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Putting out four tremendous years at Iowa, Caitlin Clark has left her legacy as arguably the greatest Hawkeye ever. It will be extremely difficult for anyone to not just replicate her performances but also do it with the grace Clark did. No wonder people flocked to see her and the NCAA all-time leading scorer has led women’s basketball’s rise over the past few years. She has set the bar for future athletes to come after her.
Speaking of future athletes, there is a player who will be leading the team in the upcoming season, i.e. the Villanova transfer Lucy Olsen, who has taken up the daunting task of succeeding Clark. She discussed her playing style and game on the recent Big 10 media day.
Reflecting on Clark’s journey at Iowa, Olsen said, “I mean she was amazing. She pretty much brought everything to the team.” However, she also admitted not to walk in Clark’s shoes and resorted, “I’m not gonna shoot half-court shots. Yeah, I won’t be doing that, so don’t watch for that.”
Having a guard like Lucy Olsen on the team does make a difference. Last season at Villanova, Olsen averaged 23.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game, which is almost in tune with what Clark averaged in her junior season, i.e. 27.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 8.9 assists per game.
Having said that, she further ensured to make her own mark, and walk her own path as she begins her journey with the Hawkeyes this season, “It’ll just be different like I’m going to work my butt off and anything coach needs me to do to help us win the games I mean it’s going to be all around different so I think just learning to play with my new teammates.” And the charisma among the Iowa fans is still there and the season hasn’t even arrived yet.
People are looking up to see what wonder the Iowa Hawkeyes are going to produce this year. As a result, Carver Hawkeye arena is already sold out for a second straight year. That shows the continued excitement in fans despite Clark’s transition into the WNBA.
USA Today via Reuters
Resonating with the momentum, Jan Jensen gave some interesting insights describing the excitement in fans. She said, “I think last year a lot of people came for Caitlin but they stayed for Kate Martin, they stayed for Gabby (Marshall), they stayed for Molly Davis, Sharon Goodman. That was your class but they stayed for Hannah Stalke and they’re continuing to be so eager to see what this group can become and I think that’s really the ticket.”
The rebuilded Iowa roster does look promising to make an impact, with Clark not there anymore. So, it is both an opportunity and a challenge for the Hawkeyes to put out a successful season ahead.
