Megan Gustafson stepped onto the campus of the University of Iowa in 2015, a quiet and quirky girl from small-town Wisconsin. She left four years later as one of the most beloved and successful student-athletes ever to walk the campus.
Gustafson returns to her college basketball home this weekend, as Iowa will honor her with a jersey retirement ceremony Sunday during halftime of the Michigan State game. She’ll become just the second women’s basketball player in Iowa history to have her jersey retired, joining Michelle Edwards, who graduated in 1988.
The thought of watching her No. 10 ascend into the rafters at Carver-Hawkeye Arena fills Gustafson with emotion.
“It’s just humbling and I’m so honored to be considered among the greatest athletes in Iowa history,” Gustafson said last week from Hungary, where she is playing overseas in Budapest in preparation for her second WNBA season with the Dallas Wings.
“To be up in the rafters with only one other person is a dream come true. I’ve always wanted to inspire people and God’s giving me the platform.”
Those who got to know Gustafson throughout her time at Iowa aren’t surprised she’s earned the ultimate honor. There’s what’s on paper: The forward ended her college career as the most decorated player in program history, breaking 16 school records. She is the Hawkeyes’ all-time leading scorer (2,804 points), across men’s and women’s basketball, and rebounder (1,460), and was the first Big Ten athlete to be named the consensus National Player of the Year.
Then, there’s what her coaches and teammates saw behind the scenes: a humble and hard-working woman committed to greatness for herself and her team.
“I could talk about Megan for a week,” said Iowa associate head coach Jan Jensen. “She was that type of impacting person, not just player. The most impressive thing about her ride was she never changed. She was as humble and hardworking her last day at Iowa as her first day.”
Division I programs heavily recruited Gustafson out of South Shore High School in Port Wing, Wisc. Her decision came down to a handful of Big Ten schools, including Wisconsin, Iowa, Iowa State, Indiana and Northwestern. She chose Iowa in part because it was close to home and offered a family atmosphere.
“I loved the coaches. They were way more than coaches — they were mentors, second moms and more,” Gustafson said. “Their culture is based on a fantastic family atmosphere. They were very welcoming, had a great business department and had a winning college program for years, and that was a big draw for me.”
The road from college freshman to the best player in college basketball was a process and a challenge. Arriving on a campus with over 30,000 students, after growing up in a town with fewer than 200 people, was a shock to the system.
“Coming from a little town, we were a little concerned at first,” Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder said. “She would say, ‘This team is bigger than my entire high school graduating class!’”
Early in Gustafson’s freshman year, Jensen had invited the team to her house to watch Bluder coach the U.S. women’s national team in the Pan American Games. While the team had congregated around the television and was loudly conversing, Gustafson sat quietly off to the side.
Jensen said she spoke with Gustafson a week later to make sure everything was OK.
“‘I loved it. I gotta be honest, I’m never around that many people,’” Jensen said Gustafson told her. “I was like, whoa, this is a whole new deal for her. Being comfortable took her a while, but once she hit her stride, she took off.”
The relationships Gustafson built on the team helped her begin to come out of her shell. She became fast friends with Hannah Stewart, her fellow post player and summer roommate.
“I think I might know her better than anyone,” Stewart said. “We matched up in practice for two years. We went head-to-head, bumped each other around. No matter how hard I tried, there was no stopping her. She’s just that much of a legend around here.”
Gustafson and Bluder are presented with their Naismith trophies for 2019 Player of the Year and Coach of the Year. (Courtesy of Megan Gustafson)
Gustafson also connected with point guard Tania Davis, who in the spring became the 36th player in Iowa women’s history to reach 1,000 career points, and tennis player Adorabol Huckleby, her four-year roommate and best friend.
Even as Gustafson’s celebrity grew and the nation took notice, she remained the same “quirky” girl, as Stewart refers to her.
