PHOTO: New Iowa coach Jan Jensen shares snap from first team circle during practice session with the Hawkeyes
It has been a whirlwind few months for new Iowa coach Jan Jensen after helping the Hawkeyes reach the national championship game against coach Dawn Staley's South Carolina Gamecocks. A few weeks after the game, longtime Iowa coach Lisa Bluder announced her retirement, and Jensen was elevated to the top job after years of being the associate head coach.
On Wednesday, Jensen had her first team circle during a practice session with the returning Hawkeyes. She posted the moment on her Instagram stories with the caption:
"This was our 1st team circle on day 1...can't wait for day 2!"
Jan Jensen tasked with rebuilding job
The departure of record-breaking star Caitlin Clark to the WNBA with the Indiana Fever seemed like the end of an era for the Iowa Hawkeyes, which was only confirmed by the sudden retirement of coach Lisa Bluder.
Jan Jensen will have to do without the services of not only all-time NCAA leading scorer Clark but also captain Kate Martin, who was picked by the Las Vegas Aces, and Gabbie Marshall, who graduated.
During an in-house interview, Jensen challenged the returning and recruited student-athletes in her team to deal with the loss of the stars from last season. She also acknowledged the enormity of the building job facing her.
“I’d like to think they’re coming in with a mentality, little chip on their shoulder,” Jensen said, “because most everybody else is going to say, ‘Hey, you lost all that.’
“This year was going to be a lot different in the sense of rebuilding in the sense of graduating seniors, including a generational player like Caitlin. There were fans who came for Caitlin. A lot of people came for Caitlin, but they stayed for Hannah (Stuelke), they stayed for Syd (Affolter), they certainly stayed for Kate and Gabbie.
“I think they stayed for what this team and culture is.”
It is not all doom and gloom for Hawkeyes fans and coach Jan Jensen, though. They retained the services of standout Hannah Stuelke, who showed flashes of scoring brilliance last season.
Before she left, coach Lisa Bluder also sealed the recruitment of former Villanova Wildcats star Lucy Olsen, labeled the next Caitlin Clark. The guard finished No. 3 nationally in scoring behind only Clark and USC's JuJu Watkins.
Jan Jensen has already promised to follow the blueprint that made the Iowa Hawkeyes such an attractive team to watch for the casual fan. With a talented squad, there is hope among the fans that they will continue on that trajectory.