January 12, 2018 By Chris Varney
When the University of Iowa asked Shateah Wetering if she wanted to play basketball for the Hawkeyes, it did not take long for the Montezuma sophomore to say yes. It might be in the seconds for Wetering to make the commitment. Last week, Wetering formally announced her decision to play basketball at the Big Ten school on the Carver Hawkeye floor.
Last night on the Extra Point, Wetering says it was a dream come true for her to get this opportunity. The 6’1″ sophomore currently leads a balanced Montezuma scoring attack, averaging 12.5 ppg, shooting 55.6% from the field. She also leads the Bravettes in rebounding at 6.8 rpg and has 17 blocks on the season. She says that Iowa Head Coach Lisa Bluder and her staff has been incredible in the process. The staff has been impressed by her ability to drive the ball to the hoop but Wetering says she still has work to do on posting up on the blocks. She also says getting stronger will be a priority — not a surprise for a sophomore. Years, maturity, and more work in the weight room will alleviate that.
It is not surprising that Wetering would commit to a basketball program early. It will take a ton of pressure off her in the future and eliminate the recruiting process that many high school juniors and seniors go through. It IS surprising that Iowa or any school would commit to a sophomore, particularly at a small school. There is some risk involved for Iowa in this deal. A lot can happen in the next two years to players and to college programs. Obviously, Coach Bluder and the Iowa program thinks very highly of Wetering.
For Shateah, its a no-brainer. She now has a guarantee to play Division I basketball at the school many in this state dream of playing for. She could change her mind in the future and play for a different team — her early commitment is not binding and many players across the country do indeed change their mind, especially when coaches leave. And almost always, coaches will leave.
However, in this case, it doesn’t look like Lisa Bluder is going anywhere. Wetering is the first recruit for the Iowa freshman class of 2020 and she knows there is a lot of work ahead. It will put a target on her back, however, as future opponents will want to get the better of the future Hawkeye. In the meantime,Shateah can concentrate on Montezuma’s run through the second half of this season knowing her dreams of wearing the black and gold will come true.
Listen to the complete interview with Montezuma Sophomore Shateah Wetering from last night’s Extra Point at myiowainfo.com.