“You better be in the gym”: Hannah Stuelke shares how Caitlin Clark motivated her after departure to the WNBA

Caitlin Clark may have graduated from the Iowa Hawkeyes program, but her influence on the team remains. In an interview on "Got Next with Meghan and Zora," Iowa forward Hannah Stuelke revealed that the Indiana Fever guard still checks in on her.

In a video posted on Instagram by "On Her Turf" on Thursday, Stuelke said:

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"Caitlin's more like, 'You better be in the gym. If you're not in the gym, I know.' And it's like, 'Okay, I'm in the gym, I promise.'"

Hannah Stuelke was Clark's trusted partner as the two wreaked havoc on opponents during Iowa's run to the championship game last season. In an interview with ESPN in January, the former Hawkeyes star praised the junior.

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"Hannah has always had the athletic ability, her skills have gotten better, she works just as hard as anyone on the team," Clark said. "She's getting her confidence because of all the work she's put in and she deserves it.

"I think that's the biggest thing, the biggest area she's grown. She kind of has that dog mentality now, and that's what I'm most proud of for her."

Caitlin Clark shared how she motivated Hannah Stuelke to dominate at all times

Earlier this November, Caitlin Clark was in Iowa and joined the Hawkeyes for a practice session. She was the most enthusiastic spectator, as she cheered Stuelke and the other players.

Later, Clark joined Jada Gyamfi on her "Fresh Tawk" podcast, where she spoke about how she pushed Hannah Stuelke to give it her all:

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"Practice was going up. Hannah Stuelke’s- she had a great practice. I'm proud of her. I gotta stay on that girl. I'm like, 'Every time you dominate, (points at her head) right here. Think about it, every time. Take over.'"

While Clark led the Hawkeyes on a historic run, the team is now on a new chapter with coaching and roster changes. When asked who would feed her the ball now that Clark is gone, Stuelke named two players:

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"I think Lucy (Olsen) for sure is," she said to Meghan and Zora. "One of our freshman, Taylor Stremlow, she's so good at passing. It's like, sometimes I don't know when it's coming. Which is like, just like Caitlin. But still, you don't know. I just there, hands up all the time."

After three straight wins, the Hawkeyes will take on the Drake Bulldogs on Sunday.

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