Lisa Bluder on Caitlin Clark's scoring record: 'Iowa's the right place for this to happen'
In the first quarter of Iowa’s win over Michigan on Thursday, Caitlin Clark shattered the NCAA all-time scoring record. Clark has spent four seasons with the Hawkeyes, all under head coach Lisa Bluder. After the game, Bluder discussed the significance of Clark breaking the record in an Iowa jersey.
“She’s such a special player, and you know something? The University of Iowa is the right place for this to happen,” Bluder said during the postgame press conference. “This is a place that has supported basketball, women’s basketball for such a long time and anything can happen here. We show it over and over again.”
Iowa has a storied women’s basketball history. The school first created a women’s basketball program in 1974. For reference, the NCAA didn’t even begin to sponsor women’s basketball until 1982.
Bluder has played a large role in the program’s history. She took over at Iowa in 2000 and hasn’t looked back since. She is the all-time winningest coach in program history and has led the Hawkeyes to 21 postseason appearances (17 NCAA and four WNIT) in 23 seasons at the helm.
Last season was perhaps Bluder’s best. In the 2022-23 season, Bluder guided Clark and the Hawkeyes to the national championship game before narrowly falling to LSU. Now, Iowa is looking to avenge its loss from last season. Bluder wouldn’t want to make history anywhere else.
Lisa Bluder and Caitlin Clark proud to be Hawkeyes
“Iowa’s a special place,” Bluder said. “Our marketing department I thought did an unbelievable job celebrating this accomplishment. I thought it was wonderful that she hits a logo 3 to put her over.
“I intended to call a timeout, but it happened so fast. I couldn’t get it out. Also, the crowd was amazing. The crowd, the energy, there’s nothing like Iowa Hawkeye fans, and we know that and we’re thankful for that.”
Lisa Bluder isn’t the only who appreciates Iowa’s fans. After the game, Clark raved about the atmosphere for her record-breaking night.
“It’s pretty unreal,” Clark told Peacock’s Caroline Pineda after the game. “This crowd’s unreal. I’m just really grateful, honestly, to be able to be here and make so many of my dreams come true with so many amazing people that have supported me – whether it’s my coaches, my teammates, my family. I’m just filled with a lot of gratitude.
“It’s so special,” Clark said. “These fans deserve it. They’ve supported me since I stepped on campus. We had big dreams and big aspiration and we achieved a lot. But we’re not done. We’re still looking for a little more and I’m proud of our group. I thought we came out and battled well. Michigan played well. They made some tough shots but I thought we responded well and closed out the win.”