The Iowa Hawkeyes are believed to have found their “next Caitlin Clark” following the guard’s recent step up to the pros.

Clark has been drafted by the Indiana Fever, having opted to forego her final year of eligibility in favor of a move to the WNBA. While the Hawkeyes will regret the loss, they have landed a payer believed to be just as effective.

Lucy Olsen has opted to transfer from Villanova to Iowa ahead of next season, announcing as much on Twitter/X this week in a post captioned “New beginnings.”

Clark seemed excited about the move, giving her approval via said platform.

Olsen was the NCAA’s third-leading scorer last term, behind Clark and JuJu Watkins, averaging 23.3 points per game. She also led Villanova in assists, steals, and minutes played. She was named the Big East’s Most Improved Player and was a unanimous All-Big East first-team selection, also averaging 4.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists as the Wildcats to a 22-13 record.

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The 5ft-9 guard started 105 games in three seasons for Villanova, hitting 134 threes, 55 of which were scored last season.

Caitlin Clark’s Departure Leaves A Huge Hole

Caitlin Clark, drafted at No. 1 overall, has left an Iowa program with ambitions of returning to the national title game for a third consecutive season, with a huge hole to fill. The team has also lost Kate Martin, who was the No. 18 overall pick of the recent WNBA Draft. Gabbie Marshall and Molly Davis have also graduated.

Olsen’s arrival is expected to soften the blow. Her time at Villanova saw her reach the Sweet 16 during her sophomore year, with the Wildcats losing in the second round when she was a freshman.

While they did not qualify for the NCAA Tournament this year, Villanova made it to the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament finals, where they lost to Illinois.

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Behind the Scenes With Caitlin Clark on WNBA Draft Day: “I Definitely Know There’s Eyeballs on Me”

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Caitlin Clark needed a nap.

It was Monday afternoon, and the culmination of a whirlwind eight-day stretch that began with the end of her brilliant collegiate career.

The previous Sunday, in Cleveland, the Clark-led Iowa Hawkeyes had been defeated by the South Carolina Gamecocks in a national title game that generated a record audience.

Clark and her teammates flew back to Iowa City the following day, but she wasn’t home for long. Next stop Los Angeles, where she accepted the John R. Wooden Award on Friday night.

The next morning, Clark was bound for New York, where she hustled over to 30 Rock immediately after touching down.

Later that evening, Clark would make a surprise appearance on Saturday Night Live, dropping in during the show’s Weekend Update segment.

“I did pretty good,” she said assuredly of her cameo.

Clark was sitting in a cramped hotel room 39 floors above Manhattan, six hours before the Indiana Fever officially made her the top pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft.

Adrenaline was doing its thing, but Clark admitted that she was fading. In fact, the week’s jam-packed schedule had already forced her to make a sacrifice.

An avid golfer, Clark had planned on making a pilgrimage to Augusta for the Masters, but that was asking too much—even for a 22-year-old phenom.

“Augusta to LA to New York City to Indianapolis wasn’t the greatest,” Clark said of her would-be itinerary. “I’m very thankful that I’m here because I’m so tired. I haven’t slept much.”

Clark was wearing gray sweatpants adorned with the Hawkeye logo and a light purple Nike T-shirt, a comfy prelude before slipping into high fashion for Monday night’s festivities.

At the draft, which was held at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Clark arrived in head-to-toe Prada: a white double satin skirt and shirt; an embroidered rhinestone mesh top; a black leather Galleria handbag with matching black slingback pumps. She topped off the look with a pair of acetate sunglasses.

But at the hotel hours earlier, Clark was sporting a pair of gold undereye patches as stylists primped her hair and did her makeup. “Don’t make me look crazy,” she instructed the makeup artist.

Clark likened the moment to a high schooler getting ready for prom, before revealing that she wasn’t drawing from personal experience. “I never went to prom,” she said. “Junior year I had AAU basketball, and then senior year it was COVID.”

Organized chaos unfolded all around her, with a steady stream of people breezing in and out—a woman delivering Glossier gift bags one minute, a repairman arriving to fix the broken air conditioner the next.

A film crew was on hand, capturing it all for a docuseries that will premiere next month on ABC and ESPN+. Clark’s boyfriend, Connor McCaffery, and two of her Iowa teammates, Jada Gyamfi and Gabbie Marshall, lounged on the bed.

Kate Martin, another member of the Hawkeyes, joined the crew eventually. Martin wasn’t among the prospects invited to Monday’s draft, but she still hoped to hear her name called.

Clark was certain that it would be, and demanded that Martin go onstage when it happened.

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Kamilla Cardoso and Raven Johnson explained how Staley has made this basketball program feel so warm and welcoming to the players

South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley has now reached the pinnacle of women’s hoops with her third national title and an undefeated season.

According to her players, there’s no coach more deserving of such success.

Following the Gamecocks’ 2024 title game victory over Caitlin Clark and Iowa, who thwarted their bid for an undefeated title-winning season the year before, Staley and Carolina were coronated at last.

After the game, several of Staley’s players spoke to media, explaining just how much their head coach meant to them.

First to speak was Gamecock star player Kamilla Cardoso:

“She means a lot to me. I feel like, since the first day I got to South Carolina, she’s been working so hard to get me ready and prepared for moments like this,” said the South Carolina center.

“I’m just so thankful to have her as a coach. She’s like an inspiration for me and a lot of young girls out there. She’s the best in the business, you already know.”

Next, Raven Johnson explained how Staley has made this basketball program feel so warm and welcoming to the players.

“It means a lot just to play, just to learn from her. She’s like a mom,” shared Johnson.

“I mean, I don’t know, I go to her about everything. I could joke around with her.

I could do anything, just anything. She’s like a mom, like a home away from home. It’s a home-away-from-home feeling.

There’s no better way to have a coach like her and be so comfortable around her. And I take pride in what she do for us, on and off the court, not just basketball.”

Cardoso concurred with Johnson, noting how Staley really does create a family type of atmosphere, which is comforting for a player like Cardoso who’s so far away from home.

“I agree with Raven. I feel like, especially me, I’m international, and I don’t have my family here.

She’s just like a family for me, a family away from home,” said Cardoso. “I’m just so thankful to have her as a coach.”

Lastly, Te-Hina Paopao explained that she feels lucky to have gotten to play for a person and coach like Staley.

“Man, she’s so important to have in people’s lives. She’s amazing. God has put her in my life, and she’s impacted it so much, not only me, but my family.

She changes lives for the better. I wish you guys could experience that and just how much she’s helped me as a player and as a woman.”

“And she’s just amazing, man. It’s a blessing. Just playing for her is so much fun. People just love playing for her. People would run through brick walls for her.

To be able to have a coach like that, it’s unimagined. We’re all just really blessed to have someone like her in our corner. She just impacted our lives for the better.”

As great as Dawn Staley is as a coach, it seems to be her connection with her players that really makes South Carolina such a special place to play basketball.