By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

ROSEMONT, Ill. — Hannah Stuelke said she made 100% of her 3-pointers in a recent Iowa women’s basketball scrimmage.

“I only took one,” Stuelke said, laughing.

She’s been taking more, coach Jan Jensen said at Wednesday’s Big Ten basketball media days.

“I’m thrilled with what she’s doing shooting from there,” Jensen said.

Now, Jensen said, don’t expect Stuelke to be throwing in 3-pointers like that’s her main role — she has made just seven of her 31 3-pointers in her career, just 2 of 17 last season. She is going to be playing primarily at the ‘4’ this season, so having teams respect her shot will help create all kinds of opportunities for the Hawkeyes’ offense.

“I think it would be silly for everybody to think that all of a sudden, right behind (guard Taylor) McCabe,” Jensen said. “I think she has (the 3-point shot) in her arsenal. We have to get it consistent enough where people aren’t going to be like, ‘You have to make four before we guard you.’ … We won’t know until we start playing people, but I do think Hannah has definitely improved.”

“It’s been really exciting being able to grow in that area, working every day, just to get it better, and it feels better, and I’m more confident in it,” Stuelke said. “So it’s going to be great. It’s really important, especially moving from the ‘5′ to the ‘4’, it’ll be important just so people actually guard me. Because when I used to play the ‘4’, they wouldn’t come out to the (3-point line) and so they would just back up. Can’t have them doing that anymore.”

Stuelke, a 6-foot-2 senior, is a 1,000-point scorer for her career, but she has worked primarily in the post for the Hawkeyes. Now, with sophomore Ava Heiden and freshman Layla Hays ready to fill that role, Stuelke will move out of the block and Jensen has plenty of plans for how to use her.

“We have some wrinkles in our sleeves that utilize our size, utilize our depth, and our quickness,” Jensen said.

Stuelke hinted at that when she told of her one 3-pointer.

“In the second half I didn’t shoot any threes because there’s something special coming,” she said, smiling. “I can’t tell you about it because I don’t want to spill any secrets.”

Stuelke knows that being at the ‘4’ means using her versatility, and confidence is key in shooting the three.

“I think it’s mostly mental,” she said. “And I think being able to do it through scrimmages over the summer now, I’m just confident in it.

“Patience is a virtue, Cliche, I know, but I think it’s been really an important part of my character as well. Just as a person, patience is really important. So I think growing as a person helps with growing at basketball.”

It is no secret how much Stuelke has grown as a player and as a person, especially after spending the summer with the United States team that won the FIBA AmeriCup gold medal.

“I think it was a great experience for me,” Stuelke said. “I don’t usually step out of my comfort zone, and that was far out of it. I was gone from home for three weeks, and I think it’s just preparing me for my future — I’m going to be gone fairly soon. Just being OK and being in new environments did a lot for my character and how I am as a person.”

“She’s just turning into — and this might sound a little corny — but just a wonderful young woman,” said teammate Kylie Feuerbach. “But, truly,she’s matured so much, and you can see that both on the floor and off the floor. She’s a great person to be around, too, and she lightens up any room she’s in, but on the floor, the maturity has been just continuing to grow. And yeah, it’s been really cool to see.”

Jensen, too, saw the importance of what Stuelke accomplished over the summer.

“Hannah’s leading, just by virtue of the position,” she said. “When Hannah gets rocking and rolling, she can really give you that fist bump. But when she speaks, she can command attention.”

Stuelke admitted to the bittersweet emotions that come with a final season.

“We were doing a media thing, and we had to pick up the phone and talk to our younger selves,” she said. “Oh, yeah, I could not do it. I was crying the whole time. I was like, ‘I don’t even know what to say.’ I couldn’t do it without crying.”

Photo: Iowa’s Hannah Stuelke is more confident in her outside shooting abilities heading into her final season. (Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire)