Who hasn’t faced pressure during finals week? It’s a staple of college life. Surprisingly enough, Iowa star Lucy Olsen was in the same boat, just with slightly different circumstances. Olsen entered the transfer portal before her last year of college, after a breakout season during her junior year. The former Villanova star was in high demand, but all that hubbub coincided with her finals.

On Courtside Club with Rachel Annamarie DeMita, Lucy Olsen talked about her transfer to Iowa and how stressful the event had gotten. Her phone rang nonstop, and she did not know what to do. But she decided to not pick up every call with a simple strategy in mind. “I’m like I’m just gonna wait, let them ring through and then I’ll listen to the message and see who they are.” She said, trying to conserve her time during finals week.

After averaging 23pt and 5reb and 4ast per game, Olsen was bound to be highly recruited. She wanted to take her talents to a bigger school and conference with how the women’s sport was booming. Not only that, the clash with the exam season made sure that she didn’t have the time for extensive consideration.

“There was so much going on.” The Iowa star said. “I don’t want to pick up every single call because who knows how long these coaches are gonna talk.” Because if she sat down to hear all of them out, Olsen wouldn’t have enough time to study and that would affect her GPA. So she had no choice but to ignore college coaches when they called, even Lisa Bluder. However, when coach Bluder left a message, the former Villanova guard didn’t give it a second thought.

And it’s safe to say that it turned out relatively well for the five-foot-ten point guard. The Hawkeyes aren’t the championship contenders they were when CC was onboard, but Olsen has done a great job of carrying Clark’s legacy forward. She is averaging over 17 points a game on decent efficiency, and her defense has been crucial for Iowa this season. Lucy Olsen also talked about dealing with Bluder’s retirement and how that transition went.

The Lucy Olsen and Jan Jansen era, a new start for Iowa after Caitlin Clark

When Lucy Olsen decided to transfer to Iowa, it was coach Bluder at the helm. The legendary coach was coming off two back-to-back championship games, and was actively recruiting for Iowa. However, she ended up announcing her retirement in May 2024, leaving Lucy Olsen wondering about what was to come.

The Iowa guard shared her disbelief at the news. “When I got the call that coach Bluder was retiring, I was like what? It was crazy, but then they were like Coach Jan is taking over.” Because she was recruited by coach Bluder, and was expecting to play underneath her.

However, she took it in stride and decided to ride the wave till shore. “I made sure that the whole team was gonna stay,” the incoming transfer said. “Because I feel like that means a lot if the team is staying. Obviously, they know coach Jan a lot better than I did. Since everyone stayed, I just felt like it was still gonna be great.”

And it has been great. Lucy Olsen has admitted that she does not regret the choice to stay in Iowa, and we can all see why. The Hawkeyes had a pretty memorable game against USC this year, what with CC’s jersey about to be retired. Olsen’s efforts alongside the rest of her team led to an upset victory for the ages! It hasn’t been all smooth for the point guard since she arrived, but she’s definitely having an amazing year. It will be interesting to see where her career takes her in the future.