Caitlin Clark thanks Lisa Bluder after Iowa coach's retirement

Caitlin Clark didn’t want to play for anyone else and thanked Lisa Bluder after the Iowa women’s basketball coach announced her retirement.

Bluder wrapped up her 24th season as a coach and will walk away after quite the run over the last few years. The combo of Bluder and Clark was a sight to behold for the game of women’s basketball.

Now a pro, Clark sent a farewell message to her former coach.

“Simply no one better at building a team,” Clark wrote on Twitter. “Thank you for believing in me more than anyone (heart emoji). Enjoy retirement, coach. Very much deserved (Teary eyed emoji).”

Clark, under Bluder’s guidance, developed into one of the greatest college women’s basketball players in history. She became the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer and the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft by the Indiana Fever.

“It has been the honor of my career to be a part of the Iowa Hawkeye family, and to lead a women’s basketball program filled with so many talented and remarkable young women, who have gone on to do great things in their careers and, more importantly, in their lives,” Bluder said in a statement. “There is no denying that this past season was incredible for so many reasons, and we could not have accomplished our achievements without all of you.

“After the season ended, I spent time with our student-athletes and coaches reviewing the season and preparing those moving on for what comes next. With that also came personal contemplation about what this journey has meant to me, how to best champion this program, and what the future looks like for my family and me. After then taking some time away with my husband, David, it became clear to me that I am ready to step aside.”

Bluder just wrapped up her 24th season as the Iowa coach and has amassed a 528-253 overall record. She has directed the Hawkeyes to five Big Ten Tournament championships, four of which have come since 2019, and 18 NCAA Tournament appearances.

Clark will go on to her pro career while Bluder will surely watch her and other former players at the next level. But of course, Bluder will always be a legend in Iowa City.