Just two years ago, Caitlin Clark
was dominating the college basketball charts at the Iowa Hawkeyes. However, she wasn't a one-man army. Alongside her was forward Hannah Stuelke. Often called the 'Robin to Clark's Batman,' she was the favorite target for the point guard. But things took a turn once Clark left Iowa for Indiana
.
Stuelke remained a pillar for the Hawkeyes. However, she went undrafted in the 2026 WNBA Draft. Always the one to believe that "All of our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them," she still found a way into the professional basketball world. Earlier this month, the 22-year-old received an offer from Serie A1 club Broni to play in Italy. But after everything that happened between now and then, Stuelke recently confessed that she once thought of leaving the sport for good.
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"At first, I decided I was going to be done, actually," Stuelke told Jack Lido of KCRG-TV9. "And then (Broni) reached out, and it just felt like a good fit for me. Just the timing was really good. It was kind of like a God moment. Everything just kind of fell into place."
The Cedar Rapids-born was majoring in English and Creative Writing at the University of Iowa. So, if she wanted, she could've very well entered the journalism lane as many retiring players choose to do. However, moving on from something that she had truly left her mark on is never that easy.
During her time with the Iowa Hawkeyes, Stuelke was a key part of the program, appearing in 136 games and averaging 11.5 points and 6.7 rebounds across her career. She became a defensive weapon for Head Coach Jan Jensen, averaging 9 rebounds per game. But her most productive season for scoring was 2023–24.
Then, she averaged 14 points per game and became an important interior presence in a system built around Caitlin Clark. That was the first year the group went all the way to the National Championship Game before losing to Angel Reese
's LSU Tigers.
Hannah Stuelke played as a cutter and finisher, where she often scored off Clark's passes, and this became one of Iowa's biggest strengths. To put things in perspective, that connection peaked in her 47-point game against Penn State in 2024, where Clark assisted on numerous of her field goals.
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Yet despite everything she accomplished at Iowa, she was faced with a harsh reality when she entered the 2026 WNBA Draft after finishing her senior year.
Projections placed her between the second and third rounds, but Stuelke went undrafted. It was surprising, given her stats in Iowa:
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She finished her career with 1,565 points, which is 14th all-time in Hawkeye program history.
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Her 910 rebounds tie for fifth all-time in the program's history.
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Only three players before her have recorded 1,550 points and 900 rebounds in a career.
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She received her third Second-Team All-Big Ten honors as a senior.
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Stuelke appeared in back-to-back national title games.
Even then, there was some speculation that the Indiana Fever
might consider her as a developmental addition, given her chemistry with Caitlin Clark
. But even that didn't come to fruition.
Just when she was at her lowest, the Italian club stepped in with a contract offer, giving Stuelke a clear path to continue her career. That not only restarted her professional journey but also provided structure at a moment when she needed direction most.
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Still, what makes this situation even more interesting is how quickly she's already being integrated into Broni's system.
"I've been talking to the coach a little bit. We'll run an offense kind of similar to the one that we ran in Iowa this past year. And yeah, I'm just excited to get over there, be somewhere new. I've been at Iowa my whole life," she further added.
Stuelke's move to Italy doesn't close the door on the WNBA. For her, the overseas league can act as a development platform where she can hone her skills and then use it as an entry point to the American league, like plenty of players who have previously done so. Just look at how Chennedy Carter found her way back to the league after she was left off of everyone's roster last season.
So for a player who was ready to walk away from basketball just weeks ago, that's a future worth chasing.
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