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Lisa Bluder, in her 40th year as a head coach, looking to lead Iowa to its first NCAA title

Lisa Bluder, in her 40th year as a head coach, looking to lead Iowa to its first NCAA title
IN YOUR FULL FORECAST. ALL RIGHT, TREY, THANK YOU. NOW TO THE ROAD TO THE FINAL FOUR. CAITLIN CLARK IN THE HAWKEYE WOMEN HEADED BACK TO THE ELITE EIGHT AFTER THEIR MASSIVE WIN AGAINST COLORADO YESTERDAY. CLARK FINISHED WITH 29 POINTS AND 15 ASSISTS TO LEAD HER TEAM TO A DOMINANT. 89 TO 68 WIN. JUNIOR GUARD SYDNEY AFFOLTER CONTRIBUTED 15 POINTS AND FIVE REBOUNDS FOR THE HAWKS, AND SENIOR KATE MARTIN CHALKED UP 14 POINTS AND NINE REBOUNDS AS A LOT OF HAWK FANS GLUED TO THEIR TVS AT HOME OR EVEN OUTSIDE WATCHING THE HAWKS SEND COLORADO PACKING YESTERDAY. vlog’S AURORA SHARES THE EXCITEMENT FROM A WEST DES MOINES WATCH PARTY. SATURDAY AFTERNOON. THE IOWA WOMEN SECURING THEIR SPOT IN THE ELITE EIGHT. IT’S BEEN WAITING FOR A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP FOR GOD KNOWS HOW LONG. YOU KNOW. FORGOT ABOUT THAT A WHILE. WE NEED IT. THIS THIS THIS STATE NEEDS IT. LAST YEAR THEY MADE IT ALL THE WAY TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER. THIS YEAR, THEY COULD GO ALL THE WAY, MAKING THEIR SUCCESS SO FAR MORE EXCITING FOR FANS TO WATCH. I WOULD WATCH THE IOWA HAWKEYES EVERY NIGHT OF THE WEEK. IF I COULD HAVE FUN WATCHING CAITLIN CLARK DO HER THING. BUT WITH THEIR STAR PLANNING TO ENTER THE DRAFT, IT HAS TO BE THE YEAR TO REACH SUCCESS. CLARK’S HOMETOWN, WEST DES MOINES, HAS WATCHING CHEERING HER ON. BUT NOW THAT THEY’RE ONE WIN FROM THE FINAL FOUR, WE’RE EXCITED TO WATCH THEM PLAY. LSU, THE TEAM THAT BEAT THEM IN LAST YEAR’S CHAMPIONSHIP. DEWAR LSU WILL BE, UH, IT’LL BE A GOOD FIGHT, BUT IT’S GONNA BE A DOG FIGHT. TOUGH CONTENDER. I’M EXCITED TO SEE IT. BUT WIN OR LOSE, NEXT ROUND. TOWN KNOWS SHE’S BUILT A LEGACY HERE AT IOWA. I THINK SHE’S DONE A LOT. THE WHOLE TEAM HAS DONE A LOT FOR THE WOMEN’S SPORTS DEPARTMENT AND BROUGHT A LOT OF ATTENTION TO THE PROGRAM. SO WHILE THERE MIGHT BE SOME REBUILDING, I THINK THAT HER LEGACY WILL LIVE ON AND IT INSPIRES THE YOUTH TODAY AND FANS ARE SURE TO BE BACK. WHEN IOWA WOMEN TAKE ON LSU AND CAITLIN CLARK’S HOMETOWN OF WEST DES MOINES. vlog EIGHT NEWS. IOWA’S NEWS LEADER AS PEPPER MENTIONED, NEXT UP FOR IOWA, THEY’RE TAKING ON LSU TIGERS IN THE ELITE EIGHT TOMORROW. IT WILL BE A REMATCH OF LAST YEAR’S NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME. THE HAWKS HOPING FOR REDEMPTION TIP OF
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Lisa Bluder, in her 40th year as a head coach, looking to lead Iowa to its first NCAA title
Lisa Bluder is probably known best as Caitlin Clark's coach.But while most credit for Iowa's success over the past two years has been heaped on the program's 6-foot superstar on the court, Clark and the other Hawkeyes players give credit to the 62-year-old mentor on the sideline.Video above: Iowa fans react to Hawkeyes heading to Elite EightBluder has been a head coach since 1983-84, all in the state of Iowa and the last 24 years at the University of Iowa. She's racked up 882 wins and has coached the Hawkeyes to eight straight 20-win seasons.On Monday, she takes the Hawkeyes (32-4) into a rematch of last year's national title game with LSU (31-5) in the Albany 2 regional final."Coach Bluder is a Hall of Fame coach," Clark said Sunday. "I think the biggest thing for me throughout the recruiting process that I loved about her is she's a player's coach. She's not going to have a set offense that you have to run. She's going to tailor everything to what she has on her team and what's going to put her team in positions to be very successful."More NCAA Tournament coverage:Round 1: Hawkeyes run away from Holy CrossMarch Madness: Highlights and photos from Iowa's win over Holy CrossRound of 32: Hawkeyes survive to top West Virginia, 64-54March Madness: Highlights and photos from Iowa-West VirginiaSweet 16: Hawkeyes have no problem with Colorado, set up rematch vs. LSUMarch Madness: Highlights and photos from Iowa-Colorado in the Sweet 16Bluder was the Naismith national coach of the year in 2019, the year she coached another national player of the year in Megan Gustafson. But much of her success has gone under the radar.Long-time assistant Jan Jensen, who played for Bluder at Drake, has been on her Iowa staff since 2000. She called her boss "one of the good guys" in women's basketball.She is a coach who got into the profession when there was no money or fame involved "swept the floor, did all the things right, drove the vans, and has really, I think, done a lot behind the scenes to continue pushing (women's basketball) forward," Jensen said.Bluder describes herself as a basketball lifer. The kid who took over the family hoop that was built for her brothers and had her dad move some bushes so she could shoot from further out.Video: Coach Lisa Bluder talks Caitlin Clark, Hawkeyes seniorsBut she's also a great Xs and Os coach, Jensen said, echoing Clark's point that Bluder is able to adapt to any style that best fits the strengths of the team she has at that moment. She has run everything from a triangle, to a basic motion, to the current read-and-react system that is designed to get Clark the ball in the best position possible, Jensen said.Bluder has earned the respect of her peers, including her opponent on Monday, LSU coach Kim Mulkey."We talk about growing the game? Look at their fan base," Mulkey said. "I just have much respect for what she does with her players. I think the sign of a great coach is you adapt and you adjust to the personnel. And while each coach has a different style, if you don't adjust and adapt to each team you have, you become stagnant. I think that the team she has and the things that they do to be successful tells you that she understands and knows the game."But while Bluder is hoping to guide her team to its first national championship this year, after leading the Hawkeyes to the title game a year ago, she said her biggest hope is that she has been able to coach her players to be successful in life.And that comes, she said, with a philosophy she won't change based on personnel — one centered on faith and teaching honesty and integrity."I think that's kind of where it lands," she said. "Be kind to others, man."Her players say they've been listening."She really instills great values in us, and she believes that every single person on our team matters," said Kate Martin, who has spent six years under Bluder at Iowa. "It doesn't matter if you're Caitlin, who plays 40 minutes a game, or if you're somebody who doesn't really get off the bench. Every single person on our team matters."

