The 2026-27 Iowa women's basketball season is rapidly approaching, and Tuesday was another sign of it.

The Hawkeyes hosted their annual media day to preview their new campaign, and it's safe to say there's a lot of information to take from it. You'll find most of it in future previews, but for now, here are some of the top notes from media day.

The primary talking point in both Jensen's press conference and the player availability was how the offense is switching to a 4-out 1-in scheme. This system, popularized by legendary college basketball coaches Rick Majerus and Jay Wright, features four guards on the perimeter and one in the paint. This allows the offense to space the floor better and provide opportunities for both driving guards and the lone post player, which in Iowa's case would be Ava Heiden. 

Every player, especially Heiden, didn't seem to have any qualms about the new system. While there are certainly some growing pains at this point in the the year, Jensen is confident she has the right personnel to run a 4-out 1-in successfully. Once it gets going, it "ages like fine wine," after all. 

"When you're teaching something that has three right answers and you're looking for the best answer, it takes patience and it takes time. It takes video watching. It takes ups and downs. It takes a lot of failing, and then the success will come," Jensen said. "Our staff has worked extremely hard in the summer into the fall, and I think we're beginning to kind of turn that corner to get to everybody's sweet spots." 

If there is something that Jensen is concerned about right now, it's rebounding. Iowa ranked sixth in the Big Ten in rebounding last season, but top rebounder (and third-best in the league) Hannah Stuelke exhausted her eligibility last year. Jensen joked that the four-year standout should've earned a deal with Windex because of her work on the glass, but replacing that production isn't going to be easy. 

The 6-foot-4 Heiden should help, but Jensen mentioned second-year Journey Houston and highly-anticipated first-year McKenna Woliczko as names she hope can step up and deliver on the boards. But both are still very young in their careers, so the Hawkeyes may have to be a very efficient offense to mitigate the potential struggles that could be coming on the glass. 

"I'm thinking we're going to have to be a little bit more efficient so we don't need as many offensive rebounds," Jensen said. 

Does the 2026-27 team feature the most diverse roster Iowa has ever had? Jensen sure thinks so. A lot of the returning players have unique backgrounds (Layla Hays is from Alaska), but the diversity is especially between the newcomers - Dani Carnegie, Amari Whiting, Ella Strömdahl, Jocelyn Faison, Bria Medina, and Woliczko. 

Whiting is on her third program after stints at BYU and Oklahoma State, and Carnegie is on her second school after transferring in from Georgia. Medina is completely new to Division I basketball after coming over from D-III Knox College, while Strömdahl just arrived in Iowa City from her native Sweden. Faison was Carnegie's teammate at Georgia last year, too. 

Though everyone on this roster has a unique story to tell from home, according to Jensen, the diversity makes college basketball special. As for the actual basketball, Jensen says all are progressing along just fine. 

"They all brought a lot of great things to the table. I wouldn't think anything has been a surprise. It's trying to make sure we balance all of that experience and get it rolling in the right direction," Jensen said. 

Despite boasting the nickname "Chit-Chat," Chazadi Wright is anything but talkative. She received the nickname in high school because of her shyness, but that was back then.

Wright wants to literally live up to her nickname this year as she settles in to her second season at Iowa. That fact alone can only help, as will her strong play on the court. The third-year averaged 12.5 points and 4.5 assists per game last season. 

"I've been wanting to like talk to my teammates more, letting them know what I need from them, also getting feedback from them like what they need from me, and also just being able to communicate with my coaches as well," Wright said. 

Iowa is loaded with depth at the guard position, but one position it doesn't have as much depth at this season is at center. Heiden should be one of the best bigs in America, but who else is going to step up? Stuelke helped fill that scoring void when Heiden was double-teamed or in foul trouble, but she's obviously out of the equation this year. 

Backing up Heiden at the five this season is likely going to be Layla Hays. The second-year didn't see a ton of action (last season, but those minutes are probably going to increase in 2027. The off-court chemistry with Heiden has helped give Hays more confidence this season, but she wants Hawkeye fans to know that she can be a very good rim protector off the bench this year. She's 6-foot-5, after all. 

"I take pride in my defense. I think my defense is something that I can really highlight being physical with people that are big," Hays said. "It's not something that super stresses me out."

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HawkeyeRoundtable publisher Brad Schultz has covered the Iowa Hawkeyes since 2023. To send him story ideas, scoops, or criticize his writing, reach him at [email protected]