Caitlin Clark’s exit has created a huge void in the Iowa basketball program. The Hawkeyes, though, aren’t wasting any time. They made some major moves to pad the slot, which included adding five-star recruit Addison Deal and Lucy Olsen transferring in from Villanova among others. But Olsen’s not trying to be the next Clark—refreshingly honest about her role and expectations. The transfer of Olsen is part of the big picture for Iowa to be relevant without Clark.

Speaking to the media after practice on Tuesday, Olsen stated that she doesn’t believe she needs to be the next Caitlin Clark. She knows that’s impossible. “I want to be the best I can,” Olsen said flatly. “I’m not gonna be Caitlin Clark.” Her words sliced through any unrealistic expectations.

Olsen brings strong credential service with her. At Villanova, she averaged 23.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game, which made her the third-leading scorer in the nation last season behind only Caitlin Clark and JuJu Watkins. Her shooting percentages were also noteworthy, with 43.8% from the field, 29.4% from beyond the arc, and 80.7% from the free-throw line.

Despite the soaring numbers, Olsen realizes Clark brought something different to the program and has set the bar for work ethic.”I think she’s definitely paved the way to how hard you should work, what expectations there are and what type of program this is,” Olsen notes. So, if anything, the 5’9 guard finds the pressure internally to give the best she can to keep up with the status set for the program.

Lucy Olsen has been with the Hawkeyes for about a month now. And as per the 21-year-old, she has been made to feel right at home. “The team feels like family,” she said via Our Quad Cities and her new teammates, Sydney Affolter and Taylor McCabe are on par – attesting she fits right in.

Olsen has quite the role to play with the Hawkeyes and already seems to be familiarizing herself with her new team’s patterns.

Lucy Olsen’s approach to Iowa Hawkeyes

Lucy Olsen’s addition comes as a right addition for Iowa. The loss of players of Clark’s calibre, alongside those of Kate Martin and Gabbie Marshall, makes scoring and experience very important to the Hawkeyes. They thus eye to structure the offense upon previous class’ exit and Olsen, with a considerable midrange game, blends right in.

With her time at the practice, the guard reveals she has been observant of the team’s offense, noting, “They play on the court and shoot a lot of threes. I have a lot of freedom in the offense.” The guard will have plenty opportunities to make her mark but not one-sided load in the presence of Affolter, McCabe, and Hannah Stuelke.

Lucy Olsen of Pennsylvania was a four-year starter over a 105-game career at Villanova. As a sophomore in 2023, the Wildcats advanced to the Sweet 16, and they lost as freshmen in the second round of the NCAA tournament. She netted 134 three-pointers in her time at Villanova; 55 of those were accrued in her last year alone. Olsen sure seems to be the piece to not let the Hawkeyes off the map.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video.