Lisa Bluder credits Caitlin Clark for not being a prima donna

It’d be very easy for a player that excels as much as Iowa G Caitlin Clark to take in as much of the spotlight as possible. She doesn’t, though, in part because of who she is and in part because of the program she plays for.

Lisa Bluder spoke about the selflessness of her star player and, as such, their team following the Hawkeyes’ latest win, a 111-93 victory over Penn State, on Thursday. She started by discussing the unselfish culture in their locker room because of how they recruit and how they coach once they get their girls on campus.

“There’s so many things that go into that. I think it’s our culture. We really praise the assist,” said Bluder. “I mean one of our values is everyone matters. It doesn’t matter to us if you’re the leading scorer or if you’re a person who seldom gets off the bench. To me? Everyone matters. It’s one thing to have that pasted on your wall. It’s another thing to live it. I think our team lives it.”

“We really, in the recruiting process, talk a lot about that with our recruits so that we recruit the same type of value kids. We don’t want kids that want to come in here and just want to be a basketball player. Have everything run around them and not really care about the touchy, feely stuff. We like the touchy, feely stuff,” Bluder continued. “We think, when players are emotionally invested, that they will play harder, that they will look out for each other a little bit more. I think that’s what we try to tap into is the emotional part of this game – not just the skill part.”

That’s when Bluder spoke about Clark specifically. While it’s already what they preach as a team, that only amplifies who she is as an individual. She carries herself in a way where she earns her own approval and by being anything but a diva.

“I give so much credit to Caitlin for that,” said Bluder. “She earns every respect by the way that she performs. The way that she practices, her extra shots that she gets in.”

“She doesn’t act like a prima donna. I mean she just doesn’t,” Bluder said. “I just wish that everybody could see, behind the scenes, how she is. She’s so far from a prima donna.”

The victory over the Nittany Lions was the most recent quality outing for Clark. She went for 27 more points to go with 15 assists, tied for the second most of her career, and five rebounds.

It wasn’t her best night as she shot under 35% while also posting a career-high of 12 turnovers. Still, like Bluder explained, their philosophy is about everyone and, as such, this game was for Hannah Stuelke with the sophomore scoring 47 points.

Again, the attention on someone like Clark could very easily get to their head at some point. Still, in the end, it’s just not who she is or who she ever will be according to Bluder.

“Everybody on our team respects her and just admires the way that she treats them,” said Bluder. “She’s just a very thoughtful, thoughtful individual.”