Successor to Caitlin Clark, Iowa’s Lucy Olsen talks about carrying forward the legacy
Iowa guard Lucy Olsen isn't pressured to carry the Hawkeyes' legacy that Caitlin Clark built during her four seasons with the team.
During an interview with CBS Sports on Friday, Olsen, the nation's third-best women's scorer behind Caitlin Clark and JuJu Watkins last season, believes that it's a whole new era for Iowa, with a bunch of new faces, herself included, reinforcing the Hawkeyes in post-Caitlin Clark era.
Olsen also noted that she isn't taking Clark's spot, as she only wants to help the team win this coming season.
"I just want to win so if I have to score, I'll try to score but I want to do whatever coach (Jan Jensen) needs for me to win for to help us win," Olsen said. [3:09-3:17]
She added:
"I don't really think (that it will be) added pressure just because it's a new team, new coach five and new freshmen coming in we all got to figure it out it's not just oh I'm taking Caitlin Clark's spot it's a it's a whole new era." [3:18-3:30].
Olsen also revealed in the interview that she was working on executing pick-and-roll plays during the offseason, noting that it has become a staple in college basketball.
Lucy Olsen motivated by Iowa fans' unwavering support of the team
The city's fans' support keeps Lucy Olsen motivated during practices. She disclosed that Iowa coach Jan Jensen has emphasized how crucial fan support is since day one of their preparations for the 2024-25 women's basketball season.
"I think that's always in the back of our heads we remind each other that every day that all these fans are coming here to watch us play they don't have to (but) they want to," she said. [5:06-5:13]
Lucy Olsen has transformed from a team player with Villanova in her first two years to a top scorer last season. In 35 games with the Wildcats, the five-foot-nine guard carried the team on her back, averaging 23.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.9 steals per game.
She made 43.8% of her shots from the field and connected 80.7% of her foul shots. Olsen, however, needs to improve on her 3-point game, as she has declined from 35.6% in the 2022-23 season to 29.4% last year, partly due to taking most attempts from long range.
Olsen is expected to score a lot of points for Iowa in the 2024-25 college basketball season, and she will have help in returning Hannah Stuelke, Sydney Affolter, plus freshmen Ava Heiden and Callie Levin.
Will Lucy Olsen lead Iowa to the 2025 NCAA Tournament? Let us know your views in the comments section.