By Susan Harman

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Downtown Iowa City was enjoying an unseasonably warm early Friday evening with outdoor restaurant seating full and cold beverages flowing when a pep rally broke out.

A few thousand fans gathered at the Pentacrest to greet the most successful women’s basketball team in Iowa history and celebrate the season that ended in the national championship game. Decibel-busting public address announcer Dave Gallagher warmed up the crowd as did the Iowa pep band and cheer squad.

Small children were perched on parental shoulders trying to get a look at the team as players walked up the cordoned-off sidewalk from Clinton Street to a stage set in front of the Old Capitol. T-shirts on display celebrated the “law firm” of Clark & Czinano along with Raygun-produced shirts honoring Gabbie Marshall, Makenna Warnock and Kate Martin. Several wore shirts with the new mantra: “Why Not Us.”

A number of people brought basketballs of varying sizes hoping to get an autograph or two. TV cameras were everywhere and a couple drones hovered above. The players were dressed in black T-shirts that celebrated their NCAA Regional championship in Seattle and gave them a berth in the Final Four.

University President Barbara Wilson opened the proceedings by noting that she’s become famous for two things. She is the 22^nd President of the University of Iowa and “someone else I know shares the No. 22.” The other thing was having been lifted in the air by Monika Czinano on the Final Four court after the Hawkeyes upset No. 1 South Carolina in the semifinals.

“So, thank you ladies. You’ve helped me out a lot,” Wilson joked.

Wilson also paid tribute to Iowa’s coaches: “What we’re most proud of is what incredible human beings you are and how much you’ve helped to steward these young people to the future.”

Wilson noted the success the players have had in the classroom and called them “the whole package.” Bluder later pointed out the team’s grade-point average was a cumulative 3.56.

Iowa Athletics Director Gary Barta thanked fans and noted coach Lisa Bluder now has 850 college coaching victories.

Iowa City mayor Bruce Teague read a lengthy proclamation and declared, “It’s celebration time.”

Bluder profusely thanked the fans for their attendance at Carver-Hawkeye Arena and on the road at the Big Ten Tournament, at home in the first two NCAA games, at Seattle’s regional and in Dallas for the Final Four.

“We obviously wish that we could have brought the championship home to you, but honestly it’s easy to be No. 1, and I’m proud of the way that my women were No. 2,” Bluder said. “I think you can learn a lot on being No. 2 by the way this group acted and the way they represented this great university and this great state and the sport of women’s basketball after the championship game.”

Bluder said she thought this team changed the way that people think about women’s basketball, not only in Iowa, but across the country, citing the record viewership for the championship game.

Then Clark took the mic and displayed her best impression of Steven Colbert while MC’ing a series of questions directed at her teammates. She solicited opinions on the most exciting and funniest things that happened during the year. She predicted Hannah Stuelke “would be a beast next year.”

“I know a ticket to next year is going to be really hard to come by,” Clark continued. “So you better be ready. I think we’ve got the best show on hardwood.”

No one in attendance would have disagreed.

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