Lisa Bluder Conveys the Lasting Impact of the Caitlin Clark Era on Iowa
As has often become the case over the past year-plus, the basketball community's collective focus was on Caitlin Clark and her staggering achievements on Tuesday, after it was announced that she was named Time Athlete of the Year for 2024.
If there's one person who knows what Clark is capable of both on and off of the basketball court, it's Lisa Bluder. Bluder was Clark's head coach during all four seasons she spent with the Iowa Hawkeyes, and therefore got to witness every single one of Clark's 3,951 points scored that made her the NCAA Division 1 all-time leading scorer.
She also saw how Clark affected fans and the Hawkeyes community as a whole. While Bluder is no longer Iowa's head coach after retiring earlier this year, she has still seen the lasting impact Clark has had at Iowa — which she conveyed in a December 11 article from ESPN's Jake Trotter.
"The excitement of the last few years has rubbed off, and it's now become a part of life here in Iowa City -- and that's how it should be," said Bluder, noting that Clark 'changed the game' for Iowa," the article wrote.
"You see all these little girls running around with their jerseys on. But quite honestly, you see a lot of grown men running around with those jerseys too. That's awesome," she added.
How is life after Caitlin Clark at Iowa? Just ask the sellout crowds, where the #Hawkeyes have kept on winning. https://t.co/pGmhyjbK6r
— Jake Trotter (@Jake_Trotter) December 11, 2024
While the date hasn't been announced, Iowa is expected to retire Clark's No. 22 jersey at some point this season. Expect Bluder, Clark, and a whole lot of No. 22 jerseys in the stands present when that happens.
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.