Which transfer The Athletic says Hawkeyes should add

The three top names in the women’s basketball transfer portal appear headed elsewhere.

That’s after Stanford transfer center Lauren Betts announced her move to UCLA and DePaul transfer forward Aneesah Morrow revealed her top three schools and it didn’t include the Hawkeyes. Louisville transfer guard Hailey Van Lith appears as though she might be headed to LSU as well.

Fear not Hawkeye fans. Sabreena Merchant of The Athletic was asked who the Iowa Hawkeyes should add out of the transfer portal and it wasn’t any of those names.

If I were Iowa, I’d be less set on finding a center and more focused on finding a power forward to replicate Warnock’s skill set. There’s a better chance of O’Grady or Stuelke growing into an efficient paint scorer than providing Warnock’s spacing or defense. Lexi Donarski, an Iowa State transfer, is the player who would make the most sense to slide into Iowa’s starting lineup next year and make an immediate impact. – Merchant, The Athletic.

Donarski is ranked as the No. 3 transfer portal entrant per ESPN’s Charlie Creme. The 6-foot guard started 95 games over the last three seasons with Iowa State. A native of La Crosse, Wis., Donarski was the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2021-22 and a first-team All-Big 12 selection.

Donarski was also on the Big 12’s All-Defensive Team this past season and was the Big 12 Freshman of the Year in 2020-21. She has been a double-figure scorer in each of her three seasons in Ames, averaging a career high 14.3 points per game in 2021-22.

Thank you, Iowa State pic.twitter.com/vOEW2iiuxz

— Lexi Donarski (@lexi_donarski) March 27, 2023

Last season, Donarski averaged 12.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.6 assists. She shot 38.0% from the field and 31.8% from 3-point range last season with the Cyclones.

Donarski would bring a 1,200-point scorer into the fold for the Hawkeyes immediately. The Iowa State angle would be an interesting one for the Cy-Hawk Showdown, too. Come in and help Iowa remain atop the Big Ten and Donarski would be welcomed with open arms.

Another name to watch—and one that Merchant was asked about in her mailbag—is Arizona transfer center Lauren Ware. The Hawkeyes have one scholarship available and the 6-foot-5 big would make sense as a natural replacement for Monika Czinano.

Ware averaged 5.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game in 21.8 minutes per game with Arizona last season.

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