Jan Jensen Coaching Philosophy

[nu2u]

Is she an exact Bluder Clone? How will her approach differ from Bluder, if at all?

Jensen has a well earned reputation as an excellent low post coach. That should bolster Iowa’s standing with C/F prospects (Hays, e.g). Bring in a top flight assistant and the program should (hopefully) maintain momentum.

 

[herkhatescy]

I think a lot of the decisions during games were Jan's. As the Associate Head Coach Lisa gave her free reign. Like letting Jan be head coach on the overseas trip.

 

[AEG82]

Jan is going to be great imo. She's inherited a strong squad with recruiting already at a high level. She deserves a shot and I think she'll be good to great.

 

[intrepodor]

Jan is going to be great imo. She's inherited a strong squad with recruiting already at a high level. She deserves a shot and I think she'll be good to great.

What's Jan's age?

 

[AEG82]

What's Jan's age?

57-59, no?

 

[AEG82]

57-59, no?

Apparently 56 is the correct answer. She's got plenty of time to make her mark. Not worried about her age at all.

 

[cmhawks99]

Jan is going to be great imo. She's inherited a strong squad with recruiting already at a high level. She deserves a shot and I think she'll be good to great.

Agreed, might even take it to another level.

 

[MelroseMauler]

Agreed, might even take it to another level.

This.

 

[eyesofhawk]

Jan will definitely have to incorporate some defense into the program, whether it's from her or an assistant

 

[IowaMuse]

Jan will definitely have to incorporate some defense into the program, whether it's from her or an assistant

I’m not sure this is a philosophy or schematic issue as it is one of personnel.

 

[uihawk82]

Go Jan and this should not be a bummer for the incoming recruits and Olsen.

 

[EvilMonkeyInTheCloset]

I’m not sure this is a philosophy or schematic issue as it is one of personnel.

Agreed. In fact, I think given our roster, opponents faced, and overall philosophy, we were playing our best defense as a team in the NCAA Tournament.

The majority of our defensive struggles in the tournament, and particularly against South Carolina, weren't from an Xs and Os issue.

 

[cmhawks99]

I’m not sure this is a philosophy or schematic issue as it is one of personnel.

I’d say it is definitely a philosophy, but for no reason, other than a feeling, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Coach Jensen a little bit more defensive focused… With that said, this last Iowa team did much better on defense than they did in years prior.

 

[hawkod]

Apparently 56 is the correct answer. She's got plenty of time to make her mark. Not worried about her age at all.

Well this gains us 7 years in the age-related negative recruiting category.

 

[eyesofhawk]

I’m not sure this is a philosophy or schematic issue as it is one of personnel.

I am

 

[Packer54]

Lots of pearl clutching regarding a woman who is loyal, been a great recruiter and a great developer of talent and the players love her. I think giving her a shot was the right move. Will she be better or not as good? Don’t know but regardless she deserves the shot.
Go Jan!!

 

[eyesofhawk]

Agreed. In fact, I think given our roster, opponents faced, and overall philosophy, we were playing our best defense as a team in the NCAA Tournament.

The majority of our defensive struggles in the tournament, and particularly against South Carolina, weren't from an Xs and Os issue.

I’d say it is definitely a philosophy, but for no reason, other than a feeling, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Coach Jensen a little bit more defensive focused… With that said, this last Iowa team did much better on defense than they did in years prior.

It was definitely more of a coaching issue than a personnel issue.

Not trying to tear Bluder down at all. She did a really good job for a long time. But over 24 years, being solid defensively just wasn't ever who Iowa was under Bluder.

Almost all of Iowa's defensive deficiencies were avoidable through coaching. But that isn't who Bluder was. And Iowa's offense probably wouldn't have been as good over the years if she had been more focused on D. So there's a bit of a trade-off; I get it.

But even if one tends to look at it as a personnel issue, then ok, recruit better defenders. No matter how you look at it, it starts at the top, and Jan is going to have to figure out what her approach is to infuse some D into the program

 

[nu2u]

Uptempo still intact. Possibly more low post feeds. I’m guessing Jan will sub more freely ….only because Bluder kept a tight rotation of 7 sometimes 8 players.

