Caitlin Clark, Kate Martin and Others Bid Farewell as Legendary Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder Announces Retirement

Every good thing must come to an end. That’s what transpired for the Hawkeyes fans on Monday when Iowa’s iconic coaching figure Lisa Bluder decided to hang up her boots after 24 years in charge. The 63-year-old was one of the best in the business as she inspired back-to-back national championship games for this elite basketball program. Following this, arguably Iowa’s greatest collegiate player and the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer Caitlin Clark bid adieu to the legend along with others.

Iowa Women’s Basketball broke the news recently on all its social handles. Soon after the announcement, Bluder’s two most trusted and successful ballers, Caitlin Clark and Kate Martin, extended their goodbyes to her. Clark posted a heartwarming comment on the post. She wrote, “Forever goat. We were so lucky.” In addition to this, she also shared the post as one of her stories.

Clark shared another story, which was a post from sports and lifestyle freelance photographer Bri Lewerke, which had some special moments between her and the 2019 Naismith College Coach of the Year.

At the same time, the 18th overall pick by the Las Vegas Aces Kate Martin had a similar gesture. Her Instagram story said, “So thankful to have been coached by this amazing woman.” Another Iowa WBB alumnus, Megan Gustafson, congratulated Bluder by writing, “Congrats @lisabluder on your retirement! You have had such a huge impact on my life. Love you so much.” 
 
The 24-year tenure of coach Bluder had many defining moments. The 3× Big Ten Coach of the Year garnered Iowa with 5 Big Ten tournament championships, 2 Big Ten regular season championships, and NCAA Regional Final Four appearances in 2023 and 2024. Nonetheless, her departure made way for a worthy successor.

Caitlin Clark acknowledges Jan Jensen taking charge

Caitlin Clark and the rest showed their elation at the appointment of Associate Head Coach Jan Jensen as the new boss. Each of the three aforementioned players shared the news on their respective stories. Martin was “beyond excited” when she wrote, “The program is in great hands.”

Likewise, the Las Vegas Aces No. 17 Gustafson proclaimed this next move as great. Moreover, she was thrilled to come across this development. Jansen was Bluder’s deputy the entire time at Iowa. On top of that, she served as her assistant during her time at Drake after playing under her when Lisa coached the Bulldogs.

Indeed, it is the end of an era. There is no denying that both Caitlin Clark and Lisa Bluder took Iowa’s basketball program to new heights with their contributions. Further, it will be a challenging task for Jensen to match Bluder’s accomplishments.