As soon as Lucy Olsen arrived in Iowa, she was greeted with a warm Midwestern greeting.
Olsen, who was the nation's third-leading scorer in Division I women's college basketball last year, transferred from Villanova to Iowa as the Hawkeyes entered their first season under Caitlin Clark.
At Big Ten Media Day on Wednesday, Olsen told reporters She was recognized by fans at Chick-fil-A shortly after arriving on campus in June.
“They get out of the car and they're like, 'Hey, you're Lucy Olsen, the new Hawkeye,'” Olsen said. “And I thought, 'Yeah, how do you know me?' I haven't touched a ball yet. ”It was crazy, but definitely a really great time. ”
AP
Clark's University of Iowa reached the NCAA Tournament finals in 2023 and 2024, but lost to LSU and South Carolina, respectively.
At a Big Ten media event, Jan Jansen, who replaced Lisa Bruder as Iowa's new head coach, said the Hawkeyes are “beyond” Clark and have continued to have success after Clark's departure. I was asked if this was the driving force.
“I don't know if that's really where we are,” Janssen said.
“I think Michael Jordan is still a part of North Carolina. They probably won't go through a recruiting process where someone doesn't mention that Michael Jordan went there. I'm really proud of that. Masu [with Clark]. I feel like [the players’] “That was part of it, but the idea is, this is here, this is now.” I think they have a really good approach to it.
“In my opinion, it's not being used for inappropriate play. It's there. That's clear. You're going to get a lot of questions about that. Out of respect and gratitude, but this is a new It's a chapter.
Jansen also compared and contrasted how Olsen and Clark play at the guard position.
“The point guard position is going to play a lot differently than the normal cast of characters,” the coach said. “[Olsen] Don't shoot from Kinnick [the football stadium]. She shoots from the regular 3-point line. She can pass it, but she's probably not going to make a three-quarters length pass. And when she takes shots, many of them will be in the mid-range area. So I think she has a fun style of play that is exciting to watch. Because it's all clever stuff. ”
As for the challenge of filling in for forward Hannah Stelke of Clark, Iowa; said“Obviously it's going to change. Kaitlyn is a crazy scorer. Kate. [Martin] I also brought a lot. But I think Lucy brings just as much, and she's a great basketball player. I think we'll probably score in a different way, but I think we'll score just as much. Yes, it's different, but it's the same. ”
