Iowa begins post-Caitlin Clark era with lower expectations and a new coach. Players see opportunity

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The Caitlin Clark era astatine Iowa ended pinch her arsenic nan NCAA Division I wide scoring leader and nan Hawkeyes playing successful 2 consecutive nationalist title games and being nan hottest summons successful women's basketball.

Clark precocious vanished her first pro play arsenic nan WNBA rookie of nan year, and Iowa starts complete pinch a caller head coach, caller point guard and considerably little expectations.

Jan Jensen, nan longtime adjunct who succeeded nan retired Lisa Bluder successful May, delivered a elemental connection to her players arsenic they began summertime conditioning: “We’ve sewage next.”

“Coach J says it each of nan time,” said Hannah Stuelke, nan team's apical returning scorer.

The Hawkeyes will play without Clark for nan first clip since March 6, 2020, erstwhile they big Missouri Western successful an accumulation Wednesday night.

After spending each of past play successful nan apical 10 of The Associated Press poll, they are 1 spot extracurricular nan preseason Top 25 arsenic nan squad receiving nan astir votes among nan unranked.

Iowa went 109-30 successful Clark's 4 years pinch 4 NCAA Tournament appearances, 3 Big Ten Tournament titles and a shared regular-season championship. Her 3,951 points guidelines arsenic nan most ever by a women's aliases men's DI player successful nan NCAA. Her 1,293 section goals and 548 3-pointers are women's records, arsenic are her 480 points successful NCAA Tournament games.

The Hawkeyes besides mislaid sixth-year defender Kate Martin and fifth-year defender Gabbie Marshall, 2 starters who played cardinal roles successful Iowa’s postseason runs.

Bluder retired successful May aft winning 528 games pinch 18 NCAA appearances successful 24 years. Jensen, who had been pinch Bluder since their days astatine Drake successful nan 1990s, was named caput coach nan aforesaid day.

It’s a batch of alteration for a programme that has been a people of consistency nether Bluder, and nan occurrence of nan past 4 years pinch Clark has fixed measurement to questions astir really bully nan Hawkeyes tin beryllium without her and nan others.

“I deliberation everybody wants to beryllium nan New York Yankees, right?” Jensen said. “It was benignant of nosy to beryllium that nan past mates of years, nan favourite pinch those mature teams and nan longevity, pinch Caitlin and Kate, Gabbie, successful that starting lineup. But it’s besides nosy to beryllium nan underdog. I deliberation a batch of America ever cheers typically for nan underdog.”

Still, location will beryllium times erstwhile it feels for illustration it will beryllium difficult to move connected without Clark’s presence. The first 2 questions Stuelke and caller teammate Lucy Olsen sewage astatine nan Big Ten media days were astir Clark, and astatine nan Hawkeyes’ media day, Jensen fielded questions astir Clark’s effect connected nan program.

Olsen, who was 3rd successful nan federation successful scoring past play astatine Villanova, is 1 of six newcomers. Stuelke and defender Sydney Affolter, who will beryllium retired for nan first fewer weeks of nan play arsenic she recovers from offseason knee surgery, are nan only returning starters.

Jensen has stressed to nan players that nan departures of Clark, Martin and Marshall will unfastened playing clip for others.

“There’s caller roles, a fewer much shots,” Jensen said. “A fewer much large protect assignments that they whitethorn now get. And I emotion to spot them leaning successful and being fresh to hopefully astonishment immoderate people.”

Kylie Feuerbach, a fifth-year elder contending for a starting spot, sees a immense opportunity.

“But nothing’s a given,” she said, "and we’re going to person to gain it.”

The Hawkeyes are still popular. All play tickets astatine location are sold retired for nan 2nd consecutive season.

Feuerbach said Jensen led nan squad to nan apical of Carver-Hawkeye Arena 1 time to exemplify nan magnitude of nan crowds that person shown up.

“Coach J had america beryllium up beautiful precocious successful 1 of nan seats, and she conscionable benignant of explained to us, put into perspective, nan arena that we’re trading out,” Feuerbach said. “And it really does put successful position and really typical it really genuinely is that there’s that galore group that want to travel and watch america each azygous game.”

Jensen said she tells nan Hawkeyes to attraction connected “the windshield” and to hide astir nan “rear-view mirror.”

“I conscionable support reminding them to clasp this infinitesimal and who they are,” Jensen said.

Every play is simply a caller opening for each team, but ne'er much than for Iowa arsenic it goes into 2024-25.

“And I deliberation if everybody will conscionable fto this year’s squad beryllium this year’s squad — and not nan 1 backmost location — and not (project) what they should do aliases could be," Jensen said. "But conscionable fto this benignant of each ruminate and fto them benignant of commencement figuring it out, (and) I deliberation they tin really person a bully level of success.”

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