Photo Courtesy of The New York Times
She’s got multidimensional game! Caitlin Clark was born and raised in Iowa and went to high school at Dowling Catholic in Des Moines. She stayed in-state and moved on to the Hawkeyes in 2020 and has been leading the team ever since. Her growing fame has led to many NIL deals for her during her collegiate career. Her biggest is an Iowa food bank. Despite the offer, Clark insisted on working at the food bank for free. Last year, it was her idea to hold an in-person donation drive. Anybody who brought a personal care item – including menstrual products, shampoo, or soap- could meet Clark and take a photo with her. Some of those who brought items were those who participated in the food pantry. Clark is also a frequent visitor at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital. She spent so much time at the hospital that she was named AP player of the year during a visit. Off the court, she does tremendous work at a food pantry via Iowa Hawkeyes on Reddit for the community, but her play speaks for itself. She was named unanimous college player of the year and collected a pair of unanimous first-team All-American honors. Clark has had an incredible season but the postseason is where she went from being known in the basketball world, to a national sensation.
Caitlin Clark’s postseason was historic. She has inspired young athletes all across the country through her determination and incredible showmanship. She led her team through countless battles, including facing undefeated South Carolina. Clark led Iowa to the national championship game. In the entire tournament, she dropped 191 points in total. That is the most for any Division 1 player ever. Men’s or women’s. Clark continued to shatter records during the tournament. She became the first player to have consecutive 40-point games in the history of the women’s tournament. The Iowa native also broke the women’s single-season tournament record with 60 assists. With records in shooting and passing her all-around dynamic offensive play was put on display. Her versatile skill was on display during the elite eight round where she had the first triple-double in all of NCAA tournament history in the men’s or women’s competitions. In the national championship game, she lived up to her name by breaking the NCAA championship record for most three-pointers in a game. She finished the game with 30 points, eight assists and two rebounds. Her efforts were valiant, but not enough to fend off the LSU Tigers who scored a record-breaking 102 points to beat the Hawkeyes 102-85. Clark delivered a tearful postgame press conference after her defeat. When asked what she wanted her legacy to be, Clark responded, “I want my legacy to be the impact that I have on young kids and the people in the state of Iowa. I hope I brought them a lot of joy this season.” Clark continued her inspiration by saying, “I used to be just that young girl dreaming of playing basketball on the big stage. So all you have to do is dream and you can be in moments like this.” Those words rang out across the country as many young athletes, filled with inspiration from Clark, began to dream of a college career just like their new heroes.
A fan holds a sign reading, “I wanna be like Clark” with the names Mike (Michael Jordan) and Steph (Stephen Curry) crossed out via onesports
Clark has gained national recognition for her playing style. Superstars have commented on her play and offered compliments galore. NBA superstar Lebron James tweeted that Clark is “so COLD!” Recent Super Bowl winner Patrick Mahomes also shared his support and Magic Johnson said he wants to, “give a lot of love to the [superstar]”. Steph Curry, one of the main faces of basketball, is a huge Clark fan. Curry commented on Clark’s versatility, “We know everything kind of centers around her. But she does a great job of scoring at a high level but also being a playmaker and distributor.” As a renowned three-point shooter himself, Curry praised Clark’s risk-taking, “No shot is a bad shot when you can shoot it as well as she can.” WNBA legend Sue Bird has also caught Clark fever. Bird also praised her decision-making skills, “The relationship between her passing and her scoring is what will take her a long way…You obviously can’t leave her open. So the closer you are to her gives her more opportunities to create for herself and use that space to create for others.” These famous athletes are a small group of the larger praise Clark has been receiving. At this rate, it will be any day before she joins their company.
I spoke with Jade Ling Eng-Stewart (IV), captain of the girl’s varsity basketball team at Fieldston. She has a huge impact on the team, leading them to a playoff bid her freshman year. Her nickname is “Ice” for the ice in her veins. Jade commented on what Caitlin Clark shows young female athletes, “Clark can show that they should enjoy what they do. No matter how hard you work towards something, at the end of the day, you should have fun pursuing that hobby.” Jade emphasized the importance of having fun she also noted that it’s not all fun and games for Clark. Jade explained, “Clark can teach young athletes to be determined. For a while, girls have been told that they won’t excel in certain fields. With Clark’s work ethic and determination, girls can prove that wrong.” Jade and the rest of the world are in agreement that Clark has inspired the whole country. This season has done historic things for women’s basketball. Jade also emphasized how historic this season was for girl’s basketball. This season has made “people realize how fun, entertaining and intense girl’s basketball can be.” Personally, Jade has taken a lot from Clark’s game and incorporated it into her own. “I can learn confidence from Clark. I should be confident in what I know, and no matter how many times I make a mistake, I should get back into [the game] and have the same amount of confidence next time. If I work hard I will be able to overcome any obstacle in my way and be successful just like Clark.”
Without a doubt, Jade will continue to blaze through her basketball career. Soon enough, she’ll be challenging Clark in the WNBA!
What’s next for the superstar? Clark is not eligible for the WNBA draft this year. She can stay in Iowa, as a hawkeye, or enter the transfer portal and move to another school. Wherever she is, she will be prepping to begin a revenge tour in pursuit of the national championship. She’ll be a massive name for collegiate women’s basketball next season, and will no doubt thrive in the pros soon after.
