“Do I need to call you the female version of Steph Curry, or do I need to call Steph Curry the male version of Caitlin Clark?,” said Stephen A. Smith in an interview with Caitlin Clark.

You have probably heard the name Caitlin Clark thrown around at least once. Caitlin Clark has made a huge impact on women’s college basketball. Whether it is her logo threes, assists, her class, or more. 

Attention on number 22 on the court grew during the annual March Madness Tournament in 2023 with her team the Hawkeyes. During the tournament, the team made it to the finals before being defeated by the LSU Tigers. Even though they lost, Caitlin Clark gained tons of media attention and praise for her skill. 

Clark is most well known for being able to make almost any shot you throw at her, especially threes from the logo. She was even seen making a half-court shot in a recent game against Purdue that did not end up counting. 

Effect on Iowa and Young Athletes

Caitlin Clark has had a huge impact on Iowa and young athletes in Iowa and across the US.

To show how honored Iowa was for her success to be born here, they paid her the greatest honor Iowa could, they made her into a butter statue. This may sound silly, but it is a big deal to be alongside the famous butter cow, at the Iowa State Fair, she even said it herself. 

She has many young fans who are inspired by her work ethic, poise, and success as an athlete. After games, there are herds of kids waiting for autographs from her, and she always makes it a point to go see them. She often is seen taking off her shoes, signing them, and giving them to a fan in the crowd. 

She impacts many athletes. For example, Grace Miller, a Senior at MHS said, “Well first of all Caitlin Clark is such an amazing athlete who works super hard and you can see that reflected in her games. Not only is she talented on the court, but she also engages with her fans and makes them feel seen.” 

Clark continues to set new standards for athletes, especially females, throughout the country. She has set the pathway for a new era of women’s sports. 

Ella Maynard, a Sophomore at MHS said, “Basketball has always been a passion of mine. Seeing Caitlin, who is from Iowa, make a name for herself and women’s basketball is inspiring for so many people. She shows people what is possible when hard work meets opportunity.” 

Background 

Clark is from West Des Moines and attended Dowling Catholic all four years of her high school. Her basketball skills were known before even starting high school. She received a letter from Missouri State D1 basketball in just seventh grade.

Since her fame, a viral video of her playing basketball during high school went viral. It showed the student section yelling “overrated” over and over again about Clark. The camera continued to pan to the student section after each one of Clark’s shots which quickly made them stop talking. 

Clark was considered number 4 in her class by ESPN and graduated a 5-star recruit. Caitlin opted to stay in Iowa for her college basketball career and has been there ever since. 

Records/Stats

According to the NCAA, “Clark is the first Division 1 player to top 3,000 points, 1,000 assists and 800 rebounds. She’s also the first Division 1 player to record 3,000 points and 1,000 assists in a career. She has 59 career games with at least 25 points, five assists, and five rebounds — an NCAA record.”

Recently Clark surpassed Kelsey Plum in points (3,527) to become the all-time leading scorer in D1 women’s basketball. Some people even expect her to pass Pistol Pete to become the all-time D1 scorer. She broke this record with a Clark classic, a logo three. In the same game, she got the highest-scoring game with 49 points. 

Clark currently averages 32.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 8.5 assists per game. 

Fans

Caitlin Clark has a growing fanbase as she continues to play. A lot of fans might not even be an Iowa fan and be dedicated to another team, but they are still fans of Clark. One sign at a game during March Madness read something along the lines of: “We are Nebraska fans but we are still fans of Caitlin”.

Another fan of Caitlin is Kevin Durant, the 35-year-old is currently playing for the Phoenix Suns. He has been a fan of her since he saw her for the first time.  

He even commented, “She belongs in the league right now” on an Instagram post concerning Clark. In his podcast, Keven Durant said, “Yo, that’s the best player in the country right there, that … hits you out of nowhere, like let me focus in on her,” as well as, “She moves fast. It looks like everyone on that court is way slower than her when she gets into her stuff.”

The Caitlin Clark Effect

A viral term has come from Clark’s fame and success called, “The Caitlin Clark Effect”.

Announcers love to use this term when talking about how almost every court Clark plays at has high attendance. 

During the NCAA tournament in March of 2023, the Iowa versus Louisville game had the highest viewer count for all women’s Basketball tournaments outside the final four. 

Celebration and Pride

Although Clark is known for her class. She doesn’t shy away from in-game celebrations and a little trash talk. 

One instance of trash talk was during the NCAA tournament in 2023 during a game against Louisville Clark was seen saying to Hailey Van Lith, “You’re down fifteen points, shut up.”

Similarly, in an interview, her former (current at the time) teammate, Monika Czinano said Caitlin was the best at trash talk when asked. Clark quickly came to her defense calling it friendly banter. 

Clark often receives hate but uses it as fuel which was seen in a video of her during a game when a fan was yelling at her and she waved him to continue, and then went and made a basket following. 

Clark has confidence in herself and her team. Before getting her 49-point game her teammate held the record for the Iowa team of highest scoring game with 47 points which wouldn’t have been possible without Clark’s assists throughout the whole game. 

In a press interview after her impeccable performance in the final four of the NCAA tournament, Clark said, “I have all the confidence in the world in this group, and they believe right back in me.”

WNBA

Caitlin Clark is the estimated first pick for the WNBA draft of 2024. Assumed to be drafted by the Indiana Fever.

Although she has a tough decision to make. She is eligible for her fifth-year season at Iowa due to the pandemic. Many people around the world are waiting for her final decision. She has said she is playing this season like it’s her last, but is it?