Reusse: Iowa's Passion for Women's Basketball Goes Back Over a Century

[Ignatius L Hoops]

Passion for women's basketball in Iowa goes back over a century

The state was a hotbed for 6-on-6 basketball long before most states even sanctioned girls' basketball in high school, and the appearances of Iowa and Iowa State in the NCAA tournament shows the game is still in talented hands in the state.

www.startribune.com

And he brings it up to date:

The NCAA showed its full awareness of the Iowa rivalry when the bracket was revealed Sunday. The Hawkeyes, a No. 2 seed, and Iowa State, as a No. 3, were both set to host first-weekend games as home teams. The selection committee decided to put them in the same half of the Greensboro regional. Two wins apiece this weekend and the state of Iowa and the NCAA get what they want: a Sweet Sixteen game next week in Greensboro, N.C. — Clark from the Dowling Catholic Maroons in Des Moines vs. Joens from the Iowa City High Little Hawks.

That's right, Joens, a five-star recruit from Iowa City, was not sought with proper enthusiasm by Iowa coach Lisa Bluder. Ashley's father, Brian Joens, went public with his unhappiness over Bluder not joining in the early scholarship offers for Ashley