Iowa's Jan Jensen Sticks Up for Players During Bye Week

The Iowa Hawkeyes are on a bye week, and head coach Jan Jensen recently spoke to the press about the team's performance so far this season.

One particular question prompted her to speak on how her players are treated outside of the game, and emphasized that the young people on the floor are doing the best they can.

Jensen started by emphasizing the value of senior guard Kylie Feuerbach, currently out with an injury she suffered on Dec. 20 against the UConn Huskies.

"I think a lot of people are discounting how big a role Kylie Feuerbach plays for us -- a lot of times what people don't understand, they just want points all the time," Jensen said. "They just want points, and if you're not scoring it just seems sometimes you're not valued."

Iowa Hawkeye guard Kylie Feuerbach — Iowa forward Jada Gyamfi (23) and Iowa guard Kylie Feuerbach (4) react during a game against the Penn State Nittany Lions Dec. 28, 2025 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"Kylie is calm, she's a fixer, she understands what we want to do, she is our best defender, she is a senior that's been there. So, you take her out of that lineup at a Connecticut game and then we learn that it's a little bit more serious but the team just puts their head down and they have that next person philosophy, and we've been able to hold it."

"I think that'll be huge when we get her back. I think there's so much positive that can happen. [...] I just feel like our players understand the mechanics of our offense, but we need to start doing a little better making some reads and playing through the strengths of it."

Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Jan Jensen — Iowa head coach Jan Jensen talks to Iowa center Ava Heiden (5) before she subs back into the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers Jan. 1, 2026 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"We have more youth than we have older [players], and when you have more youth than older [players], and you don't have someone on the floor who's able to direct that understands it, you can have some tougher moments."

Feuerbach has been limited by injuries before, missing the entire 2022-2023 season with an ACL tear. This season, prior to the injury, she was logging 6.7 points per game, 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals.

Coaching Against Social Media Influence

When asked whether Feuerbach understands how important she is, and whether she sees "the comments" about her, Jensen stressed that coaches are up against difficult hurdles when it comes to pushing back on social media harassment getting in players' heads.

"I think in this day and age -- I just can't believe social media. I've been around, but it's just the craziest thing to me. And I know we're in it, coaches, I got it, but I think every coach will tell you, but they're human."

"They can understand [their value] and you as a coach can tell them, but women I think especially, we take one bad comment and it'll stick in us. You can have 100 good ones, but yeah, I think she knows [her value] but you have to work really hard in this day and age as a coach to really hold your culture and [show] those kids that they really do matter."

Iowa Hawkeye forward Hannah Stuelke — Iowa forward Hannah Stuelke (45) shoots against the Nebraska Cornhuskers Jan. 1, 2026 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"I heard that Hannah [Stuelke] got hammered after the Northwestern game -- I think people sometimes forget that nobody wants to do better than the actual kid on the floor. [...] We've got to do better but I think that's a tough world that they've got to navigate -- even without sports, I have two kids and I'm constantly policing it."

Jensen's children, whose ages are not widely known, are young adults who likely face similar challenges online to those her college student players are facing, though likely not to the same scale.

The Hawkeyes are 13-2 so far this season, with an 8-0 record at home, and have won their last three games (including the Northwestern game in question, 67-58 on Jan. 5). Following their Bye, Iowa will prepare to face the 11-5 Indiana Hoosiers on January 11 at 5 pm.

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