Bluder: recruiting ‘in a great place right now’

IOWA CITY - The freshman class consists of two state players of the year, a national team member and another first-team all-stater.

The class behind it is nationally ranked, and the group behind that is pretty much wrapped up.

'I think we're in a great place right now with our recruiting,” Iowa women's basketball player Lisa Bluder said. 'The consistency and success of our program and the Big Ten Network, those things help.

'Everybody wants to play for a winner, and I think we're a fun team to watch. We score a lot of points and we run a lot.”

The Hawkeyes have qualified for seven straight NCAA tournaments.

Whitney Jennings, a 5-foot-5 guard from Logansport (Ind.), leads the crop of four incoming freshmen. A dynamic playmaker, Jennings averaged 32 points per game last year as a high-school senior and was named Indiana Miss Basketball by the Indianapolis Star.

Her role this year doesn't appear to be that of a mere atch-and-wait understudy for Samantha Logic. It's entirely possible that the starting perimeter will consist of Logic, Jennings and Melissa Dixon.

'Going up against Sam in practice is going to help me a lot,” Jennings said. 'And to play alongside her ... she's so knowledgeable about basketball. I'm going to try to learn from her the best I can.”

Chase Coley, a 6-3 forward from Minneapolis, averaged 24.4 points, 18.3 rebounds and 8.9 blocks per game in earning Gatorade Player of the Year honors in Minnesota. Christina Buttenham (6-0, forward, Hamilton, Ontario) spent the summer with the Canadian Junior Women's team, leading them to a silver medal at the FIBA Americas Women's 18-and-under championships.

Carly Mohns, a 6-1 forward from Brodhead (Wis.), might be the sleeper of the group.

'She has a blue-collar mentality. She's a great rebounder, and that's what we really need,” Bluder said.

Iowa's 2015 class is rated 18th by ESPN.com's Hoop Gurlz site, with three top-10 commitments - Tanya Davis (37th), Megan Gustafson (92nd) and Hannah Stewart (95th).

Amanda Ollinger of Cedar Rapids Jefferson is rated the 30th-best junior and leads a four-girl list of commitments from the Class of 2016.

LOGIC VS. LOGIC

When St. Ambrose comes to Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Nov. 9 for an exhibition, it will create a matchup between Logic and her younger sister, Brette.

'It will be cool to say we got to play a college game together against each other,” Samantha said. 'It will be fun. St. Ambrose likes to score and put up points.”

Bluder's first coaching job was at St. Ambrose, where she posted a 169-36 mark in six seasons from 1984 to 1990.

CAPTAIN REYNOLDS

Knee injuries have kept Kathryn Reynolds from becoming an impact player at Iowa, but Bluder said the senior from Cincinnati has her teammates' attention, and their respect.

'You don't have to have the most points or the most rebounds to be a great leader, and she's a great leader,” Bluder said. 'When she talks, everybody listens.”

Reynolds completed her undergraduate degree in three years and is a first-year law student.

l Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@thegazette.com