Lisa Bluder retires at Iowa

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Kojo said:
How old is this person?
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She's no spring chicken as she has been with Bluder all the way back to 1993 on her Drake staff.

I'm sure the Iowa AD is banking on continuity with the portal world we now live in. However, would anyone be surprised if a couple of players/recruits enter the portal. The NCAA allows college athletes to also receive an extra 30-day window to enter the transfer portal when there is a head coaching change (i.e., a coach is fired, resigns, retires, etc.).
 
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I'm a little surprised by this, but it does make sense.

It's nice to go out, after taking her team to the NCAA Championship game, the last two years. Congrats on a great career.
 

Wow. She finishes with a strong record. I wonder if it was smart timing facing a rebuild or personal.

Her replacement Jan Jensen is a good one.
 



sports.yahoo.com

Iowa coach Lisa Bluder retires after Caitlin Clark's departure; longtime assistant Jan Jensen to take over

Bluder coached Iowa for 24 years. She's retired at the conclusion of the Caitlin Clark era.
sports.yahoo.com sports.yahoo.com

Bluder's legacy​

The Hawkeyes secured a winning record in all but one of Bluder's seasons at the helm and won at least 20 games in each of the last eight seasons. Iowa went 528-254 (.675) under Bluder's leadership.

Bluder previously coached 10 seasons at Drake, where she led the Bulldogs to NCAA tournament appearances in four of her final six seasons. Drake compiled a 187-106 (.638) record under Bluder.

Bluder started her college coaching career with six seasons as the head coach of NAIA program St. Ambrose, where she posted a 169-36 (.824) record and was named the 1990 NAIA Coach of the Year.

With a combined 884-396 (.691) record, Bluder retires as the 10th-winningest coach in women's college basketball history. She's a three-time Big Ten Coach of the Year and the all-time leader in wins at Iowa and in the Big Ten.

Jensen takes over after decades by Bluder's side​

Jensen played for Bluder at Drake. She later joined Bluder's staff as an assistant and recruiting coordinator at Drake in 1993 and followed her to Iowa when Bluder took over the program in 2000. Jensen has been Bluder's associate head coach for the last 20 seasons.

“There is no better person to lead this program than Jan Jensen, and I am thrilled she will have the opportunity to build on the foundation established,” Bluder wrote. “I’m committed to help her, and her staff, in whatever capacity they need moving forward.”
Jensen maintained her role as Bluder's recruiting coordinator and has been integral in Iowa's recruiting successes over the years. This is her first head-coaching job.
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Will be interesting to see if Iowa can keep Lucy Olsen from Villanova via the portal, and their '25 commit from California, Addison Deal (top 5-15 national player by various rankings). Those are the 2 biggest recruits for Iowa during the long Bluder era from outside Iowa/neighboring states. Olsen and Deal were some evidence that Iowa might have staying power as a higher level WBB school. That seems more up in the air now.
 

I think you will see a good number of long tenured coaches stepping down over the next 2-3 years. Much different environment now with the transfer portal, NLI, and player demands. Who wants to deal with all that, and try to coach? No thank you.

and for what it's worth, ex-Drake coach and current Oklahoma coach, Jenni Baranczyk would have been the homerun choice for the next Iowa coach.
 




LakevilleBro said:
I'm a little surprised by this, but it does make sense.

It's nice to go out, after taking her team to the NCAA Championship game, the last two years. Congrats on a great career.
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Her response to the worst refereed big game I have ever seen last year against LSU won me over. She had every right to go ballistic on the refs and kept her cool and classy. High character and solid for a long time before breaking through the last two years.
 


BigTenGuy said:
Will be interesting to see if Iowa can keep Lucy Olsen from Villanova via the portal, and their '25 commit from California, Addison Deal (top 5-15 national player by various rankings). Those are the 2 biggest recruits for Iowa during the long Bluder era from outside Iowa/neighboring states. Olsen and Deal were some evidence that Iowa might have staying power as a higher level WBB school. That seems more up in the air now.
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I don't envy Jan Jensen in this new coaching environment as she has no margin for error in her first season unlike in the past. If she were to have an average 24/25 season and finish in the middle of the B1G pack she could quickly find Bluder's recruiting success disappear into the portal winds. Those top recruits in today's environment might not be willing to wait for success on the court or for their NIL windfall.
 

99Gopher said:
I don't envy Jan Jensen in this new coaching environment as she has no margin for error in her first season unlike in the past. If she were to have an average 24/25 season and finish in the middle of the B1G pack she could quickly find Bluder's recruiting success disappear into the portal winds. Those top recruits in today's environment might not be willing to wait for success on the court or for their NIL windfall.
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Sounds like what basically every coach in the country goes through if they’re not at UConn or South Carolina. My guess is she’s comfortable in her own skin and has been an integral part of the success and will be fine. And if not, she’s at the end of her career and gave it a shot.
 


gopherdudepart2 said:
Any chance Bluder goes on to coach a WNBA team next year?
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Bluder may be coaching the Fever after the opener tonite. The Fever coach trashed Clark in the press conference after the preseason game.
She said Caitlin needed to learn shot selection...the freedom to shoot long 3's was NOT going to continue with the Fever. Coach wanted Caitlin to shoot more long 2's. (Find another coach anywhere who endorses that shot as a good thing with analytics). Just basically went Taurasi on her....got a lot to learn.
Out loud to the press....see how game one goes.
 

247sports.com

Iowa Women's Basketball: Everything Beth Goetz, Jan Jensen said during Jensen's introductory press conference

It's a new era for Hawkeye women's basketball. On Wednesday, longtime associate head coach Jan Jensen was officially introduced as the new official head coach. Jensen, a lifelong Iowan, showcased her passion for the Hawkeyes and an eagerness to continue to propel the program further.
247sports.com 247sports.com

Transcript of Jan Jensen's presser including her thoughts on recruiting, coaching style and Lucy Olsen's reaction to Lisa Bluder's retirement
 

A little late to the dance but, I just want say I am wishing Coach Bluder all the best in her retirement. She always ran a clean program at Iowa. They were fun to watch out there on the court. Coach Bluder ran and help to push that Read and React offense into the mainstream. Congrats and enjoy retirement, Coach Bluder.
 

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