Paige vs. Caitlin, Chris vs. Jan
A quick primer on two of the associate head coaches in the Final Four
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Okay, folks. UConn and Iowa are in the Final Four tonight, and you know what that means: the showdown between Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark.
The sports world has been buzzing about this all week, because these women are the two highest scorers in the NCAA. Clark broke the NCAA all-time scoring record this year. She has declared for the WNBA draft; this March Madness is her last dance. Bueckers is back in the spotlight after being sidelined last year with an ACL tear. When she was hurt, she vowed to get her team to this stage of the tournament. UConn didn’t recruit Clark when she was in high school and was dying to play for the Huskies. But you know who UConn did recruit that year? That’s right, Bueckers. To add to the drama, Bueckers’ team is badly injured, so UConn’s bench is only three players deep.
And they are each standing in the other’s way of reaching the national championship game.
There is so much going on. The stakes are so high. I almost don’t want tonight to arrive, because then the waiting is over and I can’t look forward to it anymore (also, my father-in-law is the biggest UConn women’s basketball fan I know, so our family is particularly invested in the outcome).
But I’m not only excited because of Caitlin vs. Paige. I’m equally thrilled because of the battle of the associate head coaches, Chris Dailey vs. Jan Jenson.
Dailey has been the associate head coach at UConn since 1988, and Jensen has been the associate head coach at Iowa since 2000. Both are engrained in the spirits of their teams and idolized by their respective fanbases. I like to look for them on the sidelines when I watch their teams play. I love seeing glimpses on camera, however brief, that show them in action, especially when they interact with their players. These two people are as integral to their teams’ successes as the head coaches — Lisa Bluder at Iowa and Geno Auriemma at UConn — but they don’t get as much credit.
I tweeted out a picture of Jensen and Dailey when this Final Four match-up was set. Mostly because I truly am excited to see two of my favorite fixtures in college basketball go head to head. But, yes, also because it’s hard to deny that these two people look alike.
They’ve both got blonde bobs that say “don’t fuck with me,” as well as outfits that make it equally clear they will not be taking anyone’s shit. Sleek suits, the occasional cardigan (if you’re Chris), and leather jackets give off vibes of organization and power. And the response to my tweet made one thing clear: fans of UConn and Iowa are obsessed with these coaches and would lie down in traffic for them.
But for those less familiar, I thought I’d put together a quick primer. The tweet has gone fairly viral and I want to provide context about how impressive these women’s careers are.
Let’s start with Chris. In addition to coaching, she’s in charge of coordinating UConn’s recruiting efforts. She takes over as head coach when Auriemma can’t be there, and, when she’s alone at the helm, has led the Huskies to a 17-0 record. She’s been at UConn since 1985, and has been the associate head coach since 1988. Everyone likes to talk about how Geno has won 11 championships, but so has Dailey, and I doubt Geno gets there without her.
When I tweeted about her, UConn great and current NY Liberty star Breanna Stewart quote-tweeted it with, “😂💀 CD 4 President!”
Dailey was also formidable on the court. She’s from New Jersey, played prep basketball at St. Peter the Apostle High School, and then went on to play for Rutgers from 1978-1982. She was the captain in her junior and senior seasons, and the team won the AIAW Division I national championship in ‘82 (the AIAW was the predecessor to the NCAA for women’s sports). In her collegiate career, Dailey had a .824 winning percentage.
In 2018, Dailey was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame along, with former University of Tennessee assistant coach Mickie DeMoss; they were the first two assistant coaches ever to be enshrined. As my father-in-law is quick to point out, Dailey is paid $313,000 per year, while Auriemma makes 3.1 million. Feels like someone powerful in Connecticut should narrow that pay gap.
Moving on to Jan Jensen. Jensen is so beloved by Iowa fans that Lucy Rohden, the Le Batard Show’s resident Iowa expert, told me, “Jan Jensen is one of my favorite humans alive. If she needed a kidney I’d give it to her.”
Jensen is from Iowa and comes from a long line of basketball royalty in the region — her grandmother, Dorcas Andersen, was part of the team that won state in 1921. Jensen became a six-on-six Iowa basketball legend herself, leading the nation with 66 points per game as a senior in 1987. She once scored 105 points in one game!!!!
Jensen went on to play for Drake University, where Bluder was hired as a coach in Jensen’s senior season. Just as she did in high school, Jan once again led the nation in scoring with 29.6 points per game that year. But her basketball playing career didn’t end when she graduated — Jensen went overseas and joined the German team BTV-Wuppertal from 1992-1993. Her team won the German Club Championship.
When Jensen returned to the states, she joined Bluder’s staff at Drake, where they had five seasons with 20 or more wins. In 2000, Bluder was named head coach at Iowa. Despite being offered the head coaching position at Drake, Jensen decided to follow Bluder to Iowa as an assistant coach. Jensen became associate head coach in 2004 and leads recruiting efforts, so she was obviously instrumental in getting Caitlin Clark to Iowa. Another fun fact: Jensen is married to a woman named Julie Fitzpatrick, who happens to be the aunt of Iowa player Kate Martin.
Anyway, there’s a whole lot more to be said about each of them. In fact, there’s a whole lot more to be said about everyone on the coaching staffs of each Final Four team. The season is a grind, and they all keep the train on the tracks.
But, for now, at least you might know a little bit more about Chris and Jan. Keep an eye out for them tonight, and let’s hope we get a battle for the ages. But one thing is for sure: A woman with a blonde bob will be coaching in the title game.
105 points!!!