Wikipedia

Caitlin Clark

American basketball player

Caitlin Clark (born 22 January 2002) is an American professional basketball player. She currently plays at the point guard position in the Women's National Basketball Association college for the Indiana Fever. She is the current NCAA All-time Division I Scoring Leader.

Caitlin Clark
Caitlin Clark with Iowa in 2023
No. 22 – Indiana Fever
PositionPoint guard
LeagueWNBA
Personal information
Born (2002-01-22) January 22, 2002 (age 22)
Des Moines, Iowa, USA
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Listed weight70 kg (154 lb)
Career information
High schoolDowling Catholic
(West Des Moines, Iowa)
CollegeIowa (2020 - 2024)
WNBA draft2024 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1st overall
Selected by the Indiana Fever
Playing career2024–present
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Women's basketball
Representing the  United States
FIBA Under-19 World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2021 Hungary Team
Gold medal – first place 2019 Thailand Team
FIBA Americas Under-16 Championship
Gold medal – first place 2017 Argentina Team

Education

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She went to high school at Dowling Catholic High School in West Des Moines, Iowa. Many colleges aimed to get her to play for their women's basketball program. Clark chose to stay in her home state and play for the Hawkeyes.

Clark led Division I in scoring as a freshman, sharing Freshman of the Year honors and being named an All-American. She again led Division I in scoring as a sophomore, but also led in assists, being the first to lead in both in a single season. For her second season, she was named a unanimous All-American. In her junior season at Iowa, she led the Hawkeyes to a national championship game appearance for the first time in the school's history. She was again named a Unanimous All-American and was named the Player of the Year by many media publications.

College career

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Freshman year

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Clark began her freshman season at Iowa as the team's starting point guard.[1] She played her first game on November 25, 2020 against Northern Iowa, which ended in a 96–81 win for the Hawkeyes.[2] In the win, she scored 27 points and also had eight rebounds and four assists.[3] In her next game, she posted her first career double-double with 30 points and 13 assists in a win over Drake.[4] On December 22, she posted her first career triple-double as Iowa beat Western Illinois. Clark shot the ball at a low percentage, but still scored 13 points, and had 13 rebounds and 10 assists.[5] On February 11, 2021 she scored a season-high 39 points in a win against Nebraska.[6] Clark added 10 rebounds and seven assists in the game.[6] She finished the regular season being named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and a unanimous first-team All-Big Ten selection.[7]

Clark and Iowa finished as the runners-up of the Big Ten Tournament.[8] In the second round of the NCAA Division I women's tournament, Clark scored 35 points and made 6 three-pointers in a win against Kentucky.[9] Both were schools records in tournament play.[9] With the win, Iowa reached the Sweet 16 round. In that round, Clark scored 21 points as Iowa lost to UConn 92–72.[10]

At the end of the season, the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) named her a first-team All-American.[11] The Associated Press (AP) also named her as a second-team All-American.[11] Clark was also named to the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Coaches' All-America team.[11] She became the first freshman to win the Dawn Staley Award, which is given to Division I's best point guard.[12] Additionally, Clark and UConn's Paige Bueckers were named the WBCA Co-Freshmen of the Year.[13] The two also shared that year's Tamika Catchings Award, the USBWA's Freshman of the Year honor.[14] Clark finished her freshman season averaging 26.6 points, 7.1 assists, and 5.9 rebounds per game (rpg).[15] Her 26.6 points per game (ppg) led Division I women's basketball in scoring and also set an Iowa freshman record.[15]

Sophomore year

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Clark began her second season at Iowa with 26 points, eight rebounds, and six assists in a 93–50 win against New Hampshire.[16] On January 2, 2022, Clark scored 44 points in a big 93–56 win over Evansville.[17] During the game, she reached 1,000 career points, setting a Big Ten women's record as the fastest player to do so.[17] Later in January, she had two triple-doubles in a row in wins over Nebraska and Minnesota.[18][19] She scored 30 points in both games, becoming the first NCAA Division I player in either men's or women's basketball to post two 30-point triple-doubles in a row.[19] Then on January 25, she had 18 assists in a win against Penn State. This set an an Iowa record and tied the Big Ten Conference record for assists in a single game.[20][21] On February 6, she scored her career high of 46 points, but Iowa lost to Michigan.[22] Clark was named the Big Ten Conference's Player of the Year by coaches and media.[23] She also was named a unanimous All-Big Ten player.[23]

Clark helped Iowa win the Big Ten conference tournament and was named the tournament's most outstanding player (MOP).[24] Iowa was expected to make a run in the NCAA tournament but Creighton upset the Hawkeyes in the second round. Clark had a season-low 15 points against Creighton and shot poorly, making only 4-of-19 attempts.[25]

For her performance in her second season, Clark was named a unanimous All-American.[26][27] Clark also won the Dawn Staley Award again, becoming the first player to win it twice and in back-to-back seasons.[28][29] Clark also won the Nancy Lieberman Award, another award given to Division I's top point guard.[28] Clark finished the season averaging 27 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists per game (apg).[30] She led Division I in ppg and apg, becoming the first player to do so.[28]

Junior year

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During the preseason of her junior year, basketball coaches and media set high expectations of Clark. She was unanimously picked to be on the AP preseason All-America team.[31] Early into the season, Clark suffered an ankle injury with just a few seconds left in a game against Kansas State. The Hawkeyes lost that game 83–84.[32] Despite the injury, Clark played the next game to help the Hawkeyes win against Belmont.[33] On December 1, she scored her season-high of 45 points, but Iowa lost to North Carolina State.[34]

Senior year

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Clark won many awards and highlights during her senior year at Iowa. She became the new NCAA All-time Division I Scoring Leader. She became well-known for her skill at three-point shooting. Women's college basketball became one of the most watched sports during March Madness 2024. Iowa made it to the Final Four National Championship, but lost to the South Carolina Gamecocks.

