Lisa Bluder earns massive bonuses from Iowa’s Final Four trip
With the Hawkeyes‘ second straight Final Four trip, Iowa is one of the toasts of the women’s college basketball world.
Thanks to the play of superstar senior guard Caitlin Clark and the Hawkeyes’ talented supporting cast, Iowa (33-4, 15-3 Big Ten) is off to Cleveland and Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse to battle UConn (33-5, Big East).
The winner will battle either South Carolina or North Carolina State for the national championship.
After another one of her patented offensive explosions, Clark is naturally at the center of the sports world’s conversation. Clark erupted for 41 points, an NCAA Tournament record-tying nine made 3-pointers and 12 assists to register her 67th career double-double.
As has been the case when Iowa has played its best basketball, Clark benefited from key contributions from her teammates. Graduate guard Kate Martin scored 21 points and grabbed six rebounds.
Junior guard Sydney Affolter continued her strong play, too. Since being inserted into Iowa’s starting lineup following Molly Davis’ injury, Affolter has been nothing short of sensational for the Hawkeyes.
Affolter knocked down a pair of 3-pointers, finished with 16 points and added five rebounds.
As Iowa reaches another Final Four, the Hawkeye players aren’t the only ones reaping the recognition and rewards.
By bringing Iowa all the way back to the Final Four, head coach Lisa Bluder has earned:
• $300,000+ in bonuses this season
• A $150,000 raise, beginning next season
• A two-year automatic contract extension pic.twitter.com/9K67jPzPCE— Front Office Sports (@FOS) April 2, 2024
Per Front Office Sports, thanks to the Hawkeyes’ latest Final Four trip, Iowa head women’s basketball coach Lisa Bluder has earned $300,000 in bonuses this season. Bluder also earned a $150,000 raise beginning next season and she activated an automatic two-year contract extension.
Bluder’s status as Iowa’s most successful women’s basketball coach was never in question. The longtime head Hawkeye entered this season as Iowa’s all-time wins leader. But, this latest tournament run only cements that status in Iowa City and should help propel the program’s national reputation for years to come.
Just as Caitlin Clark helped morph Iowa City into college basketball’s epicenter, Bluder deserves all sorts of credit for elevating the Hawkeyes’ program into this stratosphere.
It’s been fun to watch and Bluder has earned every penny of financial reverberations and job stability that is a result of her and the Hawkeyes’ successes.
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