Jan Jensen sheds light on former Iowa guard Caitlin Clark’s resilience (Picture Credits: IMAGN)
Iowa’s new head coach, Jan Jensen, recently praised former Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark for her win-at-all-costs mentality. She compared that attitude with the basketball legends Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan.
After the Hawkeyes won the 2024 Big Ten women’s basketball tournament and finished as runners-up in the 2024 March Madness tournament, the Indiana Fever drafted Clark for the WNBA.
During a recent appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio, Jan Jensen highlighted Clark’s exceptional qualities, saying,
“That kid is good,” Jensen said. “She can pass it and she makes you better. If you will meet her and you will not judge it and you’ll kind of let it make sense to you why her patients might come out or why she’s acting a certain way, you start to figure out it has nothing to do with her staff, nothing to do with her greatness. It has everything to do that she just wants to freaking win,” she added.
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Jensen said Clark just wanted to win on her terms, like the great NBA legends.
“And she believes that to win it has to be her way and it has to be this past then and this shot now,” Iowa coach said. “Does that not sound like Kobe or Michael? I mean, the great ones are like that.”
Caitlin Clark was the first overall pick by the Fever in the 2024 WNBA draft, following a high-voltage four seasons with the Hawkeyes.
In the title game last season, she scored 30 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and had five assists in an 87-75 loss to South Carolina.
Caitlin Clark did a Michael Jordan shrug
Caitlin Clark’s trash-talking skills shone when she clashed with Seattle Storm veteran Victoria Vivians. She did a Michael Jordan-style shrug as the Fever played against the Chicago Sky last weekend.
Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon, at a Thursday night press conference with Sky head coach Teresa Weatherspoon, said that Clark knows how to talk trash.
“Look, at the end of the day, (Clark and Reese) are really super-skilled, they’re fun to watch,” Hammon said. “And they jaw at each other, you know?”
“No one talks more crap than Caitlin too,” she said. “I saw (Angel) and NaLyssa (Smith) get into it the other day. It’s a different generation. I think we talked subtly, but they be talking in your face, which is fine. Let them go. They’re big girls.”
Meanwhile, Indiana Fever coach Christie Sides has encouraged rookie star Caitlin Clark to be more assertive on offense after a passive performance in Thursday’s loss to the Seattle Storm. Clark attempted just nine shots in the 89-77 defeat.
