WATCH: Former Iowa HC Lisa Bluder and new coach Jan Jansen show support to Caitlin Clark during Indiana Fever's home-opener
Both former Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Lisa Bluder and her successor, Jan Jensen, were on hand at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. They were showing their support for their former ward Caitlin Clark in her first WNBA home game for the Indiana Fever.
Bluder and Jensen were seen in the crowd at the arena, being shown in the jumbotron to the applause of all the other fans in attendance:
Here's the video:
Without the need for verbal confirmation, they were clearly there to witness their former ward play her first regular-season home game after making her debut on the road against the Connecticut Sun.
They were a part of quite a sizeable crowd (especially for a WNBA game) at Gainbridge, which was tallied at 17,274 people (via The New York Times).
The game was by all means a sellout, but fans likely would`ve wanted to forget it, as Caitlin Clark and the Fever were blown out by the Liberty, 102-66.
The standout guard from Lisa Bluder`s stable finished with a meager nine points, seven rebounds and six assists in the defeat. That came after her 20-point performance in the 92-71 loss to the Sun.
Either way, Indiana has struggled out of the gate during the new WNBA season. After showing out during the preseason, the former first overall pick in this year`s draft has slowed down a bit--prompting numerous, varied reactions from the basketball world.
The Fever have now lost their first two games, but they`re looking to get their first win of the season in a quick rematch with the Liberty on May 19. Clark and her team will be traveling to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn for that one.
Lisa Bluder`s immediate future after Iowa
With Lisa Bluder now stepping down from her head coaching job at Iowa, the future for the veteran tactician remains unclear.
There are no immediate reports of her taking a new coaching position elsewhere or even still staying close to the game of basketball, though everyone is in unison in recognizing her illustrious career.
Bluder ended her 24-year stint at Iowa women`s basketball with quite a stacked resume. She tallied an all-time 528-254 win-loss record for the Hawkeyess while also leading them to five Big Ten titles, 18 NCAAW Tournament appearances, and notably, two straight berths in the Final Four (via ESPN).
Moreover, she was also a three-time Big Ten Coach of the Year awardee during her tenure.