A look at Iowa Women’s Basketball portal target Maryam Dauda

Many people, including me, thought that Lisa Bluder and Co. were done in the transfer portal after Villanova point guard Lucy Olsen announced her transfer to Iowa. Instead, it appears as though the Hawkeyes are still potentially looking to add another player. According to a source, the coaching staff has reached out to Arkansas 6’4 forward Maryam Dauda and there is “early interest by both parties”. A visit has not yet been set up, but it is certainly possible that we see one that happen in the next couple of weeks. She is considered to be one of the top players currently available in the portal.

With Iowa sitting at 15 players on the roster and the transfer portal closed for further entries, the big question is, how could the Hawkeyes add another player? It is important to stress that nothing has been confirmed, but it would likely mean that things are trending towards former four-star forward Ava Jones being placed on a medical hardship waiver. That would allow Iowa to pay for her schooling, while also opening up a scholarship to be used on a transfer.

The overview of Maryam Dauda

A five-star, #13 overall and #1 ranked center by ESPN in the Class of ’21, Maryam Dauda was a McDonald’s All-American and a semifinalist for the Naismith High School Player of the Year as a senior at Bentonville High School. She averaged 17.0 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game as a senior at Bentonville. Dauda initially committed to Baylor over Arkansas, UCLA, Tennessee, Missouri, Texas and others. She was granted a release from her NLI after Kim Mulkey took the LSU job and Dauda flipped her commitment to the home-state Razorbacks program.

After missing her true freshman season with a torn ACL, Maryam appeared in 35 games as a redshirt freshman, averaging 3.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 11.0 minutes per game. She put up a season-high 11 points and eight rebounds in a win over in-state rival Arkansas State.

This past season as a sophomore, Dauda started all 33 games, averaging 10.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.2 rebounds and 28.7 minutes per game. She scored in double figures in 17 games, including a season-high 22 points against Tulsa in the WBIT. On the glass, Dauda pulled down 8+ rebounds in 12 games and averaged 3.3 offensive rebounds per 40 minutes. She recorded 74 blocks, including a career-high 10 blocks against Alabama.

Breaking down what Dauda can bring to the Hawkeyes

Anytime you have the opportunity to recruit a five-star prospect, whether it is out of high school or the transfer portal, it means you are going after a very talented player. After coming off the bench as a redshirt freshman, Maryam Dauda was a solid contributor for a Razorbacks team that went 18-15 and earned a bid to the WBIT.

Watching some limited film on Dauda, she can play either the power forward or center position. She can catch a pass in the paint and execute a post move, or play on the perimeter, with the ability to drive to the hoop or shoot the three ball. Maybe the most interesting part of her game is that she shot 31.9% from three-point range, including 29 made three-pointers.

Taking a look at her shot chart from this past season, Dauda was in the 90th percentile when it came to shots within 4.5 feet of the basket, as she shot 68.4% (54/79) around the hoop. Overall, she made 87 of her 155 (56.2%) shots inside the paint, with 71.9% of her made field goals coming inside the paint. From three-point range, Dauda ranked fourth in the SEC in most made threes amongst players standing at 6’2 or taller (29). For reference, Iowa has not had a player 6’2 or taller make 29 threes since 6’2 Kelly Krei made 46 three-pointers back in the 2011-12 season.

As a rebounder, Maryam averaged 8.8 rebounds per 40 minutes and racked up 8+ rebounds in 12 games, including a season-high 13 rebounds against Mississippi State. She also recorded 3+ offensive rebounds in nine games, including seven against Alabama.

Defensively, Dauda would serve as rim protector, which is something the Hawkeyes have not had since Bethany Doolittle. This past season, Maryam ranked 19th in the country in blocks (74) and would have ranked 5th most in a season in Iowa program history. She recorded 3+ blocks in 11 games, including setting a program record for blocks in a game with ten against Alabama.

Notable Performances by Maryam Dauda this past season…

vs Mississippi State: 17 pts, 6/10 FG, 13 reb, 3 blks

at Alabama: 8 pts, 12 reb, 10 blks

at LSU: 16 pts, 4 reb, 4 blks

vs Auburn: 12 pts, 11 reb, 4 blks

vs South Carolina: 19 pts, 4 blks

at Tulsa: 22 pts, 9 reb

This is not meant to be a direct player comparison, but here are some recent Big Ten players that played are of a similar height/position and had similar statistics…

The Hawkeyes are set to return Hannah Stuelke and Addi O’Grady to the frontcourt, while four-star center Ava Heiden arrives as a freshman. Stuelke earned Second Team All-Big Ten honors last season, averaging 14.0 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, including a then Carver-Hawkeye Arena record 47 points against Penn State.

If the Hawkeyes were to get a commitment from Maryam Dauda, it would be interesting to see how she would fit into the starting lineup. At 6’4, she would be the tallest of the starters, but she has a better perimeter game than Hannah Stuelke. Would the coaching staff opt to play Syd Affolter at the small forward, Maryam Dauda at the power forward and Hannah Stuelke at center? From a defending and rebounding standpoint that would be a tough frontcourt to go up against.

Final Thought

There’s no doubt that the addition of Lucy Olsen cemented the Hawkeyes roster as one that can compete with the top teams in the Big Ten. However, the way things are shaping up, the Big Ten is going to have a slim margin for error with 11 teams in the ESPN Way-Too-Early NCAA Tournament picture. If Lisa Bluder is able to land Maryam Dauda, it would almost certainly make the Hawkeyes a preseason top four team in the Big Ten.

The post A look at Iowa Women’s Basketball portal target Maryam Dauda appeared first on On3 .