Iowa women's basketball guards are ready for whatever role they may fill

IOWA CITY — One of the biggest talking points heading into Iowa women's basketball season is that the Hawkeyes have fewer players on the roster but a lot of options at the guard position.

Head coach Jan Jensen's squad has six guards: Taylor Stremlow, Dani Carnegie, Journey Houston, Chit-Chat Wright, Amari Whiting and Bria Medina. Jocelyn Faison is listed as a guard/forward.

Assuming that All-Big Ten preseason team player Ava Heiden starts at center and Wright retains her starting spot, that would leave three other spots in the starting lineup.

Carnegie was a unanimous All-SEC pick at Georgia last season after averaging 17.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.

Stremlow started 18 games for the Hawkeyes last season and averaged 7.9 points and 4.3 assists per contest.

Whiting started all 34 games for Oklahoma State in 2025-26 and was top 20 in the Big 12 in steals and rebounds.

Houston had an impressive freshman campaign for Iowa, averaging 5.4 points and 5.1 rebounds in just 15.6 minutes per game.

Medina scored 23.6 points per game at Knox College, the second-highest average in Division III.

Instead of it seeming like a competition, Stremlow, Carnegie, Houston, Whiting and Medina are all ready to embrace whatever role is asked of them.

"That's the ticket," Jensen said in her press conference at women's basketball media day on Oct. 13. "Is when your time comes, from when you come off the bench or you start, is 'What can I do when I'm there?'"

The players are ready for whatever role they will play this season

Houston is making the transition from forward to guard, and Jensen has said a lot about how good of a summer she has had in the offseason. She said Houston's defense has improved and she's been developing her shot. The second-year Hawkeye just wants the chance to play her role.

"Knowing my role, we have plenty of scorers," Houston said. "We got Dani, Chat and Ava, so, just hit shots when I'm open and just try to get them open."

In terms of wanting to be a starter, Houston noted that she thinks everyone at this level wants to be one, but she will take whatever is given to her.

"If that means coming off the bench, coming off the bench, and I'm going to give it my all," Houston said.

Stremlow is a captain this season, as voted by her teammates, along with Heiden and Wright. She thinks the deep roster is a good thing, knowing that whoever is out on the court is going to do their best.

"I think whoever's on the floor is going to be a threat," Stremlow said. "especially with Ava (Heiden) inside and the attention that she demands in the post. If people want to double down on her and make them pay on the outside and if people want to step over the line, we'll make them pay on the inside, so I think it's pretty exciting."

Whiting is a transfer from Oklahoma State by way of BYU and has played almost 100 collegiate games. In terms of the role she would hope to play, she said, "whatever coach wants."

"Whoever comes off the bench is just as good as who's starting," Whiting said. "So I'm really excited. I think all of us just really want the best for each other and to be the best versions of ourselves."

With the smaller roster (11 players), there is a hope to spread out minutes more than in years past.

"As fast as we want to play offensively, and then as hard as we expect them to play on the defensive end, we are going to need to have a few more rest periods," assistant coach Abby Stamp said.

Stamp gave an example from last season, saying that Wright was averaging 35 minutes a game for the Hawkeyes, and that might have been a little too high.

"We have seen a lot of good things from our guards so far throughout the summer and then into now," Stamp added. "For us, we just want to just make sure that we're taking care of the ball, we're getting high-percentage shots, and then we're doing everything fundamentally sound on the defensive end."

The expectation is to not have much of a drop-off from whoever the starters are to whoever comes off the bench. Jensen has talked a lot about the team being "other-centered." Stamp said that the "we-over-me" mentality has quickly become a trademark of the Hawkeye program.

"I think that is definitely Jan's character," Stamp said. "Jan is very, very other-centered and trying to lift up the person around you. I think that's what we want to have with our group, day in and day out, year in and year out."