Out of Sherwood High School in Oregon, Ava Heiden came to Iowa as a four-star center and one of the more coveted recruits in Hawkeye women's basketball history, the No. 42 prospect in the country. Through a season where Heiden had to stay patient and wait for her moment behind Hannah Stuelke and Addison O'Grady, the 6'4" post earned the spotlight in the Big Ten Tournament, scoring in double-figures for the first time in her college career -- and doing so in back-to-back games.
"I think all the reps that I've been putting in in the dark have been helping a lot with that," Heiden told the media following her career-high of 11 points, plus four assists and two steals against Michigan State. "Just waiting for my opportunity and working towards it so that when I do get that, I can shine."
Heiden, who was used to seeing the floor not just more, but a lot more, prior to the start of her college career, added that it's been difficult for her to ride the pine behind an All-Conference player like Stuelke and the seasoned vet O'Grady throughout the year.
Her minutes haven't been just limited during the season, they've been quite sporadic. For example, she went from playing one minute in a January loss to Illinois to seeing the court for 17 minutes the following game against Indiana. Prior to the Big Ten Tournament, she hadn't played more than seven minutes since playing 13 at Nebraska on February 10.
"I think every freshman goes through this," she said after the MSU win. "It's definitely a roller coaster, a lot of ups and downs and going from being the best player in high school to everyone around me is great. So, [I'm] learning to navigate that and then just putting the work in every day so that I can create that separation for myself."
Managing the freshman center's minutes hasn't been easy for head coach Jan Jensen, either. Lauded as a "post whisperer" thanks to her involvement in developing previous Iowa All-Americans like Megan Gustafson and Monika Czinano, Jensen has admittedly struggled at finding the right balance between Heiden, Stuelke and O'Grady.
"It's usually been more of a lineup issue, what type of post we're playing -- if we need a little bit more bounce or little bit more size," Jensen said following the loss to Ohio State and Heiden's 10 points, four boards and a block. "Ava's been coming. In my opinion, in my coaching career, the timing of when you unleash can make all the difference. ... When you're jockeying for position and you're trying to get someone ready to go when it's money time, that's the hardest part."
For Jensen and the Hawkeyes, it may be time to unleash the talented freshman. With her ability to run the floor, find a way to score around the rim and defend the cup, Heiden simply can't finish a game having played single-digit minutes the rest of the way.
With the NCAA Tournament right around the corner and the Oregon native showing immense potential ahead of the most important part of the season, Iowa can seemingly only benefit from playing more Heiden minutes.
"If you do it right, it'll usually come up big for you," Jensen said. "Ava's done a lot. She's showed she's ready for the moments."