WNBA career

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On April 15, 2024, Clark was selected in the first round, first overall pick by the Indiana Fever in the 2024 WNBA Draft.[35]

References

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  1. ↑ Batterson, Steve (November 25, 2020). "College women's basketball: Clark ready for Hawkeye debut". The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  2. ↑ Southard, Dargan (November 25, 2020). "Iowa women's basketball: Caitlin Clark's riveting collegiate debut pushes Hawkeyes past Northern Iowa". Hawk Central. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  3. ↑ "100th game for Caitlin Clark at Iowa is for national title". Associated Press. April 2, 2023. Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. Retrieved April 3, 2023 – via Bally Sports.
  4. ↑ Peterson, Chloe (December 2, 2020). "Clark downs Drake in homecoming game". The Daily Iowan. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  5. ↑ Goffin, Isaac (December 22, 2020). "Caitlin Clark records first career triple-double against Western Illinois". The Daily Iowan. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Voepel, M.A. (February 12, 2021). "Iowa Hawkeyes freshman Caitlin Clark breaking through as a top scorer". ESPN. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  7. ↑ Howell, Michael (March 8, 2021). "Caitlin Clark wins Big Ten Freshman of the Year". KGAN. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  8. ↑ Linder, Jeff (March 13, 2021). "Monika Czinano, Caitlin Clark set Big Ten tournament records, earn all-tournament honors". The Gazette. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Eickholt, David (June 25, 2021). "WATCH: Caitlin Clark talks record-breaking performance against Kentucky". 247Sports. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Bueckers, UConn beat Clark, Iowa in women's Sweet 16". Associated Press. March 27, 2021. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 "Caitlin Clark named to AP Preseason All-American team". KCCI. October 26, 2021. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Clark Earns Dawn Staley Award". Iowa Hawkeyes. April 2, 2021. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  13. ↑ "UConn's Bueckers, Iowa's Clark named 2021 WBCA NCAA Division I Co-Freshmen of the Year presented by adidas" (Press release). Women's Basketball Coaches Association. March 30, 2021. Archived from the original on March 30, 2021. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  14. ↑ "USBWA Names Tamika Catching Award, Coach of the Year Award Winners" (Press release). United States Basketball Writers Association. April 2, 2021. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Luka Garza, Caitlin Clark Finalists for Sullivan". Sports Illustrated. September 30, 2021. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  16. ↑ Bohnenkamp, John (November 9, 2021). "Clark, Czinano lead No. 9 Hawkeyes past New Hampshire 93-50". Associated Press. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Linder, Jeff (January 2, 2022). "Caitlin Clark's 44-point outburst sets career, Carver records". The Gazette. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  18. ↑ Peterson, Chloe (January 16, 2022). "Caitlin Clark notches triple-double in Iowa women's basketball's victory over Nebraska". The Daily Iowan. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Voepel, M.A. (January 21, 2022). "Iowa's Caitlin Clark makes basketball history with second straight 30-point triple-double". ESPN. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  20. ↑ Peterson, Chloe (January 30, 2022). "Caitlin Clark increases Iowa women's basketball team's national presence". The Daily Iowan. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  21. ↑ "Caitlin Clark Naismith Semifinalist". Sports Illustrated. March 2, 2022. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  22. ↑ Selbe, Nick (February 6, 2022). "Iowa's Caitlin Clark Scores Career-High 46 Points in Loss to No. 6 Michigan". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 "Iowa's Caitlin Clark B1G Player of Year". Sports Illustrated. March 1, 2022. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  24. ↑ Peterson, Chloe (March 6, 2022). "Making history: Iowa women's basketball wins 2022 Big Ten regular season, tournament titles". The Big Iowan. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  25. ↑ Voepel, M.A. (March 20, 2022). "Creighton Bluejays stun Iowa Hawkeyes in NCAA women's basketball tournament, hold Caitlin Clark to 15 points". ESPN. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  26. ↑ Feinberg, Doug (March 16, 2022). "AP All-America team includes milestone for Kentucky's Howard". Associated Press. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  27. ↑ "Clark, Czinano Named WBCA All-Americans". Iowa Hawkeyes. March 31, 2022. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 "Caitlin Clark Claims 2 Point Guard Awards". Sports Illustrated. April 3, 2022. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  29. ↑ Peterson, Chloe (April 1, 2022). "Caitlin Clark wins Dawn Staley, Nancy Lieberman Awards". The Daily Iowan. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  30. ↑ "Aliyah Boston, Caitlin Clark lead AP's preseason All-America team". ESPN. October 25, 2022. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  31. ↑ "Aliyah Boston, Caitlin Clark lead AP's preseason All-America team". Associated Press. October 25, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2023 – via ESPN.
  32. ↑ Voepel, M.A. (November 18, 2022). "Iowa's Caitlin Clark day-to-day after injuring ankle against Kansas State". ESPN. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  33. ↑ Knupp, Sam (November 20, 2022). "Caitlin Clark overcomes ankle injury, leads Iowa women's basketball to victory over Belmont". The Daily Iowan. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  34. ↑ Voepel, M.A. (December 2, 2022). "Iowa's Caitlin Clark has 45, critical of defense in loss to NC State". ESPN. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  35. ↑ "2024 Draft Board". www.wnba.com. Retrieved 2024-04-17.
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