It took a while, but she's in.
Point guard Aaliyah Guyton, a 5'7" true freshman point guard from Peoria, Illinois, made her college basketball debut as a Hawkeye in Iowa's 72-43 victory Sunday over Washington State.
Guyton, returning from knee surgery nearly a year ago, entered the game with 2:32 left in the fourth quarter, subbing in for guard Taylor McCabe. Guyton logged her first points as a Hawkeye shortly thereafter, going 2-for-2 at the free-throw line. She also logged a turnover in the win.
"I really wasn't anticipating getting her in today," said Jensen. "I really didn't know how this game was going to play out, and I knew she was just cleared for full last week. And anybody who's had an injury of any kind knows, that is a long road home."
Guyton tore her ACL in early January, during a Peoria High game. Guyton had already signed with the Hawkeyes at that point — not that the program would have looked elsewhere had her commitment not been official.
"You get your dream school, she signed and then we had that injury," said Jensen. "So it's very emotional to get into the game."
"A lot of us have been injured and know what that journey is like, but specifically ACL is a really, really long recovery," said fellow true freshman Taylor Stremlow. "She was super consistent with that, worked hard every single day, showed up for herself and for our team."
Jensen mentioned before the season that Guyton was the team's primary option at backup point guard, weeks before her full clearance to practice. The fact that Guyton was trusted to contribute, even in chips-and-salsa time, within 48 hours of being cleared speaks volumes to the team's trust in its incoming freshman, both short- and long-term.
Still, no amount of preparation can keep a kid from feeling the emotional gravity of the moment, and Guyton was no exception when her number was called ahead of schedule.
"She had a quiver lip, and just was like, 'Coach, I'm so nervous'," said Jensen. "We had a little moment after the game — she had a turnover, and I was like, 'look, that's the least of our worries. You got that out, and you felt how the Hawkeye family has embraced you.' That was one of the cooler moments of my young head coaching career."
Even with the WSU game functionally over, the close-knit Hawkeye roster erupted in joy from the bench once Guyton made her first free throw.
"We were so excited for her," said point guard Lucy Olsen. "It's just so nice. She's been in practice here and there, but she's finally back and it's super exciting."
Fellow true freshman Stremlow, who has taken up some of the duties of backup point guard in Guyton's absence, was similarly thrilled to get her classmate on the court.
"Seeing her go out there and for all that hard work to pay off was really exciting," said Stremlow. "Just happy for her because she's put a lot into this."
While the "long road" Jensen talked about delayed Guyton's debut and her integration into the rotation, this isn't the first time uncertainty has tinged Guyton's road to Iowa City.
"Aaliyah's always been special, and I'll tell you why that kid's special," said Jensen. "She came, and she didn't know if Caitlin Clark was going to be here or not. ...the fact that that kid wanted to be part of this, said 'I want to be part of your program. If I'm going to sit, I learn from one of the best ever'."
MINUTES IMPACT
If this is her introduction to the rotation at the backup 1 as expected, Guyton's minutes will have to come at someone's expense, and Jensen is already essentially developing this team's rotation on the fly during non-conference play.
This problem probably doesn't need much scratch paper, though: the minutes will likely just come from Olsen herself.
Olsen has averaged 35 minutes per game through the first six contests (next highest: Hannah Stuelke, 28 mpg), and Jensen's early-season pattern of giving her senior point guard virtually every competitive minute is so prima facie unsustainable that it must be intentionally so.
A player with Guyton's penchant for energy and defense will not only slot in nicely with the identity Iowa is establishing, then — it's also a perfect option off the bench to keep the wear-and-tear on Olsen's wheels more reasonable without sacrificing pace or defensive pressure.
