Iowa women’s basketball head coach Lisa Bruder announced Monday that former Hawkeyes star Caitlin Clark is retiring as she approaches her professional debut with the WNBA’s Indiana Fever.
Jan Jensen, Bruder’s longtime assistant, has been named her successor.
“There’s no denying that this past season was great for so many reasons, and we couldn’t have accomplished what we did without you,” Bruder said in an open letter to fans. . “After the season, I spent time with our student-athletes and coaches to reflect on the season and prepare for what’s next.
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Iowa head coach Lisa Bruder (left) and associate head coach Jan Jensen (right) before the NCAA college basketball game against Nebraska on Saturday, January 27, 2024 in Iowa City, Iowa. is standing. (AP Photo/Charlie Neighborgal, File)
“At the same time, I began to personally reflect on what this journey means to me, how best to move this program forward, and what the future holds for my family and me. Then, after spending some time with my husband David, it became clear to me that I was ready to step aside. ”
Bruder’s retirement comes more than a month after Iowa State lost its second consecutive national championship, this time to South Carolina.
She spent 24 years leading the Hawkeyes after spending 10 years at Drake. Bruder had a total of 716 wins and 359 losses.
Clark, perhaps the best player of Bruder’s tenure, congratulated her former coach.
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Iowa women’s NCAA college basketball head coach Lisa Bruder appears on the red carpet before the world premiere and screening of episode 1 of the ESPN+ original series Full Court Press on Monday, May 6, 2024 in Indianapolis. . (AP Photo/Daron Cummings)
“Nobody builds a team better than anyone. Thank you for believing in me more than anyone else. Enjoy your retirement, Coach. So well deserved,” Clark wrote to X.
Jensen will take over from the 2024-25 season. She served as an associate head coach under Bruder for 20 years. She was also with Bruder when he was at Drake.
She was an All-American at Drake University and the all-time leading scorer in six-man basketball at Elhorn Kimballton High School in Iowa.
“There is no one better suited to lead this program than Jan Jensen, and I am excited that she will have the opportunity to build on the foundation that has been established,” Bruder said. “I am dedicated to assisting her and her staff in any capacity necessary to move forward.”
Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Lisa Bruder walks with Iowa Hawkeyes No. 22 Kaitlyn during the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament National Championship at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on April 7, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. High-five Clark. (C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photo, Getty Images)
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Bruder helped Iowa win five Big Ten Tournament championships. She is a three-time Big Ten Coach of the Year and was named Naismith College Coach of the Year in 2019.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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