Iowa HC Jan Jensen welcomes newest Hawkeyes players after departures of Caitlin Clark and more: "Thankful & excited"

After the departure of Caitlin Clark, Kate Martin and Gabbie Marshall from the Iowa Hawkeyes, new coach Jan Jensen has been spending her time rebuilding and adding fresh talents to the roster.

The Hawkeyes subsequently added Lucy Olsen, Taylor Stremlow, Ava Heiden, Aaliyah Guyton, Callie Levin and Teagan Mallegni this offseason. Jensen celebrated and expressed her excitement over her new recruits in a story she shared on her Instagram.

She wrote:

"I'm SOOOO thankful & excited about these new Hawks!"

Jan Jensen details reason behind Caitlin Clark's success

Jensen became the new coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes after Lisa Bluder announced her retirement from the position in May. While on the "Talkin' Hawks" podcast, Jensen talked about the unbelievable success Caitlin Clark enjoyed during her time in Iowa.

She also detailed how Bluder's coaching style, temperament and competitiveness helped the former Iowa star cement herself as one of the greatest college basketball players ever, male or female:

"I think her [Bluder] and Caitlin just had this amazing relationship and it wasn't always easy," Jensen said. "She kicked her out of practice and I gave her a T and those things, but there was that mutual respect and true love, and they're really wired very much the same, their competitive spirit.

"But when Lisa was younger, you're a little more spitfire and like, you know, really a lot more intense. As you know all the years of which you have experiences to manage people and coach people and know which buttons to press, I think that it was just the right time for us to be able to get Caitlin," Jensen added.

"I think Lisa's temperament and her value, just set of experiences, really helped Caitlyn become all that she could be here so as you. And that was fun to see their relationship also blossom," she concluded.

Jan Jensen is ready to take on the challenge of building and creating an Iowa Hawkeyes team following the immense success they had with Caitlin Clark.

"Just like Michael Jordan when he was at North Carolina, North Carolina still had a team the next year. They’re still there," Jensen said as per Sports Illustrated.

Even though Bluder is no longer the coach of the team, her longtime assistant coach Jensen will likely retain the culture and hope to surpass her predecessor next season and win a national championship.