Raising GOATs

The GIST: As you read, legendary Iowa women’s basketball HC Lisa Bluder announced her retirement on Monday after 40 years as a HC — 24 of them with the Hawkeyes. Don’t cry because it’s over, celebrate that we got to do it together.

Her impact: Bluder’s most famous for shaping Iowa’s Caitlin Clark era, but she was crushing it long before Clark became a Hawkeye. Her 884 career dubs (528 at Iowa) make her the all-time winningest women’s hoops coach in Big Ten history — she ranks 10th on the NCAA women’s list. Bluder also led the Hawkeyes to 18 NCAA tourneys, including 14 of the last 16 editions.

• Even so, her landmark accomplishment might be convincing Clark to come to Iowa. Overseeing the development of the college GOAT was no small task, but Bluder’s reward was a big one: helping usher in a women’s basketball revolution.

Her successor: Following the familiar playbook of handing the reins to a program veteran whom players already trust, Bluder named her former player and longtime work wife, assistant coach Jan Jensen, as her successor. Known for her recruiting prowess and skill in training post players, next season will be Jensen’s 25th at Iowa — but her first running the show.

• In the transfer portal era, continuity between coaching regimes is increasingly important — and as Clark said on Monday, Jensen is the perfect choice to keep the Hawkeyes dancing on the sport’s biggest stages.

The GIST: The national tournament’s 16 four-team, double-elimination Regionals don’t start until Friday — but we’ll miss you that day, and the first step toward the Women’s College World Series (WCWS) is simply too important not to preview.

• ESPN has a full viewing schedule here (don’t you love it when mainstream media is hyped for NCAA softball?), but when it comes to which Regionals should top your watchlist, The GIST, as always, has you covered.

Los Angeles, CA: Host No. 6–seed UCLA has something to prove after stunningly being ousted in the first-round last year — especially because their Regional includes San Diego State, the squad who advanced over them in 2023.

• And while Virginia Tech is the only LA contender who didn’t win their conference, as the nation’s No. 17 team, the Hokies simply can’t be overlooked. City of Stars, indeed.

Athens, GA: In another Regional with three conference champs, host No. 11 Georgia has their work cut out for them: The once-hot Bulldogs have been trending downwards since mid-April, and infamous upset specialists Liberty and Charlotte would love to spoil their party.

Columbia, MO: This Regional’s contenders underwent a serious vibe shift during conference tourneys: Indiana’s miracle run to the Big Ten final launched them into the national bracket, while Missouri’s performance in the cutthroat SEC (which, BTW, saw all 13 member schools qualify for the natty) landed them Regional hosting rights as the No. 7 seed.

• On the flip side, 2023 WCWS contender Washington, who’s been a Top-10 mainstay all season, lost hosting rights after a brutal showing in the Pac-12 tourney. Throw in Summit League champ Omaha, and you have one of the most unpredictable Regionals. LFG.

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