kastanek talked about team chemistry, and it certain seems like the team has that back this year. The Iowa players carry themselves a little different than the rest of the competition in Game Time, and there’s a sense in the gym when there are three of four Hawkeyes playing that this team could get back to the success of two years ago.
“Unselfish play plays such a huge role in how we play and the team chemistry we have on and off the court, and those were the two factors that we kind of missed on last year,” Kastanek said. “I feel like we have that back now.”
