The Iowa women’s basketball team signaled the beginning of the 2024-25 campaign by hosting its annual media day on Thursday.
Following a second consecutive national championship game appearance, the program entered a new chapter as Caitlin Clark and Kate Martin went to the WNBA, Gabbie Marshall graduated, and head coach Lisa Bluder retired.
Bluder’s successor was an obvious choice — former associate head coach Jan Jensen.
Jensen served as associate head coach for the entirety of Bluder’s 24-year tenure as head coach and was named Iowa’s sixth head coach minutes after Bluder’s retirement became public.
“When I think about the challenges of this job, I think the unique thing isn’t that anything’s been surprising, it’s just now my viewpoint,” Jensen said. “I think, just on a personal note of the longevity of coaching with Lisa, that was unique because for 32 years… what do you think without that person who’s no longer there?”
“My staff, I love. [They’re] great. It’s just 32 years of history in the paint, right? I think anybody could say that’d be a little bit of a difference and more so… just the daily personal connection of that,” she added.
Though Jensen carried the title of the highest assistant coach throughout the years, third-year guard Jada Gyamfi always felt her presence was more of a “second head coach role.”
“She did a really good job my freshman and sophomore year using her voice,” Gyamfi said. “I think that she’s still keeping that going, but obviously it’s nice to kind of just see her confidence bloom, be confident in the calls that she makes… It’s just awesome to see her blossom into this role.”
New leaders emerging
Last year, fifth-year guard Kate Martin played the role as one Iowa’s main vocal leaders, taking many younger players under her wing including Gyamfi.
Gyamfi is now one of the program’s longest tenured players and aims to assist Jensen in her new role by becoming one of the team’s main vocal leaders.
“I think the best thing that I can offer them is my voice and my knowledge,” Gyamfi said. “I care about the team, and I think using my voice and kind of echoing everything that [Jensen] says. Also, I kind of know what [the coaches are] looking for… using my voice is the best thing I can do.”
Fourth-year guard Sydney Affolter is said to be out until early November after getting a procedure done on her knee earlier this month. Despite not being on the court, teammates have praised Affolter’s leadership.
Third-year guard Taylor McCabe emphasized Affolter as someone who touches on all the right intangibles, including leadership.
“I think that [Affolter] really embodies our typical Iowa women’s basketball player, in terms of personality, in terms of work ethic and all that,” McCabe said. “I think that she is a great leader by example. Now that she’s able to kind of back her words with that as well, it’s just been really good. And even though she hasn’t been practicing, she’s still such a presence from the sidelines, and she’s still very involved in practice, which is good to see.”
Affolter improved her play towards the end of the regular season and during the NCAA Tournament run. Starting the last nine games, she scored 10 points or more in seven of those last nine appearances, including a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds on her way to a Big Ten All-Tournament team and the Albany 2 All-Regional Team.
Her on-court presence will be vital for Iowa this season. But with her and third-year forward Hannah Stuelke currently dealing with injuries, Villanova transfer guard Lucy Olsen will carry the burden.
Olsen’s off-court bond with her teammates has vastly grown since her arrival in May, and the respect she’s earned will translate into her being an impactful leader on the court.
“I think Lucy fits it with every single one of us,” Affolter said. “Same personality, same play, and more than anything, she’s just a great friend and a great teammate. She does a lot of things that we all do, and she fits into our culture here at Iowa.”
Stuelke also acknowledged Affolter and Gyamfi for being great vocal leaders while describing where she makes her impact with the team.
“Sydney is really good at being a vocal leader, so she does a majority of that,” Stuelke said. “Jada is also really good at being vocal, but I feel like people come to me if they have questions, and I’m really good at answering questions for them, so I do a little bit more.
Freshman additions, plus Lucy Olsen
Olsen finished the 2023-24 season with the nation’s third-highest scoring average with 23.1 points per game behind only Clark and Southern California star Juju Watkins.
Though she won’t pull up from the logo like Clark, she brings a new dimension to the team with her elite play inside the arc.
“It’s just exciting,” Gyamfi said. “She’s so consistent at what she does. She’s a really great shooter, she can shoot from pretty much anywhere on the floor. I think people are gonna be really impressed with how she’s able to finish at the rim over taller people.”
Along with Olsen came a freshman class featuring five players: guards Taylor Stremlow, Aaliyah Guyton, Callie Levin, and Teagan Mellegni, and center Ava Heiden.
The abundance of new ball handlers gives Jensen a variety of options. The first-year head coach loves what she sees from the backcourt.
“We have a lot of kids who play either the one or two positions in high school,” Jensen said. “So certainly Lucy Olson, that was a great addition that we had needed. So I feel comfortable with who can handle the ball and who’s going to handle the ball.”
Heiden, the Hawkeyes’ only frontcourt addition in the offseason, loves the way all the new players, including herself, are fitting in with the longer-tenured players.
“We have a pretty big freshman class coming in five months, and Lucy too, the transfer, but I think that everyone here is here to do their job and work hard,” Heiden said. “There’s no jealousy or drama or anything like that, and so we just mesh together really well, and we all have skills that complement each other.”
As usual, it’s the younger players who are fresh to the scene who bring the energy the older players can use.
“Personality wise, just go through the five, the loud ones,” McCabe said jokingly. “Aaliyah, Callie Taylor, Stremlow, it is 7:30 in the morning, and these three will have a full conversation at maximum volume. I’m like, ‘Guys, I just woke up.’ But it just brings such a fun energy, and they’re just so excited to be here every single day, which is so so fun.”