Even in retirement, Lisa Bluder never exactly slowed down. She picked up pickleball, cheered for her son at Grinnell College games, helped one daughter organize her wedding, assisted another with a move to Georgia after landing a job with the Atlanta Hawks, and relocated both her parents and mother-in-law to independent living communities. And, of course, she found the way to Carver-Hawkeye Arena whenever she could.

Now, though, she’s embracing a new chapter, one that feels entirely her own and suits her perfectly.

Recently, NBC has officially announced that former Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Bluder, under whom women’s basketball star Caitlin Clark played her college career, will join its broadcast team as a College Countdown studio analyst for women’s basketball. Bluder, who led the Hawkeyes from 2000 to 2024, will bring her decades of coaching insight to NBC and Peacock’s coverage of Big Ten, Big 12, and Big East games.

NBC Sports is gearing up for the 2025–26 college basketball season with close to 200 men’s and women’s matchups from the Big Ten, Big 12, and Big East conferences. And Bluder will be joining another person who knows Clark well. She’ll appear on the studio show with a team that includes Clark’s Fever teammate Aliyah Boston and others like Carolyn Manno, Lindsay Czarniak, Meghan McKeown, and Aja Ellison.

Bluder stepped away from coaching in May, closing out an incredible 40-year run as a head coach. She spent six seasons at St. Ambrose, ten at Drake, and the final 24 at Iowa. Over that span, she earned 884 career victories, becoming both Iowa’s all-time wins leader with a 528–254 record since 2000 and the winningest coach in Big Ten history at 262–145 in conference play.

Her tenure saw the Hawkeyes advance to six Sweet 16s, three Elite Eights, and consecutive national championship appearances in 2023 and 2024, the most successful stretch the program has ever seen. Most recently, she was nominated for induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2025. Being named three-time Big Ten Coach of the Year and 2019 Naismith Coach of the Year, Lisa Bluder is expected to bring her perspective and depth to the broadcast booth, offering fans a courtside view through a coach’s lens.

And if there’s anyone who can attest to her influence, it’s Caitlin Clark, the generational talent whose rise to superstardom was shaped under Bluder’s watch.

How Lisa Bluder helped shape Caitlin Clark

While Bluder starts a new chapter in her life, her legacy is inseparable from Caitlin Clark’s rise. When Clark arrived at Iowa as a highly touted recruit, Bluder saw beyond the hype, and instead of praising her strengths, she challenged her to improve where she was weakest.

Speaking to Elise Devlin of The Athletic, Bluder said, “When you recruit a star into your organization or into your team, you have to communicate with them beforehand that they’re not at their peak. You want them to want to get better. And Caitlin always wanted to get better.”

Her tough-love approach clearly worked. Under Bluder’s guidance, Clark learned to balance her fiery competitiveness with leadership, evolving into the complete player she is today. Furthermore, through leadership meetings, film sessions, and sports psychology, Bluder helped her grow both on and off the court. And thanks to that mentorship, the world now views women’s basketball differently, with the arenas selling out, brand deals pouring in, and the game continues to rise to new heights every day.