Meet Iowa transfer tasked with replacing Caitlin Clark in unenviable task

The Iowa women's basketball team is facing a Caitlin Clark-sized hole for the 2025 season . The NCAA's all-time leading scorer averaged a stunning 31.6 points and 8.9 assists for the Hawkeyes last season as they marched to their second consecutive title game.

Enter senior transfer Lucy Olsen from Villanova. Olsen ranked third in the nation with 23.3 points per game last season behind only Clark and JuJu Watkins of USC.

The Villanova transfer understands the unenviable task in front of her but doesn't plan on replacing anyone. “I’m not going to be a Caitlin Clark,” Olsen said . “There’s not going to be another Caitlin Clark."

"She’s amazing, and she’s done such great things here. I think she’s definitely paved the way to how hard you should work, what expectations there are, and what type of program this is."

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Clark led Iowa to a 29-4 record in the NCAA Championship Game last season, scoring 30 points or more on 22 occasions and a career-best of 49 against Michigan.

She isn't the only key Hawkeye to graduate: starting point guard Gabbie Marshall is gone along with current Las Vegas Aces forward Kate Martin. Coach Lisa Bluder left and was replaced by longtime assistant Jan Jensen.

The team will return starters Hannah Stuelke and Sydney Affolter in addition to key reserves Addison O'Grady and Kylie Feuerbach. Stuelke, the team's second-leading scorer, was effusive in her praise for Olsen.

"You can tell she just loves basketball,” she said on the new transfer. “She loves to be here. She loves getting after it. But she’s so hard-working. In scrimmage, she’ll push you and not take it easy on anyone."

Olsen scored a career-high 40 points in Richmond in one of Villanova's 18 regular season wins. However, their 12 losses meant the Wildcats missed the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

The senior from Collegeville, Pennsylvania, dramatically increased her scoring output each year at Villanova. She averaged 7.0 points as a freshman and 12.4 as a sophomore before exploding for 23.3 points on 43.8% shooting last year.

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Olsen isn't quite as prolific on her three-pointer as Clark, connecting on just 29.4% of her 5.3 attempts per game. Clark converted 37.8% of her staggering 13.6 efforts.

Clark helped substantially increase the popularity of women's basketball in Iowa. Now, Olsen is the new messiah in town: “They get out of the car, and they’re like, ‘Hey, you’re Lucy Olsen, you’re the new Hawkeye,’” Olsen said of the Iowa fans.

“And I was like, ‘Yeah, how do you know me? I haven’t touched the ball yet.’ This is crazy, but it was definitely a really cool time.”