Top 5 Caitlin Clark replacements at Iowa women’s basketball: Who can replace the Hawkeyes guard?

With Caitlin Clark in her final days in Iowa City, the Hawkeyes should be on the lookout now for the future of their women's basketball squad. It's championship or bust right now for the sixth-ranked Hawkeyes, but who's going to take over Clark's reins once she's finally in the WNBA?

Here's a look at five players who could be the next top scorers for Iowa. As you'll notice, they're separated into two categories: current team members and potential high school recruits. It would be unfair to expect that these girls will replace Clark's once-in-a-generation scoring gifts, but they could be the heir-apparents one way or another.

Current Hawkeyes

Hannah Stuelke

Sophomore forward Hannah Stuelke is the second-best scorer for Iowa this season, averaging just above 14.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists on a blistering 63.9% shooting (fifth in the nation).

Her signature game this season was a 47-point explosion against Penn State on Feb. 9, in a game where Caitlin Clark dropped 39 points alongside her. She went a white-hot 17-for-20 while also grabbing nine rebounds. It was the third-most points scored by an Iowa player ever and the second-most scored at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

If one is going to expect a single player to fully take over Clark's nightly scoring barrages, Hannah Stuelke should be the next best thing.

Sydney Affolter

A 5-foot-11 guard out of Chicago, Sydney Affolter is in her junior season and would be the next-best scorer on this Iowa team behind Stuelke when Clark leaves. She's not averaging eye-popping numbers (7.1 ppg, 6.3 rpg and 2.0 apg on 55.7% shooting), but one can see that she's more of an all-around player than just a pure scorer.

Affolter has shown a tendency to be a good two-way player. She's not going to score in bunches like Clark, but one could trust that she'll do everything on the court to help the Hawkeyes win, whether it's score, pass, rebound or take care of the opposing team's best player on defense.

High school recruits

Divine Bourrage

Bourrage is a 5-foot-10, five-star recruit out of Davenport, Iowa. She was ranked as high as No. 34 by ESPN by mid-2023 and has a 97 Scout grade. Like Clark, she's played for All Iowa Attack AAU but is casting a wide net for her college recruitment.

She's one of the potential recruits with the best chances of landing in Iowa City simply because she's a homegrown talent. The only reason for her foregoing staying in her home state is the Hawkeyes' guard-heavy lineup, which could mean she's not getting a lot of playing time (via Iowa Rivals).

Journey Houston

Another homegrown talent, Houston already has committed to Iowa. She's the first in her 2025 class to commit to going to Iowa City. But her connection to the school goes deeper, as her older sister Jinaya also was part of the 2017 recruiting class.

The team's coaching staff has also been in close contact with her for a while, with Houston claiming that she's known many of the staffers for most of her life. A 5-11 guard out of Davenport, Houston is an all-state level player who averaged 19 points in high school and has all the scoring chops to be a lead.

Jasmine "Jazzy" Davidson

One of the taller prospects for Iowa, 6-1 forward Jasmine "Jazzy" Davidson is perhaps one of the best potential recruits for the Hawkeyes based on ranking and talent. She's ranked No. 2 by ESPN and for good reason: She's a three-level scorer with the size and length to also bother opposing guards on defense.

Aside from that, Davidson's former AAU teammate, Ava Heiden (who's already committed to Iowa), could mean that she'll be able to play with a close friend and get major playing time early.

The only downside is that so many other schools want her, too. She's got offers from Stanford, Oregon, Utah, UCLA, North Carolina, Texas A&M, Cal, USC, Iowa, Baylor, Michigan, Ohio State, Tennessee and South Carolina.