Lucy Olsen got a warm welcome when she arrived in Iowa ahead of her first season with the Hawkeyes and the team’s first year post-Caitlin Clark.
The junior guard was the nation’s third-leading scorer in Division 1 women’s basketball last year with Villanova. After three seasons with the Wildcats, Olsen took her talents to Iowa City this year.
At Wednesday’s Big Ten media day, Olsen told reporters how she got recognized by fans at a Chic-Fil-A after arriving on campus in June.
‘They get out of the car, and they’re like, ‘Hey, you’re Lucy Olsen, you’re the new Hawkeye,’ Olsen said. ‘And I was like, ‘Yeah, how do you know me? I haven’t touched the ball yet.’ This is crazy, but it was definitely a really cool time.’
Iowa reached prominence with Clark at the head of the team, reaching the NCAA Tournament finals in 2023 and 2024 before losing to LSU and South Carolina, respectively.
Lucy Olsen is transferring to the University of Iowa after three seasons at Villanova
The Hawkeyes will be entering their first year since Caitlin Clark’s departure from the school
Speaking to the press, Hawkeyes coach Jan Jansen, who succeeded Lisa Bluder, was asked if transcending Clark was a motivating factor for the program.
‘I don’t know if that’s really where we are,’ Jansen said. ‘I think Michael Jordan is still part of North Carolina.’
‘They probably don’t go through a recruiting process where someone doesn’t make some reference that Michael Jordan went there. I’m really proud of that [with Clark]. I feel like [the players’] mindset is, ‘That was part of it, but this is here and this is now.’ I think they have a really good approach on that.
‘It’s not used in any inappropriate play, in my opinion. It’s there. It’s obvious. We’re gonna get a lot of questions about that. It’s out of respect and gratitude, but this is a new chapter.’
Jansen also compared how Olsen, who stands at 5-foot-9, plays the guard position to the six-foot Clark.
‘It’s not the normal cast of characters, and that point guard position is going to be played a lot different,’ the coach said. ‘[Olsen] doesn’t shoot it from Kinnick [the football stadium]. She shoots it from the normal 3-point line.
Olsen was last year’s third-leading scorer in Division 1 Women’s basketball
‘She can pass it, but she’s not going to maybe make that three-quarter length pass,’ Jansen added. ‘And when she shoots, a lot of them are going to be in that mid-range area. So I think there’s a fun style to her play that’s exciting to watch because it’s all crafty.’
In her three years at Villanova, Olsen averaged 7.0, 12.4, and 23.3 points per game. She also averaged about 3.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists in Pennsylvania.
The Wildcats fell in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Olsen’s freshman year, and the regional semifinal in 2023 before missing out on the tournament last season.
‘It’s obviously going to change,’ forward Hannah Stuelke said of replacing Clark. ‘Caitlin’s a crazy scorer. Kate [Martin] brought a lot too. But I think Lucy brings just as much, and she’s an amazing basketball player.
‘I think we’re gonna score in a different way, maybe, but I think we’ll score just as much. So yeah, different — but the same.’