Iowa women's basketball's move to the 4-out offense has been one of the most popular discussion points leading up to the season. 

The offensive scheme definitely will rely on great guard play, but there's another component to it as well that's in the name: 1-in. This second part of the equation will feature the post players - a hallmark of head coach Jan Jensen's tenure at Iowa. 

You probably know who the leader of the frontcourt is, but there's other names you should keep tabs on, too. 

Here's a look at the Hawkeyes' frontcourt along with some notes and thoughts on each player. 

Year: Third 

Height: 6-foot-4 

Heiden just may be the most important piece of this Iowa team, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand why. Whenever the Hawkeyes needed a bucket last season, all they had to do was find the 6-foot-4 Heiden inside, and it worked well for them, especially in the near-first round loss to Farleigh Dickinson in the NCAA tournament. Heiden averaged 18 points and 7.2 rebounds per game in 2026, and her incredible sophomore season has landed her on many preseason award watchlists this year. 

Iowa's 4-out, 1-in offense should continue to get Heiden buckets, but she wants to be much more than an inside player this year. The Oregon native showed signs of developing a quality midrange jumper last season, and it wouldn't be surprising to see her get it going after an offseason of practice. Another big campaign looks to be in the cards for Heiden. 

Year: First 

Height: 6-foot-2 

Jensen might be hesitant to use the talented freshman in the starting lineup to begin the year, but considering Iowa's lack of size, the 6-foot-2 Woliczko may be the Hawkeyes' best option right now. Jensen knows there are going to be some growing pains for Woliczko in the early going - every freshman has them at this level - but make no mistake about it, Woliczko has the pedigree to become an outstanding player in Iowa City. She's the second-highest rated recruit (behind Caitlin Clark) and one of only six McDonald's All-Americans to don the black and gold.

Jensen wants Woliczko to shoot the three-ball a little bit more, but there's nothing about Woliczko's game that is bad. She's excellent on both ends of the floor and shot 63.7% from the floor in high school (21.6 PPG). That's incredible no matter what level of basketball you're in, but basketball aside, another thing that stands out to me (and her coaching staff) is Woliczko's humbleness. She could easily walk into the facility and flaunt her five-star status in everyone's faces, but she's instead choosing to listen to the feedback from her coaches and do whatever it takes to win basketball games. That's going to pay huge dividends in her early career. 

Year: Second 

Height: 6-foot-5 

With frontcourt depth looking very thin this year, Hays just may be the key to unlocking the full potential of this Iowa team. The Alaskan averaged just under 10 minutes a game last year, but that's probably going to go up this year. Having a season of Big Ten basketball behind you is always a positive thing for development, but no Hawkeye is poised to take on an increased role more than Hays. Confidence was a common word she used at media day, and that's sometimes what you need to have success in this league. If Hays can bump her average from 4 to around 8-10 points per game, then Iowa will be in excellent shape. The 4-out, 1-in offense should create a lot of one-on-one opportunities for her, so we're going to find out what she's made of very quickly. 

Year: First

Height: 6-foot

The first-ever Swedish player in Iowa women's basketball history, Strömdahl was a very late addition to the 2026 recruiting class, having announced her commitment in May. Jensen and Co. didn't have a lot of film on Strömdahl, but they obviously liked enough to bring her to Iowa City. Strömdahl tallied 6.5 points and 2.9 rebounds per game for the RIG Lulea Swedish academy team and though she is listed as a forward, she shouldn't have a problem in the 4-out offense. 

One important note here: Strömdahl didn't arrive in Iowa until the fall semester began, so that may impact her chance to see substantial minutes early in the season. 

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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]