“She was an amazing basketball player and an even better person” Stewart said. “One thing that’s so amazing about Megan is that is how she is. She’s not fake. She always stays true to herself no matter who is going on around her.”
That resolve also applied to Gustafson’s drive in the gym, in the film room and on the court. Her laser focus and constant desire to improve are what shaped her into the collegiate player she became, according to her coach. That included working on her strength and conditioning, an area in need of improvement coming out of high school.
“She was a bit of an undersized post player, but at 6-foot-3 and left-handed, we were looking for someone who would embrace being a great rebounder, post door and she wanted to do that,” Bluder said.
“What I remember absolutely the most was her work ethic from Day 1,” Davis said. “She never took a play off. In practice, we would be in slow motion and she’s grabbing on the floor for loose balls.”
Gustafson credits her parents for instilling a strong work ethic in her.
“I was taught to have it, especially coming from a small town where the opportunity wasn’t always there. I’m competitive and grew up in a sports world,” Gustafson said. “I’m determined. I like to learn. I love the game of basketball. I always want to improve.”
While reminiscing about Gustafson’s time at Iowa, nearly everyone recalled how she would expend so much energy that she could eat more than anyone else on the team.
“She’d have two plates and never missed a meal,” Jensen said. “Her ability to put away food could rival some guys. Whenever we had recruits over, I’d say, ‘Look at Megan’s plate. That’s the secret — to eat!’”
Said Stewart: “When we had training tables, we would not believe how much food she had on the plates. She would pile it up. I know it’s because she worked her butt off on the court and burned so many calories in practice.”
Gustafson laughed at the memory of her huge appetite, but didn’t deny it.
“On game days, for some reason, my appetite would double,” she said. “I never get nervous before games. I just think my body just knew it was game day and I would just stack up my plate with food.
“It was funny, but I don’t do that anymore!”
Gustafson left a mark on Iowa in many ways, but none bigger than on the court. In 2019, she led the Hawkeyes to their first Big Ten championship in 18 years and their second straight NCAA Tournament appearance. Iowa advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time in 26 years before losing to eventual champion Baylor.
Gustafson finished her senior season as Iowa’s leader in points per game (27.9) and field goal percentage (69.6). She was named Big Ten Player of the Year and became the fourth NCAA women’s basketball player to score 1,000 points in a single season. She caught the eyes of WNBA scouts and coaches, eventually getting invited to New York for the draft and being selected in the second round by the Wings.
Jan Jansen and Gustafson celebrate Iowa’s win in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last year. (Kyle Ocker / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Still, Gustafson never veered into a “me first” mindset.
“The ability to be a selfless star is not only rare, but it just isn’t as popular,” Jensen said. “We live in a culture where we pop our jerseys and self-promote. When you see a genuine, authentic star who is truly as happy for everyone else as for yourself, you do a double take.”
Gustafson will best be remembered as a kind, quiet soul, devout in her faith, who always put others ahead of herself.
“I think it’s perfect for her to have her jersey retired,” Huckleby said. “No one else can wear the No. 10 again. It can’t happen. I always knew how dedicated she was to basketball. She’s always been that way, and to see it pay off is great.”
“It’s a really cool thing to be able to say I played with someone who has their jersey retired,” Davis said. “Not a lot of folks have their jerseys retired. Not a lot are able to say that ‘I have the scoring record for both men’s and women’s where I played college ball.’ And she deserves it, 100 percent.”
Gustafson, 24, has been trying to let the gravity of the moment sink in. It might not until she’s standing at center court in front of thousands of her lifelong fans.
“When I got to Iowa, I just wanted to go in and see how well I could do. I never dreamed I’d be the National Player of the Year or have my jersey retired,” she said.
“To be able to inspire thousands of kids across the county is amazing. I’ve done something I couldn’t do on my own. God had a plan for me. He still does. It’s pretty crazy to see how I’ve been able to inspire others.”
(Top photo: Gerry Broome / Associated Press)
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