AMES, Iowa – Iowa State head women’s basketball coach Bill Fennelly announced the addition of two transfers to the 2023-24 Cyclone roster Thursday afternoon. Sacramento State transfer Isnelle Natabou and Truman State transfer Hannah Belanger will join Iowa State this summer.
“Our staff has worked very hard evaluating the players in the portal,” Fennelly said. “As always, it starts with finding outstanding people who will embrace and add to the Iowa State Way on and off the floor. We felt we needed to add scoring, depth and playing experience. I am excited about adding these two to the Cyclone family.”
Isnelle “Issy” Natabou // 6-5, C, Ceska Lipa, Czech Republic
Natabou, the 2021-22 Big Sky Newcomer of the Year and a 2022-23 All-Big Sky First Team selection, is a 6-5 center from the Czech Republic who played the previous two seasons at Sacramento State following a year at Iowa Western Community College. She will have two years of eligibility for the Cyclones.
Natabou started all 33 games and led the Hornets to a 25-8 record, their most wins ever in a season, a 2022-23 Big Sky Championship and the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance. She was second on the team in scoring while leading the squad in rebounds, averaging 15.8 points and 9.4 rebounds per game.
“Isanelle gives us much needed depth in the post which is always important,” Fennelly said. “She is extremely physical on the block and had great numbers scoring and rebounding as an all-conference player. Izzy has a very engaging personality that will allow her to connect with our fans instantly.”
Natabou shot 64.2% from the floor, which ranked fifth nationally last season, and averaged just over a block per game with 35 blocks in 33 contests. She scored in double figures 28 times and logged 14 double-doubles, including a 16-point, 10-rebound effort in the NCAA Tournament against No. 4 seed UCLA.
Natabou ranked No. 11 in the country on the offensive glass, averaging 4.2 offensive boards per game. She opened the year with a 20-rebound performance against UC Irvine, one of 43 players nationally to grab 20 boards in a game last season.
In 2021-22, Natabou was named to the All-Big Sky Second Team to go along with her Newcomer of the Year honors. As a sophomore, she averaged 14.7 points, 10.9 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting at 64.3% clip, the fourth-best mark nationally.
Prior to Sacramento State, Natabou played one season at Iowa Western Community College where she earned Iowa Community College Athletic Conference First Team All-Region honors. Natabou averaged 9.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game in 24 appearances for the Reivers.
Hannah Belanger // 5-8, G, Grafton, Wisconsin
Belanger, a two-time Division II WBCA All-American and 2022-23 Great Lakes Valley Conference Player of the Year, is a 5-8 guard from Grafton, Wis. who played the previous four seasons at Truman State. She will have one year of eligibility for the Cyclones.
Belanger has collected numerous conference honors in her four years with the Bulldogs. She earned All-GLVC honors four times in four years, including as a unanimous selection to the first team three times, and was named freshman of the year in 2019-20.
“Hannah has enjoyed great success as a two-time Division II All-American,” Fennelly said. “Her shooting percentages are outstanding and her ability to score at all three levels is what we need on the perimeter. Hannah is tough-minded, competitive, and our fans will love watching her play.”
Belanger averaged 17.4 points per game in her four seasons as a Bulldog, including a career-best 21.3 average in 2022-23. The sharpshooter owns a career 44.8% field goal percentage and shot at a 40.8% clip from beyond the arc, finishing her time at Truman State with 294 made 3-pointers.
In 2022-23, Belanger made more than half of her 435 field goal attempts, knocking them down at a 51.7% rate, including 47.1% from deep which ranked No. 4 nationally in Division II. She set the Truman State single season record with 99 made 3-pointers last year.
Belanger scored in double figures in 29 of 30 outings with 19 games of 20-plus points and two games scoring 30 or more. Against Upper Iowa, she tied her career-high with a 36-point effort.
Belanger earned All-America honors for the first time in 2020-21 after she averaged 18.6 points per game and made 70 triples as a sophomore.
In her first collegiate season, Belanger tied a Truman State freshman record with 67 made 3-pointers on 42.7% shooting from deep. She averaged 12.7 points per game in her first season.
Belanger is a career 82% free throw shooter.
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