Stuelke shines as reserve at FIBA Women’s AmeriCup

IOWA CITY — A little nudge was required to accept the invitation.

When University of Iowa rising senior Hannah Stuelke received word in April she had the opportunity to compete for a spot on Team USA at the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup basketball tournament earlier this month in Chile, she notified second-year Iowa women's basketball coach Jan Jensen with a touch of hesitation.

“You could kind of sense, she was like, ‘Wow, I’m a little bit nervous,’” Jensen said after the final open practice of the summer Tuesday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena’s practice gymnasium. “I said, ‘That’s normal.’ … If you were invited, that means you are there for a reason.’ So I think the biggest thing for Hannah was coming out of this comfort zone and I had to really tell her that no matter what, you going out there and sizing up other WNBA potential draft picks, people we’re going to play during the season or hopefully the NCAA tournament, none of this can do anything but help you.”

Even with a robust resume that included two Final Four appearances and two all-Big Ten second team honors, testing her game against some of the best college players in the country — some of whom had already represented Team USA before — was pretty heady stuff for the former Cedar Rapids Washington prep.

“I was a little bit uneasy because sometimes I don’t like to step out of my comfort zone,” Stuelke said. “I’m really glad that I decided to go.”

Stuelke not only made the team, she shined in a reserve forward/center role as Team USA — which included Iowa State rising junior Audi Crooks and fellow Big Ten players Gianna Kneepkens (UCLA), Kennedy Smith (Southern California) and Grace VanSlooten (Michigan State) — won all seven games to earn the gold medal.

“It is really special coming together with the best in the country,” Stuelke said. “Getting to know them on and off the court was really cool.”

The only game that was not decided by double digits was the July 6 gold medal game against Brazil, which ended with a 92-84 come-from-behind victory for Team USA. Stuelke played a tournament-high 22 minutes in the final and registered seven points, seven rebounds, two steals, one assist and one block. On defense, she drew the assignment of guarding Kamilla Cardoso, who currently plays for the WNBA’s Chicago Sky.

“I think my defense was really good,” Stuelke said. “I thought I was really productive. I came in and did what I had to do. … I have guarded Kamilla before, but not that well as I did down there. So that was pretty cool.”

With her gold medal proudly displayed on her bedroom wall, Stuelke can now turn her attention to her senior season with the Hawkeyes, where she will be counted on for experience and leadership alongside a talented roster of newcomers like heralded freshman guard Addie Deal and a pair of incoming transfers, point guard Chazadi “Chit-Chat” Wright (Georgia Tech) and forward Emely Rodriguez (Central Florida).

That leadership was on display Tuesday when, after several missed uncontested layups during a shooting drill, it was Stuelke’s voice that could be heard as she implored the team, “Let’s make some layups!”

“She said it with an expectation that I had not heard before,” Jensen said. “I was really happy to hear that.”

With a couple of true centers on the roster in 6-foot-4 sophomore Ava Heiden and 6-5 incoming freshman Layla Hays, Stuelke figures to return to the forward position and continue working on her passing and medium-range shooting. Despite missing three weeks with the Hawkeyes while competing for Team USA, Jensen said on-court improvements already are evident in addition to heightened leadership expectations.

“She looks more confident,” Jensen said. “There is something that happens when you become a senior. Just in every realm of the growth. Especially for Hannah, there were always the seniors that were really talky or when she was a freshman, you had Kate (Martin) and Caitlin (Clark). So now I think she is embracing that.”