Photo: Iowa HC Jan Jensen shares smiles with Hannah Stuelke and Lucy Olsen ahead of Big Ten media day
Jan Jensen has settled into her role as the new coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball program. While the pressure of leading a new era of Hawkeyes basketball rests on her shoulders, she seems to have struck a good chord with her players and displayed an example of it on social media today.
Ahead of the Big Ten's media day, Jensen shared a story on Instagram alongside two of the top players in her team, Lucy Olsen and Hannah Stuelke. Jensen took a selfie with them in a car, with each sporting a big smile ahead of the event. Jensen posted a caption with the story, which read, "Big Ten Media Day here we come!"
Jan Jensen to open Big Ten women's basketball media day
The next two days will see the men's and women's basketball coaches of all Big Ten teams fulfill their media duties in Rosemont, Illinois. The women's basketball media day will take place on Oct. 2 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. ET, with Jensen featuring alongside Minnesota coach Dawn Pitzuweit and Nebraska coach Amy Williams in the opening 10:00 a.m. slot.
Stuelke and Olsen's impact on the Hawkeyes in the 2024-25 season could be predicted in the preseason All-Big Ten Team, as the former made the coach's and media's teams, while Olsen made only the media's team. USC Trojans star JuJu Watkins earned a unanimous selection into the team and won the Coaches and Media's Preseason Player of the Year.
The loss of Caitlin Clark and other top stars like Kate Martin and Gabbie Marshall could pose problems for Jensen and the Hawkeyes next season. However, Olsen's addition could help mitigate some of those problems given her stellar performances for the Villanova Wildcats over the last three seasons.
Coupled with experienced players like Stuelke and Jada Gyamfi, Jensen will lead a Hawkeyes roster that will be favorites to win it all in the 2024-25 season. She will hope to do the one thing that her mentor and predecessor, Lisa Bluder, couldn't: Win an NCAA Tournament title with the Hawkeyes.
How do you think the Iowa Hawkeyes will fare next season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.