Mitchell Northam
May 14, 2024 7:51 pm ET
Earlier this week, Lisa Bluder announced her retirement from coaching women’s basketball at the University of Iowa. Bluder leaves the Hawkeyes having guided them to five Big Ten tournament titles and two appearances in the national title game – and having coached one of the greatest players the game has ever seen in Caitlin Clark.
Iowa didn’t have to look far or long to find Bluder’s successor. Shortly after Bluder made her retirement public, the Hawkeyes announced that Jan Jensen would be taking the program over as its sixth head coach.
Here’s what Iowa athletic director Beth Goetz said about Jensen:
“Coach Jensen has been an instrumental part of our success, assisting in all aspects of the program. After several conversations with Coach Bluder and President Wilson over the last few days, it is clear that everything that we are seeking in a head coach, we have found right here.”
Here’s everything you need to know about Jensen as she leads Iowa into its post-Clark and post-Bluder era:
Jensen has been there for it all
DALLAS, TEXAS – MARCH 30: head coach Lisa Bluder of the Iowa Hawkeyes talks with associate head coach Jan Jensen during practice before the 2023 NCAA Women’s Final Four semifinal game at American Airlines Center on March 30, 2023 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
A native of Kimballton, Iowa, Jensen played for Bluder at Drake, and then became an assistant coach under her in 1993. When Bluder got the Iowa job in 2000, Jensen came to Iowa City too and has been there ever since. From 2000 through 2024, with Jensen sitting on the bench next to Bluder, Iowa went to 18 NCAA tournaments and won two regular season Big Ten crowns.
Jensen was instrumental in the recruitment of Clark and 2019 National Player of the Year Megan Gustafson. She also helped Monika Czinano make four All-Big Ten teams.
In 2023, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association named Jensen its Assistant Coach of the Year.
Jensen was a great player
IOWA CITY, IOWA- MARCH 25: Associate head coach Jan Jensen of the Iowa Hawkeyes celebrates after the game against the West Virginia Mountaineers during their second round match-up in the 2024 NCAA Division 1 Womens Basketball Championship at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on March 25, 2024 in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)
At Drake, Jensen led the nation in scoring in the 1990-91 season with 29.6 points per game. She was named MVP of the Gateway Conference, and the Missouri Valey Conference later named Jensen to its women’s basketball All-Centennial Team. Drake retired her No. 13 jersey.
Jensen had a prolific high school career too. She’s in the Iowa Girls High School Basketball Hall of Fame and averaged 66 points per game as a senior – back when Iowa was playing a 6-on-6 version of girls basketball. She had offers from women’s college basketball powerhouses at the time – like Stanford and Old Dominion – but stayed at home and chose nearby Drake.
Bluder told the Des Moines Register:
“Nobody could figure out how to stop her. Sometimes, we think of Jan and think of her now as a coach here at Iowa, but we forget how great of a player she was. She was one of the best.”
The WNBA didn’t come along until five years after Jensen’s collegiate career ended. She played in Germany, won a championship, and then started her journey in coaching.
Her family is full of great players too
IOWA CITY, IOWA- NOVEMBER 19: Guard Kate Martin #20 of the Iowa Hawkeyes is greeted by assistant coach Jan Jensen as she came off the floor during the second half against the Drake Bulldogs at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on November 19, 2023 in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)
Jensen’s grandmother, Dorcas Andersen, went by the nickname “Lottie” – because she scored a lot of points in basketball. Long before Title IX, Andersen was a star in 6-on-6 basketball in Iowa. In the second-ever girls state basketball tournament in Iowa, she scored 89 points in six games as her team won the title.
The niece of Jensen is a pretty good too. That’s Kate Martin – the now-former Iowa standout who plays with the Las Vegas Aces. Jensen is married to the sister of Martin’s mother.
Extremely grateful to have been coached by Bluder & I’m so happy for her. If you know Bluder, you know that wasn’t an easy decision for her.
I am even more excited about @goiowa to take over this amazing program. Iowa women’s basketball is in great hands. Go hawks!! https://t.co/x6Ohx6pxVO
— Kate Martin (@kate_martin22) May 13, 2024
Caitlin Clark is a big fan of Jan Jensen
Iowa associate head coach Jan Jensen and Iowa guard Caitlin Clark (22) celebrate after a NCAA Big Ten Conference women’s basketball game against Penn State, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. Iowa won, 108-67. (Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK)
Here’s Clark before her WNBA debut, reacting to the news that Bluder was stepping away and Jensen was taking over.
“The program is going to be in a really good place with Coach J taking over. Somebody that’s been very selfless, like has had a lot of head coaching opportunities but has passed those up to help our program be a lot better.”
Iowa should still be pretty good next season
Mar 26, 2023; Seattle, WA, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes assistant coach Jan Jensen reacts after cutting down the net after the game against the Louisville Cardinals at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Without Clark, Martin, Molly Davis, Gabbie Marshall and Bluder, few expect Iowa to play in the national championship game for a third straight season, but with Jensen leading the way, the Hawkeyes should still be an AP Top 25 team that competes at the top of the Big Ten and deep into March.
In addition to starters Hannah Stuelke and Sydney Affolter returning, Iowa also landed Villanova’s Lucy Olsen in the transfer portal. The rising senior was fourth in the nation in scoring this past season with 23.3 points per game. That she’s decided to spend her final collegiate campaign at Iowa is a big win for Jensen and the Hawkeyes as they try to replace Clark’s scoring production.
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