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"She really cares about you more as a person": Caitlin Clark and Kate Martin once spoke heartfelt about ex-coach Lisa Bluder's coaching excellence
Caitlin Clark and Kate Martin have both transitioned from college to professional basketball after they were selected in the 2024 WNBA draft. Clark was the best rookie in the league last season while Martin learned a lot from a stacked Las Vegas Aces squad.
Both were key players of former Iowa Hawkeyes coach Lisa Bluder and they have a lot of respect for her. They once shared their thoughts on their coach in a video dedicated to honoring her 800th win.
The video is titled "The Heartland SE3 E14" and is available on the official Iowa Hawkeyes YouTube channel.
"She is one of those people really is a player's coach," Clark said in 2021. "She cares about her players not only as basketball players but as young women and she really builds that for your future in you life and that's something I think is super important. She really cares about you more as a person than a basketball player."
While Clark praised the understanding nature of her former coach, Martin highlighted the great influence she had on their team.
"What makes coach Bluder such a good coach is because she is the most competitive person I know," Martin said (10:14). "She loves to win and I love that about her and she is very encouraging on and off the court and that's what makes her really a great coach."
Bluder retired in May after leading the Hawkeyes to their second straight NCAA championship game appearance, where they lost 75-87 to the South Carolina Gamecocks. Jan Jensen has since been named her successor.
Lisa Bluder expresses her thoughts on the backlash faced by Caitlin Clark for winning TIME Athlete of the Year honor
On Dec. 10, TIME Magazine named Cailin Clark as its Athlete of the Year. While the Indiana Fever star received praise a lot of praise, Washington Mystics owner Sheila Johnson was critical of her winning the honor. When Lisa Bluder was asked about her thoughts on Johnson's criticism during her appearance on USA TODAY's "Seriously" show on Wednesday, she gave a blunt response.
"It's silly to me that anybody's trying to take away from something that's so good in your sport right now," Bluder said. "I mean, this is a person that's really helped athletics, helped women's sports in a way that nobody has helped women's sports, maybe since Billie Jean King."
Clark had a remarkable rookie season in the WNBA. She led the league in assists and won the Rookie of the Year award.
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