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Gabbie Marshall Had No Words for Iowa Hawkeyes’ Coaching Move

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Robert Marvi | Last updated May 20, 2025 7:08 AM ET

The Iowa Hawkeyes have become a powerhouse in women's college basketball in a short amount of time. Thanks to the sensational Caitlin Clark, they made it to the national championships in 2023 and 2024. Although they lost there on both occasions, they established themselves as a heavyweight.

This past season, with Clark off to the WNBA's Indiana Fever, they went 23-11, but they lost in the second round of the women's NCAA Tournament to the Oklahoma Sooners by a final score of 96-62.

Sydney Affolter, a key guard for Iowa, just wrapped up a four-year playing career for the school. She was just named a graduate school employee for Iowa for the 2025-26 season, and Gabbie Marshall, who played five seasons, was speechless in her reaction on social media.

Affolter was a fan favorite during her time as a player for the Hawkeyes. For her career, she averaged 5.8 points and 5.0 rebounds in 19.5 minutes a game, and as a senior this past season, she posted 8.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.3 steals a game while shooting an outstanding 46.3% from 3-point range.

She stepped up her offensive game during the 2024 tournament after becoming a starter following an injury to guard Molly Davis. Unfortunately, she missed all seven of her shot attempts and went scoreless in Iowa's loss to Oklahoma in the 2025 tournament.

As for Marshall, while she wasn't much of a scoring threat for the Hawkeyes, her defense helped them excel. She will now be going after a master's degree as she looks to pursue a career in occupational therapy.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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