IOWA CITY -- Fourth-year junior center Sharon Goodman announced Friday that she would be taking part in Senior Day on Sunday and then "most likely" leaving Iowa at the end of the semester to enroll in nursing school, ending her basketball career after this season.
Goodman has averaged 4.9 points per game in 26 games this season, including the only eight starts of her career, but she faded to the end of the rotation as the Big Ten season progressed.
Goodman made her announcement at Friday's news conference for the graduating seniors.
"I've been very blessed with the past four years here," Goodman said. "Just to be here, at this time, with the people that are in this circle. And that's been such a big blessing from the Lord, so thankful to have been here during this time. And so excited for what's coming next. And I just made the best decision for me at this time."
Goodman said she told her teammates two days ago, or the day of the Minnesota game.
"They were all very supportive," Goodman said. "I couldn't have expected, or asked for, a better response from them."
"It's kind of a little bittersweet," said sixth-year senior Kate Martin Friday. "That's a really tough decision to make. I know that it's in her best interest, so we're excited for her."
Goodman, a 6'3" post player from Lime Springs, Iowa, battled knee problems early in her career, including missing the 2021-22 season to ACL surgery. Goodman also lost her mother to cancer during her senior year of high school, compounding the difficulty of her journey as a Hawkeye.
"To think of the growth that has happened the past four years is humbling," Goodman said through tears Friday. "I'm thankful for all the people that have been around me. I've seen a lot of growth in myself, and the Lord has been very faithful in me for four years. To have the community around me that I did during that time, and in that transition when my family couldn't be as close to me anymore has meant the world."
Goodman's fellow seniors expressed full support for her decision, naturally.
"The biggest thing is, we support her no matter what." Clark said. "I know she's going to make a really, really great nurse. If any of you know her, you know that's the perfect job for her."
"She made the best decision for herself, and we were all supportive of her," Gabbie Marshall said Friday. "I mean, she's given so much to this program. I'm happy for her, and what's next for her."
Head coach Lisa Bluder also expressed her admiration for her departing center, and acknowledged that Goodman's decision made the most sense for her long-term.
"We showed her the pros and cons, and that's what we have to do," Bluder said about advising Goodman through the decision-making process. "It's not feasible for a nursing student to do college basketball, so I understand."
That feasibility issue is both simple and true — the time demands of both are simply not compatible — but there's a difference between simple and easy, as nursing school could have also waited for one more year of ball, as Goodman had planned before the season.
"It was not an easy decision at all; it wasn't something I took lightly or something that took me a couple hours to decide," Goodman said. "It was a long process and a long decision, and I talked to a lot of family, friends and everybody."
"I am a little proud of myself for being able to process and make that decision," Goodman added later. "But yeah, it's a very difficult decision."
TEAM IMPACT
Goodman's departure costs Iowa one of its primary options at center next season, leaving fellow backup posts Addison O'Grady (28 games played, 3.9 ppg) and A.J. Ediger (18 games played, 1.9 ppg) to compete with incoming star freshman Ava Heiden, a 6'4" forward from Oregon; Heiden suffered a knee injury that cost her much of her senior season, but she's back on the court.
Though Goodman displayed toughness and a high basketball IQ stepping into the larger role this season, the athleticism of the Big Ten's elite post players began to cause more matchup problems for Goodman, forcing sophomore stretch-forward Hannah Stuelke into playing the five nearly exclusively.
While Goodman's playing time diminished as the season wore on, her absence from next year's team will still be felt.
"Sharon's one of the best teammates I've ever had," Clark said. "As long as I've played sports, whether it's soccer, basketball, whatever. She's just always there for people. She really cares about people, she loves people. She's one of the purest souls I've ever been around."
With five seniors graduating — and possibly more departures, in this transfer portal era — Iowa will have a dearth of upperclassman leadership compared to so many previous Hawkeye teams. Currently, Sydney Affolter and Kylie Feuerbach are the only seniors-to-be with any career starts at Iowa; Affolter has three (all coming this season), while Feuerbach started a pair in 2021-22, before an ACL injury knocked her out for 2022-23; Feuerbach has not started since.
Both Affolter and Feuerbach figure to be key leaders on the 2024-25 Hawkeye squad, especially with Stuelke still working on confidence and consistency; their importance should not be diminished.
But Goodman would have been another steady presence in the locker room through the upcoming transition from The Caitlin Clark Show to the next iteration of Hawkeye ball.
"You don't get strong relationships or good team chemistry from an easy walk to the Final Four," Goodman said. "It comes from the battles and the losses, and even just off the court. When we see each other go through struggles, building those close relationships."
On the court, Iowa will need some combination of improved play from O'Grady and situational advantages from Heiden to ensure the post position remains strong — especially if Iowa tries to get the 6'2" Stuelke back to being a stretch-four to take better advantage of her speed and eliminate mismatches against the taller bigs Iowa will face.
Depending on the team's long-term goals for Stuelke, a grad transfer in the post may make sense as well, but with only one scholarship currently freed up and the point guard position facing just as much uncertainty for 2024-25, the team likely has higher priorities as long as only one scholarship is available.
