The Iowa Women’s Basketball coaching staff got some big news yesterday afternoon as Class of 2024 6’4 Center Ava Heiden out of Sherwood High School in Sherwood, Oregon announced her commitment to the Hawkeyes.
Assistant Coach Jan Jensen is widely known as one of the best post coaches in the country. Her reaction to the commitment on Twitter signified just how big it is.
Heiden is rated as the #4 Center and #42 overall recruit for the class by ESPN. Ava tells me that Oregon State, Utah and Washington were the three schools she was heavily considering outside of Iowa. She kept her offers and visits pretty quiet, but it was also reported that she took visits to Portland and Gonzaga.
After her visit to Iowa City back in early August she had this to say about her trip, “The whole staff was so hospitable and welcoming to us. They took a lot of their time to show us the beautiful campus/academics/facilities at Iowa, and we deeply appreciated that.”
As a sophomore last season, Heiden averaged 10.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.0 steals, 1.5 blocks and 1.2 assists per game for a Sherwood Bowmen team that went 15-10, won the Pacific Conference and advanced to the second round of the playoffs, where they fell to #2 seed Jesuit. She was named Pacific Conference Player of the Year.
Cody Stensrud of Prep Girls Hoops had this to say about her game.
“One of the tallest girls in the class, Heiden is a great post presence for her age. She has a tendency to block shots and take smaller defenders back to the basket and can finish with a nice soft touch down near the rim. Ava is a tall body with a great frame who looks to be a dominant force for this upcoming season.”
We caught up with the incoming junior at Sherwood to discuss her commitment to Iowa and more.
Q: What stood out on your visits to Iowa City that made Iowa a clear choice?
HEIDEN: Just everything about Iowa was amazing. The people, the basketball program and what it values, and the academics were amazing. The feel of Iowa was right.
Q: I’m assuming you got to watch a practice on your visit, what stood out about that experience?
HEIDEN: Iowa always utilizes the post when playing and the posts weren’t just back to the basket players. They set screens, shot threes and transitioned quickly down the court. That is the way I love to play.
Q: What is your relationship like with Coach Lisa Bluder and the rest of the coaching staff?
HEIDEN: They are the most amazing people I could possibly be coached by, and both them and the team feel like family.
Q: Coach Jan Jensen is known as one of the best post coaches in the country. Megan Gustafson and Monika Czinano are recent successful examples. How much did that factor into your decision?
HEIDEN: A HUGE amount. I want to be utilized when playing and reach my highest potential, and Jan is the person to help me do that. Plus, Jan is just an amazing person and if I’m going to be around someone 24/7, I would want it to be her.
Q: Where does the coaching staff see you fitting in to their style of play?
HEIDEN: I would be a versatile player playing both the 4 and 5 spot that could play back to the basket, but also face up.
Q: What does it mean to you to commit to a school that has the fan support that Iowa WBB has?
HEIDEN: It’s so exciting. The people of Iowa are amazing and are huge supporters of all of Iowa’s sports. In fact, after I committed a whole bunch of Iowa Hawkeye fans followed me. The fact that these people are so supportive and welcoming means the world to me.
Q: What would you say are the strengths of your game? What areas are you looking to improve going forward?
HEIDEN: I would say the strengths of my game are my posting up skills and my transition game. Something I am working on right now is my three-point shooting and my face up game.
