Video: Jan Jensen on dealing with departure of Caitlin Clark
Iowa women’s basketball head coach Jan Jensen discusses a variety of topics during Big Ten Media Days.
ROSEMONT, Ill. — After going through two years in the spotlight with Caitlin Clark at the controls, Iowa women’s basketball arrived at Big Ten Media Days on Wednesday with eyes on the future.
New head coach Jan Jensen, junior forward Hannah Stuelke and senior guard Lucy Olsen congregated along with the rest of the conference inside Rosemont’s Donald E. Convention Center.
Here’s what stood out.
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Iowa women’s basketball appreciates the loud statement another season sellout delivered
Many across the country were likely surprised when it was announced Iowa had sold out women’s basketball season tickets for a second consecutive season. No Caitlin Clark, no Hall of Fame head coach, no gaudy preseason ranking, little national hype — all of it seemed to equal an inevitable dropoff.
No such thing, at least to start. Iowa fans have made it clear this program has earned the benefit of the doubt as it transitions out of the Clark and Lisa Bluder years.
“It meant a lot,” Stuelke said. “It just showed how much Iowa supports women’s basketball. Even though Caitlin is gone, they’re still going to show up and do everything that they can to support us. That speaks, for sure.”
Stuelke has seen impressive the Carver-Hawkeye Arena scene countless times, with sold-out arenas essentially becoming the norm throughout her two years in Iowa City.
Olsen, a Villanova transfer, will be engulfed by the noise for the first time.
“It’s going to be different,” Olsen said. “Our fans were great (at Villanova), but it’s nothing compared to what the Iowa community has. I’m just super excited to walk out on the court when the arena is filled and there are a ton of people there cheering for us. I played against UConn at UConn, and there were a lot of fans there. But they were all booing. So I’m excited for people cheering.”
Hannah Stuelke’s voice “getting louder” as one of Iowa’s veteran leaders
It’s no secret that Stuelke’s play did much more talking than she did upon arriving at Iowa. Despite having a sizable role pretty much right away, it’s taken the Cedar Rapids Washington product some time to warm up in front of the mic.
Now, though?
A different story.
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Stuelke made her second Big Ten Media Days appearance Wednesday, laughing and giggling while exuding confidence that Iowa women’s basketball is going nowhere. Now a junior, the Hawkeyes need Stuelke’s veteran presence in the locker room as much as they do on the court. The Hawkeyes are going through a changing of the guard on the leadership front, with Stuelke’s elevation one of the primary developments.
“I’ve really been impressed with Hannah’s leadership over the summer,” Jensen said, “organizing team dinners from the very beginning. And that stuff is big off the floor.
“And on the court, she is playing with a presence and is just showing everyone the expectation. She hasn’t been practicing as long this summer (after knee surgery) … But she knows different things to share with them because she’s been there. She’s excited about continuing to show them the way. That’s really big for Hannah because she came in with big potential and a big style of play — but her voice was pretty quiet. It’s getting louder, which I love.”
It wasn’t that long Stuelke was the wide-eyed freshman, trying to find her footing on a team shouldering lofty expectations from the jump. What she learned under then-senior Monika Czinano has propelled Stuelke to become one of the best players in the Big Ten. She’s hoping to do the same for those coming next.
“The freshmen ask a lot of questions so just being able to answer those questions for them is really important,” Stuelke said. “Which I know all the answers now, so that’s crazy. It goes by fast.”
Iowa’s freshmen duo from Wisconsin quickly gaining steam
After several years featuring few starting lineup changes and rotational surprises, the unknown with these Hawkeyes appears most intriguing.
Although Stuelke, Olsen and Affolter are all safe bets, Jensen said Wednesday she hasn’t fully settled on a starting lineup yet. Freshmen contributions of varying levels feel inevitable, though, given Iowa’s current roster construction.
Newbies Taylor Stremlow and Teagan Mallegni quickly became a media day topic. The duo from Wisconsin is climbing the depth chart quickly. As Olsen succinctly put it, they’re “very confident coming in.”
“They’re highly skilled. I anticipate them getting some good playing time,” Jensen said. “Taylor Stremlow is very mature and very vocal beyond her years. She’ll learn well from Syd, who learned from Kate Martin and I think Taylor is in that mold. I know that’s putting a lot on a kid, but Taylor’s got a great way about her. She’s crafty, fun. She’s got a little twinkle in her eye when she plays.
“… Teagan is excellent. She is a big forward who can shoot it deep. She doesn’t shy away from moments. I have high hopes for her. They’re both just great kids.”
Dargan Southard is a sports trending reporter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.
