Hailey Van Lith vs. Lauren Betts: Who should be the next Hawkeye?
The Iowa Hawkeyes just completed their best season in program history — so far!
While everyone enjoyed the ride Iowa women’s basketball gave us this past season , nobody around Iowa City is content with just one year. The black and gold want to win it all and give Caitlin Clark the championship she deserves.
While they lose two big pieces, Monika Czinano and McKenna Warnock, a number of returning role players gives Iowa a heck of a team for next year.
But, we want more. We need more!
There was big news for the women’s program today when it was announced Shateah Wetering was hitting the transfer portal. First, we wish Wetering the best on her next team. It was great to see her step back on the court after missing the year prior due to an ACL injury.
Hopefully, she can earn meaningful minutes playing the game she loves. It’s bittersweet because Wetering’s exit is also a crucial development for Iowa.
Wetering’s transfer opens up a scholarship for this team, and what a time to go shopping in the portal! There are so many great players available this offseason.
Few teams can boast a better situation than the Hawkeyes. Just the pull of playing with Caitlin Clark is massive itself. Then, there’s the opportunity to start for the national runners-up. Oh yeah, Iowa will be returning a lot of 3-point specialists to a packed Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Two names connected to the Hawkeyes are Louisville’s Hailey Van Lith and Stanford’s Lauren Betts. Both are vastly different players at opposite ends of their collegiate careers. Both are worth all of the excitement they’re generating within the Iowa fan base.
Who deserves that final roster spot, though? Who should Iowa fans campaign for the most? Today, I will break down both players and what they potentially bring to the Hawkeyes, as well as a major question about each of their fits.
Hailey Van Lith: A Deadly Backcourt Combo
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Quite simply, this would be one of the best backcourt pairings the women’s college basketball world has seen in quite some time. Teams wouldn’t be able to just go all out guarding Caitlin Clark with the basketball. Van Lith is a dangerous threat to score, lightening the load on Clark to be the team’s only ball handler. You may see Clark freed up for some more easy open looks as well.
Hailey Van Lith: Experience to Make A Run at the Natty
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With Hailey Van Lith, you add a proven star who has done it in the tournament before. She had a heck of a tournament run this year, bringing Louisville to the Elite Eight, where it lost to Iowa. She scored 20-plus points in each of the Cardinals’ four NCAA Tournament games, playing all 40 minutes in the last three contests.
With a number of high-quality players returning on this roster, Iowa looks primed for another run at the national title. Bringing in an experienced star such as Van Lith would be a fantastic way to strike while the iron’s hot, making the most of this championship window!
Hailey Van Lith: Does She Fit Iowa's Style?
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Of course, the idea of adding Hailey Van Lith makes a ton of sense on paper. Iowa is a very good team. Hailey Van Lith is a very good player looking to join a very good team. It makes sense. From a basketball sense, though, it is interesting to see how Van Lith would fit the Hawkeyes’ style.
Iowa likes to shoot the ball. A lot. And they have an entire roster full of players good at hitting the three-ball. Van Lith doesn’t live from deep; she operates more from the mid-range. It would also be interesting to see how she would exactly mesh with Clark, both are rather ball-dominant guards.
Lauren Betts: A Direct Replacement for Monika Czinano
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Fortunately for Iowa, it isn’t losing many players heading into next season. Unfortunately, they are losing a vital piece, Monika Czinano.
The latest draft pick of the L.A. Sparks, Czinano played an extremely important role for the Hawkeyes. She was Iowa’s main paint presence on both ends of the floor and was hyper-efficient on the offensive end. One of the best low-post scorers in the nation, Czinano had a simply special connection with Caitlin Clark.
Now, Iowa needs to find another big, and it needs to do so fast. Even if you like what Hannah Stuelke brings, the team still desperately needs to get bigger, especially against the top teams in the nation. The 6-foot-7 center Lauren Betts would certainly give the Hawkeyes the height they need.
Lauren Betts: Sky High Potential
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Imagine what Caitlin Clark and the Hawkeyes did last year, but with the best center in the nation. Of course, Lauren Betts is not that yet, but she certainly has elite-level potential. We’re talking about the top recruit in the 2022 class here. She was ranked over Ta’Niya Latson, over Kiki Rice.
Given the opportunity, Betts can be a breakout star and become one of the best bigs in college basketball. Lauren Betts is 6-foot-7, and you can’t teach that!
Seriously, that is a size mismatch for most teams out there. Betts is dominant on the low block, and imagine the spacing she’d enjoy with Iowa’s shooters. Imagine the great positions she’d be put in because of Caitlin Clark’s passing wizardry.
Lauren Betts: Is She Ready to Be a Star Now?
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The biggest question about Lauren Betts is whether or not she is ready to be a star now. Iowa doesn’t need someone who’s going to take a little step forward this year, start to figure things out, and become a star in their senior year.
No, no, no. This team is ready to win a national championship right now. They have their star, they have their role players. Now, they just need that big No. 2 option.
If Betts comes to Iowa, she has to be ready to completely take over the massive void left by Czinano. She has the potential. We just need to see her take that leap. The right opportunity will be there for her at Iowa.
How About Aneesah Morrow?
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As I said before, the transfer portal has so much talent at the moment. You could build a team out of those looking for a team, and they could probably make it to the Elite Eight. If Iowa decides to go in a different direction, it should certainly look at Aneesah Morrow.
Not often will you see a former WBCA Freshman of the Year available, but here we are. Two-time All-American Aneesah Morrow is available after entering her name into the transfer portal. The former DePaul big is a dominant presence in the paint, averaging 25.7 points and 12.2 rebounds this past season. She was also a semifinalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Award.
Morrow carried a struggling DePaul squad this year and would form a beneficial partnership with the Hawkeyes. She fills a Monika Czinano-sized hole in Iowa’s starting five, while the Hawkeyes give her a chance to star on a team with championship aspirations.
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