Getty Image
Barring a disaster, Iowa Hawkeyes star Caitlin Clark is likely to become the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division I women’s basketball on Thursday night.
Clark is eight points shy of breaking the record set by WNBA star Kelsey Plum at Washington in 2017. Clark averages 28.2 points per game for her career.
But when she does break the record, whether or not it’s on Thursday night, Clark has one big request.
“Honestly, I hope they don’t stop the game though. We can’t be wasting timeouts on that. Come on,” Clark said Wednesday according to Scott Dochterman of The Athletic.
That came after Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said that she planned to take a timeout after Clark reaches the mark. But that doesn’t mean Clark doesn’t appreciate the seriousness of what she’s about to achieve.
“Obviously, I understand the magnitude of this,” she said. “But I think it’s just kind of come along with how my four years have gone. And it’s crazy looking back at how fast everything’s gone. But I’m just really thankful and grateful.
“I dreamed of doing really big things, playing in front of big crowds, going into the Final Four, maybe not quite on this level.”
Clark is widely considered the best player in the nation and, according to some, one of the best to ever play at the college level.
But the Des Moines native says that she tries to live as close to a normal college student life as she can.
“Obviously, basketball consumes a lot of my time, especially when we’re in season,” she said. “I’m still a college kid. I still clean my apartment, do my laundry. A lot of times I call my mom to come do it for me. But other than that, I play video games and hang out with my friends. Do some schoolwork here and there.
“I think definitely getting off my phone and just living in the moment and enjoying that has been really important for myself, just soaking in every single second. Like, it’s crazy. We only have five regular-season basketball games left. So I’m just trying to enjoy that, honestly.”
Try as she may, Caitlin Clark is not your normal, everyday college student. And Thursday’s game against the Michigan Wolverines will not be your normal, everyday college basketball game. Whether Clark wants it to be or not.