 

[kwik44]

I think we're going to see alot more 6'4+ talent going forward. Jan works magic in the post.

 

[EvilMonkeyInTheCloset]

I think we're going to see alot more 6'4+ talent going forward. Jan works magic in the post.

It'll be interesting to see how involved (as much/more/less) she remains in the recruiting process now that she has been elevated to head coach. @shikreto

 

[ICWestfan]

Jan will definitely have to incorporate some defense into the program, whether it's from her or an assistant

If you watched Iowa WBB they ramped up the D as the tourney approached, and played EXCELLENT defense. Remember, this team was CC22 centric and defense was what it was to protect CC22 "lack" of defense. The defense will be fine.

JJ is the right hire, this was in place after last year NC run. There is no way the girl from Clai didn't know this was going down, the girl from Nova knew this was going down.

Home run hire.

 

[ft254]

We're in better shape than most since Jensen has been an active recruiter. It may in fact salvage progress we've made.

 

[eyesofhawk]

If you watched Iowa WBB they ramped up the D as the tourney approached, and played EXCELLENT defense. Remember, this team was CC22 centric and defense was what it was to protect CC22 "lack" of defense. The defense will be fine.

JJ is the right hire, this was in place after last year NC run. There is no way the girl from Clai didn't know this was going down, the girl from Nova knew this was going down.

Home run hire.

What about the rest of 24 years?

You are correct that Iowa played some pretty good defense at times down the stretch of the season. I wouldn't use the word "excellent", myself. It's not possible to play excellent defense for any sustained amount of time without having had certain fundamentals drilled into you from day one, and without defense being part of your identity.

Again, I'm not trying to badmouth Bluder. Overall, she did a very good job. But it was clear that defense wasn't a strength under her, as Iowa didn't have a good defensive team in 24 years.

Especially given that Jan was a long-time assistant, it's worth asking what her approach to defense will be. I hope you are correct that the defense will be fine. But do we have any reason to believe that?

 

[cmhawks99]

It was definitely more of a coaching issue than a personnel issue.

Not trying to tear Bluder down at all. She did a really good job for a long time. But over 24 years, being solid defensively just wasn't ever who Iowa was under Bluder.

Almost all of Iowa's defensive deficiencies were avoidable through coaching. But that isn't who Bluder was. And Iowa's offense probably wouldn't have been as good over the years if she had been more focused on D. So there's a bit of a trade-off; I get it.

But even if one tends to look at it as a personnel issue, then ok, recruit better defenders. No matter how you look at it, it starts at the top, and Jan is going to have to figure out what her approach is to infuse some D into the program

Pretty much agree on all accounts, although it appears to me, she began to see over the last few years that there had to be some elemental changes in her defensive philosophy, and in particular approach…

As an aside; Whereas, say MBB & Fran I just don’t see that Fran has ever committed to playing serious defense…

Bluder addressed & improved the D while continuing a high octane offense, but matching it a little bit better to what she was willing to do defensively.

 

[Hawksbyamillion]

Lots of pearl clutching regarding a woman who is loyal, been a great recruiter and a great developer of talent and the players love her. I think giving her a shot was the right move. Will she be better or not as good? Don’t know but regardless she deserves the shot.
Go Jan!!

I feel better about having Jan take the helm and maintaining our roster and recruiting than I would if they’d gone out and hired a proven head coach. Jan easily could have left to be a head coach sooner than now but chose to stay. She’s as seasoned as they come.

 

[ICWestfan]

What about the rest of 24 years?

You are correct that Iowa played some pretty good defense at times down the stretch of the season. I wouldn't use the word "excellent", myself. It's not possible to play excellent defense for any sustained amount of time without having had certain fundamentals drilled into you from day one, and without defense being part of your identity.

Again, I'm not trying to badmouth Bluder. Overall, she did a very good job. But it was clear that defense wasn't a strength under her, as Iowa didn't have a good defensive team in 24 years.

Especially given that Jan was a long-time assistant, it's worth asking what her approach to defense will be. I hope you are correct that the defense will be fine. But do we have any reason to believe that?

