The Iowa Hawkeyes have been the toast of the women’s college basketball world each of the past two seasons with superstar Caitlin Clark guiding them to the brink of national championships.
With Clark’s superstardom as its guiding light, Iowa advanced to back-to-back Final Fours and national championship games.
Now that Clark is a WNBA star with the Indiana Fever, the show goes on for Iowa with a mix of familiar faces and a new cast of characters.
In its 10 questions for the 2024-25 women’s college basketball season, ESPN mentioned one of Iowa’s new faces among its transfers that are set to make the biggest splash.
Iowa point guard Lucy Olsen transferred in from Villanova after averaging 23.3 points per game, which ranked third nationally. ESPN mentioned Olsen among its top transfers heading into the season alongside Oklahoma‘s Raegan Beers and Kentucky‘s Georgia Amoore.
ESPN also wonders what Iowa will look like under new leadership.
The situation at Iowa is most similar to Stanford, with Lisa Bluder stepping down after 24 years and her assistant during that time, Jan Jensen, taking over. The Hawkeyes lost not just a generational star in Clark, but players such as starting guards Kate Martin and Gabbie Marshall as well. That said, forward Hannah Stuelke is primed for a big junior season, and Jensen should get the best out of this group. – Michael Voepel, ESPN.
After that lengthy stint by Bluder’s side, Jensen gets her chance to lead this Iowa program as the head coach. With Olsen, Stuelke and guard Sydney Affolter, Jensen has a strong starting three to build around.
In its lone exhibition contest, Iowa dispatched of Missouri Western, 110-55. Stuelke led the way with 18 points on 5-of-6 shooting.
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