Iowa women’s basketball head coach Lisa Bluder announced that freshman Gabby Machado has asked for, and been granted, a release from her scholarship on Friday.
The Pontiac, Mich., native plans to transfer somewhere closer to home to be with her family because her father is suffering a serious illness.
“We are sad to hear about Gabby’s decision to return to Michigan,” Bluder said in a statement. “We certainly respect her decision to be with her family and father, as he is very ill. We are in complete support as she finds a place closer to home to continue her academic and basketball career.”
The 6-0 forward played in 31 games and averaged 3.7 points and 3.4 rebounds. In Iowa’s second-round loss to No. 1-seeded Stanford in the NCAA Women’s Tournament, Machado had nine points and a team-high seven rebounds on March 22.
– by Evelyn Lau
