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Villanova Wildcats guard Lucy Olsen confirmed her commitment to the Iowa Hawkeyes through social media on Wednesday. The premier question for most Iowa fans was how the program was going to replace the record-breaking Caitlin Clark, and Olsen is as good as it gets.
Olsen was the No. 3 scorer in the country with 23.3 points per game on 43.8% shooting from the field, just behind USC Trojans star JuJu Watkins (27.1 points) and Caitlin Clark (31.6 points). She also averaged 4.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists.
Iowa coach Lisa Bluder joined the viral internet video of rapper Travis Scott (with her body interposed) entering a stage and performing in front of a hyped crowd. The clip was posted on Iowa's X page hours after Olsen's commitment.
Lucy Olsen entered the transfer portal on April 9, and she revealed that Lisa Bluder got into contact with her immediately to recruit her for Iowa.
“Coach Bluder called me right away,” Olsen said. “I hopped on a Zoom call with the staff, and they were the nicest people ever. They felt like family.”
Lucy Olsen attempts to replace Caitlin Clark
Lucy Olsen was recruited by Villanova from Spring-Ford Area High School and played for the Wildcats for three years, earning first-team all-Big East honors before opting to join the Hawkeyes.
Olsen scored 815 points for the Wildcats as a junior and finished her career there with 1,504 points. She has one year of eligibility remaining.
The guard explained why it was necessary to leave Villanova for her last year of eligibility and why she chose the Hawkeyes as her next destination.
“Villanova was awesome. It was close to home,” said Olsen. “It was a perfect fit for me for three years. But I wanted my final season to be somewhere that women’s basketball is exploding. I want to compete with and against new competition. And I want to go pro. I’m hoping Iowa can help me get there.”
Caitlin Clark was by far the most consistent scorer in women's college basketball for the past few years, and last season she obliterated several point-scoring records that had stood for generations by averaging 31.6 points.
Lucy Olsen averaged 23.3 points, and her end product has shown promise that Lisa Bluder, who had been at the WNBA draft ceremony in New York the previous night, rushed to lock down.
“Caitlin Clark is Caitlin Clark. I’m not going to try to be her,” Olsen said. “But they need a point guard, and it’s a perfect opportunity to try to make something happen.”
With the cumulative points and experience lost by the Iowa Hawkeyes, Lucy Olsen will be called upon immediately to start producing the end product on the scale of the popular Caitlin Clark.
