Iowa basketball played a key role in the surge of women’s basketball popularity in 2024, largely thanks to Caitlin Clark, who captivated a vast new audience.
Clark shattered the all-time scoring record for both men and women in college basketball, previously held by Pete Maravich. She recorded an impressive average of 31.6 points and 8.9 assists per game, earning numerous individual accolades while guiding the Hawkeyes to the NCAA championship game, where they ultimately fell short against South Carolina.
This season, the Hawkeyes faced some challenges, wrapping up with a record of 23-11. Raina Harmon, who had served as an assistant coach for the past seven years, is now moving on to take the head coach position at Florida Gulf Coast.
On Wednesday, she shared a heartfelt thank-you note on her Instagram, expressing gratitude to her players, coaching staff, and Hawkeye Nation.
Harmon contributed significantly to establishing Iowa as one of the top programs in women’s college basketball well before Clark joined for the 2020-21 season.
During her tenure at Iowa, the team made six appearances in the NCAA Tournament and reached the national championship game in 2023 and 2024, though they fell short of winning the title both times.
Previously, she was an assistant coach at Central Michigan and served as the Director of Women’s Basketball Operations at Michigan. Harmon played at Central Michigan in the early 2000s, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in sports studies and later completed a master’s in sports administration from Wayne State.
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