24 years...you want me to analyze all 24 years of her coaching at Iowa? Sure defense was an issue, but you don't get to the NC game 2 years in a row without learning, or teaching, how to play defense. She did that, and it was apparent that she (finally) realized that defense was important.

Are you projecting MBB coach FMcC onto Lisa? Finally, how do you know JJ wasn't or didn't want Iowa to play more D? Maybe Bluder forgave D in lieu of more offense; the best defense is a good offense?

Lisa Bluder wasn't without her faults while coaching Iowa basketball. But what she did the last 4-6 years of her career is pretty outstanding.

 

[littlez]

What about the rest of 24 years?

You are correct that Iowa played some pretty good defense at times down the stretch of the season. I wouldn't use the word "excellent", myself. It's not possible to play excellent defense for any sustained amount of time without having had certain fundamentals drilled into you from day one, and without defense being part of your identity.

Again, I'm not trying to badmouth Bluder. Overall, she did a very good job. But it was clear that defense wasn't a strength under her, as Iowa didn't have a good defensive team in 24 years.

Especially given that Jan was a long-time assistant, it's worth asking what her approach to defense will be. I hope you are correct that the defense will be fine. But do we have any reason to believe that?

You keep saying you’re not bad mouthing Bluder while you in fact are. Fact is when you play more up tempo there’s more possessions which of course leads to more points. I think part of her philosophy especially the last 2 years was just to keep pushing the pace and see if other teams can keep up. At times that does lead to some back and forth and up and down games. I’d like to see us be a better man to man team but that’s also tough when you’re playing 4 guards and a 6-3 Center like we did this year. Jensen has been around forever and was a great player in her days as well. I have great faith in her.

 

[kceasthawk]

Uptempo still intact. Possibly more low post feeds. I’m guessing Jan will sub more freely ….only because Bluder kept a tight rotation of 7 sometimes 8 players.

Well, that and they won't have possibly the best player who's ever played out there for 38 minutes a game. Having so many new players for the first time in memory will necessitate more players getting minutes.

 

[moondog24]

No doubt Jan has paid her dues and deserves a shot. The experience she has gained over the past 24 years at Iowa and several more at Drake has prepared her for moving over on the bench to be the head coach. There will be adjustments to make in terms of time commitments, interaction with boosters and the media and of course making the "final decisions" that only a head coach can make. Having been around the program and the university for as long as she has, the transition should be seamless. It will be interesting to see who Jan selects as her assistants.

 

[eyesofhawk]

24 years...you want me to analyze all 24 years of her coaching at Iowa? Sure defense was an issue, but you don't get to the NC game 2 years in a row without learning, or teaching, how to play defense. She did that, and it was apparent that she (finally) realized that defense was important.

Are you projecting MBB coach FMcC onto Lisa? Finally, how do you know JJ wasn't or didn't want Iowa to play more D? Maybe Bluder forgave D in lieu of more offense; the best defense is a good offense?

Lisa Bluder wasn't without her faults while coaching Iowa basketball. But what she did the last 4-6 years of her career is pretty outstanding

This discussion is about who Iowa is going to be, as a program, under Jan. Naturally, in such a discussion, comparisons are going to be made to the personality of Bluder's program. Again, especially because Jan was a long-time assistant.

There was a certain personality over 24 years that much more defined what Iowa was under Bluder than did the last stretch of last season or even the last two seasons.

And it's plenty fair to say, especially in a way of comparison to what Jan's teams might be, that defense wasn't part of Iowa's personality.

Will defense be part of Iowa's personality under Jan? We'll see. I never said it wouldn't. I was just asking what your reasoning was for believing Iowa's D "will be fine."

My guess is that Iowa's personality will reflect Jan's personality. And that defense is probably more a part of Jan's personality than it was Lisa's. But it will be very interesting to see how that takes shape and just how Jan goes about injecting D into the program.

