The Megan Gustafson Show at the University of Iowa is nearing its finale.
Hank has discovered Walter White’s secret.
Ross and Rachel are about to move to Paris.
Tony just started playing Don’t Stop Believin’ at the diner.
It’s officially the postseason and Iowa basketball fans don’t know how many episodes they have left of the greatest show in Iowa Women’s basketball history.
It takes an extraordinary effort to stand out on the national stage in NCAA women’s basketball if you don’t have a certain name on the front of your jersey. Even the casual fan knows players from the Connecticut’s and Notre Dame’s of the world gain more notoriety and garner more national attention due to the historical lack of parity in the sport (which, thankfully, is rapidly changing).
That’s what makes the last few seasons of the Gustafson Show so incredible.
The Port Wing, Wisc., native has become a household name in the sport after posting staggering numbers and shattering nearly every Iowa record in her path. It’s impossible to put her career in context at Iowa because no one has accomplished her level of ridiculous success in a Hawkeye uniform.
While the focus has been on Gustafson since she burst on the scene (and rightfully so), the recruiting and player development abilities of Lisa Bluder and her staff have flown somewhat under the radar. It’s one thing to sign highly-ranked prospects but developing those recruits into athletes who consistently exceed insanely lofty expectations has become the norm under Bluder.
Before Gustafson (12th ranked post player in her class), Bluder landed a five-star McDonald’s All-American recruit in Samantha Logic in 2011 and the buzz around her arrival was electric.
Iowa fans found themselves thinking they had witnessed the most exciting player to come through the program after she eclipsed milestone after milestone. Logic was the only player in NCAA women’s basketball history to record at least 1,500 career points, 800 rebounds, 800 assists, and 200 steals. She recorded six of the nine triple-doubles in Iowa school history and was able to rise to All-American status as a junior and senior.
On the flip side, when Kachine Alexander arrived on campus in Iowa City, she had minimal Division I offers. By the time she graduated, it was hard to imagine another player as dynamic as the 5-9 guard that averaged 9.5 rebounds per game and unofficially led the Big Ten in floor burns and fist pumps. Alexander developed into an incredible all-around player and made a name for herself on the national stage, earning All-America honors as a junior and senior.
Iowa City product Ally Disterhoft was a top-100 recruit out of West High and came into the program with the added weight of being the local kid playing for the team she grew up watching. She developed into Iowa’s all-time leading scorer (before Gustafson came along), not to mention the most decorated academic all-American the program has ever seen.
Since 2010, Iowa players have earned a total of 16 All-America honors and at least one player has been named first team All-Big Ten in all but three seasons. Those awards have been won by women ranging from heralded high school recruits to players with just one or two other Division I offers. That speaks volumes to the level of consistency and player development that Bluder has created at Iowa.
Iowa fans find themselves in a familiar spot as the Gustafson Show nears its conclusion. How will another Hawkeye player ever match the excitement, collect the video game statistics, or gain the national attention like Gustafson has done in her career? It’s highly unlikely that any other player will come close to those records, so fans need to sit back and enjoy this series, even though they know it’s coming to end.
Bluder has been able to produce spin-offs, however, just when fans think an epic run has ended. Binge the rest of this one and soak in the final moments, but history has proven that another award-winner is coming sooner rather than later.
