Video: Iowa men’s and women’s basketball at “Hawkeyes from Downtown”
“Hawkeyes from Downtown” was held in Iowa City on Oct. 11, 2024. It serves as unofficial kickoff to the 2024-25 seasons.
After coming up just short while swinging for the recruiting fences, Jan Jensen has her first commit as Iowa women’s basketball head coach.
The Hawkeyes landed a commitment from 2025 standout Layla Hays on Saturday, a source with direct knowledge of the situation confirmed to the Register. Hays ranks as the No. 68 overall recruit in her class according to ESPN. The 6-foot-4 post hails from Wasilla High School in Wasilla, Alaska, where she’s risen into a quality prospect despite the geographical obscurity.
Like the other high-end recruits Iowa has just missed out on this offseason, Iowa had to fend off numerous schools to land Hays. After piling up more than 25 offers full of Power Five suitors, Hays narrowed down a top eight to Iowa, Nebraska, Duke, Indiana, Gonzaga, Washington, North Carolina and Illinois. She released that list on July 27 and started the clock on the closing stages of her recruitment.
The Hawkeyes were among Hays’ first wave of offers during the 2023 summer, just a few months after Caitlin Clark guided Iowa to its first-ever national championship game. Jensen’s post-developing resume kept the Hawkeyes in the mix even after former head coach Lisa Bluder retired in May.
An official visit this weekend — which included stops at Friday’s Hawkeyes from Downtown basketball event and Saturday’s football game versus Washington — was the final recruiting piece. Hays was seen wearing a shirt inside Kinnick Stadium Saturday that read “I’m home, Go Hawks.”
Recently, the Hawkeyes have plucked their bigs from just about everywhere. Local lands like Megan Gustafson (Wisconsin), Monika Czinano (Minnesota) and Hannah Stuelke (Cedar Rapids) have strengthened Iowa’s brand in the Midwest, while additions like Addison O’Grady (Colorado) and Ava Heiden (Oregon) show Iowa’s name continues to expand.
That’s evident in the 2025 class as well, with Hays joining Davenport North’s Journey Houston and California’s Addie Deal to comprise another quality group. While the Hawkeyes were in the mix for elite prospects like Emilee Skinner (committed to Duke) and Jordan Speiser (committed to Kansas State), landing Hays gets Jensen on the recruiting board in a significant way.
Dargan Southard is a sports trending reporter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.
