Jan Jensen Shares Impact of Caitlin Clark's Iowa Assist Before Upset Win vs USC

Aside from winning a national championship, it's hard to imagine that Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball fans could have had a better day than February 2, 2025.

Not only did the Hawkeyes upset JuJu Watkins and the USC Trojans while playing in front of their loyal Iowa fans, but Caitlin Clark had her No. 22 jersey immortalized in Carver-Hawkeye Arena's rafters after the game ended.

Given how beloved Clark is at her alma mater, Hawkeye fans couldn't hope for a more heartwarming and wholesome ceremony. But Clark wasn't only there to be honored; she also wanted to help her Hawkeyes beat USC, which was conveyed by a story that Iowa head coach Jan Jensen shared during an April 21 interview with OnIowa Live.

"Caitlin, we keep in touch obviously... Before that game, about 10 days before, Caitlin says 'Hey, do you want me to practice?'" Jensen said. "And I said, 'Don't tease me'. And she's like 'No, for real. It will help me get in shape. I could be JuJu [Watkins]'. I said, 'Heck yeah.'"

Jensen later added, "I didn't tell our players until the day before. And I said, 'By the way, tomorrow we're going to have an extra practice player, and it's going to be Caitlin.' And [the players] are like, 'What?'... They loved it. During the practice, they were really cool and Caitlin was stroking it from 40 [feet]... it was fun for all of us."

"There were different things when everybody had to stop when Caitlin did. She did do JuJu pretty well, but no one's Caitlin, right?" Jensen added. "But it was really fun for Lucy Olsen. Lucy told me afterward, she's like 'That was awesome. I was so nervous but it was so awesome.'

"So you forget, right? I mean, Caitlin is Caitlin. And it resonates. So that was really, really fun," Jensen concluded.

What a cool story Jan tells when Caitlin came back to Iowa City for the Iowa vs USC game. The impact it had on the freshman and Lucy Olsen. CC offering to play the role of JuJu for the practice. Such respect to USC for staying during CC’s retirement ceremony. pic.twitter.com/iPkzXHf44q
— ericaf455 (@ericaf455) April 22, 2025

It's cool to hear how Clark can still impact her program and its players.

Recommended Reading: