Taking Over Depleted Iowa Roster, Jan Jensen Sets Sights on 16YO Starlet Just 21 Days Before NCAA Game

“We talked a lot about ‘We got next.’ I think we’re just all focused on the future. It’s definitely exciting. The buzz is in the air.” With the Iowa Hawkeyes now under the spotlight, head coach Jan Jensen must be on her toes as her team prepares for the upcoming season without last year’s star-studded roster. But she’s not letting pressure weigh her down and rather working on rebuilding her team. The latest updates connect her with one of the standout players from Archbishop Mitty High School.

In exciting news for the Hawkeyes, high school junior McKenna Woliczko made an unofficial visit to the Iowa campus. She took to Instagram to share glimpses of her trip, posting a carousel of photos featuring herself in the iconic yellow jersey of the Iowa Hawkeyes basketball team. Her post was captioned, “what’s up hawkeye nation?? 💛 🖤 #notcommitted #unofficial”

While most of the photos radiated her joy as she posed for her photo shoot in that vibrant yellow jersey, one shot stood out, capturing a special moment with Iowa’s head coach, Jan Jensen. In this particular frame, Jensen shared a warm side hug with Woliczko as they proudly held the Iowa flag together. Those particular snaps were later brought into the limelight by a Hawkeye reporter. He tweeted them on X and wrote, “‘26 wing McKenna Woliczko posted some pictures from her unofficial visit to Iowa.”

While there’s no official word on whether Woliczko will join Iowa for her graduation, this unofficial visit—and that memorable snapshot with Jensen—certainly hints at the exciting possibility of her future with the team. Moreover, the former Iowa sensation Caitlin Clark later dropped a comment under Wolcizka’s post which read, “The best choice. Go hawks,” only intensifying the matter.

This comes just days before the start of the new NCAA season. With the Hawkeyes experiencing five roster departures after last season, including key players like Caitlin Clark, Kate Martin, and Gabbie Marshall, head coach Jensen must be keen to bolster her team with fresh talent. Notably, this departed trio ranked among the top five scorers for the Hawkeyes last year, highlighting the importance of bringing in skilled recruits to fill those gaps.

Coach Jan Jensen’s challenges to rebuild her roster

While this season is intriguing as fans watch how the Hawkeyes adapt to life without their key players, it carries added significance for coach Jensen. It’s her first year stepping into the top coaching role following Lisa Bluder’s retirement at the end of last season. However, Jensen seems confident as she earlier told The Next Hoops, “We want to live up to that respect, so we’re working like crazy. We want to continue to put a really great fun team on the floor.”

Well, the coach’s words are not coming out of nowhere as she has already welcomed six new faces to the Hawkeyes roster, with five of them being freshmen. The standout addition is Lucy Olsen, the only one who brings collegiate experience after transferring to Iowa from the Villanova Wildcats earlier this year. With this influx of fresh talent, adding McKenna Woliczko in the future could significantly bolster Jensen’s efforts to revitalize her roster after last year’s roster changes.

The 16-year-old athlete has excelled at Archbishop Mitty High School, earning a spot among the top 20 girls’ basketball recruits for the Class of 2026, according to SB Nation. A five-star recruit, she has also showcased her talent on junior national teams. Before making it to Team USA’s U-17 roster, she had won gold at the 2023 FIBA U16 Women’s Americas Championships.

During the tournament, she played six games, averaging 11.8 points and 9.7 rebounds per game, and led all players with an impressive 62% shooting from the field. With her impressive shooting abilities, McKenna Woliczko has the potential to make a significant impact. If given the chance, could she be the one to step into the role vacated by Caitlin Clark, the team’s former sharpshooter?