Lisa Bluder Reveals the 2 Biggest Challenges of Coaching Caitlin Clark
It's wild to remember that less than two years ago, Caitlin Clark was still playing college basketball at the University of Iowa.
Given all that Clark has already experienced and accomplished in the WNBA since that time, her iconic college career feels like ages ago. Although it's impossible not to think back upon these days fondly, when No. 22 was setting NCAA records and leading the Hawkeyes to two consecutive national championship games.
The person who got the best access to Clark during these developmental college years was Lisa Bluder, her Iowa head coach. Bluder retired from coaching after Clark's senior season in 2024, and her longtime assistant Jan Jensen took the program over.
While Bluder has been seen at Iowa games and is still a part of the Midwest women's basketball scene (she occasionally does color commentary on the Big Ten Network), she has certainly been out of the spotlight more than she was as a head coach, especially during Clark's four-year tenure in Iowa City.
Lisa Bluder Details the Hardest Part of Coaching Caitlin Clark
Jeff Linder of The Gazette interviewed Bluder for a January 3 article. At one point in their discussion, Bluder was asked what the hardest part of coaching Clark was.
“Two aspects, really. First, during COVID, there was nobody in the stands. It was hard to build relationships because of the isolation. To get her to become a good leader, it took time because she was so used to doing everything on her own. But she learned it, and she learned it really well," Bluder said.
“(Second), and at the end of her career, there was so much noise. All of the people that wanted a piece of her ... I’m amazed at how she handled it. She didn’t get a big head. She was still a goofy kid instead of becoming a prima donna," she added.
Women's basketball:
— Jeff Linder (@jtlinder) January 3, 2026
She's retired and approaching 65. But former Iowa coach Lisa Bluder is anything but "old news" (as she called herself).
She sat down for a chat with The Gazette on Monday. Here's what she had to say.https://t.co/Ykw0D2mjJa
Bluder has expressed in the past that it took Clark some time to warm up to her Hawkeyes teammates as a freshman before blossoming into a great leader. And her stance on Clark being able to block out all the noise that came during her upperclassman years also makes sense.
Several of Clark's teammates with the Indiana Fever have spoken about her "goofy" side, which Bluder also alluded to. It's awesome to hear that Clark has managed to keep this aspect of her personality intact, given the platform and pressure that she constantly has to deal with.
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Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.
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