Two weeks ago, Iowa coach Lisa Bluder walked out of her corner office, moseyed 20 feet down the hall, and poked her head in assistant Jan Jensen’s office. Bluder had just made her retirement public and the university named Jensen — her longtime associate head coach — her successor.
“I promise I won’t leave you too much junk in there,” Bluder told her, motioning back to her (and soon-to-be Jensen’s) office.
Bluder and her staff have been in these offices for more than a decade since the building was renovated, and like any well-lived space, things have accumulated. Photos, letters, trophies, plaques — you name it. Any free tabletop is fair game for storing scouting reports and box scores. In recent seasons, as the wins piled up, more rings and pieces of net took up space, too.
The move is a long time coming. During her 30-year career, Jensen has had several opportunities to leave her spot as an assistant under Bluder, but it was never the right decision until now when she’ll make the move one seat to the right on the bench and two doors down the hallway.
“Nobody loves this place like I do.” @goiowa x #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/etkzPEOikO
— Iowa Women’s Basketball (@IowaWBB) May 16, 2024
They have known each other too long for Bluder to not leave a letter…
