"They would have loved this day": Iowa HC Jan Jensen gets emotional about her parents during introductory press conference

It's always emotional during an introductory press conference. That was the case as new Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball coach Jan Jensen was choking up during her's on Wednesday.

During her introductory press conference to officially announce her as the next coach of the Hawkeyes, Jensen discussed how her parents and brother are watching down on her. She took a moment to thank them for being her biggest fans:

"You talk about fans, they were my biggest. They would have loved this day, especially in a small town. Those of you from a small town, it's a big deal when you succeed in anything... My parents, they really taught me a lot and gave me my foundation. My brother, before I ever had a coach I had a brother."

Her mother died during Iowa's season in 2015, while her father breathed his last on the same day as the Hawkeyes' Elite Eight victory in 2023. Her brother died suddenly of a heart attack in 2020.

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What has Jan Jensen done before becoming Iowa Hawkeyes head coach?

Jan Jensen is one of the more respected coaches in college athletics. This upcoming women's basketball season will be her first time as the head coach for a program. That doesn't mean she lacks experience, though, as she has been part of college basketball since her playing days for the Drake Bulldogs from 1987-1991.

She began her career as an assistant coach for her alma mater in 1993 and remained there until 2000. In that time, the program won four Missouri Valley Conference Tournaments: 1995, 1997, 1998 and 2000.

Jensen would leave the program to become the associate head coach for the Iowa Hawkeyes in 2000 and remain in that role until Wednesday when she replaced Lisa Bluder as the head coach.

While Jensen has been a coach for the Iowa Hawkeyes, the program has won the Big Ten Conference Tournament five times (2001, 2019, 2022-2024) and made the national championship game in the last two years.

It will be interesting to see how Jan Jensen fares in a brand-new role.