“She’s so cute”: Caitlin Clark hypes up former coach Lisa Bluder as she receives thunderous applause from CFB fans in Week 1
The only thing that could get Iowa fans cheering the loudest is Caitlin Clark's presence next to Lisa Bluder. The retired Hawkeyes coach was honored with cheers and standing ovations during the No. 25-ranked Iowa football's season opener against Illinois State at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The school romped to a 40-0 win over the Redbirds to kick off the 2024 season in style.
In the video posted by Iowa women’s basketball’s Instagram, the former coach was seen standing and waving on the greens as the crowd continued to roar for her.
"Grew the game 🥹 #Hawkeyes," the caption of the post read.
Caitlin Clark, Bluder's star player, immediately commented on the exclusive sight.
"She’s so cute," Clark wrote.
Bluder led the Hawkeyes for 24 years, growing the program and leaving a long lasting culture behind. She developed a unique bond with Caitlin Clark, as the youngster was the star player in Iowa’s successful two-year run (2022-23 and 2023-24).
Lisa Bluder orchestrated a new offense in Iowa, one that relied heavily on the players creating opportunities themselves rather than running plays or actions. Clark, due to her skillsets and game style, benefited the most.
She averaged 28.4 points, 7.1 rebounds and 8.2 assists during her last collegiate season and also broke the all-time NCAA scoring record (men's and women's) under Bluder’s tutelage.
Caitlin Clark continues to shatter records in the WNBA
As Clark transitioned to the WNBA this offseason, she has gone through a learning curve. The physicality, pace, tendencies and matchups in the big league are different. Nevertheless, as she got the hang of it all, she managed to accumulate a few records.
She clinched the first triple-double by a WNBA rookie in July, scoring 19 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds for the Indiana Fever against the New York Liberty. Days later, she dished the most dimes in a game with 19 assists against the Dallas Wings.
Now, her high-arcing abilities and knack for finding open teammates can make her the rookie with the most points and assists in WNBA history.
Clark has already clinched the rookie assist mantle, with more than 280 to her name. Moreover, her 617 points after the early August win in Dallas are only behind Breanna Stewart, Arike Ogunbowale, Cappie Pondexter, Cynthia Cooper, A'ja Wilson and Seimone Augustus.
The gap pits Clark 127 points away from becoming the first player to post a new scoring and assist record in their rookie year. The Fever have seven games remaining this season, and Clark needs a little over 18 points per game to achieve the feat.