(Yahoo Sports/Bruno Rouby)
Iowa Hawkeyes women’s superstar basketball player Caitlin Clark continues to revolutionize and transform not just Women’s College Basketball, but the game. I saw it coming and have informed you in years past, calling her “The Stephen Curry of Women’s Basketball” or “The Next Face of Women’s Basketball.”
Clark continues to defy the logic of what’s possible on a basketball court and seemingly has no limit on her shooting range. She recently became the NCAAW’s basketball all-time scoring leader off a pull-up against Michigan from about 35 feet out with such ease, as she’s done thousands of times throughout her electric young career.
She wasted no time in breaking former Washington Huskie stud Kelsey Plum’s previous record of 3,527 points she set in 2017 by attacking the lane off a beautiful dribble combo, then curling off a screen to hit a three at the 9:17 mark. Clark then as the trailer, took one dribble after passing halfcourt to drill the logo-esque three to break the record in the only fashion we could imagine her breaking it.
Hear the roar of the crowd after she breaks the record:
Clark finished the game with 49 points on a ridiculous 16-of-31 (51.6%) shooting from the field and a mind-breaking 9-of-18 (50%) from three! Just alien-type stuff! That’s not even including the five rebounds and 13 assists she dished out in the 106-89 victory over Michigan.
Clark is the best and most recognizable face in college basketball period! Men or women. Everyone around the country in the world of sports knows who she is and is having a Michael Jordan-type effect on the women’s college basketball scene.
She is a rating darling and network dream as she is purely box office being the main culprit of why last year’s Final Four was ESPN’s most viewed on record, averaging 6.5 million viewers per the Athletic.
The national championship game between Iowa and the LSU Tigers featured another young star in Angel Reese reeled in 9.9 million viewers, shattering 2022’s audience to become the most-watched program in women’s college basketball history.
Clark is the only player in NCAA history to record a 40-point triple-double while also being the only player to record 3,000 points, 750 rebounds, and 750 assists.
She has led Iowa to two consecutive conference titles, tallying more 30-point games than any player of the last 25 years.
Becoming the all-time scorer in women’s college basketball history wasn’t the only record Clark broke, as she also set a Hawkeye single-game scoring record of 49 points, breaking former Hawkeye center Megan Gustafson’s 48-point outing in March 2018.
Clark has been nothing short of extraordinary throughout her illustrious career and somehow still seems to get better, averaging a career-high 32.8 points per game which is a five-point increase from her 27.8 last season!
She’s not just a one-dimensional player as she has other assets to her game that make her multi-dimensional, being a terrific passer averaging 8.5 assists while also corralling 6.9 rebounds a game and getting into passing lanes as well with 1.7 steals per contest.
Can Caitlin Clark become The Face of the WNBA?
It’s exhilarating and replenishing to see what Clark is doing for women’s basketball and the attention her game and aura bring to help promote and grow the game.
She still will be eligible to play one more season due to COVID-19 gracing athletes with an extra year for those who were affected by it.
If Clark chooses to stay she can push her scoring record further out of reach of potential challengers down the line such as USC Trojan freshman guard sensation Juju Watkins.
If she chooses to leave, the Indiana Fever has the No.1 pick in the WNBA Draft this year who are praying Clark declares for the draft after her season with the chance to draft a potential league-altering franchise talent.
That’s the kind of seismic shift and impact Clark has created throughout her collegiate career. In the meantime, she’ll look to help lead the Hawkeyes to win another conference championship and their first national crown in the history of the program.
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