Iowa's Sydney Affolter gets excited for teammate Lucy Olsen as she preps for 2024 USA 3x3 debut: "Good luck boo"
Iowa Hawkeyes senior guard Sydney Affolter is excited to see teammate Lucy Olsen represent Team USA at the U23 3x3 team in Mexico City from July 22-28.
Affolter uploaded a story on her Instagram story that showed Olsen smiling to the camera. She captioned the image:
"USA 3v3 girlie. Good luck boo!!!!"
Lucy Olsen is the newest member of the Hawkeyes squad after transferring from Villanova when Lisa Bluder was still the coach of the team. Even after Bluder's retirement, she stayed true to new coach Jan Jensen and will play for Iowa in the upcoming season.
There's not going to be another Caitlin Clark: Lucy Olsen
As the third-leading scorer in women's college basketball across the nation last season, Lucy Olsen is expected to fill the big void left by the former Iowa superstar when she made her way to the WNBA this year. Caitlin Clark joined the Indiana Fever with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA draft after breaking numerous NCAA and NCAAW records.
The former Villanova star averaged 23.3 points per game and could be one of the players who continues the streak of stardom for the Hawkeyes. She also recorded 4.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists last season for the Wildcats. But one thing that she won't do is be another Caitlin Clark (via We Are Iowa):
"I'm not going to be a Caitlin Clark. There's not going to be another Caitlin Clark," Olsen said. "She's amazing. And she's done such great things here, but 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."
Although Olsen will play the same position No. 22 played, she will likely make some changes to her own playing style to help her set herself apart. Affolter described her game by saying:
"She's crazy quick, she's very shifty. Her game's a little bit different with her mid range and pull up. . . it's money, I love to see that."
Olsen and the Iowa Hawkeyes have high standards to maintain. With a team that has rebuilt itself successfully, it will be interesting to see how the team fares next season.