Iowa women’s basketball has its successor to Lisa Bluder.
Less than 30 minutes after Bluder announced her surprising retirement from the Hawkeyes after 24 seasons working the sidelines, Hawkeyes associate head coach Jan Jensen was elevated to head coach, replacing her former college coach and mentor.
“I am thrilled to share with you that current Associate Head Coach Jan Jensen has agreed to become the next P. Sue Beckwith, MD, Head Women’s Basketball Coach. This program has always been about family, and the contributions to its incredible culture are shared by alums, current, student-athletes and the entire staff,” Iowa director of athletics Beth Goetz said in a statement.
Goetz added: “One of those contributors has been in the team circle for 24 years as a tireless recruiter, skilled teacher of the game, and charismatic personality that has endeared her to the Hawkeye community. 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 what you need to know about Jensen as she takes over the helms of the Hawkeyes women’s basketball program:
Who is Jan Jensen?
Jan Jensen is set to become the sixth head coach of the Iowa women’s basketball program, as it was announced shortly after Bluder’s retirement announcement on Monday.
To Hawkeye fans, Jensen is no stranger to the program as she has been a prominent figure on Bluder’s bench for the last 24 seasons, including the 20 as Iowa’s associate head coach.
“I have been so blessed to have enjoyed an incredible ride with Lisa. That ride started when I was her player and continued for 33 years as I had the privilege to work alongside of her. I can’t thank Lisa enough for her mentorship, leadership, and most of all her friendship.
I am so proud of all we accomplished and grateful for all the memories we created,” Jensen said in a statement. “I am now beyond elated to begin my new role and want to thank President Wilson and Beth for the opportunity to lead this program. I truly love The University of Iowa and I am profoundly honored and excited to continue building on our success.”
Jensen’s history with Bluder goes well beyond building game plans for opponents, as she played for Bluder at Drake in the 1990s. During her senior season at Drake, Jensen led the nation in scoring while also being named the Gateway Conference Most Valuable Player. Jensen is one of two former Drake players to have their numbers retired and ranks fourth all-time in Drake’s history in scoring with 1,996 points.
Jan Jensen coaching career:
Drake (assistant coach): 1993-2000
Iowa (assistant coach): 2000-2004
Iowa (associate head coach): 2004-2024
Iowa (head coach): 2024
Jensen got her start in coaching at her alma mater in 1993 when she joined Bluder’s staff as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. At Drake, Jensen helped Bluder build two top-13 and two top-40 recruiting classes during their eight seasons with the Bulldogs.
She followed Bluder from Des Moines to Iowa City prior to the 2000 to be one of her assistant coaches, a position she held for four season. Jensen was then promoted to associated head coach before the 2004 season, a position and title that she has held for the last 20 years.
At Iowa, Jensen has become one of the nation’s top assistant coaches and highly respected recruiters. As noted by Iowa’s Sports Information Department, Jensen was the lead recruiter in Iowa landing four McDonald’s All-Americans in Samantha Logic, Lindsay Richards, Johanna Solverson and most recently Caitlin Clark.
Jensen primarily worked with Hawkeyes post players on Bluder’s staff and was integral in the development of former Hawkeyes and now Las Vegas Aces forward Megan Gustafson. Under Jensen’s help, Gustafson became the Big Ten’s first Consensus National Player of the Year in the conference’s history.
She also worked with Clark, the recent No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft who became the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer this past season.
