Lisa Bluder has always been gracious when it comes to giving credit where credit is due.

After beating West Virginia on Monday evening, Bluder collected her 881st victory as a head coach. She now has the 10th most wins in Division 1 women's basketball history and is third among active D-1 coaches, according to Hawkeye Sports. While Bluder might get the credit for those wins on her resume, she has one heck of a coaching staff behind her.

In October of 2023, Lisa collected her 850th career win but she believes she hired the right coaches around her with Jan Jensen and Jenni Fitzgerald. In 2023, after her 850th win, Lisa told The Gazette "I knew we had a winning combination."

Fast forward to 2024, Lisa, Jan, and Jenni have continued to see success.

2024 Naismith Coach of the Year Nomination

According to Hawkeye Sports, Lisa Bluder has been named a finalist for the Naismith Women's College Coach of the Year award for the 2024 season. This shouldn't come as much of a surprise as she and her staff have helped lead the Hawkeyes to a number 1 seed in this year's NCAAW championship tournament.

Get our free mobile app

Bluder also played a big role in guiding the Hawkeyes to a 30-4 record, which is her 8th consecutive season with 20 or more wins. This is also the second time in University of Iowa history that they have won 30+ games in a season.

The Hawkeyes took home the Big10 championship and have one of the best teams in the entire country. When this team is playing their best basketball, it doesn't appear there are more than a few teams that could truly matchup with them. South Carolina, USC, and Texas would all be a great matchup for Hawkeye fans.

South Carolina and Iowa are two of the favorites to win the NCAA championship according to ESPN, so it comes as no surprise that Lisa has been nominated once again for coach of the year.

If Lisa is lucky enough to win the award this year, I have no doubt she'll talk about the incredible women who also help guide this team. Bluder, Jensen, and Fitzgerald have been together for 25 years at Iowa, with 8 years at Drake University previously. They've helped build and guide basketball teams for 33 years as a trio. Lisa was nominated for Coach of the Year in 2019 and won the award. She was also a finalist in the 2023 season.

The winner of the award will be announced on April 3, 2024.

Iowa made it to the national championship game last year and maybe they can do it again in 2024. Here are some of our favorite photos from last year's run!