Sophomore guard Reagan Wilson has gotten more and more opportunities this season for the Iowa State women's basketball team.
AMES – Before the season started, Iowa State women’s basketball coach Bill Fennelly gave guard Reagan Wilson a grim outlook on how her season may unfold.
Fennelly told Wilson, who had played valuable minutes last season as a freshman, that she would be playing behind starting point guard Jada Williams and backup Reese Beaty. Wilson, he explained, likely wouldn't get many minutes, if any at all this time around.
“You’re the third string quarterback and the third string quarterback doesn’t get in the game,” Fennelly recalled saying to Wilson.
The talk didn’t deter Wilson. The Iowa State sophomore decided to continue working. While she began the season buried on Iowa State's bench, she has made the most of the limited opportunities she’s gotten. She’s done so well that with backup point guard Reese Beaty now out with an injury, Wilson will get more even more playing time when the 10th-ranked Cyclones host Northern Iowa on Dec. 14 at Hilton Coliseum at 5 p.m.
“I’m just hoping to do whatever coach needs me to do on any given night to help the team win,” Wilson said. “I stay ready so I don’t have to get ready. I put in the work so I’m prepared for moments like these.”
The moment is a big one for Wilson, who averaged 11 minutes per game last season while playing in 31 games and even making two starts for the Cyclones as a freshman. Wilson was a key contributor off the bench during the 2024-25 campaign and played a big role in Iowa State’s win over Arizona State when she scored 10 points in nine minutes. She hit four free throws late in the game to secure the win.
As impressive as Wilson was last season, this season was going to be a different story. The Cyclones brought in Williams, a transfer from Arizona, to take over the starting point guard spot. Beaty, a freshman, impressed Iowa State’s coaches during the summer and jumped near the front of the line for minutes right away. That left Wilson as one of the odd players out at the point guard spot.
It was such a big change that Fennelly outlined everything to her before the first game of the season. Wilson had a choice: She could either sit on the bench and sulk. Or she could keep working and fight for playing time. Even if she worked hard, playing time wasn’t a guarantee. But it would certainly put her in a good position if anything happened.
“You knew what the choice was going to be,” Fennelly said. “She just worked hard.”
Wilson also tried to make a compelling case for playing time. When the season began, Wilson, just as Fennelly had told her, was at the back of Iowa State’s bench. When playing time came, it was typically at the end of non-conference games as the Cyclones beat up on lower-level opponents. But Wilson looked sharp in the moments she got and continued to work hard. She was rewarded with more and more minutes and more and more opportunities.
During Iowa State’s win at Drake, Wilson scored 11 points. That led to her getting to play seven minutes in the Cyclones’ win over Marquette and six in the team’s victory over previously unbeaten Indiana. It wasn't much. But it was more than she expected. And Wilson made such an impression that when Beaty suffered a foot injury that will keep her out two weeks, the guard was thrust into her spot. During the victory over Iowa, she logged six important minutes.
“I’m not surprised at all,” Fennelly said. “She just kept working through it.”
Wilson will continue to get more minutes with Beaty out. Even when she returns, Wilson could still get playing time. After all, she’s shown she’ll put in the work and proven she can provide a helping hand. Wilson has already come a long way from the start of the season.
“It’s a credit to her,” Fennelly said.
Iowa State needs to shore up its free throw shooting
The Cyclones struggled massively from the charity stripe during the win against Iowa. They connected on just 9-of-20 attempts. Everyone seemed to struggle. Addy Brown shot just 4-of-9. Audi Crooks was just 4-of-7. Even point guard Jada Williams was just 1-for-4, missing two key attempts at the end of the game. It’s likely not much of a major concern since the Cyclones are shooting 77% from the line this season. But it’s something certainly worth paying attention to.
This won’t be any walk in the park for Iowa State
The Panthers may not be another easy non-conference foe for the Cyclones. Northern Iowa already has a couple of nice wins on its schedule after beating Creighton and Toledo. Neither opponent is on the same level of Iowa State. But the Panthers have always posed problems for Iowa State, even some of the Cyclones’ best teams. Iowa State barely escaped Cedar Falls in 2022 by picking up a three-point win over Northern Iowa. And then there was last season's upset when the Panthers handed the then eight-ranked Cyclones their first loss of the season.
The Cyclones have a chance at an in-state sweep
Iowa State has a chance to win the unofficial state championship among the Division I women's basketball programs in the state. The Cyclones already won at Drake and held off the Hawkeyes earlier this week. Beating the Panthers would complete the in-state sweep. That hasn't happened for the Cyclones since the 2021 season. It's something Fennelly has talked to his team about accomplishing. Beating all four teams would not only be a nice touch to Iowa State's non-conference schedule but could be a nice resume builder later in the year.
Tommy Birch, the Register's sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He's the 2018, 2020 and 2023 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at [email protected] or 515-284-8468.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Reagan Wilson making the most of limited minutes for Iowa State
Category: General Sports
