If you are even tangentially aware of basketball, you’ve probably heard about Caitlin Clark. The college-basketball star might be the most talked-about athlete in America right now, and with good reason. Clark is basically superhuman; she’s better at putting up three-pointers than you or I am at walking. You watch someone try to defend her and you feel bad for them, because what are they even supposed to do? If you aren’t familiar with Clark, there’s still time to catch up. I would hop onboard now, though, before the WNBA Draft.
What records has Caitlin Clark set?
If we go through them all, we’ll be here all day. She’s Iowa’s all-time scoring leader. She’s the Big Ten’s all-time leader in assists. She’s set the NCAA single-season record for three-point shots. Basically, what you need to know about Clark is that she scores a lot. In fact, her biggest achievement in college ball is that she basically can’t stop scoring. Back in February, she scored the 3,528th point of her college career, making her the all-time scorer in NCAA women’s basketball. For a lot of people, that would be enough. Not Clark, though.
Two weeks later, Clark scored her 3,668th point. This made her the NCAA’s top scorer of all time, breaking the record set by Pete Maravich in 1970. While the stats on their own are mind-boggling, you really have to watch Clark play to understand why she’s so exciting. Here’s a highlight reel, and I want you to pay attention to just how far away she is from the three-point line when she sinks those shots.
Is Clark going to the WNBA?
You bet she is. The WNBA Draft is on April 15, and Clark is going to be the first draft pick. This means that she’s going to be staying in the Midwest and playing for the Indiana Fever, which has the first draft pick.
How about the Olympics?
It’s currently unclear whether or not Clark will be on Team USA at the Paris Olympics this summer. She was invited to the USA Basketball training camp, but it’s the same weekend as the Final Four, where Iowa will be taking on UConn. Clark had previously stated that if Iowa did not make it to the Final Four, she’d be at training camp.
“You always want to grow up and be on the Olympic team,” Clark said. “Lucky for me, I have the opportunity to possibly not [be] doing that because I want to be at the Final Four playing basketball with my team. But if not, that’s where I’ll be.”
How tall is she?
Six feet flat, which puts her at about average height for WNBA players.
What’s the deal with her and Angel Reese?
I mean, there isn’t really much of a deal. They’re just two women who take their sport seriously, so people love to say that there’s a deal. In the 2023 NCAA Championships, Iowa was up against LSU, which means that it was Clark versus Reese.
In a previous game, Clark had done the John Cena “You can’t see me” hand gesture to another player as a taunt. Everyone loved it, and it was included as part of an ESPN package called “Caitlin Clark: The Queen of Clap Backs.” When LSU beat Iowa to bring home their first-ever national title, Reese celebrated by doing the same hand gesture, directed toward Clark. She also pointed at her ring finger because she had just won a championship ring. However, when Reese did the same thing as Clark, people were quick to call her “classless” and an “idiot.” The whole situation was, simply, people being racist. Jill Biden even managed to put her foot in her mouth.
Flash-forward to a year later, and Clark and Reese met again in the Elite Eight round of March Madness. Both players were adamant that there’s no actual animosity between them; they’re just playing basketball. “I want everyone to understand that it’s just a super-competitive game and I just wish that people would realize that once I get between those lines, there’s no friends,” Reese said in a press conference before the game.
Iowa went on to beat LSU 94-87, and Clark moved one step closer to getting the program its first national championship. After the game, the two players were cordial, sharing a quick hug during the requisite “good game” line.
Two days after LSU was knocked out of March Madness, Reese announced that she would be entering the WNBA Draft. This is great news for fans of friendly rivalry as we’ll get to see Clark’s and Reese’s rookie seasons play out at the same time.
Does she have celebrity fans?
She does, but if you haven’t been following women’s college basketball, you will never guess who they are. Think of the two most random famous men you can. Just pick two guys out of a hat. Did you pick Travis Scott and Jason Sudeikis? Well, those are her guys.
Back in March, Scott flew out to Iowa just to watch Clark break the all-time NCAA scoring record. “Caitlin Clark, she’s one of the greatest humans of all time,” the rapper said. “I’ve been in a lot of buildings, but this Iowa energy is like no other. I think they need to bottle this energy and bring it around the world.”
Sudeikis also goes hard for Clark. He was first spotted at an Iowa game back in December, when he sat courtside with WNBA legend Sue Bird. The Ted Lasso star also made the trip to Albany to watch Clark in the Iowa-LSU rematch. He’s clearly up on his stuff too — he did the “You can’t see me move” from the stands, referencing last year’s game.
When is Clark’s next game?
Clark and her Iowa Hawkeyes will be taking on UConn on Friday, April 5, at 9:30 p.m. ET. While Clark is one of a kind, the UConn women’s basketball program is legendary. It holds the record for national titles, with 11, and has been in every Final Four since 2008. Iowa, meanwhile, has never won a title. If I were you, I’d make plans to spend Friday night in front of ESPN.
