"She fit in right away", Lucy Olsen was the perfect addition for the Hawkeyes

While the Iowa Women’s Basketball team was in Cleveland for the Final Four, Lucy Olsen was 139 miles away in Indianapolis trying to win a WBIT championship with Villanova. The Hawkeyes came up just short in the national title game, while Nova fell to Illinois in the WBIT. A few days later, Olsen opted to enter the transfer portal and was instantly contacted many of the top programs in the country, including Iowa. Lose the top scorer in the nation and replace her with the third-best scorer? It seemed like a perfect fit. And it was from the very beginning. Ultimately, Lucy Olsen took a visit to Iowa and committed to play for the Hawkeyes.

“I think it’s just the fact that she was interested. There’s a lot of people that would go, ‘I’m not coming after Caitlin,’ said head coach Jan Jensen. “When she came here on her vist, you could just feel it. That’s the kids we have a success with. That’s what we’re always about. That feel. Do you want to be part of us?”

Yes, Lucy Olsen did want to be a part of ‘us’ and ever since she has arrived on campus, her fit has gone way beyond her on the court play. Olsen has quickly gelled with her new teammates and has instantly become part of the Hawkeye culture.

“Her personality is really golden,” said Jensen. “I’m just really fortunate that we got her…She’s got enough moxie, but enough humility that she balances it. (Lucy) is definitely confident in who she is and what she brings, but she’s really fun to coach.”

“She fit in right away,” said Syd Affolter after practice on Tuesday. “Her personality off the court and then since day one, she’s been working so hard. I think that brings a lot of respect to someone, when you’ve seen them in the gym all the time, learning and asking questions.”

One player that Lucy Olsen has really developed a friendship with is junior shooting guard Taylor McCabe. The two are roommates and have bonded by getting in the gym and sharing the same love for the TV show Love Island UK.

“(Taylor) was a really big help when my mom and I came to move in. She was just showing us around, taking us to nice food spots. I didn’t have access (to Carver) right away to come shoot, but I was itching to come, so she let me in with her,” said Olsen. “I’d rather talk with someone shooting hoops rather than to sit on the couch. That really helps you bond and she was the first person that I did it with.”

“I love Love Island. We watch it every night…We were trying to watch The Bachelorette every Monday night, but we already missed two nights. Maybe we’ll get on that.”

One thing you’ll quickly notice when watching Lucy Olsen is that she never stops smiling when she’s on the court. After almost every single rep in practice you’ll see her smiling or laughing with a teammate. If you’ve ever seen or heard an Iowa women’s basketball practice, you know that a bubbly personality is a perfect fit for the Hawkeyes.

“Basketball is fun. I just love playing the game and whenever I’m having a bad game or things get too serious, I remind myself why are you even playing if you’re not having fun with it?”, said Olsen. “I’m not an angry person at all. I’ll get angry on the court, I’ll get feisty, but I can’t be mad for more than two minutes.”

Just because Lucy has fun and smiles on the court doesn’t mean she her light-heartedness translates to her play on the court. Olsen took over as the go-to scorer for Villanova last season after Maddy Siegrist moved on to the WNBA and put up 23.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game for the Wildcats. She has one of the best midrange jumpshots in the entire country and plays like she is taller than her 5’10 frame.

“She loves getting after it. She’s so hard working in scrimmages,” said Syd Affolter. “She’ll push you and not take it easy on anyone and then sometimes after practice, she will be playing against the managers one on one just to keep going.”

Many will be quick to judge and compare Lucy to Caitlin Clark. It’s not unusual for people to do that when someone comes in to replace the role of a great that came before them. However, it is unfair and impossible to believe that things will be the same. Lucy is not Caitlin. Their skills differ and they aren’t the same type of player. However, just because Lucy is not Caitlin, doesn’t mean she can’t make a big impact for the Hawkeyes this season.

“Her game is very different than Caitlin. She has a different point guard mentality than Caitlin did,” says assistant coach Abby Stamp. “She’s going to be a little bit more of a floor general putting people in right spots…She certainly can score easily and effciently off the dribble, creating her own shots. We’re hoping that we can get her some shots off to catch to really expand her game.”

While many across the country expect the Hawkeyes to take a large step back after back-to-back national title appearances, Lucy Olsen was a perfect match for Iowa in the portal. Don’t expect Jan Jensen and Co. to fall very far this season.