Caitlin Clark had two dreams she planned on achieving in her time at Iowa.
Like every other college player, she wants to bring a national championship to her school. The other was helping put a spotlight on women’s college basketball — and so far she’s done that.
Clark and her team have become a must-watch over the last two seasons. Through her ridiculous shooting and gaudy numbers, Clark has drawn national attention to the Hawkeye state. She’s using some of that attention to try and pave the way for the next generation of women basketball players. Through an NIL deal, Clark and South Carolina guard Zia Cooke have paired up with H&R Block for a program called Fair Shot in which $1 million will be committed by the company in an attempt to close the gap between the men’s and women’s game.
“That is one of our goals obviously, we want to bring more awareness to the sport I think that's as well what H&R Block is doing with this campaign is really trying to give a fair shot to all women's athletics. That's something I'm super passionate about,” Clark told the Sporting News. “And that was one of my goals coming (to Iowa).
“I wanted a sold-out arena supporting women's basketball players. That's what my teammates wanted too. To see it kind of come to fruition is pretty cool as well.”
It doesn’t take a basketball genius to figure out why Clark has gotten the attention of many around the country. Her game is tailor made for viral social media clips.
Oh... my... goodness. @CaitlinClark22 #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/GWkkay66hc
— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) February 7, 2022
It’s gotten the attention of NBA players like Trae Young.
Can’t say nothin when it goes in..💯
— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) February 7, 2022
She’s tough🔥🔥 https://t.co/DgDpojTvMN
And even before she’s stepped on a college basketball court, Kevin Durant took notice of her game.
Clark welcomes the attention her game has gotten and hopes it will create new fans of the women's game who don't just watch on tv but buy a ticket and attend games in person.
"I think more than anything that's just really good for our game and good for women's basketball in general. You know, we want people to watch the game we want them to tune in, we want them to get excited about this," Clark said. "And, you know, I want people to come to our games in person not just tune in on TV and that's been one of my goals, to grow the game.
"So to see more people taking notice and wanting to watch my team is something really cool and something really special."
And while those viral moments may get people through the door, she has the substance to back it up.
Clark is averaging 27.5 points, 8.3 assists and 7.9 rebounds as a sophomore. She leads the nation in scoring and assists is on pace to be the first woman to lead the country in both categories. Only Trae Young has done it on the men’s side. Clark’s numbers are also up across the board from her breakout freshmen season that earned her a handful of year-end awards including Big Ten Freshmen of the Year, first-team all-conference and second-team All-American. This year, it appears that either her or South Carolina’s double-double machine Aaliyah Boston will be the national player of the year.
At the end of the day, Clark is all about winning and while one of her goals is slowly being met, the other is still out in front of her. Clark and the Hawkeyes were eliminated in the Sweet 16 last year losing to the Final Four-bound UConn Huskies. The game, which aired on ABC and pulled in a 1.0 rating and 1.56 million viewers, was the last of Clark's stellar freshmen season. Expectations weren't high for the Hawkeyes a season ago but with each passing year, they'll mount with Clark establishing herself as one of the best players in the country. She acknowledges her team was young a season ago, but with one tournament under their belts, they'll at least be able to know what to expect this time around.
"I think we were super young last year, and just getting that experience — obviously a weird year with COVID — so trying to balance all that," Clark continued. "On top of going to school and playing basketball but having that one year under our belt, being a super new and young team, I think having that is really going to help us down the stretch this year — and kind of knowing what to expect and just using that to the best of our advantage.
"Obviously in March, you need a little luck as well and the stars to align. But I'm excited, it's the best time of the year for basketball, so we'll be ready to go."
Under the current WNBA rules, Clark will have to be at least 22 years old, out of college eligibility or be four years removed from high school before she can play in the league. So it will be at least two more years before she's able to hear her name called in the WNBA Draft.
But the 20-year-old isn't waiting until she turns pro to inspire the next generation.
She remembers what it was like when she met her basketball hero, Maya Moore. Growing up in Des Moines, the Minnesota Lynx were the closest WNBA team for Clark to see play live. Her father Brent would make the 3.5 hours drive to take her to games growing up. She still remembers being in shock meeting and taking a picture with Moore, and understands that even at a young age she can do that for a young fan.
"I remember that one moment that I had when I went to a game and I got to take a picture with her," Clark said. "And, you know, I'm just trying to do that same thing for the younger generation as well because those moments really do last forever."
