IOWA CITY, Iowa– Last season ended in a way that nobody expected or hoped for. The Hawkeyes fell 83-75 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. For the second year in a row, Iowa did not make the second weekend. That’s something that haunted Iowa point guard Chit Chat Wright.

The 5-foot-4 point guard transfer from Georgia Tech played 49 minutes in that game and finished with 21 points on 8-of-22 shooting to go along with five rebounds and five turnovers. For the next few months, Wright hit the gym and studied that game over and over in the film room.

“(Chit Chat) told me she watched the Virginia game almost every day. That’s a motivation for her,” assistant coach Lasondra Barrett said this week. “Chat’s a thinker, and I think she really assessed who she was. We have had conversations; she wants to be known as one of the top point guards in the country, to hold herself up there with (Hannah) Hidalgo and Jaloni (Cambridge). When she came back, we all said it as a staff, just with a different aura. I think she’s got a little chip on her shoulder, and I like where she’s at.”

Iowa didn’t play up to its standard in the game. The Hawkeyes combined to shoot 6-of-42 from three-point range over their two NCAA Tournament games. Shooting 50 percent from the free-throw line and committing 16 turnovers won’t get the job done in a game of that magnitude.

The ending drove Wright to prepare herself for a new role in a new system.

“I just kept watching it, seeing what I could have done better,” Wright said. “Although I can’t go back in the past, I still can work on things to get better for the upcoming season, and that’s just kind of what I was looking at.”

Iowa has spent the past few months restructuring what it wants to be. The culture remains strong and in place. The Hawkeyes have shifted toward a perimeter-based offense that allows guards the freedom to create their own shots. Iowa also did a spectacular job in the transfer portal, headlined by All-SEC guard Dani Carnegie.

The versatile guard is a true three-level scorer who doesn’t shy away from anyone. Wright added that Carnegie is as strong as she looks and as dynamic as any player in the country. Iowa’s roster doesn’t have a ton of guards, but it does have plenty of size and versatility on the wings. In a four-out offense, that’s something that can make defenses pay.

“I would say that,” Wright said when asked if there was less pressure to initiate everything offensively. “(My teammates) have the ability to take control of the game too. As a point guard, I still have to have the ball and get us set up. But it’s great to have teammates alongside me that can (create their own shot).”

Wright knows she is one of the most respected leaders on the squad. It’s a responsibility she is working to take to the next level this upcoming year. Contrary to her “Chit Chat” nickname, Wright earned it as a child because she was so quiet. She knows her value on and off the floor to the Hawkeyes. She’s entering her third year with a new level of confidence.

“All season long (last year), (the coaches) were telling me what they needed out of me,” Wright added. “I tried to provide that as best I could, but now I really see their point of view of what they need out of me. During games, during practice, just cheering on my teammates, communicating and using my voice. I see that a lot more now.”

Wright and Carnegie have every ability to become one of the most dynamic backcourts in the country. There are few better bucket-getters than Carnegie at the two-guard. She isn’t afraid to use her strength to bully guards in the post or utilize her ability to stop on a dime for a mid-range jumper. As for Wright, she knocked down 70 three-pointers last season while shooting 44 percent from beyond the arc.

That’s a scary combination for any team defending Iowa’s four-out offense. Wright never wants to repeat what she and her teammates experienced in the second round last year. It’s about learning those lessons, turning the page and ensuring they’re on the right side of the result when they earn that opportunity again.

“I’ve just been talking more, so I don’t know, I just had this different mentality of like, if I know what it takes to get to that point, and I just really want my teammates to be successful, and this program to be successful, so I’m just going to do whatever it takes to get to that point.”

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