Sycamore grad Kylie Feuerbach happy to be back with Iowa

Last season was a run to remember for Sycamore native Kylie Feuerbach and the Iowa women’s basketball team – even if Feuerbach was relegated to a role as spectator.

The redshirt junior and three-time Daily Chronicle Girls Basketball Player of the Year tore the ACL in her right knee in a team workout the first week of August 2022 and missed the entire 2022-23 season while recovering. But that didn’t lessen her excitement as the Hawkeyes advanced to the NCAA National Championship game for the first time in school history.

“It was very, very hard to sit out. I will say it would’ve been harder if we were losing, but because it was successful, the ride was super fun,” Feuerbach said after Iowa’s 99-65 win over Bowling Green on Dec. 2 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. “I was still able to experience everything, and even through all of that, even though I wasn’t playing, I felt like a part of the team, and I still learned things and saw how that whole process of that season went. It was still really, really fun, but it probably would’ve been more fun if I was able to play.”

Feuerbach remained a visible part of the team, sitting on the bench for every game and spending time with her teammates off the court. Over the summer, the team took a trip to Italy to play in a few exhibition games, and even though she still wasn’t cleared to play, she enjoyed the team bonding the trip provided.

Sitting on the bench with a future hall-of-fame coach in Lisa Bluder and her longtime assistants Jan Jensen and Jenni Fitzgerald also offered some new insight for Feuerbach into the game she loves so much.

“It’s so weird, because I would definitely say I learn a lot of things when I’m on the floor, but when I’m not on the floor … I’m not used to not having the ability to go into the game. Even if I’m not playing just because I’ve been taken out of the game or whatever, it’s still different because you’re into it,” she said. “But when you can’t play, you really learn a lot. You don’t really realize it until you’ve been injured, then you understand how it is. It was definitely a learning year. We’ve had a few other players who have torn their ACLs in the past, and they all have told me how that year is one of the biggest years for them as a player because they learned so much off the court.”

This year, the 6-foot guard has played in all 14 of Iowa’s games off the bench, and is averaging 3.4 points and 1.6 rebounds in 15.9 minutes per game; she also has 11 assists, 10 steals and three blocked shots and has hit 13 of her 16 free throws while shooting 13 of 40 from the field and 8 of 26 from 3-point range. She’s also been a strong on-ball defender for the Hawkeyes, and her versatility on that end of the court has been impactful.

Feuerbach spent her freshman season at Iowa State, then transferred to Iowa to play with former AAU teammate Caitlin Clark and the Hawkeyes. She played in all 32 games in 2021-22 and averaged 3.4 points, 1.3 rebounds and one assist per game.

Then, as she looked to build on that the following summer, she suffered the knee injury.

But after being cleared in August to return to the court, she has come back strong this season and says she now feels as healthy as she did before the injury.

“I would definitely say I basically feel 100%. I still have to strengthen my leg and joint, that’s not at 100%, but it’s above 90. It’s been very smooth, and I don’t really have any mental barriers,” Feuerbach said. “I also am not wearing the brace; that’s something they really kind of harp on, but for me, just not wearing it, that will help my mental barrier too, just not having that reminder. I feel like there’s less to overcome if I’m not thinking about it all the time when I’m out there. It’s been really smooth with that, and I think that’s been one of the easiest things.”

Iowa assistant head coach Raina Harmon, Feuerbach’s position coach, said Feuerbach is very coachable and used last year to look at basketball from a different perspective.

“Kylie is incredibly skilled, and the energy that she brings is big. Even last year when she was hurt, we kind of missed her energy out there on the court, but the way that she was able to support her teammates last year and the way it’s carried over is huge for us,” said Iowa assistant coach Raina Harmon, Feuerbach’s position coach. “This season, it means everything for us to have her back. She’s very versatile. She’s got such a quick first step, so she’s able to draw fouls, get to the basket, get some layups, and then her ability to knock down 3s adds to it. And defensively, she can guard 1 through 4 for us. When she’s in the game, she’s typically getting one of the toughest matchups because she is so long and because she does have that quick first step.”

Feuerbach also says she feels the love from her teammates and credits them with helping her through the injury rehab process while she was cheering them on to their second straight Big Ten Tournament title and a run to the Final Four as national runners-up.

“Being with this team is the best part about being back, by far. It’s a very special, tight-knit culture. Being able to play with them, and even being off the floor with them, we’re all best friends, so I’m just so happy to be able to be around them,” Feuerbach said. “While I was injured last year, it’s a little bit different when you’re able to play with them because it brings you a little closer going through practices and games together. I’m finally able to do that again, and I’m very happy to be doing that with this team.

“They’re equally as happy for me to be back. It didn’t really seem like I had too many barriers when it came to getting back at it, and I give a lot of props to them for that. They kind of helped me get through everything really smoothly. They were all there for me, and they’re all happy for me. It was a very, very smooth recovery.”