Caitlin Clark is having an impact on women’s college basketball that extends far beyond Iowa, far beyond the Big Ten, and far beyond the United States. Literally.
She was left speechless by the extent of her reach at the conference tournament in Minneapolis on Friday.
The No. 2-seed Iowa Hawkeyes defeated the No. 7-seed Penn State Nittany Lions in the quarterfinals by 33 points. Clark broke yet another record in the win. It’s what she does!
Her 163rd three-pointer of the year set the Division I NCAA record for most triples in a single season— men’s or women’s. She surpassed the previous mark of 162, which was shared by Steph Curry and former Liberty guard Darius McGhee.
Even though Clark scored 24 points with 10 rebounds and seven assists in 32 minutes, it was actually her worst game of the year from a statistical standpoint. She shot just 26.3% from the field and made only two of 14 shots from beyond the arc. That is not a concern!
Iowa was rolling and Clark made a point to put an emphasis on distribution. The soon-to-be No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA Draft made sure that her teammates got theirs.
That is a testament to just how special she is!
It is not a secret that Clark’s greatness creates an unprecedented buzz around her sport. No player in history has ever had this level of star power. Not even Sabrian Ionescu!
However, even she was caught off guard by just how far it reaches.
Caitlin Clark was momentarily in shock when a reporter from France asked a question while in Minnesota. Her response to the question about her international impact also seemed to tease that she wants to play for the U.S. National Team at the Olympics in Paris.
There is no reason to bring Clark overseas this summer. She is the greatest scorer in women’s college basketball history and would provide a huge offensive boost, even off of the bench. Having her on the team would also make the games must-see television, though the gold medal is obviously the priority!
Either way, for Clark to be making waves in France as a player on Iowa is pretty surreal.