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There will be plenty to celebrate this Thanksgiving at Ava Heiden’s family dinner table. Already, the 6-foot-4 sophomore has amassed an array of accomplishments in her first go-around as the starting center for No. 11 Iowa.
Averaging 15.7 points and nine rebounds per game, Heiden was recognized as the Big Ten Player of the Week and the United States Basketball Writers’ Association (USBWA) National Player of the Week.
Meanwhile, the Hawkeyes are off to an undefeated start at 7-0, with two games scheduled for Thanksgiving week: Wednesday against Western Illinois and Sunday against Fairfield. In the first contest, Iowa preserved their perfect mark, winning 86-89 as Heiden collected her fourth double-double of the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Recently, Iowa pulled off two big wins against then-No. 7 Baylor and Miami. Against Baylor, the Hawkeyes won 57-52 and Heiden finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Then against Miami, Iowa once again eked by with a 64-61 win. In that game, Heiden scored 20 points and grabbed six rebounds.
Coming out Oregon’s Sherwood High School, Heiden was the No.36 prospect in the class of 2024 according to ESPN’s SportsCenter NEXT 100. She was a four-star prospect who averaged 17.2 points, 11.3 rebounds, 4.0 steals, 3.0 assists and 2.8 blocks in her prep career.
During her freshman season in Iowa City, she finished the season averaging 5.0 points and 2.8 rebounds per game while coming off the bench. On Dec. 29, 2024, she grabbed a season-best eight rebounds against Purdue in an 84-63 win, while scoring nine points. Against Murray State in the NCAA Tournament, Heiden scored 15 points and shot 7-for-11 from the field and captured seven rebounds. In the process, she became the first Hawkeye freshman since 2009 to score more than 15 points in an NCAA Tournament game.
Additionally, Heiden, in a preview of things to come, finished the season scoring 10 or more points in three-consecutive games. She scored 11 points against Michigan State in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament, in which the Hawkeyes won 74-61. Then, Heiden scored 10 points against Ohio State in their 60-59 quarterfinal loss.
Fast forward, Heiden has now emerged as a focal point of the Hawkeye offense, which, due to her talent, is relying more heavily on points in the paint to power them to their undefeated star.
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