Iowa women’s basketball coach Lisa Bruder announced her retirement on Monday.
Jan Jensen, a longtime assistant at Iowa State, will be the head coach.iowa shared the news on social media.
Bruder, 63, coached the Hawkeyes for 24 seasons from 2000-2024. She led the Hawkeyes to her 18th NCAA Tournament appearance and was named the Naismith Coach of the Year in 2018-19. She is stepping down after overseeing the Caitlin Clark era, which saw significant growth in women’s basketball.
“Being part of the Iowa Hawkeye family has been the honor of my career,” Bruder said in a statement from Iowa announcing his retirement. “And to lead a women’s basketball program that is full of great, talented young women who have accomplished great things in their careers and, more importantly, in their lives.”
Clark and Bruder have led the Hawkeyes to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight year and the national championship game in each of the past two seasons. Clark left the program last month after becoming college basketball’s all-time leading scorer. She was the No. 1 pick in the WNBA Draft by the Indiana Fever and is scheduled to make her professional debut on Tuesday.
Message from Caitlin Clark to Bruder
Clark congratulated Bruder shortly after his retirement was announced.
“No one is better at building teams,” Clark wrote on social media. “Thank you for believing in me more than anyone else. Enjoy your retirement, Coach. So well deserved.”
No one is just better at building a team…thank you for believing in me more than anyone else 🤍 Enjoy your retirement, Coach. Very natural 🥹 https://t.co/XnxmteSCTq
— Caitlin Clark (@CaitlinClark22) May 13, 2024
Bruder’s legacy
The Hawkeyes have secured a winning record in all but one of Bruder’s seasons at the helm, winning at least 20 games in each of the past eight seasons. Iowa State has a record of 528-254 (.675) under Coach Bruder.
Bruder previously coached at Drake for 10 seasons, leading the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament in four of the last six seasons. Drake had a 187-106 (.638) record under Bruder.
Bruder began his coaching career in college, serving six seasons as the head coach at NAIA program St. Ambrose, where he compiled a 169-36 (.824) record and was named the 1990 NAIA Coach of the Year. was selected.
With a combined record of 884-396 (.691), Bruder retires as the 10th winningest coach in women’s college basketball history. She has won the Big Ten Coach of the Year award three times and is one of the all-time leaders in wins at Iowa State and the Big Ten.
Jensen takes over after decades at Bruder’s side
Jensen played for Bruder at Drake University. She then joined Bruder’s staff as an assistant and recruiting coordinator at Drake in 1993, and when Bruder took over the program in 2000, she followed her to Iowa. Jensen has been Bruder’s associate head coach for the past 20 seasons.
“There is no one better suited to lead this program than Jan Jensen, and I am excited that she will have the opportunity to build on the foundation that has been established,” Bruder wrote. “I am dedicated to assisting her and her staff in any capacity necessary to move forward.”
Jensen will maintain his role as Bruder’s recruiting coordinator and has been an integral part of Iowa State’s recruiting success over the years. This will be her first head coaching job.