The best defense isn't a good offense. But I did mention that much of what Bluder's teams lacked in D was made up for by excellence in offense. And I agree that Lisa did a great job

 

[eyesofhawk]

You keep saying you’re not bad mouthing Bluder while you in fact are. Fact is when you play more up tempo there’s more possessions which of course leads to more points. I think part of her philosophy especially the last 2 years was just to keep pushing the pace and see if other teams can keep up. At times that does lead to some back and forth and up and down games. I’d like to see us be a better man to man team but that’s also tough when you’re playing 4 guards and a 6-3 Center like we did this year. Jensen has been around forever and was a great player in her days as well. I have great faith in her.

How am I badmouthing Lisa? I said that she did a very good job. And when looking at who Iowa was, as a program under Lisa, for the sake of comparing that to who Iowa might be under Jan, it is more than fair to point out that defense was not part of Iowa's personality under Lisa.

Of course there will be more points with more possessions. But there won't be as many points when better defense is played

 

[tweeterhawk]

Is she an exact Bluder Clone? How will her approach differ from Bluder, if at all?

Jensen has a well earned reputation as an excellent low post coach. That should bolster Iowa’s standing with C/F prospects (Hays, e.g). Bring in a top flight assistant and the program should (hopefully) maintain momentum.

I’m just going to put this out there, not intended to be racist: Can Jan recruit the big physical post players and forwards to effectively compete against the strong, tall, physical Black players Iowa faced in the two NC finals. Caitlin’s shooting, ability to feed teammates and her basketball savvy carried Iowa far and overcame deficiencies down low.

That’s gone now. Jan’s going to need to find the players that will give a previously non-diverse team defensive and rebounding strength under the basket.

 

[citizenHawk]

I wouldn't expect much change at all. You don't assist a philosophy for two decades if you think you have better ideas that aren't being heard.

 

[eyesofhawk]

In response to Tweeter's post, since the copy didn't load:

Can we expect Jan to bring in the most athletic recruits in the country? I would think not.

CC was one of the best college players of all-time. I don't think Iowa should be expected to compete at a level that gets them to the finals going forward. Especially not in the NIL age.

Defensive rebounding is primarily a byproduct of good, solid defense. Some years Iowa may get a couple horses down low. But the best way to be consistently good on the boards is to be consistently good defensively. Athleticism certainly helps, but it isn't a requisite

 

[herkhatescy]

I’m just going to put this out there, not intended to be racist: Can Jan recruit the big physical post players and forwards to effectively compete against the strong, tall, physical Black players Iowa faced in the two NC finals. Caitlin’s shooting, ability to feed teammates and her basketball savvy carried Iowa far and overcame deficiencies down low.

That’s gone now. Jan’s going to need to find the players that will give a previously non-diverse team defensive and rebounding strength under the basket.

That what we have Raina for.

 

[ChiPackHawk]

I’d say it is definitely a philosophy, but for no reason, other than a feeling, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Coach Jensen a little bit more defensive focused… With that said, this last Iowa team did much better on defense than they did in years prior.

When you run and score at the rate a team like Iowa does, it is natural you will also give up a lot of points.

 

[BioHawk]

Jensen deserves a shot, it is clear that she has been running much of the day to day operations of the team the last few years. It's almost like Bluder knew what she was doing.

Really, the most important thing though, is she is also the coach that did all the recruiting so she has the best chance of keeping all the recruits who have committed to maintain their commitment.

 

[kceasthawk]

I’m just going to put this out there, not intended to be racist: Can Jan recruit the big physical post players and forwards to effectively compete against the strong, tall, physical Black players Iowa faced in the two NC finals. Caitlin’s shooting, ability to feed teammates and her basketball savvy carried Iowa far and overcame deficiencies down low.

That’s gone now. Jan’s going to need to find the players that will give a previously non-diverse team defensive and rebounding strength under the basket.

So if Heiden (as an example) is a star or the girl from Alaska should we land her, (both) 6'4" or 5" and top 20 or so in their classes, WHY must they be black? Just asking....

 

[ddeanHawk]

So if Heiden (as an example) is a star or the girl from Alaska should we land her, (both) 6'4" or 5" and top 20 or so in their classes, WHY must they be black? Just asking....

I don't think he was saying that

 

[kceasthawk]

I don't think he was saying that

Having read it again I think your correct. It seemed slanted that way intially. Still Jan has already recruited Heiden and Hays looks possible, so the answer is YES......