New-look Iowa women’s basketball team “super excited” about next chapter
By Pat Harty
IOWA CITY, Iowa – The Iowa women’s basketball team held its annual media day event on Thursday, and surprisingly, the first question asked to new head coach Jan Jensen wasn’t about the challenge of playing without Caitlin Clark.
It took until the third question for Clark’s name to be brought up.
Jensen was asked what Iowa will miss the most without Clark, the dynamic guard who led Iowa to back-to-back NCAA runner-up finishes in 2023 and 2024, and who finished her legendary career as the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer.
“It’s so easy to look back in the last three or four years, oh, my gosh, that was awesome,” Jensen said. “Well, there were some times where it was like, ‘oh, my gosh, are we ever going to get this figured out?’ But that’s the beauty of what coaching is.
“So yes, we will miss all of that. But my staff and I, we are so excited about the next chapter and trying to do it all again in a different way that we don’t spend much time on what we’re missing. We’re just really focused on, man, look at what we’ve got.”
Clark is among four starters from last season’s team that have to replace, the others being All-Big Ten guard Kate Martin, ace perimeter defender Gabbie Marshall and guard Molly Davis.
Clark could have used her free Covid year and played a fifth season for Iowa.
But instead she chose to launch her professional career with the Indiana Fever, and she was just recently named the WNBA Rookie of the Year.
“That is what’s fun because the team, as much as they would have loved another year like we had, another year with Caitlin, they’re also really ready for their time and clearly understood that they wouldn’t trade any second of the past time,” Jensen said. “They loved it.
“But now they get a shot to take the shot. They get an opportunity to be the one that’s the key stopper. They have leaned in beautifully.”
Iowa turned to the transfer portal for help with the post-Clark transition and came away with high scoring combo guard Lucy Olsen, who averaged over 23 points per game for Villanova last season.
Olsen faces the daunting task of replacing Clark at point guard, although, nobody expects Olsen to be Caitlin Clark.
For one thing, their playing styles are different with Olsen more of a mid-range scorer, whereas Clark likes to shoot logo threes.
Olsen, in addition to learning a new system, is also learning to play at a faster pace.
“I love it,” she said. “It’s super fun.”
Jensen was upbeat and optimistic throughout her press conference, except for when she explained how injuries to key players has made the transition more difficult.
Starting senior guard Sydney Affolter recently had her knee scoped and will be out until November, while All-Big Ten junior forward Hannah Stuelke just recently returned from an injury.
“The injuries have been interesting, and they always are when it comes to sport,’ Jensen said. “You never want to think about them. You don’t really want to prepare for them. But you certainly have to understand that they’re a possibility.
“I think if there’s been one thing that’s been challenging or a bummer, it’s the fact that Sydney and Hannah Stuelke, arguably two of our key components coming back, have never practiced together since we ended our season last April.”
The 6-foot-2 Stuelke played mostly in the post last season despite being undersized for a center.
Her natural position is power forward, and there is hope with the emergence of 6-4 freshman center Ava Heiden that Stuelke will see more action at that position.
Heiden is among three post players on the team, along with Addison O’Grady and A.J. Ediger.
“It just kind of depends on how we want to look in that, but I would say right now, Ava has been really, really, as of late, as she gets more comfortable, starting to separate herself,” Jensen said of the Oregon native. “But I expect Addison to have a critical role, and depending, AJ just like last year, she battles and she’ll be ready.”
Heiden wasn’t aware that Jensen said in her press conference that Heiden had separated herself from the other two centers until a member of the media told her shortly thereafter.
“Did she say that right now,” Heiden asked. “Okay. That’s cool.”
Heiden was then asked how she sees her role playing out this season.
“I think that (coach Jensen) will put me in wherever she sees fit,” Heiden said “I’m just here to serve the team, and I trust in Jan. Whatever she thinks is best, I’m going to do it and work hard and have fun doing it.”
Heiden is part of a five-player freshmen class that represents both the present and future of the Iowa women’s basketball program.
The other four freshmen are forward Teagan Mallegni and guards Taylor Stremlow, Callie Levin and Aaliyah Guyton.
“I think we have a really solid great freshman class,” Jensen said. “We’re pretty well-versed in most of the positions except like maybe a true, true big.
“But the versatility of Teagan Mallegni, she’s a big forward. She can post-up a little bit. She’s got a really quick good three shot. So she’s been doing a lot of great things for us.”
Jensen still is working on establishing a backup point guard behind Olsen.
Jensen believes all three freshmen guards could fill that spot, and especially Guyton, who is close to being fully recovered from knee surgery.
“I’m excited to also get Aaliyah Guyton back,” Jensen said. “She is still not practicing yet, either, and she would be slotted as the backup to Lucy Olsen.
“Practices have been challenging in that regard. We don’t have a true point backup. So I’ve slid other kids over that need to kind of help hold serve in that. Taylor Stremlow is more of a wing guard, but she’s crafty and fun and gutty. She hasn’t shied away from trying to run the point position when we need to give Lucy a break.
“Callie Levin has been solid trying to help with that. Every guard that’s a one, two, three, we’ve had to slide them over to the point guard position at some point during practice. They’re getting experience.”
Jensen is also counting on veteran players such as senior guard Kylie Feuerbach and junior guard Taylor McCabe to play bigger roles this season.
“They have a different level of confidence, and they’re competing,” Jensen said. “There’s a couple spots that are open, but they’re doing it in a really healthy way, and I’ve been really impressed with their progress.”
Jensen takes over at a time when the Big Ten has expanded to 18 team with the additions of USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington.
USC and UCLA are both considered two of the top teams in the country.
Iowa will play USC and UCLA once in the regular season with both games at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
“The Big Ten got tougher,” Jensen said. ‘”The players are really, really good. It’s just really challenging them that to stay in this moment, because if you listen too much to everybody telling you how great everybody else is and how much you lost, then it can seem to be a little heavy.
“I just like how they’re leaning into they’ve got next. I want them to really embrace that because we have added some great teams. Utmost respect for all four of those coaches and their programs.”
Fans will get their first look at life after Caitlin Clark and Lisa Bluder when Iowa faces Missouri Western in an exhibition game on Oct. 30 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
This season marks the second straight season that the Iowa women’s basketball team has sold out all its home games.
Olsen never has attended an Iowa game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, so she has been trying to picture in her head what the arena will look like packed with fans.
“We practice in here every day and it looks so cool empty,” Olsen said. “Even trying to picture it in my brain full, I can’t even process it.
“So, I’m super excited with when we walk out the first day through the tunnel just how loud and excited the energy in here is going to be.”,