That's an interesting take. Finishing second in the nation twice in a row is a bad thing. I'm gonna have to ponder that a minute . . .
OK, pondering over. So here goes: Iowa broke #1 South Carolina's 40-some game winning streak in the national semifinals. If the brackets had been different, that would have been, and should have been, the national title game. At any rate, you don't think that accomplishment matters?
There are hundreds of teams that did NOT finish second in the nation two straight years. The Bulls didn't win the NBA title every year Michael Jordan played. LeBron's team doesn't win the NBA title every year.
No school in the nation, none, supports women's basketball the way they do in Iowa City. No other school in the nation draws 15,000+ for every home game, and has for three straight years.
Any player who chooses to go to another program is doing so for reasons--or no reasons at all--that Iowa cannot control. That's the player's problem. Those who do choose to be Hawkeyes are the ones to focus on. Good riddance to the rest. IMHO, of course.