“Haven’t played with anyone quite like her”: Having played with Caitlin Clark, Iowa’s Hannah Stuelke acclaims Lucy Olsen
Iowa Hawkeyes forward Hannah Stuelke is amazed by the unique style of Iowa's Villanova transfer Lucy Olsen. Stuelke had a strong on-court bond with former Hawkeyes star Caitlin Clark and shared that she was pairing well with Olsen as well.
Hawkeyes coach Jan Jensen, Lucy Olsen and Hannah Stuelke appeared in the "Big Ten Women's Basketball" show. The two players were asked about their experience of playing together.
"It's been a lot of fun um she's an amazing basketball player I haven't played with anyone quite like her yet she's got a different style of basketball than I've played with so it's a lot of fun getting used to that and um yeah I think we're gonna have a lot of fun this year," Stuelke said of Olsen.
Lucy Olsen revealed Hannah was the major motivation for her to join the Hawkeyes.
"I mean part of the reason I came to Iowa was to play with Hannah so it's been a lot of fun in practices and yeah we're working on that chemistry," she said.
Olsen transferred to the Hawkeyes this year and she has already paired well with Stuelke to grab headlines. The two were named Preseason All-Big Ten by coaches and media.
Lucy Olsen averaged 23.3 points in her last season at Villanova. She was the third-highest scorer after Caitlin Clark (31.6 ppg) and JuJu Watkins (27.1) in the NCAA tournament last season and is expected to fill in the void left by the departure of Caitlin Clark.
Meanwhile, Hannah Stuelke averaged 14.0 points last season and shot 62.0% from the field. Till January 2024, among 131 assists of Caitlin Clark, 35 went to Stuelke last season.
Caitlin Clark and Hannah Stuelke in each other's eyes
Hannah Stuelke's praise for Lucy Olsen's playstyle is significant considering she has watched Caitlin Clark's heroics closely. Before the March Madness 2024, Stuelke praised the team spirit and game vision of the all-time leading NCAA Division I scorer.
"Caitlin's really fun to play with and really easy to mesh with just because she's always looking for what's best for the team or she'll see you when you're open and you don't even think you're open," Stuelke said.
And Clark too shared respect for Stuelke and gave a snapshot of her growth from the champion's vision:
"Hannah has always had the athletic ability, her skills have gotten better, she works just as hard as anyone on the team," Clark said. "She's getting her confidence because of all the work she's put in and she deserves it. [via ESPN]
"I think that's the biggest thing, the biggest area she's grown. She kind of has that dog mentality now, and that's what I'm most proud of for her."
After Caitlin Clark led the Iowa Hawkeyes to two national championship games, she was drafted first overall in the 2024 WNBA draft.
Do you think that Lucy Olsen will fill the void left by the departure of Caitlin Clark? Let us know in the comments section below.