On April 7, the Iowa women's basketball team fell just short of its national championship dream with an 87-75 loss to South Carolina in the 2024 NCAA Women's Tournament title game in Cleveland.
In the end, the event symbolized something more than just the Hawkeyes advancing to sports' biggest game for the second time in as many years. Unbeknownst to many at the time, it would be coach Lisa Bruder's last game. career.
On Monday, Bruder retired from coaching at the University of Iowa after 24 seasons, ending a long and distinguished coaching career.
Bruder announced his retirement in a letter to Hawkeye Nation, calling his time at the helm of the program “the honor of my career” and “an asset to our basketball program.” I hope so,” he added, and please support this athletics club in any way you can. โ
Must read:Iowa State women's basketball head coach Lisa Bruder announces retirement; Jan Jensen will replace her.
It was a momentous decision and instantly became one of the biggest stories in the world of women's basketball, both professional and collegiate. With Bruder's departure, women's college basketball is losing one of its more accomplished and respected figures.
Find out why Bruder retired, what she accomplished at Iowa, what's next for the Hawkeyes, and more.
Why is Lisa Bruder resigning as Iowa women's basketball coach?
Bruder's retirement, or at least the timing of it, one month after the end of the season, was a bit of a surprise.
What prompted her choice? And why now?
In his letter announcing his retirement, Bruder said he has spent time with players and coaches since the end of the season preparing for the Hawkeyes' next steps for the 2024-25 season. But Bruder said that doing so requires “personal reflection on what this journey means to me, how I can most effectively advance this program, and what the future holds for my family and me.” There is a need,โ he added.
After that, Bruder said, “It became clear to me that I was ready to step down.”
It's a deeply personal decision to retire, especially from a sport you love dearly, but even an outside observer can understand Bruder's choice.
Bruder has been a college head coach since 1984, when he took over at St. Ambrose, an NAIA school in Davenport, just one year after finishing his playing career at Northern Iowa. She coached there for six seasons before moving to Drake and has been coaching at Iowa since 2000, making her one of the longest-serving coaches in women's college basketball.
Although he ultimately didn't end up with a championship, Bruder would leave the sport on a high note. The Hawkeyes have advanced to his NCAA championship game in each of the past two seasons, the farthest the program has ever gone. Prior to that, they had only reached the Final Four once, in 1993 when the legendary C. Vivian Stringer was their coach.
Perhaps what made this decision a little easier was the fact that Iowa was missing a number of key pieces from its 2023-24 team. That was guard Caitlin Clark, a two-time All-American and the NCAA Division I men's all-time leading scorer. Or for women. Clark and Kate Martin, two of the Hawkeyes' top three scorers last season, were selected in the 2024 WNBA Draft, with Clark selected first overall by the Indiana Fever.
Must read:Read Lisa Bruder's full statement announcing her retirement from Iowa women's basketball.
Who will replace Lisa Bruder as Iowa coach?
Within minutes of Bruder's retirement announcement, her replacement was revealed. He's a familiar face to Iowa State fans.
Jan Jensen was named the Hawkeyes' next coach in an announcement from the university on Monday. Jensen has been the associate head coach at the University of Iowa for the past 20 seasons and was an assistant under Bruder at his alma mater, Drake, starting in 1993.
Throughout his career, Jensen has garnered attention for his ability as a recruiter and development of post players. Iowa State described her as “essential” in recruiting McDonald's All-Americans like Clark, Samantha Rozick, Lindsey Richards and Joanna Solverson, along with 2019 Naismith Player of the Year Megan Gustafsson. Widely praised for his work, he currently serves as the center. She is a member of the WNBA's Las Vegas Aces.
“Coach Jensen has supported every aspect of our program and contributed to our success,” Iowa State Athletic Director Beth Goetz said in a statement. “After several conversations over the last few days with Coach Bruder and President (Barbara) Wilson, it's clear that we've found here everything we were looking for in a head coach.”
Must read:Who is Jan Jensen?What to know about new Iowa women's basketball coach after Lisa Bruder retires
Lisa Bruder's coaching record at Iowa State
Bruder retires from the University of Iowa with a 528-254 record, including 262-145 in Big Ten play while coaching the Hawkeyes. She is the winningest coach in Big Ten women's basketball history.
Under her leadership, Iowa State has qualified for 14 of the past 16 NCAA Tournaments, won the Big Ten Tournament five times and captured a share of the Big Ten regular-season title twice. did.
Before arriving in Iowa City, Bruder compiled a 188-105 record in 10 seasons at Drake.
Must read:Former Iowa State women's basketball star Kate Martin officially joins WNBA's Las Vegas Aces roster
How old is Lisa Bruder?
Bruder turned 63 on April 16th.
lisa bruder spouse
Among the many people Bruder mentioned and thanked when announcing her retirement was her husband, David. Bruder said her decision to retire “became clear” after she and her girlfriend David spent some time apart.
Bruder also thanked her husband and their three children for “supporting me while I chased my dreams, and for their own sacrifices along the way.”