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Lisa Bluder and Jan Jensen on creating a winning team culture

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Talk of Iowa, hosted by Charity Nebbe

For 24 years, the University of Iowa Women's Basketball coaches Lisa Bluder and Jan Jensen worked side by side, but their relationship goes back even further to when Jensen was a player and Bluder was head coach at Drake University.

After back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Championship match-up, Lisa Bluder made the decision to step down as head coach. Mere hours after Bluder's shocking retirement announcement, Jan Jensen was revealed to be taking over as the P. Sue Beckwith Head Women’s Basketball Coach. On this Talk of Iowa, the pair sits down with host Charity Nebbe to share their coaching philosophies and role models.

Later, the University of Iowa Holiday Tubas tradition will celebrate 50 years of playing holiday tunes at the Pentacrest on the last day of classes. Nebbe speaks about this lasting tradition with tuba and euphonium professor John Manning and student Jimmy Pelini.

Guests:

  • Lisa Bluder, former P. Sue Beckwith, MD, Head Women’s Basketball Coach, University of Iowa
  • Jan Jensen, P. Sue Beckwith, MD, Head Women’s Basketball Coach, Unversity of Iowa
  • Jimmy Pelini, senior in music education at the University of Iowa, euphonium player
  • John Manning, tuba and euphonium associate professor, associate director of instructional support and enrollment management, University of Iowa School of Music

Portions of this episode were originally produced on May 30, 2024.

Charity Nebbe is IPR's<i> Talk of Iowa</i> host. She also hosts IPR's podcasts <i>Garden Variety</i> and <i>Unsettled</i>. Since 2010, Nebbe has interviewed, conversed with, and shared ideas from guests of all backgrounds and locations, and has helped listeners better understand, appreciate, and explore their state and the world around them. Nebbe has a bachelors degree from Iowa State University.
Dani Gehr is a talk show producer for Iowa Public Radio. She holds a bachelor's degree from Iowa State University. Since 2022, Gehr has worked with IPR's talk team to bring news and features to IPR's listening audience.
Madeleine Willis is IPR's Production Assistant supporting the talk shows and The Sunny Side Project. Willis has experience in audio production, reporting, writing and editing stories and conversations. She's reported and produced conversations on womanhood, sports, and good news from across Iowa. Willis will receive her bachelors degree from the University of Iowa in May 2025.