Addie Deal will join Iowa’s starting lineup Thursday at USC

IOWA CITY — Addie Deal’s homecoming will coincide with her first career start.

Iowa Coach Jan Jensen confirmed Tuesday that Deal — a freshman from Irvine, Calif., will join the starting lineup Thursday, when the eighth-ranked Hawkeyes (18-2 overall, 9-0 Big Ten) play at USC (11-9, 3-6).

“Addie’s ready,” Jensen said. “I know I have confidence in her. She’s a hard worker, she’s a good IQ player and she’s always eager to be on the floor.”

Irvine is a 45-minute drive to the USC campus.

Deal will replace Taylor McCabe, who suffered a season-ending knee injury Sunday.

McCabe tore the ACL to her left knee in a non-contact incident on the first play of the Hawkeyes’ 91-70 win over Ohio State.

“It’s the toughest thing for every coach, in any sport, at any level,” Jensen said. “Especially when you’ve got a kid like Taylor, who has given their heart and soul to it.

“She’s the epitome of being a Hawkeye, just a great young woman. My heart aches for her, especially when it’s not just season-ending, but career-ending.”

McCabe is a senior who is set to graduate this May with a civil engineering degree.

She will pursue a graduate assistant position in women’s basketball to help her attain a postgraduate degree.

“Adversity is part of every journey,” Jensen said. “I wish we didn’t have it, but we do, and we’ll go forward.”

McCabe’s absence likely means a primary rotation of eight players, with Deal inserted in the starting backcourt alongside Chit-Chat Wright and Kylie Feuerbach, and Ava Heiden and Hannah Stuelke along the front line.

Journey Houston and Layla Hays will continue to provide depth at the power forward and post positions, with Taylor Stremlow spelling the three perimeter players.

The possibility is there for an expanded role for Teagan Mallegni and/or Callie Levin. Both were taking extra postgame shots Sunday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Deal is coming off a career-high 20-point outing Sunday, and has scored at a 12.0-point clip through the last four games.

“I’m confident in my abilities,” Deal said Sunday. “I love the way we play, super unselfish.”

The McCabe news was doubly difficult for her family. Taylor’s sophomore sister, Peyton, suffered a serious ankle injury in Drake’s game Sunday in Des Moines, a couple of hours after Taylor was helped off the floor.

At the time, their mother, Dana, was at Iowa City. Their father, Ryan, was at an athletic event with the two younger brothers, Colin Declan.

“Taylor told her mom, ‘You have to go to Des Moines. (Peyton) is in the hospital. I’ll be OK,’” Jensen said.

McCabe had an MRI Sunday night, revealing the torn ligament.

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