Hawkeye Nation Is Astonished by Portal Departures: Iowa Women’s Basketball Loses Three More Key Players After Lucy Olsen and Sydney Affolter Leave, Putting Jan Jensen in the Face of the Biggest Roster Shake-Up! Iowa City, Iowa — Hawkeye supporters were about to relax when the transfer portal rocked Iowa women’s basketball once more. Rebuilding a roster that recently lost five key players is possibly the biggest task head coach Jan Jensen has faced since taking over the program.
The first surprise was the announcement made soon after the season ended by two of Iowa’s most seasoned guards, Lucy Olsen and Sydney Affolter, that they were leaving. The team’s top scorer, Olsen, was the driving force behind Iowa’s attack and a dependable presence in the closing minutes of games.
Meanwhile, it was impossible to overlook the grit and leadership that Affolter brought. Now that Aaliyah Guyton, AJ Ediger, and Addison O’Grady have joined them in quitting the program, the situation has gotten worse. Iowa was counting on the combination of youth and experience represented by the three players to provide depth going into the 2025–2026 season.
Jensen acknowledged in a statement issued Friday morning that “this is a transition period, no doubt.” “We are thrilled about the opportunities this creates for the talented athletes who are here and those who will join us, but we are also thankful for everything these players gave to our program.”
Although those remarks are intended to soothe the fan base, it is impossible to overlook the losses. After a strong freshman season, Guyton was expected to have a larger role in the upcoming season. Iowa’s frontcourt had flexibility thanks to O’Grady’s versatility, while Ediger, a powerful interior presence, provided size and rebounding.
This is made even more difficult by the timing. Jensen will now need to use the portal herself to cover crucial rotational gaps as Iowa has already begun offseason workouts. The good news? She has already signed two players who could partially make up for the lost output: Chazadi Wright from Georgia Tech and Emely Rodriguez from UCF.
This roster change is both concerning and fascinating for Hawkeye Nation. Yes, it was painful to leave. However, it also shows that Jensen is dedicated to changing the program to reflect her own vision and constructing for the long term.
There are other new eras in Iowa City besides the men’s team’s move from McCaffery to McCullum. Everyone will be closely observing how Jensen’s team, which is undergoing one of its most significant changes in recent memory, plays out when the Hawkeyes take the court this autumn.
