Caitlin Clark left a crater-sized gap on the Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball team with her departure to the WNBA as the No. 1 draft pick by the Indiana Fever.
Iowa didn’t panic, though. They reloaded with very high-level talent. Former Villanova guard and the NCAA’s third-highest scoring player last season, Lucy Olsen, hit the transfer portal and didn’t take long to find her new home in Iowa City.
ESPN ranks the addition of Olsen to the Hawkeyes as a top-five women’s basketball transfer portal move this offseason.
5. Lucy Olsen, 5-9, G, Jr., Villanova Wildcats
Committed to Iowa Hawkeyes
With no chance to replace Caitlin Clark‘s impact, the Hawkeyes needed someone to take on some of that production. In Olsen, they found the best possible replacement in the portal. Only Clark and JuJu Watkins averaged more points per game this season than Olsen.After the departure of Maddy Siegrist, Olsen thrived as the Wildcats’ new go-to player, jumping from 12.4 to 23.2 points per game and earning Big East most improved player honors. She also led the conference in minutes played and started all 105 of Villanova’s games over the past three seasons. – Charlie Creme, ESPN
Olsen provides instant experience and scoring ability to the Hawkeyes’ offense. Olsen shot a career-best 43.8% from the field last season and upped her free throw shooting to 80.7%, another career-best.
Lucy Olsen projects to be in the starting lineup next year. Olsen and the rest of the team know she doesn’t need to try to fill Caitlin Clark’s shoes. With the experience of forward Hannah Stuelke and guard Sydney Affolter next to her, Olsen can be a pure scorer from the guard position, an addition that takes Iowa from good to great.
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