By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – It certainly isn’t Addie Deal’s fault that she made the Big Ten All-Freshmen team last season while her former Iowa teammate Journey Houston didn’t.

Deal, a former five-star recruit from California, appeared in 34 games last season, including three as a starter, averaging 5.1 points per game. She was also twice named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week.

However, Deal only shot 39.4 percent from the field, including 29.7 percent from 3-point range, and she had more turnovers (59) than assists (56).

Houston, on the other hand, averaged 5.4 points per game last season while shooting 50 percent from field (75-of-150). The Davenport native also finished third on the team with 172 rebounds, averaging 5.1 per game.

But when it came to picking the Big Ten All-Freshmen team, Deal still got the nod over Houston.

Deal, a 6-foot guard, has since transferred to Wisconsin presumably in search of more playing time, while the 6-0 Houston is using being left off the Big ten All-Freshmen team as fuel for her fire this offseason.

Houston was asked Tuesday after practice if not making the Big Ten All-Freshmen team bothered her.

“Bothered; kind of yes because I feel like I worked pretty hard and my coaches thought I should be in the running as well,” Houston said. “Congrats to everybody who did get it and it kind of just lit a fire under me to just keep working hard and show who I am.”

Houston showed who she was last season as a gritty undersized power forward who had a knack for rebounding in traffic, for defending against bigger players and for scoring when needed. She started two games last season, but spent most of last season as Hannah Stuelke’s backup at power forward.

And even though Stuelke has moved on, Houston is expected to see more action at small forward, and she has taken steps to handle that adjustment, including dropping a few pounds to be quicker on the perimeter.

“I kind of would get blown right by if I was guarding a quick guard, but now I’m putting up a fight, at least,” Houston said. “So I’m getting better.”

Sometimes, what is perceived as a snub can provide that little extra push to excel, to work ever harder in practice and to be more efficient and focused on the task at hand.

Iowa assistant coach Lasondra Barrett mentioned Houston as a player who has stood out this summer for how she has approached each daily workout.

“Now she’s kind of that four (power forward) out, and even trying to slot to the three” Barrett said of Houston. “So she’s working on ball handling, she’s working on being able to guard guards. So if we have to play her at the three, she’s able to guard a ball screen and be that. So she can be like a big guard to this team.

“So I think her development is key. But she’s putting in the work behind it. So she will always be rewarded with the work.”

Houston was among three freshmen that joined the Iowa team last summer, along with Deal and center Layla Hays.

Deal, as a former five-star recruit, was the media darling and rightly so given her many accomplishments in high school in California.

Houston, meanwhile, suffered a season-ending knee injury in her her junior season at Davenport North High School, putting her ascent as a recruit on hold.

She still managed to be ranked among the top 100 players in her senior class, but it was easy to overlook Houston with Deal getting so much hype.

That started to change last season, though, as Houston developed into a reliable and productive option off the bench.

She led Iowa’s three freshmen in scoring, rebounding and minutes played last season, and yet, still didn’t make the Big Ten All-Freshmen team.

Some might argue that Deal was picked partly due to the hype that has surrounded her since high school.

Whatever the case, Houston is now on a mission to show that it was a mistake to leave her off the Big Ten All-Freshman team.

She has that chip on her shoulder that comes from being overlooked and under-appreciated. It pushes Houston to get the most out of each day and to dig deeper for that extra burst of energy.

“I’m much more confident,” Houston said. “I think it’s just having one year under my belt and kind of knowing how my team rolls and how my coaches coach. That’s really helped me this year.”