Media and news outlets have been focused on the Cailtin Clark NCAA Women's All-Time leading scorer hunt for weeks now. As she cruised closer to Kelsey Plum’s record of 3,527, anticipation, along with ticket prices, climbed to heights uncommon in women's sports.
Clark, arguably the most talented women's basketball player of the 21st century, has changed the game. She is a deadly sharpshooter, a fluid ball handler, and a triple-double threat every time she steps on the court.
Now that she has surpassed Kelsey Plum and stands alone at the top of the leaderboard, it’s time to look back at the person she was before the record that got her into college basketball history.
Clark is Iowa-born and raised as she grew up in Des Moines. She attended Dowling Catholic, about an hour and fifteen-minute drive from the campus she would call home in Iowa City as a Hawkeye. She was the 4th highest recruit in her class, behind familiar faces Paige Bueckers, Angel Reese, and Cameron Brink, all of whom have had outstanding college careers in their own right.
When Clark was young, her father, Brent was her first coach. He refused to let her shoot threes and drilled her relentlessly on the nuances of the game and the form of her shot. Ironic, given Clark’s unlimited range, but it explains her tenacity on the boards and willingness to play within the flow of the offense.
When she was 11 or 12 she went to her first WNBA game to see Maya Moore and the Minnesota Lynx. Moore, a college basketball legend in her own right, was part of a post-game event on the court. Clark ran up to her and hugged her. She didn’t want an autograph, or a picture, she just wanted to feel her presence.
Now, Clark is giving her presence to younger and older generations alike. At just 22 years old, she is one of the most famous athletes in women's sports. For many, that may be hard to handle, it could lead to a bloated ego and fat head, but not for Clark. She understands the impact she has on fans.
Financially, people paid hundreds if not thousands of their own money to get into the building last night against Michigan. Clark wants her fans to remember the moment just as she does, but she also does more, she spends her time with them.
After every game, children line up along the benches and bleachers, hoping to be in her presence. She signs as many t-shirts, posters, or whatever she can for as many as possible, “ten seconds can go a long way in somebody’s life”, said Clark.
One of the most emotional pieces of the night came after the final buzzer. Her family, about 30 feet to her right, surprised her with a video message on the jumbotron. Sharing their congratulations, love, and pride, Clark finally let some emotion show. Wiping tears from her eyes, the enormity of the moment hit her.
She earned congratulations from celebrities and athletes all around the world. Still, it just meant more coming from her kin, “There have been so many famous and cool people, and people I idolized growing up, that says a lot of really nice things about me, but when it’s people who have had your back through the ups and downs and been there every step of the journey — whether it was good or bad — and have seen the hard days, have seen the good days,” Clark said, “that’s when it means the most.”
Her family has been her refuge, her father as her coach, and her mother who according to friends and family, gave her the brains. Two brothers who I’m sure tried to take her in the paint in the driveway court, and a loyal dog.
Clark handles the spotlight with grace, confidence, and unmatched tenacity. She feeds off it, and it shows in her game. She shines in the biggest moments and enters a different level of play when her team needs her most.
Thursday, she entered the game with 8 points left to history. In classic Caitlin Clark fashion, she scored the first 8 points for Iowa and broke the record with a transition logo three. How poetic. To top of it, she finished the game with a career-high 49 points and 9 three-pointers. After her record-breaking shot went down, the arena erupted, and shortly after Iowa called a timeout to allow Clark to bask in the moment for just a little while, she earned it.
I think the most impressive thing about Clark is how grounded she is. Never bigger than the moment, and never not humble in success. She turned around Iowa basketball, changed women's athletics forever, cemented her name in the record books, and impacted so many young girls' lives around the world.
While she is an amazing basketball player, she is an even better advocate for the world of college sports, and the future of women's sports. Surrounded by media and security leaving the court, Clark was on a platform of her own. A platform she will continue to handle with grace and confidence. I can’t wait to see what she has in store.
So who is Caitlin Clark? She is a celebrity, but a humble one. She is a walking bucket but makes the extra pass. She is 22, but an idol for so many young girls. She is the future of sports, men and women, and it’s in good hands.
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