Moments of intense disappointment often require leaders to address the past, present and future all at once.
While posterity might not see it immortalized in granite, Iowa Hawkeyes head women’s basketball coach Lisa Bluder’s post-game address to her team in their locker room following Sunday’s 87-75 loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks in the NCAA championship game showed that some leaders know how to encapsulate the different feelings associated with saying goodbye, remembering a common journey and moving forward.
With superstar guard Caitlin Clark seated in the front row, her face partially covered by a towel, Bluder delivered a simple message that began with the present disappointment, reflected on her team’s remarkable achievements and then looked to the future.
“Do not hang your heads. Do not. Yes, we’re sad that the seniors are leaving us. It’s tough. That’s the tough part about this,” Bluder said, becoming visibly emotional and twice smacking the end of a rolled up piece of paper with her open hand, as if to emphasize the difficulty in saying goodbye to those seniors.
Clark, the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer, could return to Iowa next season if she so chose. The NCAA gave athletes affected by the 2020-21 COVID pandemic an extra year of eligibility. On Feb. 29, however, Clark announced her decision to forego that final year and instead turn pro, per the IndyStar.
The superstar guard, whose games have shattered viewership records, has already said goodbye to Iowa fans.
CBS Sports has projected that the Indiana Fever will select Clark 1st overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft. That event will take place Apr. 15 in New York City.
For Bluder, there will be plenty of time to face life without Clark. In the meantime, the coach wanted her players to think of their shared experiences with gratitude.
Do you think Caitlin Clark will do well in the WNBA?
“But, we got to do this together, right? We got to have this journey together. Nobody’s ever gonna take that away,” Bluder said as her players choked back emotions with audible sniffling.
“I’m proud of you — all of you guys so much, each and every one of you, so, do not hang your heads. Celebrate the fact that we were here. Celebrate that we got to do this together. Alright? Please. Because that’s what’s important,” she added.
Next, the coach reflected on the team’s remarkable, intangible achievements.
“You guys impacted so many people this year in a positive way. I mean, think of that, all the joy you brought to people, all the kids that you helped. That’s what it’s all about,” Bluder said.
“Yes, you love a shiny trophy. But the impact that you had on young women in this sport doesn’t get tarnished. It will always be there. You have raised this sport to a new level because of the way you play the game. Don’t let that — don’t ever forget that,” she added.
Finally, the coach told her players that they do not need to play basketball to make that same positive impact.
“You can bring that to other people. You can bring that to other people as you go along, OK?” she concluded.
Readers may view the 80-second clip of Bluder’s comments below.
“We got to do this 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿.” #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/6JLUSA3xiq
— Iowa Women’s Basketball (@IowaWBB) April 8, 2024
With her professional career set to begin next week, Clark will officially take her place among the greatest college basketball players who never won a national championship.
Sometimes, of course, transcendent players do not win championships. In this case, Clark’s Hawkeyes ran into a juggernaut in head coach Dawn Staley’s undefeated Gamecocks.
Thus, the no-championships caveat will strike many fans as an afterthought. As Bluder rightly noted, they will remember the journey instead.
