Beth Goetz discusses the hiring of Jan Jensen

The world of Iowa women’s basketball changed earlier this week with the retirement of Lisa Bluder and the nearly immediate hiring of associate head coach Jan Jensen to take over the leadership of the program. Iowa athletic director Beth Goetz introduced Jensen’s hire today and the reasons she made it, along with an extra interview where she takes questions about how the process took place.

BETH GOETZ OPENING STATEMENT

Good afternoon, everyone, and thanks for being here with us today. It’s always a great day to be a Hawkeye. Today is another day we get to celebrate what it means to be part of the black and gold family. I want to thank you all for being here today and welcoming in a new era of Iowa women’s basketball.

I’m so grateful to our outstanding student-athletes, alums, our incoming prospects, incredibly passionate fans and benefactors, and to our campus and community leaders for your unwavering support of this program. Your belief and commitment are what make this program so special.

Just a few acknowledgments as we begin. I’m thrilled to see Julie, Janie and Jack smiling with pride. It’s great to see our women’s basketball staff and athletics staff who work tirelessly for the success of this program. I want to thank President Wilson for being our biggest fan and for valuing the transformational impact athletics has on the educational experience of our student-athletes and the important role our department plays in furthering the mission of the university.

I also want to recognize Dr. Sue Beckwith, who was with us in the beginning and every step of the way ensuring that generations of athletes have the opportunity to experience what she did in a Hawkeye uniform.

Finally, Lisa Bluder, who inspired us all, made an impact on countless lives and mentored the amazing coach we are here to welcome today. She set a daily example of how to lead with character on the path to achieving excellence. I know she will always be our biggest champion.

This is a seamless passing of the baton. The definition of a true teammate is someone who embraces their role, commits to honing their craft with the sole expectation to serve those around them and make the team better. Jan Jensen has learned from the best, positioned the program for unprecedented achievements, and has been an integral component over the past decades in making Iowa one of the most successful college women’s basketball programs in the country.

Jan’s journey has been entangled with the story of women’s basketball in the state of Iowa for as long as most can remember. It was in her genes as her grandmother played six on six in the 1920s. I think I’m getting this right, Coach, was nicknamed “Lottie” for scoring lots of points. Jan carried on that tradition with her name still etched in Iowa high school record books. She then went on to become the nation’s leading scorer, averaging 29.7 points per game and became an All-American at Drake University.

Her coaching career began after spending a year playing professionally in Germany, and she has never looked back. A presence on the court and off, known equally for the impact she makes on the game and for the authenticity and kindness she shares with all she meets, making them feel like lifelong friends.

A relationship builder, a relentless recruiter, a post whisperer, always ready for coffee and a conversation with an athlete, a champion on someone’s most difficult day and on their best. She has always been leading, always been mapping a path for success for your Hawkeyes.

She embodies the culture of Iowa women’s basketball that our loyal fans have come to know and love and will lead this new era of the program during a new era of college athletics with creativity, grit, passion and commitment needed to build champions on and off the court.

A head coach must have a deep understanding of the game, be a teacher at heart, understand how to build culture and inspire belief. They must be a role model, a motivator, and have an unrelenting competitive drive to be the best and bring out the best in all who touch their program.

Jan models daily what it means have a tireless work ethic, to lead with compassion and fiery passion and to be confident in who you are and how to go about chasing your dreams. Everything we needed in the next leader of this storied program was right here.

Under Jan’s leadership, you will continue to see a team that plays with heart, with unmatched toughness, and plays an exciting brand of basketball. We have a coach who welcomes high expectations, has an energy that inspires all those around her, and a contagious enthusiasm that will continue to flame the passion of her team and our fans across the state and beyond.

You’ve been all in here with us, and we are all in with you. How amazing is it when the easy choice is the right choice, and in Caitlin Clark’s words, the only choice.