Iowa women’s basketball head coach Lisa Bluder announced her retirement on Monday as former Hawkeyes star Caitlin Clark nears her pro debut with the WNBA’s Indiana Fever.

Bluder’s longtime assistant Jan Jensen was named her successor.

“There is no denying that this past season was incredible for so many reasons, and we could not have accomplished our achievements without all of you,” Bluder said in an open letter to fans. “After the season ended, I spent time with our student-athletes and coaches reviewing the season and preparing those moving on for what comes next.

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“With that also came personal contemplation about what this journey has meant to me, how to best champion this program, and what the future looks like for my family and me. After then taking some time away with my husband, David, it became clear to me that I am ready to step aside.”

Bluder’s retirement came more than a month after Iowa dropped its second consecutive national championship — this time it was to South Carolina.

She spent 24 years leading the Hawkeyes after spending 10 years at Drake. Bluder was 716-359 in her career.

Clark, arguably the best player in Bluder’s tenure, congratulated her former coach.

CAITLIN CLARK RECALLS ‘FRUSTRATING’ MEDIA STORM OVER 2023 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP LOSS

Iowa women’s NCAA college basketball head coach Lisa Bluder arrives on the Red Carpet before the world premiere and screening of Episode 1 of the upcoming ESPN+ Original Series Full Court Press, Monday, May 6, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

“Simply no one better at building a team,” Clark wrote on X. “Thank you for believing in me more than anyone. Enjoy retirement, coach. Very much deserved.”

Jensen will take the reins starting in the 2024-25 season. She was an associate head coach under Bluder for 20 years. She was also with Bluder when they were at Drake.

She was an All-American at Drake and the highest-scoring player ever in six-on-six basketball at El Horn-Kimballton High School in Iowa.

“There is no better person to lead this program than Jan Jensen and I am thrilled she will have the opportunity to build on the foundation established,” Bluder said. “I’m committed to help her, and her staff, in whatever capacity they need moving forward.”

Head coach Lisa Bluder of the Iowa Hawkeyes high fives Caitlin Clark #22 of the Iowa Hawkeyes during the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament National Championship at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on April 7, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. (C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

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Bluder helped Iowa to five Big Ten Tournament championships. She was the Big Ten Coach of the Year three times and the 2019 Naismith College Coach of the Year.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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(AP) – Lisa Bluder, who coached the Iowa women’s basketball team to the last two NCAA championship games, is retiring after 24 years leading the Hawkeyes.

Bluder made the announcement Monday, five weeks after Iowa lost to South Carolina in the national title game and superstar Caitlin Clark ended her college career.

“There is no denying that this past season was incredible for so many reasons, and we could not have accomplished our achievements without all of you,” she said. “After the season ended, I spent time with our student-athletes and coaches reviewing the season and preparing those moving on for what comes next.

“With that also came personal contemplation about what this journey has meant to me, how to best champion this program, and what the future looks like for my family and me. After then taking some time away with my husband, David, it became clear to me that I am ready to step aside.”

Bluder was 528-254 at Iowa, including 65-12 the past two years with Clark leading the way, and 716-359 including her 10 seasons at Drake.

Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray TV Iowa State Capitol Bureau) – Droughts, chemical runoff, changing weather patterns and population growth have triggered a growing warning to Iowa residents, political leaders and community developers about the importance of reliable access to clean, plentiful drinking water. A new central Iowa entity could provide a framework for other communities in the state for a regional commitment.

A newly formed entity called Central Iowa Water Works unites a dozen water providers. CIWW will serve as a regional utility for water production and expects to provide water for nearly 600,000 residents.

Last month, CIWW chose retired attorney and energy consultant William Smith to serve as its interim executive director. Read the announcement here.

CIWW will assume ownership of the current water treatment and supply systems in the region (most were operated by Des Moines Water Works). The local water entities would continue to be responsible for billing and customer service.

Follow the timeframe and evolution of Central Iowa Water Works here.

Here are the dozen local providers that joined Central Iowa Water Works:

Here is the message that Polk City posted on its website for residents as CIWW formed:

“Polk City has been purchasing water from Des Moines Water Works (DMWW) since 2003. Polk City can produce some of our own water, and we are currently producing about 40% of the water we sell to our residents and purchasing the other 60% of water from DMWW. Unfortunately, as Polk City’s demand for water continues to increase, the percentage that the city can produce continues to decrease. The city produces water at a lower cost compared to what we purchase water for with DMWW. The 40% & 60% ratio was consistent up until a few years ago. In the past few years, the city has had a number of events, where our ability to produce water was either lower, or unavailable, and we have had to fully rely on purchasing water from DMWW.”

Water shortages have not been as severe in Iowa as they have been in western states like California. However, Clarke County has suffered after several years of drought. Area leaders had to resort to asking residents to drink bottled water as they searched for a long-term solution to the challenge.

The CIWW framework is unique to Iowa in the way it has united numerous local governing authorities into a regional water body, which could give it a more centralized focus as it determines how to meet the needs of future generations, how to minimize nitrates in the water system and how to work with federal elected officials and agencies as it seeks future funding.

About the author: Midwest native Dave Price is Gray Television’s Iowa Political Director for 10 stations that broadcast in the state and has been covering local, state and national politics from Iowa since 2001.

He has written two books about the Iowa Caucuses (“Caucus Chaos” and “Caucus Chaos Trump”). Email him at dave.price@gray.tv. Follow him on X (Twitter): @idaveprice Meta/Facebook: DavePriceNews Instagram: idaveprice and LinkedIn: Dave Price.

Dave welcomes your thoughts on what answers to seek from politicians and what issues challenge our communities.

Copyright 2024 KTIV. All rights reserved.