emely rodriguez: “Let’s go. So pumped”: Iowa HC Jan Jensen hyped for latest Hawkeyes signee Emely Rodriguez

On Monday, Emely Rodriguez became the latest member of the Iowa Hawkeyes, and head coach Jan Jensen didn't hide her excitement.

After news of the former Central Florida forward was made public, Jensen posted a story on her Instagram account, hyping up the newest member of her team.

"Let's Go! So pumped to have @emelym.r become a Hawkeye!!!! Thanks for being a Hawk, Emely!" Jensen wrote.

Head coach Jan Jensen's story about Emely Rodriguez. - Source: Instagram/@janjensen13

Rodriguez, born in the Dominican Republic, spent her freshman season at UCF, where she earned Big 12 All-Freshman Team honors after averaging 11.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists.

The 6-foot freshman showed proficiency in scoring, as she was the second-highest scorer on the Knights roster with 297 points on the season despite missing five games with an injury. Emely shot 40.9% from the floor and 33.3% from 3-point range. She also placed second on the team in steals, averaging 1.4 per game.

Now she will be joining a new-look Iowa squad. The Hawkeyes finished with a 23-11 record last season and made it to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 6 seed. After beating Murray State, Iowa lost to No. 3 Oklahoma in the second round.

After losing players like Caitlin Clark, Kate Martin and Lucy Olsen in the last two seasons, the Hawkeyes will have a different look next fall.

Emely Rodriguez is 5th addition to Jan Jensen's Iowa this summer

Emely Rodriguez is not the only new face that has landed in Iowa City this summer. She is joining Georgia Tech transfer Chazadi Wright and three high school recruits Addie Deal, Layla Hayes and Journey Houston.

Wright averaged 7.2 ppg, 2.2 rpg and 2.6 apg and is expected to see plenty of playing time on Jensen's squad, as guards Lucy Olsen and Aaliyah Guyton left the program. Olsen plays for the Washington Mystics in the WNBA while Guyton transferred to Illinois.

Deal, Hayes and Houston could get some early playing time, as the Hawkeyes still have some holes in the roster.

Iowa will have Hannah Stuelke back for next season. The forward was second on the team last season with 12.7 ppg and 7.7 rpg. She also averaged 2.2 apg and 0.9 bpg.

Rodriguez may be asked to play closer to the rim at Iowa, allowing Stuelke to find more space against opposing defenses. The Dominican could fill in for Sydney Affolter, who will join the coaching staff after running out of eligibility.

About the author

Allan Wolburg Robles is a College Sports journalist at Sportskeeda with over 17 years of experience in the field writing for publications including Reforma, Yahoo! OddsShark and Apuesta. Allan studied Communications at Anáhuac University, where he learned what would become the basis of a trade that was already a dream of his before starting college.

His favorite team is Army West Point as when he was young, Allan lived in West Point for a couple of years, went to pretty much every home game, a couple of Army-Navy games and even got to meet some of the players.

Allan's favorite players of all time include Tommie Frazier, who was unbelievable during the Nebraska dynasty of the early 90's. Tim Tebow was also a favorite, mainly because of his leadership skills, although he was also awesome on the football field. As a fan of defensive football, (or what's left of it), Sean Taylor could take over a game for Miami.

Allan has always considered himself a student of the game more than a fan of it. So the historical part and evolution of the game, as well as the ins and outs of what happens on the field, and being able to put it into words for the audience, are his biggest strengths.

Besides sports, Allan enjoys reading books, watching movies and spending time with his dogs.

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Edited by Veer Badani