By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Iowa graduate guard Lucy Olsen seems to smile and laugh as easily as she breathes.

Even as she and her Iowa teammate, Aaliyah Guyton, talked to the media on Tuesday about how Olsen suffered a deep laceration on her knee during the team’s trip to Cancun over the Thanksgiving holiday, they both laughed while describing how it happened.

Olsen said how it happened was silly.

Lucy Olsen, with help from Aaliyah Guyton, talks about suffering a knee laceration in Cancun. pic.twitter.com/q267DcUafm

— Pat Harty (@PatHarty) December 3, 2024

Olsen obviously has a serious side because a person doesn’t accomplish what she has as a college basketball player without being serious.

But what is so noticeable with Olsen right away is just how happy and positive she always seems to be.

And while there is certainly a lot to be happy about with Iowa 8-0, and with Olsen having played a key role in the early success under first-year coach Jan Jensen, Olsen has been a bundle of positive energy from the moment she came to Iowa this past summer.

The former Villanova star seems to love what she’s doing, and as far as fitting in with her new teammates, the transition has gone smoothly, other than the laceration on her knee.

Olsen will have until Saturday for the cut to heal before Iowa faces Tennessee in New York City

Olsen’s hometown in Pennsylvania is about three hours from New York City, so she expects to have a lot of family and friends on hand to support her Saturday.

“I’m super excited,” Olsen said. “So, hopefully, I’ll play. That would be kind of embarrassing if everybody shows up.”

Olsen, not surprisingly, laughed after making that comment.

She can find the lighter side to just about anything.

But she also knows when to be serious and that’s what makes her so valuable as a teammate, and why Iowa will need her against Tennessee’s defensive pressure on Saturday.

Iowa doesn’t practice on Wednesday, meaning Olsen will have a full day to rest and recover.

“I think it’s more likely than not because she’s so tough,” Jan Jensen said of Olsen playing against Tennessee on Saturday. “I think we just have to see how it responded today with a lot more reps and see what it looks like tomorrow.

“And then tomorrow, we get that day of rest. So, we won’t be missing anything. But she’s really a tough kid. And she’s going back home, right. It’s kind of fun all the people can see her a little closer.

“So, I’m optimistic about it. But I’ll feel even better tomorrow when I hear the report that it responded pretty well.”

Olsen had to be tough to accept the massive challenge of playing for Iowa the year after Caitlin Clark finished her legendary Hawkeye career.

Clark led Iowa to an NCAA runner-up finish in each of the past two seasons and she also finished her career as the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer for both men and women.

Olsen, a 5-foot-10 guard, seems unfazed by the circumstances.

She doesn’t try to compare herself to Clark, nor has she made any bold predictions since becoming a Hawkeye.

Olsen just goes about her business, and she seems to embrace each day of this new journey. She just wants to fit in and help Iowa win games.

And so far, it has gone incredibly well, both as a team and individually.

Olsen leads Iowa in scoring with a 17.3 per-game average and with 32 assists.

She has mostly played point guard, but she is also capable of playing off the ball, too.

That could become an option if Aaliyah Guyton continues to develop after having had knee surgery almost a year ago.

Guyton saw her first extensive action as a Hawkeye during the two games in Cancun as she helped to fill the void caused by Olsen’s injury.

“We’re not ready for that yet,” Jensen said of moving Olsen off the ball. “(Aaliyah) had some nice minutes down there by virtue of have to.

“But I think once she gets more used to our system, that could be a possibility.”

Guyton, who is one of five freshmen on the Iowa team, was pleased with how she performed in Cancun.

“I think I did pretty well,” she said. “Coming from a time I hadn’t played basketball in a period of ten months. And the last time I did was against a high school team. And then just coming in and playing against a whole different level, I would say I did pretty well.

“And what determined that for me is just how my teammates reacted and how my coach reacted. She trusted me. She put me out there. And that was really big for me.”

Guyton and Olsen were both made available to the media on Tuesday.

They were seated next to each other at a table in the press room and answered questions for about 10 minutes.

They both made each other laugh throughout the press conference and they both seemed so comfortable sitting together.

“Everyone kind of did their part,” Olsen said of the two games in Cancun that she missed. “Individually, I feel like everyone got some more confidence that they can ball. You don’t have to be scared of anything.

“I thought it was really good for our team.”

There is always a risk when adding a player from the transfer portal in any sport because it’s uncertain how that player will fit in on and off the playing field.

But with Lucy Olsen and the Iowa women’s basketball team, it was almost as if they were made for each other.

“I love it here,” Olsen said earlier in the season. “My teammates and coaches, the fans, the community, they have all made me feel so welcome.”

Olsen first committed to Iowa last April when Lisa Bluder still was the Iowa head coach.

Bluder then announced her retirement in May, but Olsen stuck with the Hawkeyes, much to the delight of her current head coach.

Jensen only has on regret when it comes to Olsen.

“I just wish I could coach her for more than a year,” Jensen said. “She is an absolute joy to be around. We are so fortunate to have her, even if it is just for one year.”