During the offseason, Caitlin Clark is not only working hard on her fitness but also sharing her experiences and basketball knowledge with others in her public appearances. The star attended the Indiana brand’s employee gathering, where she inspired them with the importance of teamwork and resilience.
Clark even gave one piece of advice for aspiring basketball players during her Long Island feature. While she is just 23 years old, the star’s words of wisdom were important for those fans who learnt a lot from the Fever guard. But ever wondered who made her CC in the first place?
Apart from her family, her college coach, Lisa Bluder, had a big role in carving out an explosive scorer out of the Iowa-born star. Recently, she was on the ‘Good Game With Sarah Spain’ podcast, where she talked about her Iowa journey and also her time with Clark. She even pointed out the toughest part of training CC.
Former Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder Talks About Toughest Part Of Coaching Caitlin Clark
Now with logo threes, game-changing plays, and explosive scoring sprees becoming a regular attraction for the WNBA fans, thanks to the Indiana Fever’s top pick of the 2024 WNBA draft, many wondered how she developed such skill, while others are still catching on.
Well, Clark credits Iowa coach Lisa Bluder as her true inspiration, with whom she won the Big Ten conference championships and even reached the NCAA finals on back-to-back seasons. Coach also had massive success with the star guard, but found it difficult to train her for college basketball.
“The toughest part is sometimes she can be a little stubborn, and as I can be as well. And so for, you know, that can be this sometimes. But the good thing is that she was always willing to learn and she wanted to be her best, so she would take it. She took coaching like she wanted to be coached,” Bluder said.
Scroll to continue reading
Trending WNBA News
Former Iowa hoops coach turned NBC Sports analyst @LisaBluder discusses her new role behind the desk, watching her former players hoop in the pros, her 20+ year career leading Iowa & what it’s like to be at the center of the Caitlin Clark commotion.https://t.co/hbPBzowqYT pic.twitter.com/CBYvNd5GzZ
— Sarah Spain (@SarahSpain) November 7, 2025
“But the hardest thing, and I’ve said this before, is that, you know, the transformation from high school to college, I don’t think was really easy for her. She didn’t understand how to play with other teammates because in high school, she did everything, you know, on her own,” the former Iowa coach added.
Now in the WNBA, the 2024 rookie not only thrives in scoring but excels in playmaking too. She led the league in assists in her rookie season and set multiple scoring records in just 53 regular-season games.
While the coach found her difficult to train and a hard transition period, fans can imagine their opponent coach’s reactions seeing her drop points over their team. Recently, the Toronto Tempo Coach Sandy Brondello called the fever guard difficult to guard.
Sandy Brondello Called Caitlin Clark Toughest Opponent
Another experienced coach who was part of and saw the evolution of the WNBA is Sandy Brondello. The former Liberty coach is also awestruck with the 2024 rookie’s scoring ability and called her the toughest opponent on the floor.
“I think Caitlin Clark is really hard to guard when she’s healthy,” Brondello said. “Just her ability. She gave us a lot of handful this year, and she can shoot it from way out, but she can pass it. And I think she has been a tough one.”
Players difficult to coach against
— drafts (@drafts95452567) November 7, 2025
Sandy Brondello: A'ja and Caitlin
“I think Caitlin Clark is really hard to guard, when she's healthy, just her ability. She gave us a lot of handful this year. She can shoot it from way out, she can pass it. I think she's been a tough one.” pic.twitter.com/oXu15g6HdF
The player missed the majority of the 2025 season, where fans missed her ‘eventful’ game, and is working hard to get back to the shape in time for the next season.