Caitlin Clark’s arrival in the WNBA redefined women’s basketball, boosting viewership, attendance, and merchandise sales across the board. Her success marked the start of a new era, but her college departure also closed a remarkable chapter for Iowa. Now, as the 2025-26 CB season approaches, head coach Jan Jensen has delivered a heartfelt tribute to the ‘one’ who built the foundation for Clark’s legacy and beyond for Iowa.

The 2023-24 season marked a major transition for Iowa. The Hawkeyes not only lost stars Caitlin Clark, Kate Martin, and Gabbie Marshall but also longtime head coach Lisa Bluder, who retired after 24 remarkable years. Her trusted assistant, Jan Jensen, stepped into the role and made an immediate impact without Lisa and, most importantly, Clark!

In her debut year as coach, Jan Jensen surpassed the record Lisa Bluder set in her first year as head coach, and that leadership impressed everyone, including her close friend and predecessor. Speaking with NBC Sports, Jensen reflected on closing that era while embracing another. Still, she praised Bluder’s saying, “She was nothing but supportive… The only time I heard from Lisa or Jenny Fitzgerald was when the chips were down. That’s when, like, ‘You good? You alright?’ You know, after a loss, a tough one.”

Jensen did highlight that the two share mutual respect, but it was more about learning it all alone now, a hint that the success is all hers. “And I think that’s just the measure of great friendship. And certainly when we won, the celebrations. They’ve been there, we’ve been together through all of it, thick and thin, but this year, we all had to keep our distance a little bit to learn this new role.”

But no matter the buzz of goodbye, Lisa Bluder’s legacy at Iowa is hard to match. Over 24 seasons, Bluder recorded more than 500 wins, then helped Iowa reach two Final Fours and 2 national championship game appearances. She even earned several Big Ten Coach of the Year honors and guided Iowa to 18 NCAA Tournament berths. Most importantly, helped shape stars like Caitlin Clark.  Jensen has learned from her former boss, but filling the spot won’t be easy.

Yes, Bluder and Clark have built a legacy with the Hawkeyes and put them on a map, so the general expectation was that hype would fade, but surprisingly, the impact has been exactly the opposite.

Iowa Hawkeyes sell out season tickets despite no ‘Caitlin Clark show’

We’re all aware of the Caitlin Clark effect, aren’t we? While this momentum was propelled to a whole new level in the WNBA, it began in her college years at Iowa. It started in her senior year (2023-24) when the Iowa Hawkeyes sold out their season tickets for the first time. But after Caitlin left after the season, many expected the ticket sales to return to normal. However, the 2024-25 season followed the same script as the tickets were sold out. Probably it takes time for the hype to settle.

No, it doesn’t, because for the third consecutive season, they are sold out yet again. Caitlin Clark helped the program sure, but the fans aren’t leaving the program, at least till the time they are delivering. Speaking about the fans, head coach Jan Jensen said, “I’m usually not at a loss for words, but I am when I walk out (to the arena). I don’t think there’s been a game where I don’t have a lump in my throat, or my eyes well up with just the appreciation, and I am forever grateful for everything that this fan base did.”

The Iowa fans have been behind the team despite their back-to-back heartbreaking loss in the 2023 and 2024 March Madness finals. Now, with the new season underway soon, they will hope to finally break the duck and win the first-ever NCAA tournament victory.