Caitlin Clark celebrating. (Photo Matthew Holst/Getty Images)
By Owen Kutlu, Staff Writer
This past Thursday night, Iowa guard Caitlin Clark made history and further cemented her legacy as one of the greatest women to ever play collegiate basketball. Clark was eight points away from breaking the women’s NCAA all-time scoring record. It took her less than three minutes of action to achieve that feat.
Not only did she break the scoring record on Thursday, but Clark also set a new career high of 49 points against the Michigan Wolverines. The stars aligned that night, putting the entire sports world on notice if they had not been already. The Clark hype is legitimate and it is here to stay.
While Clark is known for her otherworldly shooting ability, a part of her game that goes unappreciated is her passing. She has tallied over 1,000 career assists to go along with her 3,569 career points and counting. The fact that Clark has been able to share the ball at such an impressive level while still putting up her mind-boggling point total is what makes her such a threat every time she touches the basketball.
This season, Clark leads the NCAA in points per game with just shy of 33. Clark is also atop the assist race, leading the NCAA with 8.5 per game. Being as dominant as she is with the incredible efficiency to go along with it makes Clark an unguardable matchup for any opponent she faces. It is nearly impossible to slow Clark down the way she is currently playing. Teams must decide if they want to jump out of the way or get run over.
It is safe to say that Clark is transforming the sport of women’s basketball and collegiate athletics in general. As the support for women’s athletics increases year by year, she will be looked at as a leading figure in the fight to garner popularity and respect for women athletes all across the country. This has been shown by the sell-out crowds at every home Iowa women’s basketball game.
Coaches around the Big Ten have also chimed in, praising Clark for her innate ability to score the ball. Illinois coach Shauna Green used the term “generational player” to describe Clark. Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico agreed, saying that Clark “still figures out a way to score” no matter what defense you throw at her.
Clark has brought Iowa and women’s basketball as a whole to the forefront of American sports. Her aura is up there with the likes of all the greatest athletes of our generation. From this point on, Clark will be the name all young women chase when aspiring to play basketball at the highest level.
Nobody knows what the future holds for Clark. Her options include returning to Iowa for her fifth season or declaring for the WNBA draft. No matter what direction she decides to take, it is important to appreciate what Clark is doing at the moment because we are witnessing true greatness firsthand.
Clark will continue her stellar season and add to her point total on Thursday, Feb. 22 against the Indiana Hoosiers.
