Iowa women’s basketball coach Lisa Bluder announced her retirement from the program on Monday and received a note from her best player in the aftermath.

Caitlin Clark, the reigning back-to-back national player of the year and No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, shared a message on X Monday after hearing the news.

“Simply no one better at building a team,” Clark wrote Monday. “Thank you for believing in me more than anyone. Enjoy retirement, coach. Very much deserved.”

Shortly after Bluder’s announcement, Iowa announced longtime assistant Jan Jensen will replace Bluder as head coach.

“The only option there ever was!” Clark said of Jensen being Bluder’s successor. “You deserve this more than anyone. Can’t wait to watch you lead this program!”

Clark, one of the greatest women’s college basketball players ever and the sport’s all-time leading scorer, led the Hawkeyes to back-to-back national championship games, both of which ended in losing fashion.

The 6-foot guard averaged 28.4 points with 7.1 rebounds with 8.2 assists per game for her career, breaking a slew of records in the process. Clark averaged 31.6 points with 7.4 rebounds and 8.9 assists per game as a senior last season, leading the country in points and assists.

Clark is now gearing up for her first season in the WNBA, where she will likely be one of the Fever’s best players. In her first two preseason games, she scored 21 and 12 points, respectively, against Dallas Wings and Atlanta Dream.

Caitlin Clark reacts to Lisa Bluder’s retirement

Here’s Caitlin Clark’s message to Lisa Bluder on Monday reacting to the retirement news: