When the Iowa Hawkeyes entered Carver-Hawkeye Arena to play in front of 14,998 fans, they weren’t at full strength. They were without starting point guard Chi-Chat Wright and reserves Emely Rodriguez and Teagan Mallegni. With so many absences, all eyes shifted to the starters – Hannah Stuelke, Taylor McCabe, and Ava Heiden. But surprisingly, none of them earned praise from the HC after the win!

Instead, it was freshman Addie Deal. And honestly, she deserved every bit of it after dropping 17 impressive points to lead the team. When asked about Deal’s performance, HC Jan Jensen didn’t hesitate to highlight the trust she has in the young guard.

“When she’s taking those shots, even earlier, I’ve seen her do it for years,” Jensen said in the postgame press conference. “I was never worried that they wouldn’t go in. It was really the confidence in her mind that was missing. It wasn’t necessarily the defense she was facing… so I’m really happy to see those shots go down for her.”

And her words make perfect sense. Through the first seven games of the season, Addie crossed the 10-point mark only twice. In the rest, she couldn’t get past five points. She even had a scoreless outing against the Baylor Bears. At first glance, it looked like her shooting became volatile in mid-level pressure games. 

But according to Jensen, it has never been the case. Confidence, not ability, was the missing link. It showed in games like UNI, where she shot 1-of-5, and against Drake, where she went 2-of-5. But, despite Addie’s low-scoring performances, Jensen’s trust in her never wavered.

After all, she’s the same player ranked ninth nationally in the Class of 2025. She competed at the Nike Skills Camp, World Basketball Festival, USA Minicamp, and even won the Section 7 three-point contest. She also earned a spot on the Jersey Mike’s Naismith Player of the Year Watchlist.

But as everyone says, it only takes a few months to realize how big the gap is between high school and college basketball – and players need time to adjust.

“The last week, I think she was just able to step back and let herself develop a little more and improve and just go for it,” Jensen said. “She’s coming in, and everyone has expectations. But if you watch the film and see where we needed some growth and more comfort, she just dropped her shoulders a little bit and stayed with it.”

And yes, as the HC mentioned, Deal has found her footing. She’s averaging 6.4 points and 2.6 assists per game. Her smooth threes and clean jumpers, even while weaving through traffic, show she’s here to stay.

However, the highlight remains her game against the Leathernecks, in which she had a game-high 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. She added five assists and three rebounds while playing a team-high 31 minutes. Of course, she wasn’t the only one who stepped up.

How does Iowa stand together in adversity?

By the time Iowa and Western Illinois tipped off, the Hawkeyes had just 11 available players. “It’s definitely hard when you have a few people go down,” said senior Taylor McCabe. “We’re definitely missing some people right now. We’ve gotten a lot of reps in practice, for sure.”

That shortage showed at times. Iowa started well and had a lead of 44–25 at halftime. But their opponents outscored them 44–42 in the second half. Still, the Leathernecks couldn’t match Iowa’s size. As a result, Hawkeyes dominated the paint with 30 points compared to Western Illinois’ eight. Adding to it was Iowa’s depth.

To start with, Deal stepped up off the bench, and sophomore Callie Levine contributed six points and three rebounds in 14 minutes. Every player understood their role on the team when they were shorthanded, and they executed it to perfection. But the challenge isn’t over. The team now heads into Thanksgiving break and has only one game over the next nine days. But..will the Hawkeyes be ready when it matters most?