Iowa HC Jan Jensen shares crucial factors that contributed to Caitlin Clark’s unwavering success

Jan Jensen was appointed as Iowa Hawkeyes HC in May weeks after Lisa Bluder retired. In the recent episode of Talkin' Hawks with The VandeBergs, Jensen touched on the integral elements that pushed Caitlin Clark's surge.

Jensen believes Lisa Bluder's coaching experience, temperament and mutual competitive knack played a huge role in building a respectful relationship with Clark. Even though there were tough moments, Jensen believes that the two crossed paths at the right time.

Lisa Bluder was the Hawkeyes' coach for 24 years, a tenure long enough to make her a notable name. However, the stretch that solidified her legendary status with school came through Caitlin Clark. Before the point guard’s arrival, Bluder had led the Hawkeyes to 14 NCAA tournaments with an Elite Eight appearance (2019) being their deepest run.

However, that quickly changed as Clark began making waves as a freshman. Lisa Bluder and Iowa earned four consecutive NCAA bids and made back-to-back championship game appearances.

On the other end, Clark thrived under the versatile coach too. In a circuit that prefers systems and actions, Bluder orchestrated strategies around Clark. This allowed Clark to average 28.4 points, 8.2 assists and 7.1 rebounds throughout her career and break the all-NCAA scoring record for both men’s and women’s basketball.

Jan Jensen is all set for the new face Hawkeyes

Had Lisa Bluder not retired, the Hawkeyes were still slated to be a different team. Their biggest star Caitlin Clark has transitioned to the big league, leaving behind plenty of alterations to implement.

Jan Jensen realizes the same and believes that the program should move on to give other star players a chance.

"Just like Michael Jordan when he was at North Carolina, North Carolina still had a team the next year. They’re still there," Jan Jensen said in a recent interview.

Jensen promised to retain the culture that Lisa Bluder built over two decades during her inaugural speech as the coach and is ensuring to keep her promise.

“Honestly, I think that they (Bluder and Jan Jensen) are pretty similar. I think we have the same kind of thing going on,” Senior Kylie Feuerbach shared.

Nevertheless, there has been a simple change in Jensen’s approach. Bluder was a more direct and fiery coach whereas Jensen likes to take her time and explain all the details of her process to the team.