“Ol’ band got together”: Jan Jensen on return of Caitlin Clark and ex-Iowa stars to Hawkeye-Carver Arena

Caitlin Clark and more former Iowa Hawkeyes players were at Iowa City over the weekend. The players went back to their former home court, Carver-Hawkeye Arena, and spent time with the current team who are preparing for the 2024-25 season.

The team posted the photos of all players to their Instagram and Iowa coach Jan Jensen reshared it on her story on Sunday.

"The ol' band got together... the jam session had a nice "ring" to it!😏," she wrote.

Iowa coach Jan Jensen story (Credit: Instagram/@janjensen13)

Caitlin Clark, Kate Martin, Gabbie Marshall and the rest of the 2023-24 Iowa roster were honored with special rings on Saturday. The team won the Big Ten championship in a row thrice and advanced to back-to-back championship games.

The rings commemorated their conference championships and Final Four appearances. This is because one of Clark's promises when she signed with the Hawkeyes in November 2019 was to lead them to the Final Four. The only time Iowa did this before 2023 was in 1993.

With the rings, the Hawkeyes were then honored with a standing ovation during the timeout of the Iowa vs Northwestern Homecoming game on Saturday.

---

Jan Jensen and the Hawkeyes prepare for their post-Caitlin Clark era

With Caitlin Clark and Kate Martin in the WNBA and Gabbie Marshal retired, the Iowa Hawkeyes lost one of their most iconic senior class. However, they are now ready to take what the future holds for them.

During a chat with the press during the Big Ten media day, coach Jan Jensen said:

“They miss their friends, but they also know that was special and that was rare. But now it’s also their time. And I think that’s what you always want whether you have a generational player in Caitlin or any good senior class that graduates is that they’ve learned, but now they’re ready to get a few more looks.

“They get a few more shots. They get a few more plays called for them, not in a self-centered way. But they’ve worked their tails off. So now this is their time where they can be like, okay, I’m going to really showcase what I can do.”

The Hawkeyes have added Lucy Olsen as a potential replacement to Caitlin Clark and also welcome five freshman recruits for this season. After Martin, Kylie Fuerbach and Sydney Affolter are expected to lead the team when Iowa will begin their season on Nov. 4 against North Illinois.