It is a family business. Mom and Dad are involved and the kids are always running around the store. The stockholders are limited and appreciate the mom and pop atmosphere that has been afforded to them. The customers that come in to check things out are eager to see how the family is doing and they want this business to succeed.

Sounds cozy, right? Well, translate the above into Iowa women’s basketball.

It is family. Coach Lisa Bluder is a wife and mother of three children, the father and husband is Dave Bluder. The stockholders are the players. The kids are Hannah, Emma, and David. And the customers are you and I. We want this business of Iowa Basketball to succeed. We like the Big Ten Tournament Championships, and we like these trips to the NCAA Tournament.

This team has a family atmosphere around it, and there is one reason for that ... it is run like a family. I was at practice a few weeks ago and one drill was not being executed properly. Coach Bluder hit the whistle hard, the players stopped, and she began to talk about communication, and about caring for your teammates. It was a brief thesis on what it takes to be a successful player under her watch. You better be able to care, and learn, and love your teammates.

The Bluders have three children and those kids have been around Iowa basketball for either most (Hannah) or all (Emma, David) of their lives. The kids come to practices, they go on road trips. There is a balancing act that goes on everyday in this family. Coaching is an all day, every day job, so you take the family time when you can. Last year the Hawks began their season at the Great Alaska Shootout, and Hannah went on the trip. Personally, one of the highlights of that trip came when David, Hannah and I went to the Anchorage Zoo. Thank heavens Hannah was there to legitimize Dave and I hanging out in a zoo all afternoon.

Watching how it all works, how a Dad and a Mom combine to create the best possible nurturing atmosphere, is amazing. Long practices, film study, radio talk shows, sitting up with a child who has a cold, back in early in the morning to write letters to possible recruits, answer phone calls.

The days are obviously full. A while ago, I asked Coach Bluder how it all works out, being a coach and a mom and a wife. And if my memory is correct, she gave the credit to her husband Dave. Without the commitment from both of them, this family business would not work. Coach Bluder walks to catch the team bus with a briefcase in one hand and a child in the other. Dave is right there with another child and the travel bag … with good snacks in that bag,

The 2002-2003 Iowa season began last week with an exhibition win over Team Concept, and sitting in the front row was David and the kids.

All of them were cheering for the Hawks and enjoying the ice cream cones that Dad brought down near halftime.

The family also offers the team a chance to escape from the rigors of a long practice, or a tough loss. Those who love kids know that only a child can bring a smile to your face quickly, even after losing to Indiana in overtime at the Big Ten Tournament. It is a gift to have this family environment around Iowa basketball.

I for one can’t even begin to understand the Bluder family schedule. However, they are creative in finding family time. The whole crew is

usually there on Monday nights during Hawk Talk with Lisa Bluder at the Chile’s Restaurant in Coralville.

All the assistant coaches show up and play with the kids. Coach Michael Morgan sometimes brings his wife and kids. And they are about to add one more. That is another family that has to work with the rigors of coaching and being a family.

And all the coaches are quick to stress that this is what they want, a nice friendly atmosphere A great place to bring your family to watch a college basketball game.

Did you know that the Iowa women’s basketball team heads up to the concourse after every game to sign autographs?

Please understand that this article is not to sell short all the hard working families that are loyal Hawkeye fans. It’s just sort of special to watch a working mom and wife and a dad and husband put it all together to make it work. I wonder if they ever have bad days? How can you, when all you have to do is turn around and see a little kid smiling up at you. And this little one is probably dressed in a Hawkeye outfit. Please note that the author of this article has no children of his own yet … and has not changed a diaper since his last babysitting job 15 years ago.

• Mark Allen handled the play-by-play announcing for Iowa women’s basketball and serves as sideline reporter for the Hawkeye football broadcasts.

• This story appears in the Voice of the Hawkeyes Winter Sports Yearbook that was mailed Nov. 12, 2000. To subscribe to Voice of the Hawkeyes, call 1-888-474-8669.