Sydney Affolter: "This makes my heart so happy": Iowa fans react as Sydney Affolter joins Jan Jensen's coaching staff as a graduate student assistant

Sydney Affolter was a commanding presence in the court for the Iowa Hawkeyes. Now her presence will be felt on the beach, as she has joined Jan Jensen's staff as a graduate assistant coach.

As the news was posted on the Hawkeyes' Instagram account on Monday, fans were fired up about the former guard staying with the program in the future, sharing their excitement.

"This makes my heart so happy," a fan said.

"COULD NOT LOVE THIS MORE," another fan wrote.

"The day just keeps getting better and better!" one fan added.

Some fans responded by saying why they think Sydney Affolter is the right choice to join the coaching staff. Affolter started 44 games in her final two seasons as a player.

"Excellent!!!! You could tell last season that she's a natural coach. Glad we're keeping her around," a fan wrote.

"Congratulations Syd! Perfect choice!" another fan said.

"Yessss!!! Syddddd!!!" one fan commented.

Reactions from Sydney Affolter's presentation as assistant coach. - Source: Instagram/@iowawbb

Sydney Affolter averaged 5.8 points, five rebounds and 1.7 assists per game during her four-year career at Iowa. Her final season was her best, as she averaged 8.5 ppg, 7.8 rpg and 2.7 apg.

Despite being listed as a guard, the Chicago, Illinois, native was a strong presence in the paint, leading the team in rebounds last season. She will now look to help the team from the bench.

Affolter was well-respected by everyone on the team. Former Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark reposted the news on an Instagram story as well.

Jen Jensen welcomes Sydney Affolter to her coaching staff

Head coach Jan Jensen coached Sydney Affolter for a single season at Iowa after taking over for Lisa Bluder, who retired before the 2024-2025 season. That was enough for her to open the door to the former guard.

“We are thrilled to have Sydney join our staff in this capacity,” Jensen said in a press release. “Sydney has been a tremendous leader for our program, and I am excited to continue to utilize her skillset as she begins her coaching career. I know our Hawkeye fans will also love continuing to see Syd involved with our program.”

The Hawkeyes will look to get back into the upper echelon of college basketball. Iowa finished last season with a 23-11 record and made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, where they lost to the Oklahoma Sooners in Norman.

They will have a noticeably different team from last season, after losing their leading rebounder (Affolter) and assist and scoring leader, Lucy Olsen.

About the author

Allan Wolburg Robles is a College Sports journalist at Sportskeeda with over 17 years of experience in the field writing for publications including Reforma, Yahoo! OddsShark and Apuesta. Allan studied Communications at Anáhuac University, where he learned what would become the basis of a trade that was already a dream of his before starting college.

His favorite team is Army West Point as when he was young, Allan lived in West Point for a couple of years, went to pretty much every home game, a couple of Army-Navy games and even got to meet some of the players.

Allan's favorite players of all time include Tommie Frazier, who was unbelievable during the Nebraska dynasty of the early 90's. Tim Tebow was also a favorite, mainly because of his leadership skills, although he was also awesome on the football field. As a fan of defensive football, (or what's left of it), Sean Taylor could take over a game for Miami.

Allan has always considered himself a student of the game more than a fan of it. So the historical part and evolution of the game, as well as the ins and outs of what happens on the field, and being able to put it into words for the audience, are his biggest strengths.

Besides sports, Allan enjoys reading books, watching movies and spending time with his dogs.

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Edited by Veer Badani