Here's a portion of what Iowa's head coach told the media after the Hawkeyes' double overtime loss to the Cavaliers.
Opening statement
JAN JENSEN: Well, obviously we had a really tremendous year that ended really with a disappointing moment. You know, I will also have to recall all the good things that happened during this year because when an ending happens like this, it's always hard to remember. But I was often asked about a month ago if this team had exceeded expectations, and I didn't know exactly how to answer that at the offset of one of those questions because I hadn't thought about it. But then when I really delved into it a little bit, I do believe they did.
How will you remember this group of seniors because you've been with them all the way. How will you remember them?
I'm just really grateful. This is a new era of athletics. We talk about it, the rev share, the branding, the NIL, all the things. You can jump things pretty quickly, pretty easily, make a little more bucks, play a little more. But these guys, they held. They held two years ago, and along with that class of Lucy Olson and Syd Affolter, AJ Ediger, Addison O'Grady and these two along with Jada Gyamfi and Taylor McCabe. They bridged the generations. To me that's what I call it, the generation of -- there's been a lot of storied history here, starting with Vivian Stringer, certainly Lisa Bluder -- but they stayed. They helped with the recruiting. They helped not skip a beat. Them and the fan base, I'm really grateful.
You got the lead in the fourth quarter and there was that point when you could have put the game away. How did they rally and get back into it and force the overtime?
Well, I mean, it's kind of a blur when I look at it right now. I think we missed some point blank shots. We just missed a couple shots that could have, I think, made -- kind of sealed the deal. We took a couple shots we shouldn't have at that time, too early, and they just made big plays. Usually when you win in March, someone is going to make big plays. They made some really big plays.
Could you talk about Chit-Chat [Wright]? You talked about her the other day, wanting to see her be a little more aggressive offensively. Obviously today she's in double figures and had the ball in her hands at the end of the game. Can you talk a little bit about what you saw from her today?
Yeah, I think we saw some good positive strides. I think it'll be fun to watch her growth. I think she played more off the ball last year for Georgia Tech. I don't think I made as much strides with her to get her a little bit more vocal, to get her to be a little bit more demanding. It's hard in a big environment when the shot clock is winding down to get a play in or to get something set. That's my big thing all year, to kind of get her to kind of take it over. I thought we saw some really good moments, though, today, and I thought she did answer the bell a little bit more today. I think it'll also -- she'll also need to, and hopefully we'll have a really good summer.
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