The Caitlyn Clark Show Moves On

The Caitlyn Clark saga continues. She hit a temporary speedbump last week when the Iowa Hawkeyes lost to the powerhouse South Carolina Gamecocks in the Women’s NCAA championship game 87-75. And with nothing much to prove in the college game, Caitlyn will now strut her wares in the WNBA. She ends her Iowa career with 2 losing NCAA Finals appearance; the first last year to an equally-talented LSU Lady Tigers squad, and to the Lady Gamecocks this year.

Her detractors will highlight the fact that she didn’t win a title in her college career. But her list of NCAA records is simply mind-boggling. She finished with 3,951 points, breaking the 54-year old record of the legendary Pete Maravich for most points scored ever in both the men’s and women’s Division I game. She is the only D-I women’s player to have more than 3,000 points and 1,000 assists in her career, totaling 1,144 assists. She also grabbed 990 rebounds. Her 28.42 points per game and 548 3-pointers are both D-I career records; and this year’s 201 3-pointers and 1,234 points are D-I single-season records as well. She amassed a total of 45 records from tournaments in D-1 to Big Ten. With all these achievements, she singlehandedly lifted the bar for the ladies’ game, leading to the sudden surge in popularity of college women’s basketball.

In fact, this was the first time that the women’s NCAA tourney drew more crowds and more TV viewers than their male counterparts – and by more than the proverbial mile. More than 18 million tuned in to Caitlin Clark’s final college game this week – the most-watched basketball game of any kind in the US since 2019, even besting the NBA. And she hopes to bring the same excitement and popularity into the WNBA.

Clark is the overwhelming favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft on April 15. She, along with a star-studded group of college upstarts, will try to inject more interest and reinvigorate a league that is only now starting to draw a respectable crowd. She will be drafted by the Indiana Fever, a team that finished with a 13-27 record in 2023, and has ranked second to last in attendance, averaging only 4,067 fans. Clark’s entry alone is expected to change the viewership numbers as the legions of loyal fans follow her to the pro league.

But Diana Taurasi, one of the WNBA’s transcendent senior stars issued a gentle warning. “Reality is coming,” Taurasi said. “We all went through it. That happens on the NBA side, and you’re going to see it on this side. You look superhuman playing against 18-year-olds, but you’re going to come with some grown women that have been playing professional basketball for a long time.” She further explained: “There is going to be a transition period where you’re going to have to give yourself some grace as a rookie, and it might take a little bit longer for some people.” Taurasi believes that, like any rookie that joins the league, she will find the opposition bigger, stronger and faster, hence the need to beef up and get ready for the trench battles.

How will Caitlyn fare as a rookie? Will she live up to the hype she generated in the women’s college game? How will the WNBA veterans respond? Will they make this punk’s life miserable, roughhousing her and giving her the rook treatment? Or will they ride her popularity, like the goose that lays the golden egg?

A little of both. She will be tested, obviously. In a league that has only 12 teams, and only 144 players, the competition for slots in the team will be tough. And each player will want to prove their worth, each one will be eager to demonstrate how they fare against this new sensation. And they will ‘welcome’ her accordingly.

But beyond a doubt, she is well appreciated. Players know how big of a factor Caitlyn’s popularity will be to help elevate the league. Her presence alone will work wonders for their struggling gate and TV records. And as much as there is a tinge of envy from among the established stars, they know that Caitlyn Clark can help grow the league globally with her platform.

Which makes her both a boon and a bane. While she may be able to bring in the fans, she is another player competing for a limited number of slots on the roster. She may be fun to watch, she may be a great fan favorite, she may be a big role model to the millions of young kids who follow her; but she will also pose a threat to their own livelihood.

From the humble beginnings of a cement-covered court back home, from the laid-back setting of far-off Iowa, Caitlyn honed her skill with her fierce competitiveness and determination. Having tasted success in the college wars, she now takes that leap of faith into the pro league. The endless hours of practice that brought the blood, the sweat and the tears, have sculpted her into that iconic athletic warrior she has become. Now on the brink of fulfilling a childhood dream, Caitlyn takes another bold step forward.

Caitlyn has certainly done much for women’s basketball. Her impact to women’s college basketball is simply monumental. Through her, people have become more familiar with other lady-ballers like Angel Reese, Paige Bueckers, Kamilla Cardoso, Hailey Van Lith, Juju Watkins and others. Even coaches like Lisa Bluder, Dawn Staley, Kim Mulkey and Geno Auriemma have benefitted much from Caitlyn’s popularity. She has been responsible for the massive spike in ratings that pushed the NCAA women’s Final Four to unprecedented levels. She has fueled a change in perception in the sport of women’s basketball. Hence, for the sake of all the ladies playing the sport; for the little kids who dream of making it big in the cage court or elsewhere; and for the future of the women’s pro league, the Caitlyn Clark show must go on.

For more on Caitlyn Clark, pls read: Caitlyn Blazes Trail for Women’s Basketball, The Caitlin Clark Effect. (Just click on the title.)

Cover photo courtesy of SBNation.com. Other photos courtesy of USA Today, People, the LA Times, the Daily Iowan, Yahoo Sports, the NY Times, Hawkeye Sports and CNN. .