According to multiple reports, Iowa freshman guard Aaliyah Guyton is entering the transfer portal. Guyton appeared in 29 of Iowa’s 34 games during the 2024-25 season, starting one (a 62-57 loss to Illinois in January).
Throughout the season, she averaged 4.7 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game, while playing 16.3 minutes per game. She shot 37.5% from the field in her freshman year, with a strong performance from beyond the arc, converting 37.3% of her 3-point attempts.
Guyton’s shooting struggled toward the end of the season, as she made just 4 of 19 attempts (21%) from the field in the final five games, including a 2-of-9 (22%) showing from 3-point range. Turnovers also became an issue for her at times, with an average of 1.7 giveaways per game over 16 minutes of play. While improving in these areas will be important moving forward, the number of turnovers wasn’t overly concerning for a true freshman facing Big Ten competition.
Guyton joined Iowa as a highly regarded member of the Hawkeyes’ highly anticipated 2024 recruiting class, which featured four players ranked in the HoopGurlz Top 100. The daughter of former Indiana standout A.J. Guyton, she was the second-highest rated recruit in the class at #58, behind only Ava Heiden at #42.
A four-star recruit coming out of high school and the top-ranked player in Illinois, Guyton averaged 21.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.8 assists during her junior year at Peoria. Her senior season was cut short by an ACL injury, making her recovery and the amount of playing time she managed for Iowa during the 2024-25 season all the more impressive.
With Guyton’s departure and the graduation of Lucy Olsen, it underscores the need for Iowa to bring in additional ball-handlers from the transfer portal. While five-star recruit Addie Deal is set to join the 2025 recruiting class, relying on a true freshman to handle most of the ball-handling duties next season could be a risky move.
This move likely opens up more opportunities for players like Taylor Stremlow, another freshman who averaged 14.4 minutes and 2.1 assists per game (against 1.6 turnovers per game). Additionally, Iowa recently hosted former Arizona guard Jada Williams for a visit.
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