Lisa Bluder is probably known best as Caitlin Clark's coach.

But while most credit for Iowa's success over the past two years has been heaped on the program's 6-foot superstar on the court, Clark and the other Hawkeyes players give credit to the 62-year-old mentor on the sideline.

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Video above: Iowa fans react to Hawkeyes heading to Elite Eight

Bluder has been a head coach since 1983-84, all in the state of Iowa and the last 24 years at the University of Iowa. She's racked up 882 wins and has coached the Hawkeyes to eight straight 20-win seasons.

On Monday, she takes the Hawkeyes (32-4) into a rematch of last year's national title game with LSU (31-5) in the Albany 2 regional final.

"Coach Bluder is a Hall of Fame coach," Clark said Sunday. "I think the biggest thing for me throughout the recruiting process that I loved about her is she's a player's coach. She's not going to have a set offense that you have to run. She's going to tailor everything to what she has on her team and what's going to put her team in positions to be very successful."

More NCAA Tournament coverage:

Bluder was the Naismith national coach of the year in 2019, the year she coached another national player of the year in Megan Gustafson. But much of her success has gone under the radar.

Long-time assistant Jan Jensen, who played for Bluder at Drake, has been on her Iowa staff since 2000. She called her boss "one of the good guys" in women's basketball.

She is a coach who got into the profession when there was no money or fame involved "swept the floor, did all the things right, drove the vans, and has really, I think, done a lot behind the scenes to continue pushing (women's basketball) forward," Jensen said.

Bluder describes herself as a basketball lifer. The kid who took over the family hoop that was built for her brothers and had her dad move some bushes so she could shoot from further out.

Video: Coach Lisa Bluder talks Caitlin Clark, Hawkeyes seniors

But she's also a great Xs and Os coach, Jensen said, echoing Clark's point that Bluder is able to adapt to any style that best fits the strengths of the team she has at that moment. She has run everything from a triangle, to a basic motion, to the current read-and-react system that is designed to get Clark the ball in the best position possible, Jensen said.

Bluder has earned the respect of her peers, including her opponent on Monday, LSU coach Kim Mulkey.

"We talk about growing the game? Look at their fan base," Mulkey said. "I just have much respect for what she does with her players. I think the sign of a great coach is you adapt and you adjust to the personnel. And while each coach has a different style, if you don't adjust and adapt to each team you have, you become stagnant. I think that the team she has and the things that they do to be successful tells you that she understands and knows the game."

IOWA CITY, IOWA- MARCH 3: Head coach Lisa Bluder (L) and associate head coach Jan Jensen (R) of the Iowa Hawkeyes hug guard Caitlin Clark #22 during the senior day program following the match-up against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on March 3, 2024 in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)
Matthew Holst
Head coach Lisa Bluder (L) and associate head coach Jan Jensen (R) of the Iowa Hawkeyes hug guard Caitlin Clark #22 during the senior day program following the match-up against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on March 3, 2024 in Iowa City, Iowa. 

But while Bluder is hoping to guide her team to its first national championship this year, after leading the Hawkeyes to the title game a year ago, she said her biggest hope is that she has been able to coach her players to be successful in life.

And that comes, she said, with a philosophy she won't change based on personnel — one centered on faith and teaching honesty and integrity.

"I think that's kind of where it lands," she said. "Be kind to others, man."

Her players say they've been listening.

"She really instills great values in us, and she believes that every single person on our team matters," said Kate Martin, who has spent six years under Bluder at Iowa. "It doesn't matter if you're Caitlin, who plays 40 minutes a game, or if you're somebody who doesn't really get off the bench. Every single person on our team matters."