Megan Gustafson broke two all-time scoring records on Sunday, both the Iowa men's and the women's records. She has officially scored more points than any other player in the history of Iowa basketball…. and she still has at least 18 games to go.
The record-breaking shot.
????: Adam Ruff #Hawkeyes #FightForIowa pic.twitter.com/qMhKhl2juy
— Iowa Women's BBall (@IowaWBB) December 30, 2018
Gustafson laid it up with 1:24 to play in the first half to break the previous record of 2,102 points set by her former teammate Ally Disterhoft, who only held the record for 47 games. Gustafson finished the game with a 30-point,14 rebound double-double in a loss to Michigan State.
Gustafson currently has scored 2,124 points (as of Dec. 30, 2018). She broke the Iowa men's scoring record in the second half — originally set by Roy Marble at 2,116 points. No other player in the history of Iowa has scored as many points as Gustafson — and she'll continue to blow that record out of the water.
Following the game Gustafson did a tremendous job of thanking her teammates. I mean, of course they do throw her the ball. But how does she make it look so effortless? She makes it look so simple by making layup after layup, but how has she become such a prolific scorer?
First off, she is strong. Her strength allows her to establish positioning inside, not be pushed around outside of the paint, and to finish over double and triple teams.
She creates a base using her lower body and rarely is seen leaning heavily on people.
Her strength, combined with touch with either hand, allows her to take contact and finish consistently over defenders.
Megan Gustafson is such a refreshing player to watch. There is zero fluff to her game. True 5s out there that wanna score need to emulate her zero/1 dribble finishes before they start trying to dance with the ball pic.twitter.com/NPvt0jvTrN
— Ben Dull (@ben_dull) December 11, 2018
Second, she is smart. Gustafson does her work before the ball comes inside. She is constantly aware of her defender and the positioning of the ball on the court. She anticipates and thinks one to two steps ahead of the action that is taking place.
This allows her the opportunity to establish a deep seal and hold it, and her teammates have been drilled to be able to get it to her from anywhere on the court.
Once the ball finally does come in, it's a simple game of laying it up.
Third, she has body control and can be crafty — especially out of the high post, Gustafson can face up a bit and she uses her dribbles effectively without wasting them.
Her court awareness is high and she will use hesitations to get by defenders despite not being overly quick.
Here (above, right) is an example of her playing out of the high post.
Repost and a quick bucket for @IowaWBB's Megan Gustafson.
Catch @Chiney321 on the call breaking it all down! #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/wV713owclt
— High Post Hoops (@HighPostHoops) March 17, 2018
Finally, Gustafson is patient. An immediate reaction to many post players when the ball comes in is to rush or start dribbling.
Gustafson has no problem kicking the ball back out and working for better positioning and playing under control.
Check out this clip (left) from her junior year of a perfect repost scenario.
The best part about Megan Gustafson is her level of skill inside combined with her IQ. She is a rarity in the women's game when it comes to an interior presence who plays the way she does. It's refreshing to see how incredibly skilled she is. What she is doing inside may look easy, but trust me… it's not.
Following the 84-70 loss to No. 21 Michigan State, Iowa droped to 0-1 in the Big Ten and 9-3 overall. They will look to bounce back on Thursday, Jan. 3 when the Hawkeyes host Nebraska at 7 p.m.
